professional bloggers interviews Archives

Blogging Tips From Pro Blogger – MomDot #BloggerInterviews

I’m here today with one
of blogging’s elite, Trisha Haas, from the blog MomDot, the MomDot Forum and Community. MomDot has been featured in Country Living,
Cosmopolitan, and Today’s Parent. I have personally seen Trisha on CNN as well.
She’s also been featured in the New York Times and Washington Post. Let’s begin
the interview…………….

1. I would like readers to get to know you, so please tell them a little about
yourself and your blog, Mom Dot.

MomDot actually started back in
2008 as an extension of a boutique I owned. As I really got into blogging I
started interviewing other bloggers and really formed a personal bond with so
many other women. MomDot is two main parts- its my blog but it also hosts a
forum and an active Facebook group where I have a community- the community is
the heart of what we are.

2. You’re
married with 2 adorable children. In addition you blog, manage your forum, and
speak at blogging conferences. What time management and organizational tools do
you use to accomplish your blogging goals?

Oh wow. I do not want to pretend I
am organized. I am not. A few years ago I partnered with Lynsey Jones from
PartyPlanDivas. She had a fantastic planner for Direct Sales consultants and we
worked together to do a very comprehensive Blogging Planner. I use a copy of
the desk blogging planner to stay organized and truthfully a lot of
backtracking. I barely have my gmail folders set up. The struggle is real.

3. It’s
important that bloggers understand Branding. What advice can you give them on
creating and establishing their Brand?

I am a non-niche gal. I wasn’t raised on a blogging
niche and that is something that primarily came later in the big wild world of
blogging. Bloggers now that start out can come out full force with a logo, a
matching social page and more- its all matchy and perfect. There is a lot of
truth to being recognized but at the end of the day, if you have great content
and a good logo, you can go pretty far. Don’t get so caught up in Branding or
the Brand that you forget what really matters- the content.

4. One of the first things that I look at is a
blogger’s About Me Page. What advice can you give bloggers on creating a Page
that will stand out?

I use images actually on my About
Me page. I love using Canva.com which is a free service to make it look
beautiful. My best advice is to keep it updated. I once spent a year not
looking at mine and then realized my kids were totally different ages then my
page said. That is not a great idea when looking for sponsors. I also recommend
putting a call to action for your About Me page in your sidebar if you have
room. People love to see your pretty face- it seems more personal. I recently
had a nice one at the bottom of my posts but then realized that not everyone
reads that far down, so I am in the process of altering my pages to put it back
on the sidebar.

5. What tips can you give readers on how to
market their blog?

My number one tip is to join a
community of like minded bloggers. There are hoards of them out there and if you
find a good one you will deal with not support, sharing, trips, referrals- I
can only say I have gotten as far as I have because of those I surround myself
with.

6. Engaging
followers on social media is important as well. How can bloggers create or join
a tribe?

Blogging has changed so much the
past few years. It used to be that we hosted a contest and we got 20K entries-
in the comments. Now most conversation is on social media so its not something
you can ignore. That being said, do not get caught up in being EVERYWHERE at
once. Its stressful and trying to engage that much is exhausting. Figure out
where your audience is and be the best at THAT. If all else fails, hire a VA.

7. I would like to focus on your Mom Dot Forum.
Can you tell readers how your forum could benefit new bloggers or not so new
bloggers who wish to grow their readers and social media platforms? How can readers join the Mom Dot Community?

We have, and this is not a brag (ok a little
brag), one of the finest and most established blogging communities online. I do
not push numbers or recruit members. We simply add people via word of mouth and
solely work on maintaining those relationships. Being a part of a group with
50,000 people make you 1 of 50,000 but being part of something where everyone
knows YOU- that’s where the magic happens. MomDot is just that place. We focus
on monetization, community effort for PR, assist in getting bloggers work and
PR agents connected to bloggers, advertising and support of branded posts and
simply act as a sounding board for bloggers to meet up daily. While the forum
conversation has given away to our Facebook group over the years, our PR portion
is still thriving and our conversation has just altered to social media. If you
would like to join our impressive group of professional bloggers (new and
established is fine, we just ask everyone to be kind), you can do so by messaging
me personally at Trisha@momdot.com for an invite into our private space.

When Trisha isn’t blogging on MomDot or overseeing her forum and community, she spends her time on the Gulf Coast of Alabama with her husband of 13 years and their 2 children.

Blogging Tips From On The Scene With Mrs. Kathy King

This is the first interview of a series that I will be doing on Mother 2 Mother. First, my goal is to provide resources and information that will assist beginner bloggers and others who wish to grow their blog. Hopefully, the tips will help bloggers who are interested in turning their hobby into a professional site. My interviews will be with Professional Bloggers who have already achieved this goal, and are willing to share a few tips and tricks to help others succeed.

Today I’m On the Scene with Mrs. Kathy King. Let’s begin the interview:

Question 1 – Please tell our readers a little about yourself:

Mrs. Kathy King – “I’m just me. It’s only by the grace of God I’m even where I’m at. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be blogging. One of the reasons why I blog is so I can be home with my daughter. When I first started blogging I had just changed my job. I’m a corporate girl, I got laid off. I was making six figures, so I figured that it would be better for me to learn how to save money now that I had lost my job. This was after 2008, I didn’t know if the market would ever allow me to make six figures again. I made a conscious effort to learn how to save money.”

“My hobby, couponing, turned into an actual site; however, things changed. I started reporting the best deals, anything that was family friendly that moms could enjoy. “It took me about six months to grow my following from 1 follower to 16,000 on Facebook.”

“In 2013, I started going to actual blogger conventions; however, my passion had changed. My true passion is my family, and my daughter. After going to a couple of amazing blogger conventions which I recommend anyone who wants to be successful blogging, they have to invest time to go to blogger conventions. If they don’t have the money they never know what God can do because in 2013, I didn’t have the budget to afford it, but I noticed where some of the places where giving away scholarships. I applied to the different scholarships and two of the places I wanted to go I actually received scholarship funds. You never know what God can do. I was blessed to go.”

“I did something that most bloggers fear, fear. So, I decided to change my site. By this time I had already invested 2 ½ – 3 years into my site, and I decided I don’t want a Deal Blog. I’m going to change my entire name. I went from being a Deal Blogger to actually putting myself in front of my audience. Because I was in marketing, I think that the more you put yourself in front of your audience and the more you. Brand your blog as yourself, the better of a Brand you get. I was in marketing for years before starting my site. So I know that it was important to put yourself in front of your audience because it helps to establish a relationship and build a brand.”The huge risks were:

1. Would my fans like it?

2. Would they be receptive?

3. Would they think I had an ego?

“By the end of 2014, my fans loved it. My user engagement increased and my fan loyalty increased. People like seeing a real face, a real woman in front instead of just being behind a blog name.“

Question 2 – Where you already on WordPress? There’s a debate going on as to whether bloggers can be successful on the Blogger platform.

Mrs. Kathy King – “In the beginning of my blog I started off on Blogger. Because of my Marketing
background I wanted to change for these reasons:

1. You get better SEO

2. Better capabilities

3. You own the database

4. Better opportunities

Most people stay on Blogger for these reasons:

1. They don’t want to spend the money

2. Fear

3. Their blog is a hobby

If you want to make your blog a business, you should move to WordPress. I started on a VPN server and than as my site grew, I was blessed to move to a Dedicated server.”

Question 3 – Share your experience when you attended the World Premiere of Cinderella. I
followed you on Facebook, and my favorite pictures where when you were on the red carpet and the one with you standing beside Cinderella’s ball gown.

Mrs. Kathy King – “Cinderella is every girl’s dream. Everyone wants to see their Fairy God
Mother. It was one of the most amazing experiences that God could have ever
given me. It was a very diverse group of bloggers that attended. At the end of the day, Cinderella is
universal. J.C. Penny provided hair
stylists, a makeup artist and light hor d’oeuvres. They accessorized you; it was the first time
that I was sponsored and Sydney’s Closet, a major dress company, sent me the perfect dress. It was amazing.”

Question 4 – How do you connect with Brands?

Mrs. Kathy King – There are several ways to connect with Brands:

1. Add yourself to CISION

2. Send them a letter. Provide your stats. Look professional from your posts.

3. Follow Brands on Tweeter. Their social media people live on Twitter.

4. Brands are watching you. Start writing about Brands that you like. Not everything has to be given to you.

“A touchy subject is to charge. Your time is valuable. Make sure everything you do on your site
benefits your fans and your home. Make sure you value yourself. Do I charge for everything? I do not, but I now have a clear understanding of the time it takes for me to do a social selfie, send out a tweet, write a sponsored post or video. Therefore, I charge and schedule my time accordingly.”Make sure your blog works for you. What does money look like to you? What does payment look like to you? I even charge to tweet. I’ve become more of a helpful tips kind of site instead of a product
review site. If you have questions on whom you can charge or not change email me at me@MrsKathyKing.com. “

“Get an editorial calendar and write in series. For example, I write several Cinderella posts. I have several Easter posts and I like them. You have to have your own voice before you follow other bloggers because you just end up copying them. That’s not fair to them and that makes people not like you.

Make your theme work for you. With events, Disney is something I do for fun. The DVDs are something I do for my fans and I have a 2 year old. So of course owning a DVD collection is a great thing to do.”

Question 5 – What advice would you give bloggers on how to promote their on-line presence on
Facebook and Twitter?

Mrs. Kathy King – “The reason why Facebook and Twitter are my biggest followings is because Facebook
was the number one social media when I first started, so that’s what I focused on building. Twitter was the second venue, so those were the two things I focused on building. Although in the end I should have focused on Twitter
instead of Facebook.”

Facebook is about engagement. It’s about sharing other people’s information. Become more of a
curator. Share videos and people’s stuff.
Twitter is about engagement too. Talk to people and retweet with other bloggers.
Pinterest is about being consistent. Pin popular pins. Make sure your pins are being shared
too. Invest in blogger social media groups. Groups that like to share each other pins and tweets.
Instagram is about sharing pictures.
Growing your fan base isn’t about getting your fan base
right out the door. It takes time.

Question 6 – If you had 2 minutes to give new bloggers advice, what would it be?

Mrs. Kathy King – “Don’t get stressed because you don’t know what your own voice is, because it
takes time. Know your worth and do not sell yourself short. If you want this to be your full time job, have the courage to go in there with a price because you never know if they’re willing to pay.”

Kathy is a Social Media Strategist, Pro Blogger & Influencer. When she is not blogging or promoting Brands On The Scene With Mrs. Kathy King, she enjoys spending time with her husband Matt and their 3 children. Kathy and her family reside in Long Beach, CA.