When I Stopped Blogging, New Opportunities Stopped Coming.

I started blogging in 2010. I learned how to start a self-hosted WordPress from scratch. I knew that if I wanted to become a professional writer, having a blog would help me hone the craft and stay consistent. 

However, there had been many twists and turns in my career as a writer in the past ten years that made me stop blogging. 

The major thing that happened–while it’s not career related–was that I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl two years ago. 

As I struggled to juggle work and motherhood, I let my main blog, GirlyGeek.ph, expire. I was not able to renew the domain name. I’m pretty sure that all the data that I have on the blog is gone as well. 

A Major Revelation 

At the end of 2019, I did Marie Forleo’s Decade in Review exercise. This exercise allowed me to ponder about the best lessons I’ve learned in the past decade and the things I want to let go of in the next decade. 

During this time of reflection, I realized that when I stopped blogging consistently, I didn’t get many new opportunities.

I’m very lucky right now to have an amazing job at BeLive where I manage a remote marketing team. But sometimes I miss the feeling of checking my inbox and getting some new exciting project or offer. More importantly, I miss being a writer. 

Nowadays, I’m mostly an editor (which I also love doing) to an amazing content team and a live video producer. 

Countless Blogging Opportunities

I was a blogger through and through before I became a mom and became a Marketing Manager at BeLive.I was publishing a blog post 2-3 times a week. It was almost a full-time job. 

By blogging consistently, I also got many opportunities:

• I got invited to launches and events by big brands. 
• I was an ambassador for Smart, and I had pretty awesome perks. 
• I was making extra income from my blog. 
• I got invited to speak at events and workshops. Some were paid. Some were not. 
• I got hired by startups to write about them. 
• I got invited to be a guest on podcasts and YouTube videos and TV shows. 

This was my appearance at the morning show at UNTV:

Almost every week, I would get some kind of new opportunity. Some of them were worth my time. Some were not. ??

A New Hope for Blogging

This year, I promise to blog more consistently again. I won’t be able to churn 2-3 blog posts every week, but I still need to set up a blogging schedule. 

Besides getting new opportunities, I think blogging consistently still has many benefits and rewards: 

It serves as your portfolio. 

Even if you’re not actively looking for a new project or job, a blog is a good way to record the projects that you’re working on. 

It’s a great way to share what you’ve learned.

I learn a lot as a marketing manager, and I always try to share both my failures and successes to my team and my friends who are in the same industry. But writing these lessons on a blog post can help more people. 

It’s a great way to establish yourself as an expert in your niche. 

When you share the lessons you’ve learned, you gain more credibility and visibility. The more visibility and credibility you get, the better chances you have at finding better and more fulfilling projects. 

A Killer Marketing Combo

I have completely said goodbye to my tech blog, GirlyGeek. It has launched so many opportunities for me, including my job now. I will be forever grateful for everything it has done for me.

The good thing is, I’m not saying goodbye to blogging. I’m just changing my domain name, my main focus, and the frequency of my blogging. 

I’m also excited to add live video on top of my blogging! I have been focusing more on live video for the past three years, and it’s one of the best strategies to build your personal brand. 

Blogging and live streaming, I believe, is a killer branding combo. 

Have you started blogging and stopped? Do you get more opportunities when you have a blog? 

I would love to know your experience.