OUR TOP BLOGGERS: PIP LINCOLNE
Pip Lincolne began her hugely successful blog, Meet Me at Mike’s, in 2006, is the author of four books and runs a craft shop in Melbourne’s Fitzroy. She may also be the sweetest lady alive.
She shares with The Hoopla the secrets to her online success.
1. Were you tech savvy before you started blogging – do you need to be?
I was not really very tech savvy at all, but I loved using computers! When I started blogging, I found my way to blogger.com quick smart. I soon realised that you didn’t need a lot of technical know-how to start a blog, and any problems I encountered (and they were few!) was solved by some determined googling and a bit of trial and error. I have really LOVED learning all about blogging. I love it that I am totally in control of how my blog looks and reads, right down to the last full stop. I love the autonomy of it. I don’t ever need to call the IT Department or Tech Support. It’s all in my hands and at my fingertips, and I love that challenge.
2. If you were to give three pieces of advice to an aspiring blogger, what would they be?
1) Just dive in! Start blogging today! You don’t have to show anyone your blog straight away, but the best way to get the blogging bug is to have a go. So have a go! I find blogging to be a really great positive daily ritual, and I really look forward to writing each day and seeing who has been popping in. Maybe you will feel like that too, so get started today!
2) Blog as yourself. The easiest way to write a great blog is to blog as yourself, in your own voice about the things that matter the most to you. So do that. Write your blog as though you were speaking to someone you know well, and write it AS you speak, in the exact same tone. People who read my blog say they can ‘hear my actual voice’ when they read my words. That’s because I don’t write in character or try to create a false persona on my blog. I just blab on in my own Pip way, and there’s a conversational continuity there which people like. I think that if you are writing for an audience, as many bloggers are, then you should let that audience know who you are. So just be yourself. Your readers will soon get to know you through your words, phrasing and expression, and it’ll make the whole writing part of blogging flow way more easily.
3) Be consistent. It’s a great idea to blog consistently if you are interested in gathering a readership. If you don’t care about readers then you should blog on the first Tuesday of very month beginning with an N. If you DO care about readers, then make sure that you are writing fairly regularly, because otherwise your readers will stop popping by. For them, it’s kind of like visiting someone who is never home, or telephoning someone who never answers… not very rewarding. A bit one-sided, even. So be home. And answer. And start chatting to the people who are reading your blog. It’s important to write regularly so that you can be part of someone’s online reading habits.
3. Do you ever wish you had never started your blog?
I never wish that. I really NEVER do! I have learned SO much from my blog. I have learned how to be a better writer, be a better person, deal with criticism, deal with praise, use technology, focus on the good, act against the bad, be disciplined, think more creatively. Ugh. SO many bonuses. Why wouldn’t you have a blog? It is such a
great way to spend time making your life better, I think!
4. What does the future look like for you? Books? TV shows?
My new book, Make Hey! While The Sun Shines has just come out, so that is very exciting. I’m looking forward to talking to people about that, and helping them with the projects betwixt its covers. I’m writing another book, because I can not help myself. So THAT is exciting too! I’ve also been working on our new Meet Me at Mike’s website, which will be an extension of my blog. It’s going to be packed with lots more good stuff, interviews with rad people, lots more projects, tips for happier days, recipes, interiors ideas and heaps of goodness! I might do a TV show and I might not. I quite like NOT being on TV actually! I am pretty happy with the way thing are going!
5. Do you make money out of your blog? If so, how long did it take?
I make money indirectly from my blog, because my blog acts a showcase for my work. It really only took 12 months of consistent, sincere blogging for me to secure a book deal, as well as a TON of media interest in my work. Because my blog is there for all to see at any hour of the day and regularly updated, people can instantly gain insight into what I make, who I am, how I write. This is a big part of why so many great opportunities have come my way.
I see my blog as a bit of a springboard, really.
It has helped me to secure a publishing deal, to make and sell lots of books, to write for great publications, to appear on telly, to chat on the radio, to contribute to various crafty books, to speak to audiences about creativity and technology. This indirect springboard approach works well for me at the moment.
I have chosen not to place advertising on my blog, because I want to be sure that my word really counts for something. I think that ads might compromise the integrity of my blog.
If I mention a product, it’s because I really love that product A LOT. It’s not because that company sponsors or supports my blog in any way. I am sure I could make a lot more money if I DID have ads (I make a humble wage from my blog through other related projects), but I think that in the long term it’s better for me to keep things ad-free. Any endorsements for anyone/anything on my blog are totally sincere and heartfelt that way. This maintains my readers’ trust and keeps my blog true to me.
6. Do you get much negative feedback/abuse from readers and how do you handle that?
I have had a bit of negative feedback. Not a lot, but a bit. It’s funny how one nasty comment can erase a hundred lovely comments, isn’t it?! Well. It’s not really funny, it’s horrible. I think that when you take the time to write and publish something, there will be someone out there at the ready with an opposing view or a nasty barb.
When I started out blogging, it really shook my confidence.
I could not understand why someone would want to anonymously take pot-shots at me on my blog. Especially when I was working for the love of it, on the smell of a crafty rag, trying to promote crafters and creativity as a rewarding, friendly fantastic path to follow. It didn’t seem very friendly. Someone once created a Gmail account in the name of ‘MissGoodyTwoShoes’ just so that they could comment something snarky on my blog without being traced (after I disallowed Anonymous comments).
Yikes, huh? It took me a while to realise it was probably nothing to do with me, but rather it was all about The Anonymouses’ perception of me. A tiny minority of people see other people’s supposed success as their own failure. Of course they would want to give me a bit of kick in the shins.
I’m an annoyingly cheerful reminder of the things they might want to achieve. I seem to be at the top of my game in the Craft Department. I get a lot of media attention. That annoys some people. I think those some people need a bit of talking to. I think they are capable of their own good BIG things, if they would only stop dosing out the venom and start working on their own wishlist for life.
Luckily MOST people are just darling and not at all nasty or venomous. It’s important to remember that! I still think it’s really important to remind each other to celebrate each others successes, though.
7. Do you blog to a schedule or only when inspiration strikes?
I try and blog every day during the week and once on the weekend. But I don’t worry if I miss a day. I never write posts ahead of time on my blog. I just have a big think and then sit down and go for it. Some days I have an idea about what to write. Some days I just start typing and the words come by themselves. It works differently every day, and I like it that way! I’m really, REALLY bad with schedules. I am all about being spontaneous and improvising. I think that keeps my blog fresh and true. I do!
What I love about blogging is the immediacy of it. I love that blogs are super current, with up to the minute posts about all kinds of things. I feel that if I scheduled posts, then I would not really be embracing the true spirit of blogging!
I am not saying this is true for all, but for me it is. I don’t want my blog to be a magazine. I want it to be a constant current feed, detailing what it important to me right now. What I post today is exactly where I am at today. It’s as fresh as it comes!
8. How did you set about building up an audience/how did people find you?
When I started blogging in 2006, the blogging community in Australia was much smaller. We were like a little gang (without the bandannas), especially the Australian craft bloggers. It was such a lovely, rewarding time to start out. Everyone celebrated each others’ successes, we all linked to each other very regularly, everyone took time to comment … it was quite different to the way things are now. It was much more intimate and less cliquey.
In terms of gathering a readership, my blog has been built on consistent posting, good content and word of mouth (or word of link, I guess!). I just worked hard. Because I had a shop when I started blogging, people would come to the shop and meet me too. It was great because they could see that I really was just the person I seemed to be on my blog. I really did lead the life I wrote about, I was walking the walk, not just talking the talk. I guess that helped to develop a good reputation and showed that I was trustworthy and had integrity.
Through the blog and the shop, I started to organise group projects and ways for people to connect with each other, both online and offline. It seemed like a really great idea to mobilise my growing readership, to get them to work together on projects such as our handmade toy drive Softies For Mirabel or our craft group Brown Owls. It felt better if my blog wasn’t all about me, so I was very chuffed that I could actually use it to benefit other people. Everything just blossomed from there, with lots of media interest, book success and more!
If bloggers are keen to ‘be found’, I suggest writing about other bloggers and taking the time to visit and comment on other blogs too. There is no point doing this in a strategic manner, though. You need to do this from the heart, with sincerity, out of genuine interest for that person. Wanting to be popular will not make you popular. Being consistently interesting, kind and active just might, though!
*Image of Pip: Kirsty Macafee
RELATED ARTICLES
