By: Melissa Li, Owner of Pincushion Photo by: Justin Hackworth for Alt Summit
Writing a blog is all about a vision. Whether it’s small or large, there is a vision you have for your blog. You had a purpose for starting, and it led you to a design, and style, and a subject that YOU thought was important to share. Maybe you discuss travel tips, or share lifestyle ideas.
Regardless of the topics you contribute to your content, you are sharing a vision you had. Or are you? When is the last time you looked at your content and asked, “Is what I’m writing the vision I had for my blog?” If 95% of your blog is about cupcakes you think are cool, but you’re describing yourself as a lifestyle blogger, maybe you’re really a food blogger.
Are My Photos and Words Aligned?
Time to step back and consider the path you’re on. Are your photos and written content in alignment? These are important questions to continually have in order to ensure the message you want to get out to the blogosphere is as you intended. It ensures that the unique and genuine content you are creating has truth behind it, and is not just filler to make the page of content larger.
Am I Having Fun?
Ask yourself first, am I having fun with this blog? If the answer is no, then consider the vision you had for starting to write initially. Perhaps it’s time for a new approach, a refresh. If the answer is yes, then a push to promote and find sponsorship may be your new path.
Does Your Blog Follow Your Vision and Your Passion?
When you approach a sponsor, and can clearly articulate your blogs’ vision, you are succeeding. Use Alt Summit as a time to learn, refresh and get inspired. Implement what you’ll learn at Alt to put your blog on the path that follows your vision, and your passion.
Consider these ideas:
- Review the vision for your blog: Write it down, see it on paper, share it with others, and ask yourself, “Does it make sense?”
- Organize your content: Review where you’re heavy in one subject and light in another. Consider a schedule for posting. Does my content match the vision?
- Write out your goals: What is the dream you have for your blog? Do you want sponsorship? Or are you spreading a message? Try to match the goals you have with your blogs’ purpose, allowing readers get to see the uniqueness of your blog.
Luckily this year at Alt we have a chance to talk with a great visionary, Martha Stewart. I often hear people say, “I want to be Martha Stewart.” Everyone can’t be Martha Stewart, but we certainly can learn from her. She’s a visionary, who created an empire by following her vision and love of teaching the things she is passionate about. By focusing on what inspires her, she created products that are innovative, useful, and imaginative. Martha made homekeeping beautiful. She serves as a great example, of how vision matters. Staying true to what inspires her, and being genuine has gotten her to a place of great success, and as she famously says “It’s a good thing!”
Melissa Li grew up with a family of “makers.” From a young age she saw everyone in her family either sewing, knitting, or crafting, and with a father who was a Master machinist and woodworker, she was constantly wanting to make too. After finishing her B.A. and MBA, she took her skills away from a world of high-tech and started MKL Pincushion Design, Inc, which would then become Pincushion. As a mother and wife, Melissa has a very busy life, but she can honestly say without reservation, coming to work every day is an absolute joy. She loves working with customers, and creating new projects for the store. Melissa is the owner, and sometimes a willing knitting instructor.
