How to create a blogging process you actually stick to (Dare to Grow review)
Quick question – how do you feel about growing your blog, your email list, or your social media following? What about your blogging process?
If you’re anything like me, the words ‘overwhelmed’, ‘overworked’, and ‘totally baffled’ might come to mind.
Earlier this year I was feeling completely swamped by everything on my to-do list. My goal is to use my blog and social media posts to create a community for single mums, but despite all the effort I was putting in, it just wasn’t happening.
I knew I needed a plan and a process for creating content and someone to keep me accountable. I wanted to make sure the stuff I was spending all my time on would actually work.
Most importantly I needed to learn how to do that in a way that not only fit into my busy single mummy schedule but helped move me toward MY goals.
So I decided to invest in my blog and join a course and coaching program called Dare to Grow to help me figure out how to develop a blogging process and grow my online presence.
What I learned from Dare to Grow
Before I joined Dare to Grow I was trying to do too much. I was working my arse off to post twice a week, but often I’d fail to get even one post published. I felt like I was putting in hours of work, but achieving very little. Clearly my blogging process needed some work!
Since July when I joined Dare to Grow I’ve designed a weekly and and monthly process for for planning and creating content. I’ve also got a far more manageable process for promoting those posts that my peeps have really been responding to!
Over the last three months since joined Dare to Grow I’ve:
- started posting once a week EVERY week instead of trying to post twice a week – and failing!
- developed a super-slick blogging process for getting those posts planned, prepared, written and scheduled.
- tweaked my blog design to help readers stay on my site longer.
- totally redesigned my social media plan and process to simplify and save time.
- started getting 60% of my blog traffic from Pinterest – compared to 30% before I started using Dare to Grow‘s pinning tips.
The best part of the program is that it doesn’t tell you exactly what to do and when. The course gives you the tools and advice to design your own system and blogging processes. I now have the confidence and knowledge to do things my own way.
What else you need to know about Dare to Grow
If you haven’t heard of Dare to Grow before, the program is run by Sarah Morgan from XOSarah.com who has been designing websites and building blogs for over 20 years.
She’s used her blog to build a freelance design business, leave her corporate job, start creating ebooks and online courses, and earn income from affiliate partnerships. And she’s essentially taken all the stuff that’s worked to grow her blog and business, and turned it into a program to help other bloggers and business owners do the same.
Not only has she put together step-by-step tutorials for things like…
- Planning blog content and weekly emails
- SEO
- Improving your blog design
- What and when to post on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook
- Guest blogging and booking interviews
- Growing your email list by hosting challenges
- Going live and running webinars
- Creating an online community and hosting Facebook groups
- Understanding and tracking analytics
But she’s also super active in the Dare to Grow Facebook group AND hosts live coaching sessions every single month. If I post a question in the FB group or show up to the live Q&A I know I’ll get answers and feedback immediately.
Your chance to join Dare to Grow
Dare to Grow is currently closed for enrolment – but will open again in 2018.
In the meantime, check out Sarah’s other courses, including her free course, Dare to Blog.
This program has been a game changer for me and I know it could be really helpful in growing your online presence too!
If you have any questions ask away in the comments or feel free to send Sarah an email directly at hello@xosarah.com – she’s always available to answer questions too!
Got questions? Leave a comment let’s chat
This sounds great! I’m currently doing another course at the moment and learning a lot but I’m always on the lookout for new courses to take 🙂
#brillblogposts
Hi Becca – thanks for reading and commenting! Yes Dare to Grow is definitely one of the best courses I’ve been in. If you’re already doing another course you might not want to sign up to it this time around (it’s open for enrollment next week for the last time this year). But also check out Sarah’s free course Dare To Blog – she runs an awesome FB group linked to that course and is currently running a fabulous Instagram challenge. I’m learning so much!
sounds fantastic and well done for having so much progress in so little time – yes the words overwhelmed and “totally baffled” definitely come to mind as i start out in this whole new world. I had a quick look and couldn’t see the price, i’ll go back and take another look later on. thanks again for the tips.
Oh, you’ll definitely benefit from what Sarah teaches then! It opens for early enrollment TOMORROW and it’ll be $499 (a discount of over $200) until Sunday, so sign-up on the sales pages and Sarah will send you all the details for snagging the discount!) – any questions just let me know!
Did you try Melissa’s course too? What was your takeaway.
Hi Jan – yes I’m part way through Blog To Biz Hive, I actually bought that first and I think it’s great, but I got to a certain point and then felt like before I could fully make use of what Melyssa teaches I needed to go back a stage first and get the blogging fundamentals right. Like my post creation and social media processes, and my blog design. There is some overlap, but I feel like BTBH is the next stage for me – I’m hoping to focus more on growing my list and creating a course early next year and then I’ll be following Melyssa’s advice word for word!
I stumbled around blindly for the first year or so of having my blog, and after that, I got serious and got a schedule together. I post daily and have a streamlined system in place which means I get my blogging tasks done quickly and efficiently. Having a plan is definitely a game changer!
Thanks for linking up to #BloggerClubUK 🙂
Debbie
Wow Debbie! I’m impressed that you post daily! I manage once a week at the moment, working up to two now I’ve got my processes in place!