We are celebrating Curating Edits’ 1st Birthday!
This will be a transparent discussion of the behind-the-scenes of blogging and curating content. In this celebratory post, you will find some affiliate links we have used throughout this first year on Curating Edits.
Why We Started Curating Edits.
In the past year, Curating Edits has been an endeavor we embarked on as a way to create content that I wanted to read about. As someone who has a minuscule group of family and friends that, no offense to them, have different tastes and interests. I wanted a space where I can share all of the things in hopes that it reaches someone who may share similar interests.
The idea of Curating Edits being online, where based on a search or a click of a link from anywhere in the world can lead them to our homepage or to a review of one of the books we have enjoyed reading, is Top “GOALS”. The world is huge and we may not know each other, but we might like the same books, TV shows, music, moves, style, or skincare. And that is the reason why we started Curating Edits a year ago.
What Have We Learned
This is a list of what we have learned about content creation while creating on Curating Edits.
- Don’t wait for PERFECT! Just start. You can change things as you go, just START!
- Decide how often you will post. There is no right or wrong choice. Just be CONSISTENT!
- Brain dump. Get a notebook or a Notion Template, and write down every single idea for a post as detailed as you want to get.
- Have at least 3 months’ worth of content created before thinking or applying to any affiliate networks. At Curating Edits we have been accepted to ShareASale, Amazon, Rakuten, and BookShop.org. You can look at other companies, there are many to choose from based on what your content will be on.
- Get on Social Media. My personal dislike for certain Social Media Platforms kept Curating Edits from those and it shouldn’t be. So put aside your personal feelings and get on social media, it’s a great way to bring brand awareness to your blog/website.
- Be patient. What can appear to be overnight success, has probably taken a lot of time of hard work.
- Do not compare yourself. Don’t do it! It is a disservice to yourself to compare your website/blog to another that has had 5 years to create a community. Tunnel vision on yourself and no one else.
- Rest. It can be a lot to always want to be on. But take care of yourself.
- Plan Ahead. If you can write posts ahead of time, schedule them. You can use JetPack, Buffer, SemRush, and there’s more available based on your needs and what you want.
- Be Authentic. Be Yourself.
How Much Have We Made from Affiliate Marketing?
The answer may bring on the giggles and that’s fine. How much we have made from Affiliate Marketing has been $0.00. How do I feel about that? I’m okay with it. I didn’t go as hard as I should have because I was also doing other things on the side. For anyone wanting to do it, I’ll just say don’t quit your day job until you have a community or a social media presence down to a “T”.
If you went in to make money or to sustain a lifestyle, think again. Can it happen? Of course. Is it possible? Yes, without a doubt. Have patience and see what works with your audience. Solve the problems of your audience. You are creating for THEM. Keep that in mind. See what parts of your content have the most interactions, and the most views and evolve on that.
Can you still create posts about other things you like and enjoy? Most certainly. Because you are being an authentic being. And people have multiple interests, so it would be a shame to limit your content. Plus, the audience might go to your site/blog for one thing but find something else interesting and you are exposing them to new products, styles, music, whatever you create.
What’s Next?
We will continue to post on topics and interests that appeal to us as creators but are also of interest to our audience. In the year that follows, we will focus on organization and brand awareness. There might be a NEW look to Curating Edits, how soon it is to come we shall see. A “refresh” of how we present some of our posts, is also in the works and will go into a “trial” mode to see what way works better. And there will be more focus on the social media side of things. Being that it is essential to connecting with the audiences that we do have.
Thank You
We have made it through our first year because you found our content and reviews interesting. At Curating Edits that is what we want for our audience. To have you find a new book, a new song, a different series to binge, and an interesting podcast to check out. Or maybe we have introduced you to a brand you hadn’t heard of before, or want a review of a skincare product you are interested in trying before you actually purchase it.
We are thankful you’ve made it here. Whichever the reason or post was that did it. I am thankful. So the next question is for you. Is there something you would like to see more of on Curating Edits? Leave us a message or find us on social media.