Blog-reader survey results and the why behind what’s on the blog
Hello, my friends! How are you? Thanks for being here. Today, I’m going to share some survey feedback.
This post could do one of two things: It could be really interesting to you, or you didn’t even click over because it doesn’t interest you at all. But I do think it’s worth devoting a whole post to, not only because I care about you, as my readers, but also because I thought it would be a good chance to respond to some things.
It’s important to note that survey results are not the end-all be-all of information and facts, only because you only get data from people willing to complete a survey. Not all of my readers took the time. But, I think enough of you did to give me some good insight. I would estimate that about 50 percent of my regular readers completed the survey. And by regular readers, I mean about 50 percent of people who are clicking on my average post did the survey. That’s loose math, but you get the picture.
I enjoyed reading all of your open-ended responses, and I will totally be acting upon so many of your requests.
Blog-reader survey results and the why behind what’s on the blog
Let’s start with a little bit about you, the readers …
Blog-reader survey insights
Based on the blog-reader survey results, the majority of you (once again, this is only representative of people who took the survey) are between 25 to 44, work full time and have kids. Here are some audience stats on readership and where you are in your life right now …
Pretty interesting! And thank you to the 50 percent of you who took the survey and who said you read every post. I like to know you all better, and I believe these results confirm what I was already thinking about you.
What you are struggling with …
One of the questions I asked you in the survey is what you’re struggling with. I read every answer, and there were definitely some common themes. Here are the more popular responses on what you’re struggling with:
- Time management and not having enough time for everything
- Balancing motherhood, work and self-care and trying to do it all
- Sticking to a consistent fitness schedule OR giving yourself enough rest from exercise
- Eating properly and feeding your family
- Getting enough sleep
- Feeling overwhelmed and stressed about life, especially during COVID
- Guilt about your lifestyle choices
I get it, my friends! These are common issues, and if you feel any of them, just know that you aren’t alone, and I feel a lot of them too.
Here are two word-for-word comments, both very different, that show exactly how you feel when I asked what you’re struggling with:
Working too much and feeling like I don’t have time for exercise. And when I do have downtime, I feel guilty for not doing something productive.”
This is so relatable. We’re told we always have to be productive. And when you have a lot going on, you feel like downtime is wasted time. But it’s not. I hope to talk more about this soon. But just know this feeling is very real.
With being flexible!! I am VERY Type-A and love a routine! I’m good with time management and establishing routines, but sometimes I’m too strict and struggle to be flexible in my daily routine without feeling guilt.”
I feel this one in my bones, and this is something I’ve improved over the years by making myself do small daily acts of flexibility, and I do think this is something worth working on. Shout out to all my type-A perfectionist routine-oriented friends out there. I stand with you, but I encourage you to be open to little diversions from routine here and there, because it does help loosen you up over time. I wrote a post several years ago that has some good insight, but I will cover this again one day: How to learn to be less rigid to find your real health.
Thank you all for sharing with me what you’re struggling with. And while, obviously, I can’t fix your problems and stresses, I do think I can talk more about some of these topics so you don’t feel alone, so look out for that.
What you want to see on the blog …
I was blown away by how many of you said that you like my content, and you want me to keep doing what I’m doing. I have always covered a variety of topics, which has certainly made it harder for me to grow this blog (because when you niche down, you grow quickly). And a lot of you said that you like to see a mix of motherhood, fitness, nutrition, lifestyle, fashion and real-life everyday stuff. That’s mostly what I’ve been doing, and I can absolutely continue with that. Here’s a quick snapshot of your favorite topics …
The why behind what’s on the blog …
I also had some conflicting information from you guys, which is to be expected. And I wanted to speak on some of those dichotomies …
So many of you said you found my blog because of my posts on Les Mills and you love to hear about that topic. Then, quite a few of you said the Les Mills content isn’t relevant to you, because you don’t do the workouts. And I get that. I do have to balance topics that interest me, topics that interest you and topics that also provide a little bit of growth or search-ability to the blog. Les Mills will likely always be a topic I cover here and there, because I love the workouts, and I work with the brand, and these posts perform well for me (which matters), and I also truly enjoy writing about fitness programs. Les Mills has helped this blog to grow over the years, and a big base of my readers are big fans of Les Mills. It’s in the core, so it will remain. As always, if you don’t like to hear about it, just skip the post. And remember, I always have a reason for what I post — it’s for you or it’s for me or it’s for the blog, so thank you for understanding that.
I do want to respond to a couple of comments that I got …
- “I really dislike the focus on Beautycounter and that has been a major factor in me reading the blog less and means I often skip your Instagram stories.”
- “The Beautycounter content can be excessive. Don’t enjoy being sold to.”
I write about my life. And I share what I’m doing, what products I’m using and things that matter to me. Beautycounter is a real part of my life, so it’s only natural it would be make an appearance here on the blog. Yes, I do make money from Beautycounter (as part of my total income, which also includes affiliate relationships and advertisements on the blog), but I also truly use all the products every single day, and I help other people pick out what would work for them too. I can’t leave all of this off the blog or off social media, and I wouldn’t want to. And to be totally honest, many of you have become my clients and are very into clean skincare, so there is interest there. I write authentically about this topic from a good place, just like I do with all the other content I create.
Clearly so many of you are kind and understanding and supportive of me and what I’m doing in this space. And I am always positive, but I did feel the urge to address those two comments today.
Comments I’d like to respond to …
I really did read and receive the hundreds of comments you submitted in the open-ended questions. I’m pulling out just a few to respond to here.
On my appearance
I would love love love to see more photos of you not “made up” (make-up free, hair not done). You are always done up, but let’s see the more natural YOU!!!”
This comment made me think twice, because if you see me in real life, I am constantly in the same four workout outfits, curly fried hair in a dirty ponytail, maybe with a swatch of gloss and that’s it. To be called “made up” was laughable to me, certainly based on how casual I am 90% of the time. But then, when I told Dave, he made me actually think about the fact that images that show up on this blog are often ones where I’m a bit more put together (but really, not that much). I do post a lot more un-made-up ones on my Instagram stories. But on the blog, I guess I am more finished much of the time. I appreciate this comment now that I read it, because I had no idea that’s how I could potentially be coming across to some people. Obviously, only one person said this. But still, it made me think, and I thought it may be worth sharing with the group.
On how to read the blog
I used to follow you on Bloglovin’ but your posts no longer show up for me (I’ve un and refollowed you, but haven’t tried anything else, so this could totally be my fault). But what’s hard is when I visit your site directly (maybe once a month), I have no way to see the posts I’ve missed! Your main page only shows four recent posts, and the sidebar has five. I hate to not be able to see what I’ve missed.”
On the writing on the the blog
Your posts are always SO detailed and I truly love reading your writing (FYI, I am a full-time editor in real life, for what it’s worth)! I appreciate the mixed bag of topics you post about, from fashion to life updates to fitness.”
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this comment. In fact, several of you commented on my writing style, so yay. There aren’t a ton of things in life that I know I’m really good at, but I do know that I have a knack for writing, and I’m really glad you notice. I wish blogging was only about the writing, but of course, there’s a lot more to it than that now. I do my best to keep up with it all, but the words will always be my core focus.
On social media
Following blogs like yours gives me joy and is a part of my self-care routine. I’m not on social media; it’s toxic for me. It saddens me how many blogs are moving completely to Instagram. Always remember you and your blog are making a difference in people’s lives.”
You are so sweet. And I think it’s amazing that you have set a boundary for yourself to stay off social media if it doesn’t make you feel good. We are all responsible for what we consume, and you have every right to draw a line in the sand with social media. Thank you for coming to read this blog though. Also, I’ve said this before, but there are a lot of you who don’t use social media but do read this blog, and it makes me happy this can be a “safe” place for you to consume. I hope to always keep it that way!
On hypothalamic amenorrhea
I think everything you put up is amazing. I learned about your blog after discovering your HA guide. It helped me to slowly heal (with help from a great support network) from HA and orthorexia. I have recently gone through 4 rounds of fertility treatment and have enjoyed reading your posts about your first pregnancy. I also appreciate your honesty about the sad parts last year. I just want to thank you for your honesty!!!!!!”
I want to thank you for sharing this with me. There weren’t any blogs out there about hypothalamic amenorrhea when I went through it. That’s why I’ve written so many posts about this topic — even if it meant sharing a lot of personal details that I’d probably rather not have on the internet. I do think we’re hearing much more about this topic now. I’m so glad that you healed yourself, and I wish you success in your fertility treatments. Be well!
On showing balance in wellness
The balance between eating healthy but not being obsessive. (The content you share is so good in this area! You overall eat a very healthy diet, but indulge at times and don’t feel guilt/shame about it! It’s good to see that from bloggers/influencers!)”
This is another comment that truly matters to me. I may be a healthy lifestyle blogger and a fitness professional, but I do not have washboard abs, I do not count my macros, and I am not following a strict training plan. While many in the industry would think that doesn’t make me a good example to follow, personally, I think it makes it an even better example to follow. I’m not a fitness model, I’m a real gal.
If you want to feel good in your skin and feel good in your health, you don’t have to be obsessive about everything. Been there and done that. I’m honest in that I eat real sugar, I drink wine, and I don’t track my food, because being more loose with my “food rules” is what works best for me. I would encourage you to find what works best for you, and let yourself have indulgences in moderation, because life is too short to avoid things you really like. Thank you for noticing this, and thank you for caring about real balance and wellness without extremes.
On variety of content
I only have good things to say 🙂 I like that you write very well (I can’t stand poor English, spelling errors or grammar mistakes), so I always appreciate a blog post that is well written! I like that you have a variety of content – I don’t follow any bloggers who only post recipes for example. I like that you do food, lifestyle, family, fitness, skincare, books etc. I also like that you don’t post too often, and you don’t post too frequently. I also really like that you post consistently. I’m not sure any of this is helpful, but I just am here for any posts you post! I forgot to mention this, but I like your honesty, even if what you say might be unpopular.”
Thank you! For what I have on my plate in my life right now as a mom to a young boy, a group fitness instructor and a business owner, two blog posts a week is my maximum, even with working nights and weekends. I spend so much time on each post, and there’s always a lot of back-end work that I do too. I’m glad that you guys understand that and feel like two consistent posts a week is enough. One day, I may increase the load, one day, I may decrease the load, but for now — two it is. I really appreciate you reading, answering my survey and giving me a boost with this positive comment. My love language is words of affirmation, so you’ve filled me up.
On being authentic
You are authentic and joyful to read. You come across as a real person and not someone who does everything for the Gram. Somehow you balance sharing and being vulnerable without inviting a bunch of strangers deep into your personal life. Keep doing what you are doing because it is awesome!”
As you can probably tell from my content, I live the life in front of me every single day, and sometimes that means not capturing too many photos or videos to share on social media, so I don’t have as much on Instagram as most other content creators do. I think we all need to remember that in order to be present, you have to be present. I have worked to try to be more present in my life, and it’s worth it to me. If you met me in real life, I’d be exactly like I am here on the blog and on my minimal Instagram content. I’ve had tons of people who know me in real life tell me that I write just how I talk too, so I guess we can say that’s a safe assessment. You’ll never regret being the real you, so I always encourage you to do that.
Okay, we’ll stop there with the comments worth responding to. I’d respond to every single one if I could, but I think I’ve pulled out some good examples that cover various topics. Once again, I read them all, so know that your words were received by me.
Overall feedback on my blog-reader survey results for 2022
I think I feel more connected, more informed and more inspired than before based on the survey results and how many of you actually completed my survey. It can be a little lonely as a blogger putting out content from behind a computer to people who more often than not, don’t respond back. This survey gave me a chance to hear from you more than usual.
As always, I want to remind you that you can email me or send me an Instagram DM at any time with post requests or feedback or just to share or say hello. Thanks for your click, my friends. Have a fabulous week! I’ll see you back here for some faves on Friday. And yes, based on the many requests, I’ve got a “What I Eat in a Day” post coming up in the near future.
P.S. The winner of the big blog-reader survey was Erika S. from Arizona, and her prize package has been popped into the mail. More giveaways coming soon!
Questions of the day
How was your weekend?
Do you use social media?
What’s one thing you think you do really well?
I’m glad I found your blog accidentally on bloglovin! I think I searched Charlotte moms to see if there were any local blogs where I can find out more about local kid/mom things to do. 🙂
Hi Joanna! I think it’s great you found me and we’re both making our new lives here in Charlotte! Hopefully we can meet in person one day. Thank YOU for reading, lady! 🙂 xoxo
That would be great! Let’s meet for coffee sometime!
It looks like running the survey was very worthwhile for you, I was quite interested to read the results.
I use social media but only follow a few people and try not to spend too much time on social media. I much prefer reading blogs to be honest.
I hope you have a great week!
Thanks for reading the results, and I”m glad you have some social media boundaries! Hope you have a great week too, Andrea!