Saturday, January 25, 2020

Our 2020 Blogger Journey - Peaches & Paprika

A heartfelt thanks to Colby of the Puppy In Training  blog for picking up the ball and getting the 2020 Pet Bloggers Journey rolling. That was a really great thing to do. It's so wonderful so see everyone's challenges, accomplishments & activities this year.  I"ve learned so much from what I read so far.  Here are my answers:


1.  WHEN DID YOU FIRST BEGIN YOUR BLOG AND FOR THOSE STOPPING BY FOR THE FIRST TIME, HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN BLOGGING & WHAT IS YOUR MAIN TOPIC?

This is our fifth year.  Our blog features the adventures of Peaches & Paprika, my two quirky tiger-calico sisters who were originally rescue kitties. Our blog is for entertainment and has no socially redeemable value.  
(Well we ARE told it makes people smile) We focus on celebrating "fun" holidays - such as Kite Flying Day, Cat World Domination Day and National Donut Day.  On Kite Flying day, for example, Peaches tries to fly a kite and is carried away into the sky while Paprika watches forlornly.  On Wine Drinking Day, Peaches & Paprika sneak into a bar. You get the idea. 



2.  NAME ONE THING ABOUT YOUR BLOG OR ONE BLOGGING GOAL THAT YOU ACCOMPLISHED DURING 2019 THAT MADE YOU MOST PROUD.


a)  My goal was to finish 2-3 books and i finished 2 books about Peaches & Paprika. I also got up to speed (well sort of) on how to query and write book proposals to agents & publishers.  I expect I will end up self publishing the books but its been a great exercise and learning experience. I did have an agent in the 90's so knew alittle about the process.

b) I joined Cat Writers Association & right before that  won a Certificate of Excellent in photo art for one of my posts





c) I also exceeded 10K fans on our Facebook Page,  although that was a mixed blessing. (more on that shortly)


3. WHICH OF YOUR 2019 BLOG POSTS WAS YOUR FAVORITE AND WHY


That's a tough one.  I think I liked Springing Forward - Our Too Early Awakening (because it was funny) and Lazing Around With My iPad (same reason) and Without Ou Purr-mission (Home Invasion) because it detailed what our cats may go through when they have to change residences. 




4.  What was the biggest blogging challenge in 2019 and how did you face it?  

Challenge #1) Keeping my blog and Facebook page going while I was
      a) writing my two books and
      b) moving & changes residences.

Challenge #2) - Re-engaging my Facebook readers, because as soon as we hit 10K LIKES the reach dropped drastically (Facebook algorhythms) & I had to build up the page again.


5.  WHAT IS YOU #1 TIP FOR BRINGING TRAFFIC TO YOUR BLOG?

Fresh content, good photography and writing, keep engaged, and keep posting, no matter what the H____  else is going on at the time.  

6.  DO YOU DO SPONSORED POSTS/REVIEWS? IS THIS SOMETHING TO DO MORE OF?

I'm more interested in writing books than in sponsored reviews though wouldn't be adverse to a sponsored post if the product were compatible with our lifestyle and the compensation could be agreed upon.  Used to be a Chewy Influencer and also a few other companies. But just for product exchanges.

7.  LOOKING FORWARD TO 2020, if you accomplish only one thing through your blog, what do you  hope it is?

I guess I'm an entertainer at heart. This will sound corny, but I really dig bringing joy, laughter and chuckles to as many people as possible. I love  creating content that warms  hearts even alittle--content universal enough to make them think of their own pets & how much we all have in common.

8.  WHAT STEPS ARE YOU PLANNING TO TAKE TO ENSURE YOU REACH YOUR GOAL?

I started a mailing list in 2020 (Yeah, I know, FINALLY). 
I'm going to get through the hurdles of self publishing. I've joined two self publishing Facebook groups, I'm researching Amazon guidelines and more to take the first/second steps to get  my book out there so people can see it and read it! Many bloggers made comments on our 2019 challenge that were very helpful.



9. THE BLOGGING LANDSCAPE IS CONSTANTLY CHANGING. WHAT CHANGES DO YOU SEE COMING IN 2020?


I'm not expert enough to answer this!  I do plan to educate myself more thoroughly through online groups and research so I can keep on top of all the crazy changes and meet the challenges whatever they are (or know whether I WANT to meet them!)


10.  IF YOU COULD ASK THE PET BLOGGING COMMUNITY FOR HELP WITH ONE CHALLENGE YOU'RE HAVING WITH YOUR BLOG, WHAT WOULD IT BE?


Only ONE?  I'm going to cheat and list two. What's the worst that can happen?


1) Getting a handle on the bells & whistles of mailing lists and how to get the most out of them & grow your readership.  Is there a "Mailing Lists for Dummies?" book?  Just started list last month and want to make the most of it. (and probably switch to a different service). I'm currently (but not or long) using Constant Contact for the phone support,but also researched Mailchimp, Mailerlite, Mad Mimi, Convertkit)

2) Self Publishing Hints on Picture Books: The hardest type book to convert to an e-book. Joined two Facebook self publishing support groups; any other info or shared experiences very appreciated!

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Thank you for reading through my answers. I look forward to hearing from you and reading the rest of the fascinating and colorful journeys you all have been having. 

Carol Lowbeer, 
Mom of Peaches & Paprika



We are joining The Cat On My Head's blog hop today in addition to the 2020 Blogger Journey hop!



















29 comments:

  1. Hi Carol, Thank you for sharing your journey! Congrats on your 5 years of pet blogging. I wish I could help with eBooks. I am still researching myself. As for email lists I am new and I really am looking to do the same. But your story was very inspiring to us newbies and it sounds like everyone has been struggling with the new changes. Your blog is a breathe of fresh air and you have some great stories. I am looking forward to seeing what you will bring in the new year.

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    1. Dear "Uniknown," thanks for you supportive comments and would love to know your name!!

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    2. I 'think' unknown might be Colby from the Puppy blog, he does a terrif proper answer on each blogger's post.

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    3. Nope this wasn't me. I dropped a comment further down the list.

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  2. Life is an adventure as is blogging and friendships. Thanks for such interesting insights into life and ambitions.
    Lots of purrs to you all
    ERin

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  3. I enjoyed reading your journey and follow your blog for the very reason that it is fun.
    When I first started blogging in 2006 all blogs were about fun, but as with everything that has changed over the years.
    That is the blog owner's choice and it would be boring if all blogs were the same, but I always make the light-hearted ones my first choice.
    Some blogs have turned to all about the money which is fair enough, but have no interest for me.
    Keep up the good work!

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  4. Loved the answers on your blogging adventure, but we thought that you were blogging longer than 5 years, Peaches and Paprika😸Pawkisses for a sunshiny day🐾😽💞

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  5. We enjoyed reading your answers too and you always make us smile when we visit!

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  6. What an adventure you and the girls have had. We always love vising as you have so many really fun posts and your photos are something we envy. Dad has been bumping about with the idea of writing for some time and said when he retired he would give it a try but we are still waiting, sigh. We really want to read your books! Are they anywhere we can get a copy? We cant wait. Love your journey and we will continue to visit because you are all the BEST!
    Timmy, Dad Pete and Family

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    1. Thanks you guys!!! We really love hearing from you you have such wonderfully supportive and fun comments. And Dad Pete, 'tis neve to late to write!!!!

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  7. I look forward to reading your books about Peaches and Paprika. XO

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  8. That's a lot of accomplishments! We blog for fun in our spare time so we don't think about these things. If we had to set a goal for 2020 it would be to get our new hamsters to calm down!

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  9. Your photos are always so cool! I just can't do that kind of thing!

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  10. We enjoyed reading your answers, and we're looking forward for hearing of your next adventures ! Purrs

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  11. Congratulations on writing 2 books and getting to 10K on Facebook! That's amazing! Regarding your drop in reach on FB I'd be interested to know if you've found any success in fixing the reach. I worked really hard on my FB page many years ago and got phenomenal reach, but gradually over the years FB's changing algorithm has chipped away at my reach. Today I don't do too much with my Facebook page even though I have over 90K likes.

    I'm not much help with your question on self publishing. Regarding email lists my game is pretty weak. I'm currently trying to build a resource library (free printables) as my lead magnet and offering access to the resources in exchange for people signing up to my newsletter.

    Thanks for the nudges to host this years challenge. I've always enjoyed participating in the challenge and I was really sad to hear Amy wasn't hosting this year. All the best to you in 2020!

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    1. Wow 90k likes on FB. Wow. Could you ever convert them to either subscribers or blog readers? That's what I'm struggling with now. FB's big deal these days is engagement. If a reader comments on your post they're probably going to receive your next post. I could make a list. But if you can't convert them to subscribers/blog readers they could be gone tomorrow, cuz FB could change the algorithm again. Thanks for your reply and again for hosting this!

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    2. I wish I could convert them to subscribers. My original plan was to build my page and then get them over to the blog as readers and subscribers. As the algorithm changed it became a waste of my time to continue building likes when FB wasn't showing my posts. At this point I'm lucky if I post to FB once a week.

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  12. Wow 10K on Facebook that's huge! And writing two books too. On mailing lists I just stumbled upon this lady who has a website called Talking Shrimp. I am new to her but so far she seems to know what she's talking about when it comes to how to write emails that people open and buy from.

    Thank you for sharing your story and I'm glad we met through the Blog Hop. Here's to a great 2020.

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  13. Your answers gave me some things to ponder!
    And the blogging community is so very supportive; it's quite amazing.

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  14. You certainly put a smile on our faces!

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  15. For starters, congrats on your books and all of your 2019 accomplishments. You are definitely a goal setter and achiever.

    Here's to a successful 2020 and beyond!

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  16. Wow! Congratulations on writing two books. I've only managed to do one a year and that's a lot. With regard to mailing lists, I've learned to create digital products that are only for subscribers and to promote them. I then send an email either weekly or every other week that's just my personal thoughts of something going on and asking for feedback. For instance, if I'm having a training challenge, I'll describe it and ask for advice. I've found that this increases engagement and people begin to look forward to my emails rather than seeing them as spam.

    I used Amazon KDP to self publish books. I'm not sure how well they'll do with picture books because I know image quality is so important, but my first book had pics and they came through nicely.

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    1. Thank you for replying. I found your comments very helpful, Kimberly! I'm mulling over various ideas to ofer!

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  17. Your stuff is amazing. I love the slideshows. They really bring your fans together.

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