Blogger Burnout ~ PR Blackout 8/10-8/16
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If you’ve been following the blogging community you may have heard that Trisha from MomDot has called for a PR Blackout. A single week for bloggers to take back their blogs and have the opportunity to go back to the basics of blogging. To give all bloggers the chance to blog about what we feel like sharing versus other obligations.
MomDot is challenging bloggers to participate for one week in August in a PR BLACKOUT challenge where you do not blog ANY giveaways, ANY reviews, and Zero press releases. In fact, we dont want you to talk to PR at ALL that whole week. We want to see your blog naked, raw, and back to basics. Talk about your kids, your marriage, your college, your hopes, your dreams, your house and whatever you can come up with for one week.
I have only been blogging for six months and already I’ve got piles of reviews/giveaway items just waiting to be posted about. What started out as a hobby has become a job. Please don’t get me wrong. I appreciate all the wonderful opportunities I’ve been given. I love trying products and sharing my thoughts with all of you. I get ecstatic to give away products to my readers because what is more fun than making someone’s day with a win? I have also really enjoyed working with all types of sponsors from small business owners to PR reps, all of which so far have been a pleasure to work with. (Aren’t I lucky?) I enjoy connecting business owners with a customer who never knew they existed. Unfortunately the time spent trying out products, taking pictures, working on review/giveaway posts, marketing giveaways and just keeping up my email is taking up all my free time. I don’t have a chance to blog about much of anything else and if I do take the time I feel a little guilty for not finishing that review item that has been sitting here for almost a month.
Many of my visitors are following me only to enter my giveaways, not to share in the motherhood experience. Not that I don’t appreciate those people too but I’d like to develop a deeper relationship with my actual readers. Those who take the time to read my NON giveaway posts, actually enjoy them and maybe, if I’m lucky, even leave a comment. (There must be at least a few of you out there…)
So I’m joining in this one week where I will not post a review, giveaway or talk about another company or product. Instead I’ll create posts that are hopefully entertaining and fun.
Thank you to all my past, current and even future sponsors who support me in my one week off from outside blogging obligations.
If you feel the same way about your blog, please join me in some guilt-free posting! Until then, I hope you enjoy all the reviews and giveaways I have coming up! 🙂
Good for you! I like a nice blend myself. Reviews can be a lot of work and a lot of time.
I would love to see this happen. Honestly sometimes I get tired of reading giveaway's and reviews. It would be nice to hear "normal momma stuff". At the end of the day isn't that what we all are.
I agree with the idea of this, but I do think it's a blogger's choice on how much pr to do, and when to do it. No one makes people stop posting about their families. I hope you enjoy your blog vacation. 🙂
Looking forward to reading your posts!
What a wonderful idea! Count me in, and I'll enjoy reading about the you that's been hidden behind giveaways & co.
I'm in and also did a post about my reasons for wanting a breather!
Looking forward to the breath of fresh air in your posts!
I'd love to see this. Blogs have just become the new way to advertise at almost no cost to companies. (I was a journalism major in college) I understand that it's great for companies because they can reach a ton of potential customers at little cost to them (one or two free products) but I think it's kinda taken over and you don't get to read any real human stories anymore.
While I first got onto a blog for a giveaway, to be honest, I found that there was soooo much more!! And I have really come to enjoy learning about what one blogger calls her "invisable friend". I am in the process of doing my very first review, and am excited about it, but I started my blog as a way to communicate with distant friends and relatives, so I think what you are doing is wonderful. I love the giveaways, but I truly love to see pictures and read about different people from all over the country and all over the world, especially now since my family – including my children – are spread all over the place. Hope you have a wonderful experience — I subscribe, so I will be here to read whatever you chose to write!! 🙂
Well, blogging was created to let people write about their lives anyway. It didn't start out as a tool for promotions or PR. It's okay to utilize your blog in a way that it should be. 🙂
Looking forward to visiting and reading your posts that week! I find myself very much in the same boat with a pile of things to review/giveaway/post about and often missing the actual writing. Was on vaca last week and feel refreshed and am back at it.