It’s time for another Wise Words Wednesday feature this week with the very lovely Francesca who blogs over at From Pennies To Pounds.
She has a great selection of posts on how to save money, make money and tackling your debt. Each post is written from her personal experience too so she can completely relate to her readers.
Over to Francesca:
Tell us a little bit about you & your blog:
My blog is a personal finance blog, where I share all of my money tips! I write about ways to make extra money from home, how to save money, and advice for paying off debt. I try and write for people who are on a low-average income and have very busy lives – I know how hard it can be when you have children and a million other things going on, so everything that I share should be accessible to all.
What inspired you to start blogging?
When I found myself in a bad financial place, I turned to the internet to try and find some help. I really wanted to find something that I could relate to as a mum of one, student, part time worker. I couldn’t find anything that I could use without having initial start up costs, and I had no spare cash to speak of at all.
I therefore started the blog to share my tips and ideas with those in a similar situation to me – I didn’t want anyone else to feel the same way that I did, as I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.
I try to share methods that pretty much any parent can do around their children, and things that those on a low income can start.
What has been your highlight of blogging?
Being on TV! I still can’t believe it happened, especially as I am so shy! I was contacted by the BBC One show Right on the Money and had a segment with Dominic Littlewood where I discussed ways that I earn extra money from home. I managed to sneak in my blog name, so I had a big surge in traffic from people searching for my blog after seeing me on the programme, which was lovely.
Whenever I get any messages from people saying that I have helped them, this is always a highlight for me. I love to help people.
Is there anything you have learnt about blogging which you wish you knew when you started out?
Oh gosh, so much! With blogging, you are constantly learning new things every day and I don’t think there is ever a point where you think “ok, I know it all now!”. I think I wish I had concentrated more on my email list initially, and also Pinterest. The power of Pinterest is insane!
There are still lots of things on my to do list which I need to do, which will help me a lot. It’s just finding the time!
Bloggers sometimes get a lot of stick however many work really hard and are reaping the rewards, what has been the most rewarding part of blogging for you?
Being able to earn extra money from home. I really love blogging, especially the writing side of it as I have always had aspirations of being a writer, so this is a dream come true for me. I also enjoy the online interactions with readers and other bloggers, it’s a lovely little community.
Everytime someone clicks through on an affiliate link and earns me a small commission I get a thrill because I know that I have encouraged someone to improve their finances.
What would be your 1 tip you would give all new bloggers starting out?
Don’t compare yourself to other bloggers. This is difficult, especially as you will be interacting so much with other bloggers, but I assure you that this is the best thing that you can do. Comparison is the their of joy after all!
If you see other bloggers doing amazingly well, you will feel disheartened, and may even stop blogging all together. I have seen a lot of people do that, and stop blogging. But I kept plodding on regardless, and it has been getting better and better!
Don’t worry about what other people are doing – the number of followers people have are vanity metrics and don’t really matter. You concentrate on you!
Who do you find inspiring to read/watch in the blogging world?
I find blogging income reports inspiring. They tend to get a lot of stick, and some people hate them – but I find them really motivating. I especially love the ones where they break it all down and you can see exactly how they have made their money, particularly in terms of affiliates.
I find them motivating as I can see that people have managed to earn that amount, so it spurs me on to do the same.
Lastly – do you have any big plans/dreams for your blog in the next 12 months?
Loads! I would mainly love to earn a full time, consistent income from it. I have been earning money from the blog, but it is different from month to month, and I really need it to become consistent. When I say a full time income, I mean a minimum of £1000 per month. I will be aiming for more than that though!
I would love to start some new things linked to it, such as a podcast, and I also would like to be active on Youtube.
Thank you Francesca for taking the time to answer our questions.
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