I was sitting in the bath the other day when the idea for this post came to me. I can’t remember what prompted it but hey-ho, here we are. I’m not going to ramble with this introduction for TOO long because the responses I got on Twitter when I asked people for their “unpopular blogging opinions” really do speak for themselves.
Instead of sharing my own opinions, I wanted to react to yours. They’re much more interesting and versatile and I was pretty taken aback by the amount of responses and what some people were saying. Some I entirely agree with, others not so much, but it was incredibly interesting to hear what people are currently thinking and feeling about the blogging world.
The blogging industry has changed over the years. I’ve been blogging since 2013 and I started out in a very nichรฉ area of it (book blogging), so I’ve seen plenty of changes within the industry and within my own feelings about it, having turned from hobby blogger to a full-time job.
Things change. That’s cool, they always do. But I definitely think that the essence of some parts of blogging and what made it wonderful has shifted in slightly the wrong direction. It would appear some of the people who responded to my tweet thought the same thing too.
So before we get into these unpopular blogging opinions (which might not be unpopular at all – let’s see), please be respectful even if you don’t agree! The opinions shared on Twitter are highlighted in pink – my reactions are below.
When I discover a new, relatable and inspiring blog then to look and find they haven’t blogged in years. I find it annoying cause their writing and photography is so good yet they don’t utilize that in their blog and save it all for Instagram!
I can see why this is annoying! It seems a shame that people would seemingly “waste” such talent solely on Instagram, a platform that isn’t theirs (and never will be) and could be taken away at any moment. But if that’s what they want to do, then is it a waste?
People who miss use hashtags on Twitter.
This annoys me and will annoy me until the end of time. The #bloggerswanted hash tag is pretty much unusable now, for people using it for all the wrong reasons. If you’re not looking for a blogger for something, why are you using it to promote yourself?
Brands who expect you to follow so many rules for a collaboration when really you are getting a โfreeโ gift and wonโt pay for the work you put in.
Ugh! I wholeheartedly agree but I also think it’s difficult for newer bloggers who perhaps are only JUST getting contacted by brands to know what’s “right”. I spent AGES accepting low priced “gifts” and going above and beyond to create blog photos, imagery and social content for it. Looking back, I just didn’t realize how I was being taken advantage of!
Agencies who expect you to host a badly written article promoting their client with a do follow backlink for $20 and no disclosure. And bloggers who accept this. No shade if you have bills to pay but this devalues us all. Please, know your worth!
Great point! The more people that accept these low prices, the more agencies, brands and PR’s will think it’s acceptable. It’s a tough to find the line though because some bloggers genuinely do really need the money and an extra $20 might make such a difference. But like I said, if more people say no, then it’s better for all of us in the long run!
Blogging can be a big drain on your mental health if you’re not careful and it’s easy to burn out.
Yep, wholeheartedly agree with this statement. There’s a lot of things that can affect your mental health in this industry; comparison, worry about money, not feeling good enough. It’s VITAL that you have self care practices in place to help when you’re approaching burn out.
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That you can make $3756 in the first 6 months of blogging.
Unlikely yes but not impossible. I think it all depends on the time you have to put in, the money you’re willing to put in, the resources you have and the knowledge that you have as a new blogger. I didn’t make money for years – but I wasn’t trying to nor did I know how.
I think it is misleading though, when bloggers push their own eBooks and courses etc about how they made that money in the first 6 months but they’re not disclosing the fact that they paid out like a thousand pound for additional help.
We wear way too many “hats” as bloggers. It’s impossible to be an expert writer, graphic designer, photographer, web developer, marketer, etc. and be an the most knowledgeable in our niche. If we want to provide quality, we need to stop spreading ourselves so thin and get help.
I half agree with this. Yes, we DEFINITELY wear a lot of hats and need to know about a lot of different aspects of blogging – some of which we don’t necessarily enjoy as well. But not everyone has the means to get help, so have no choice but to learn how to do those things themselves.
The blogging community isn’t really a community. Most of us are so disconnected from others even in our own niche, it’s not even funny. The “community” isn’t friendly anymore. We’ve become a selfish bunch, focused only on our own blog’s survival and financial gain.
Hmm, again, half agree with this. In regards to what I said earlier about the blogging industry changing, this definitely applies. We’re much more focused as a whole on things like monetary gains, SEO and the like. Which, if you’re a full-time blogger, is crucial. If this is your JOB then that’s what you need to do.
From my own experience in the community, it’s still friendly and there are some wonderful people within it. I’ve had a lot of support recently from a few members of the blogging community and it’s made a world of difference to my own situation. I guess this very much depends on your niche and personal experience.
Thereโs no personality with blogging anymore, everything is sell, sell, sell, review, review, review which is sad. I come from the days of when blogging was all fun and somewhere to express yourself. Now it feels so commercial.
Again with the “things change” aspect of this post. As blogging has become a more recognized career, it’s natural for it to become more commercial. The thing is, I don’t think commercial and personality can’t go hand in hand if it’s done right. I follow a nice mix of bloggers; some who do it full-time, some who blog as a hobby, some who promote brands and products, others that share personal stories.
Blogging is the best way to kill your interest in something because it’s almost impossible to not get caught up in the numbers and trying to grow.
Okay I have first hand experience of how this can be true and that’s when I was a book blogger and it made me resent reading. So yes this can definitely happen! Luckily I love reading and blogging about books again now but that’s only because I’m not a book blogger, I don’t review books anymore nor do I put any pressure on myself to do so.
If your first blog ever is in the ‘how to blog’ niche, claiming to be an expert, you’re looking for a get-rich-quick scheme and you’re just scamming people out of their money. Sorry, but if you haven’t built a successful blog, you shouldn’t be teaching someone else.
Wholeheartedly agree. I mean, the only counter argument to this that I can think of is if the person has experience in their job or has had another successful blog in the past. But if that’s the case, it should be automatically obvious. Even worse is if they’re trying to peddle an eBook after 2 weeks!
That Pinterest is super easy to gain traction/views. “All you have to do is follow X amount of rules”, when in reality it’s not that simple and the algorithm is always changing. Also, blogging without heart/personality makes a blog feel impersonal and fake.
I despise Pinterest so I agree with this. Pinterest can work wonderfully for some people and I’ve had some success with it as well. But I still hate it and it’s NOT as easy as some of these Pinterest guru’s say it is. There’s SO MUCH stuff you HAVE to do in order for it to *maybe* work for you that it almost doesn’t seem worth it, unless you hire a Pinterest manager.
I’m a blind blogger, and I’m routinely frustrated by the inaccessibility of the stock image libraries. No alt-text or file labels so I can’t tell what they are, and can’t use them.
Not an unpopular opinion but one that I think is important to point out and talk about more. I’ll be featuring a guest post from this person in March!
I like reading stories with my recipe posts and the people who complain about having to scroll past it to get to the free recipe are actually the worst.
Okay I know there’s a lot of differing opinions on this. For the sake of SEO, the longer recipe posts are obviously important as recipes can bring in a lot of traffic, which is great. For me, I don’t typically read everything beforehand. If I want the recipe, I’ll scroll straight to the recipe. But I don’t moan about it because I know all the chit-chat is there for a reason.
I’d absolutely love to hear your reactions to some of these opinions! Please remember to be respectful; we’re all entitled to an opinion and all have very different blogging experiences to each other.
Which do you agree with? Let me know in the comments!
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I agree with a lot of these. My biggest bugbear is that the UK just haven’t followed the US in following Google’s rules about nofollow/dofollow. Over there, very few bloggers will use dofollow in collaborative work, therefore making it more possible for them to work with brands etc. Over here, we’ve still got nearly everyone happy to put their blogs at risk and just take any money for the sake of making it. I earnt more money 10 years ago from blogging than I do now, and much of that is because I won’t use dofollow links (and tht PRs in my niche largely want younger kids/in photos which mine won’t do). I’ve been waiting for so many years thinking we’ll go more the US way, but nope, not looking like that’s changing any time soon.
Very interesting read for sure. I think that blogging is hard, mysterious work sometimes and it’s hard to do it all and make your blog one that gets views without you having to grind and promote promote promote. I hate scheduling promotional tweets just to get views and yet, it’s the best ways to get people there. I started my blog to share my story with mental health and self care but I also knew if I worked hard, I could make money and that was a goal but making money is super hard too. I don’t even know if that’s a goal I want to strive for anymore. I’ve really been re-thinking things lately.
Itโs good that youโve recognised that you might want to change the goal post; you have to go with what feels right.
This was a very interesting read. I’ve only just started blogging, with the intention to get my story out. However, I have followed various bloggers on various different platforms for years. It’s a shame to see how this community and lifestyle has changed. It’s easy for someone who – like me – is just starting out to feel like their content isn’t good enough or that it isn’t going to go anywhere. But for me, I know I am writing for me and not yet thinking about making any money with it. I just want to roll with it, share my stories and words of wisdom and just have fun. This post has made me consider the reasons why I want to continue blogging, so thank you Jenny for sharing this! ~ Jayne, OurJourneyInChapters.com
I think just rolling with it at this point is the best thing to do! Write what you love and go from there ๐
That’s what I’ve been hoping to do, I want people to know I am a real person with my own story. I see that with so many blogs, but I’ve also seen some that don’t carry that personality if you know what I mean. So, I’m just trying to be brave enough to share some of the experiences I’ve (or both me and my partner have) been through. Just as I’ve been inspired by yourself and a handful of other bloggers to do so. So, thank you for that. x
This is such a great idea for a post. I really enjoyed reading some of these unpopular opinions.
Thanks Kelly x
It was interesting reading what others unpopular blogging opinions are! I definitely agree it’s terrible when brands offer a low priced gift & require you to do 50 different things & it’s even worse when brands offer an absurdly low price for a post! I also agree that Pinterest isn’t easy to use & I literally only create 1 pin for each post & that’s it because I don’t have the time to figure it out!
I don’t agree that the blogging community isn’t friendly anymore. I feel like with the pandemic, it has made the community stronger. There are so many amazing bloggers out there, but it does depend on your experiences.
Yes I agree with more or less everything youโve said. Pinterest is too long winded for when it doesnโt work for you. It definitely depends on your experience but I love the blogging community too x
What a great post! A lot of different angles on blogging in one place.
Due to my day job I am already used to wearing several hats at once – marketing, general business management helpdesk, IT project development, event management, accounting and some more, so blog for me is kind of one hat – marketing ๐ I just need more time and I do struggle with wordpress features a bit, but .. I will not give up.
And maybe I am lucky but I have felt only major support from Twitter – but I have been there for only 6 months so maybe I just haven’t seen the ugly side yet.
Crikey that is a LOT of hats you wear! I donโt know how you do it!
I 100% agree with blogging burnout and it being a drain on your mental health. I love blogging, if I didnโt I would just stop but I find it hard to switch off too. When I do have time off from blogging I find it hard to get back into then Iโm worried that my content is suffering. Managing two blogs alongside a job is tough. Iโm not going to lie the extra income from blogging has actually been a life saver especially over the last year but itโs just an added pressure as well trying to make sure I earn each month! Blogging is hard!
Thank you for sharing! I honestly have NO IDEA how you manage two blogs. Let along manage them with a job as well. I think anyone that can juggle that much is super human so give yourself some credit and please donโt forget to give yourself some down time xxx
I do agree with a lot of these statements. I blog as an author and if it doesn’t have a story and heart then I don’t follow. As for pintrest, I’ve never used it as a tool to get views, I just keep my personal pics for writing references and such. Great post.
Thank you ๐
I joined the blogging community a similar time as you (technically I’ve blogged since ’05 but it was very different back then, there was no Twitter or anything!) things have changed a lot in recent years, I like how many hats we wear as bloggers though, I’ve always been someone who likes jumping into learning new things. x
Thatโs great that you find a positive out of that! ๐
Oh wow, this is an interesting post. I don’t think blogging is all about selling and reviews, because there are tons of bloggers who also do this for fun, and the content they put out is pretty interesting (yours included, Jenny). Anyway, thanks for this post!
Thank you! Yeah, I think itโs more about who you follow!
Loved this post! I do think that the blogging community is quite a close one, I don’t think it’s all selfish, but aren’t we all trying to make our blogs a success anyway?! So maybe we are all selfish in that way! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
Yes totally agree! Some people just go to different lengths for it, I guess!
These were so interesting to read through!
Loved reading everyoneโs opinions x
This is such a awesome post idea, I loved reading it! I have to agree with the baking opinion, I think if your getting a recipe for free then I donโt think you should moan about everything in between. Just scroll past if you donโt want to read. I donโt write massively long recipe posts but I do enjoy giving a bit of a back story before sharing the recipe itself. Thank you so much for sharing this lovely, it was really interesting to hear yours & others opinions on things! Xo
Elle – ellegracedeveson.com
Yes totally agree, on lots of blogs Iโve seen a โskip to recipeโ button so they literally do give you the option to skip everything else!
This is an awesome post idea! It’s interesting to see how other bloggers have been viewing the community. Honestly, I still think the blogging community is friendly and supportive, not selfish. Also, blogging hasn’t killed my passion for health and fitness at all. I think it must be different for everyone.
Definitely different for everyone! I think it just depends who you follow I guess. I think the community is super supportive!
I agree with a lot of this, but I think I agree with 99% of your reactions to them. I think the community is something you sort of build on your own, you see certain faces on your feed and even if you aren’t fully engaged in everything someone posts, I know there are certain people in the ‘community’ I would still hope are there if you needed help/ support with something. And it somewhat depends on how engaged you are too. Totally disagree with losing interest in something, I know I’m still much more creative with what I’m cooking/ trying new things because I always have content on the back of my mind when I’m doing the regular food shop. This was really interesting! Although I think a lot of these probably aren’t that unpopular x
Totally agree about the community element; you kinda make your own community so if yours isnโt supportive then maybe itโs time to switch something up.
The Bloggers Wanted hashtag drives me mad! I donโt think Iโve ever used it to promote a tweet or respond to one x
Good! Itโs so annoying when itโs so misused!
The food recipe one is such a close one to me, writing mostly about food. If people develop recipes for you to access for free, the least you can do is not moan about the parts you do not care about! Most blogs will have a ‘jump to recipe’ button, so no need to get all cranky! I feel for most of these unpopular blogging opinions, we do get a lot of shit for creating content! Loved this post x
Yes I mentioned to someone earlier that Iโve seen a lot of โjump to recipeโ buttons on blogs – itโs always there if you just want the recipe!
This post is pretty inspiring opening the most challenging questions in today’s
blogging world. Blogging is so enriching but if you know your why, that’s the biggest challenge..
Thank you ๐
I love this post!
I personally think the community is fantastic & supportive, but I’m fairly new and therefore, not comparing it to what happened previously.
The mental health point is so important. I’m feeling burnout right now! And I always need regular breaks.
I think the other points depend on what niche you are in and your style of writing.
Yes definitely prioritise those breaks and act when youโre starting to experience burn out!
Great read and a very good post idea! As a new Blogger it was nice to hear your opinion as an experienced Blogger.
Thank you ๐
“The blogging community isnโt really a community. Most of us are so disconnected from others even in our own niche, itโs not even funny. The โcommunityโ isnโt friendly anymore. Weโve become a selfish bunch, focused only on our own blogโs survival and financial gain.”
This part scares me because, I want to make an income from blogging some day. I am still trying to figure out how but after reading this post, I have learned that as a blogger you can really be changed by the financial side of things once you start making money.
I look forward to reading more of your posts!!!
Oh for sure! Iโm a hobby blogger turned full-time blogger so if you need any advice about that then drop me a message!
I might just drop you an email. ๐
Such a great post. I have to agree that blogging can drain your mental health especially if you are the one doing everything on your own. It can be very hard to find the right balance. However, with time things do get better.
Yes totally agree, thatโs something I struggle a lot with!
About “blogging community isn’t a community anymore” and “there’s no personality anymore”, I agree with you. It does depend on priorities and what people want out of their blog. However, it doesn’t mean that it has completely disappeared, just that we should look farther for the bloggers who stay true to the old days. In the book blogging community, for example, it is still mostly hobby, fun, personality driven rather than sell driven.
Highly enjoyed this post, Jenny!
Yes totally agree! If someone wants to focus on selling etc then thatโs their right but if thatโs not what YOU want to see then just find someone else you provides you with the content you need ๐