Grow Your Blog by Participating in a Blog Challenge

Have you ever participated in a blog challenge? This is a great way to grow your blog!

Last month I decided to S-T-R-E-T-C-H and participate in the Ultimate Blog Challenge. In doing so, I needed to write one post a day…30 posts for the month! Prior to this I don’t think I had ever written more than 3-4 posts in a week! Honestly I didn’t go into this thinking I could actually complete it…especially with trying to write on the weekends. With 3 active teens/tweens, our weekends are full of sports. We’re barely home. But I figured doing the challenge would keep me more accountable and that maybe I’d get to 5 days a week. What happened though is that I got half way through the month, and I was actually on track! Yesterday was the last day of the month and I am thrilled to be able to say I completed the challenge! 30 posts in 30 days! (Well to be completely honest, my last post went up a little after midnight, so technically I posted this morning, but I figured close enough!)

My take-aways:

If you want to do something bad enough, you WILL do it.
The more you write, the easier it becomes.
I met some amazing bloggers and discovered some new blogs that I really like. Part of this challenge involved visiting other people’s blogs and commenting.
When I looked at my stats today, I found that my blog traffic increased immensely.

I also took a look to see what my top posts written this month were. Excluding giveaway posts, here are the top 5:

5 Easy Tips to Build Strong Social Media Relationships

Participation Trophies: My Politically Incorrect Viewpoint

Ten Ways to Take Better Portraits with your DSLR {Guest Post} – this one was just posted yesterday! Wow, Tamara!

Digital Photo Organizing: Basic Steps

Why You Should Scan Your Printed Photos

I’d highly recommend participating in a blog challenge if you want to stretch outside your comfort zone and grow your blog. I am going to try to continue to write daily. Maybe not on the weekends though…the weekends were really tough. But now I know I can do this. To complete it felt really good! Thank you everyone who kept reading throughout the month…I met a lot of great people online!

Kristen Daukas

Sunday 5th of May 2013

I did a couple of stretches of BlogHer's NaBloPoMo and it was tough but it was worth it. I liken it to going to the gym.. the more you do it the better the results are. One of the things I didn't like about theirs was the theme.. each time I would TRY the theme but it just didn't fit with me.. felt too structured so I settled for just posting every day. While I would LOVE to post every day, I find when I'm in that mode, there are days that I just post anything because I "have to" make a post. I like the one you're doing now.. 3-4 times a week.. I would do that one if it weren't already the 5th, so maybe I'll do it vicariously and then do it officially next month.

AnnMarie

Friday 3rd of May 2013

I keep saying I am going to do this and I still haven't. I am so inspired by you completing this that I am going to look around for one I can do. Plus I have completely enjoyed reading you last month. It was nice to know that I was going to hear from you each day. LOVE!

Michelle Nahom

I just posted the one I am trying out next. The focus of this one is on good content. I wonder how much of last month's was good content...hmmmm....

Kristen

Great job! I'm pretty sure I would run out of things to say a week or two into the challenge, so I'm really impressed your were able to do all 30 days. Congrats! Maybe I'll do a challenge in February...

They did give us ideas, but I didn't use them. However I kept them, because I am sure they are going to come in handy later! I don't know how I didn't run out of things to write about.

Andrea

Thursday 2nd of May 2013

I think a few of my avid readers learned about my blog via a challenge, blog hop, or blogging community. I'm linking up for a challenge later this month. We shall see what becomes of it all.

I am doing another one too...I think I might have seen you linked up on the same one...Creative Girl Media? It looked interesting. Definitely a lot of my readers have found me through as you said, a community or the challenge I just did. And I've found a lot of great blogs as well!

Blond Duck

I should try this! I need to grow my blog and just don't know how to do it!

It was definitely worth doing! I am trying a new one this month - here it is: http://www.creativegirlmedia.com/may-blogging-challenge/ Why don't you join in too?