How to Be UNIQUE as a Blogger

Sometimes I feel a bit overwhelmed as a mom blogger. There are so many of us now. When I started blogging ten years ago, I had a couple favourite bloggers I followed. Now I know so many other bloggers I don’t have time to read all their blogs. In this crowd, it can be hard for a blogger (new or old) to stand out and be heard. And yet, each of us is unique and needs to remember that. Here are my tips for how to be unique as a blogger.

First, never forget why you started blogging.

(Why did you?) For me, it was to write. I am a writer. I express myself through words. In ten years of blogging, I still haven’t run out of ideas for posts I want to write. I usually have quite a few mulling around in the back of my head. So when I feel drained as a blogger, or disappointed about not getting a review or sponsorship opp, or overwhelmed by all the other great blog posts I see on social media, I come back to the writing. I still love to write.

Hopefully you have an equally motivating reason for beginning a blog. Maybe you started blogging to connect with other moms or to raise awareness for a cause or to document your travels or unique way of life. Write that down. Make a mission or vision statement for your blog. Go back to your first blog posts and remember what you felt and thought when you wrote them.

Second, be yourself.

I know that’s easier said than done. If you’re reading lots of other blogs (and you should be), it can be easy to get caught up in what worked well for other bloggers and to want to imitate that. However, don’t try to be someone you aren’t just to be popular. It doesn’t work in real life and it doesn’t work in the blogosphere. Your audience wants the real, genuine YOU.

Not all of us write ROFL pieces like the Bloggess and that’s okay. That’s who she is and some people love it. If you have a similar sarcastic sense of humour, feel free to share it. If you’re a caring, gentle person in real life, let it shine on your blog. Do consider your audience and the topic of your blog and make sure that what you are writing fits, but write in your voice, as if you were talking to a friend.

Third, remember that your audience is unique.

The people who read your blog probably aren’t the same people who read my blog, and that’s okay. We each have our own unique crowd of followers. Know your audience and what they expect from you and your blog, and respect that.

At ROAM a few weeks ago, all conference participants were offered some expensive skincare samples and asked to promote them for the chance to win more. None of the bloggers at my table participated in the contest; we all knew that wasn’t a product we would use and that our audiences would shake their heads at us if we did blog about it.

Fourth, think carefully about every product review and sponsored post opportunity you are offered.

I know that it can be very tempting to accept an opp just for the money or the cool product (like $400 lotion). I’ve been there, done that, and I’ve realized it’s not worth the money (or product) to blog about something I’m not passionate about.

Don’t write about something just because everyone else is and it’s a bit hit. Write about stuff that YOU love, which YOUR AUDIENCE will also love, and curate that relationship of trust. Make your endorsement of a product worth something by only endorsing products you truly believe in.

Fifth, develop relationships as a blogger.

I’m grateful for each of you, my readers, for coming here to read my blog and I love it when I have the chance to get to know you through your comments or feedback. I’m grateful for the mom bloggers whom I’ve met through social media and conferences, who inspire me as a blogger and help me stay accountable to everything I’ve shared here. And I’m grateful to the brands who’ve partnered with me and invested my blog, especially when we are able to develop long-term relationships and work together on more than just one review or post.

All of these relationships are important to my blog and are part of what make my blog unique from other blogs. Look around for the readers, bloggers and brands who supoort and inspire you as a blogger, and invest in those relationships.

Why did you start blogging? What helps you be unique as a blogger?