Blogger Confessions #28: Melissa from MelissaBlevins.com

Blogger Confessions #28: Melissa from MelissaBlevins.com

Blogger Confessions #28: Melissa from MelissaBlevins.com

    Happy Saturday and welcome to the 28th episode of the 'Blogger Confessions' interview series on the blog. Today, I'm bringing in Melissa from MelissaBlevins.com to talk about blogging and how they've managed to keep everything straight as a personal finance blogger.

    Melissa, take it away.

    Blogger Confessions with Melissa from MelissaBlevins.com

    1: In at least 100 words, describe the target audience of your blog.

    I started off blogging thinking that I wanted to help families who are struggling to pay off debt. Over the past couple of years, that has evolved to a much narrower avatar.

    My target audience is women who struggle to balance their checkbook and manage their finances, their home, their relationships, and their health.

    Women have so much on their plate, and so many of us live in survival mode every single day. I want to help women reach their goals, one step at a time.

    I struggled for a long time with my tagline.

    Admittedly, I was being a perfectionist. I finally decided on “Seek Peace…Not Perfection”. And it is literally perfect for the message I’m trying to convey.

    My readers are like me. They don’t have it all figured out. They’re doing the best they can but likely feel lost and are unsure of their next steps.

    So far, my target audience has shown up to read my blog. 30-45 year old moms are my highest demographic!

    2: What makes your blog different from other blogs in the PF blogosphere?

    I write a lot about the struggles of different personality types and emotions as they apply to personal finance decisions.

    For example, Dave Ramsey talks about the free spirit and the nerd as if there are only two types of people. What about the free-spirited nerd?

    The person who knows what needs to be done…the diligent budgeter who gets distracted by flashy objects and blows the budget on a new pair of shoes?

    What about the lady whose husband just had an affair, and she’s drinking every night and shopping during the day to self-soothe?

    Those are the women that I want to help. And that’s what makes me different than every other blog.

    3: What’s the thing that you’ve struggled with the most since starting your blog?

    In the beginning, I was spending hours and hours in blog share groups sharing others’ posts to drive traffic to my site. After a few months, I realized that was a massive waste of time.

    I also have a YouTube channel and scheduling time to create content for both has been my biggest struggle.

    4: Do you publish your net worth on your blog? Why or why not?

    No, I don’t think that’s anyone’s business.

    5: Have you monetized your blog (ads, affiliate marketing, etc)? Why or why not?

    I’ve just started monetizing and I make a small affiliate marketing income and ad revenue (so far). I plan on amping this up in the future.

    6: Would you rather be loved, hated or controversial? Explain, please!

    I love being loved! But I tend to be somewhat controversial. I have to stay away from political stuff because I get super fired up. I have strong opinions about a lot of different things, and I really don’t sugar coat.

    7: Who would you be horrified to know read your blog?

    I don’t think there’s anyone I’d be horrified to know read my blog. That’s what it’s there for!

    8: What’s your most favorite, least favorite and most embarrassing post on your blog?

    My favorite post is this one where I wrote about the differences between the debt snowball vs debt avalanche. It breaks down which you should choose based on your own personality type and behavioral patterns. It was so much fun to write because different financial “gurus” have their own opinions, and there is no single correct way to pay off debt.

    You have to do what works for you and your family!

    When I first started the blog, I was approached by a company who paid me to publish some of their guest posts in exchange for some backlinks. Oy vey…was that ever a mistake! Those posts are my least favorite. They had spammy links and the writing was subpar. If I could give any piece of advice to a new blogger, it’s stay away from those guest posters! Learn to say no!

    Those posts are probably my most embarrassing as well because I was silly to think that itty bitty paycheck was worth pimping my blog out.

    9: Explain your writing process

    I actually just sit down and write when I’m inspired, and I usually don’t stop until I’m finished. I can whip out a really solid blog post within 1-2 hours with graphics and everything if I stay focused and close all of my apps. I use Grammarly for proofreading.

    10: What is your favorite blog in the PF blogosphere (other than your own!)?

    I really love Rosemarie Groner from Busy Budgeter. She’s so inspirational to me, and I love her very practical advice.

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