Presentation by lifestyle blogger, Cait Weingartner of Pretty & Fun (www.prettyandfun.com) at GoBlogSocial's Chicago event on October 11.

1. Finding Your Balance
BLOG SUCCESS WITHOUT A FULL-TIME COMMITMENT

2. BLOGGERS HAVE BEEN KICKING ASS LATELY.

3. BLOGS HAVE BECOME BRANDS & BUSINESSES.

4. HOWEVER THAT’S NOT
EVERYONE’S PATH
(AND IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE)

5. HI, I’M CAIT.
I HAVE A BLOG AND A JOB AND ALSO A DOG
PRETTY & FUN DIGITAL STRATEGY CALLIE

6. COMMUNICATIONS MAJOR AT
SMALL LIBERAL ARTS
COLLEGE NO ONE’S EVER
HEARD OF.
PR INTERNSHIPS TURNED
FOCUS ON DIGITAL
MARKETING AT AN AD
AGENCY IN NYC.
ADVERTISING IS A CRAZY
WORLD - UNPREDICTABLE.
LONG HOURS. LOTS OF STRESS
(BUT ALSO LOTS OF FUN)

7. LAUNCHED PRETTY & FUN IN
2011 AS A WAY TO GET MY
WRITING FIX AND PUT MY
JOURNALISM DEGREE TO GOOD
USE.
NO REAL GOALS OR
ASPIRATIONS FOR THE BLOG.
IT WAS JUST SOMETHING I
ENJOYED SO I STUCK WITH IT
AND FIGURED THINGS OUT
ALONG WITH THE REST OF THE
BLOG WORLD AT THAT TIME.

8. LATER THAT SAME YEAR, A
JOB OPPORTUNITY
PRESETNTED ITSELF I MADE
THE 800-MILE MOVE FROM
THE EAST COAST TO CHICAGO.
AND TO BE HONEST, I REALLY
SUCKED AT BALANCE FOR
AWHILE. I WORKED TOO
MUCH. I DIDN’T SOCIALIZE. I
HAD NO INTEREST IN DATING.
I COULD ONLY BLOG + WORK
BECAUSE I HAD NO OTHER
LIFE.

9. KEY THINGS HAVE BEEN HELPFUL:
1. DEFINING SUCCESS
2. BEING STRATEGIC
3. GETTING SHIT DONE

10. 01. Defining success

11. HAVE A VISION
AND A POINT OF VIEW.

12. HAVE A VISION & A POINT OF VIEW.
- SIT DOWN AND THINK ABOUT WHAT IS YOUR BLOG ABOUT.
WHAT TOPICS ARE MOST INTERESTING TO YOU? HOW CAN
YOU BE DIFFERENT OR PUT A DIFFERENT SPIN ON THEM?
- SUMMARIZE THE LARGER STORY YOUR CONTENT IS
PART OF
- WRITE A MISSION STATEMENT AND MEMORIZE IT – USE
IT AS YOUR “ELEVATOR PITCH” TO DESCRIBE YOUR BLOG

13. KNOW WHY
YOU’re DOING IT.

14. KNOW WHY YOU’RE DOING IT.
- SET CLEAR GOALS FOR YOURSELF AND DEFINE WHY
YOU’RE BLOGGING & WHAT YOU’D LIKE TO GET OUT OF IT
- FOCUS YOUR EFFORTS AROUND YOUR OWN WHY – LET
THIS BE YOUR GUIDE
- PROUDLY TELL PEOPLE NOT ONLY ABOUT YOUR BLOG BUT
WHAT MOTIVATES YOU

15. SET GOALS –
BIG AND SMALL.

16. SET GOALS – BIG & SMALL.
- GRAB A POST-IT & BRAINSTORM OUT THE THINGS YOU’D
LIKE TO ACCOMPLISH THROUGH BLOGGING THIS YEAR
- PLACE IT SOMEWHERE YOU SEE IT EVERYDAY, LIKE AT
YOUR DESK OR ON YOUR FRIDGE
- REFLECT NOT ONLY ON WHAT YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE,
BUT THE STEPS YOU’LL NEED TO GET THERE

17. STICK TO YOUR
OWN PATH.

18. STICK TO YOUR OWN PATH.
- Focus on your own goals and avoid comparing
yourself & your blog to others
- Use your mission statement as your guide and
make sure everything connects to your broader
story
- Take inspiration from others but never imitate!

19. KEEP IT REAL.

20. KEEP IT REAL.
- Be yourself! Showcase your personality and
share your true voice
- Remain authentic no matter how successful your
blog gets. Stay humble & real
- Connect with others. Admit to your flaws. Don’t
be afraid to make mistakes

21. 02. BEING STRATEGIC

22. PRIORITIZE.

23. PRIORITIZE.
- Let your goals guide what’s most important to
you and your blog
- Be honest with yourself about what’s actually a
“must” and what can wait
- make a list of regular blog activities (content,
comments, emails, events, etc.) and rank ‘em

24. SAY NO.

25. SAY NO.
- AVOID over-commitment! Don’t be afraid to say no
and don’t feel the need to apologize about it
- Turn no’s into other opportunities – suggest an
alternative if something isn’t quite right
- Only say yes to the things that will help you
achieve your goals

26. TRACK YOUR PROGRESS
& LEARN FROM IT.

27. TRACK YOUR PROGRESS & LEARN FROM IT.
- Be a nerd about your analytics. Know what works
best on your blog and across social media
- Study data over time to identify key trends and
optimize around these
- Test new things and see what happens! Data is
pretty cool stuff

28. FOCUS ON YOUR
AWESOME.

29. FOCUS ON YOUR AWESOME.
- Don’t try to do everything and please everyone –
focus in on what data tells you works best
- Stick with the content and platforms that
resonate best with your audience & clearly tell
your story
- Build from the awesome to create new ideas
based on insights

30. 03. GETTING SHIT DONE

31. DEVELOP A
ROUTINE.

32. DEVELOP A ROUTINE.
- Batch tasks together to get them done more
efficiently to save time
- Dedicate specific times to blog-related tasks –
make them a habit
- Write blog posts in advance & use scheduling
tools to push them live + promote via social media

33. PLAN AHEAD.

34. PLAN AHEAD.
- Brainstorm out tons of blog post ideas at once.
Keep a note on your phone of post ideas
- Use google calendar to create an editorial
calendar for your blog & loosely plan content
out a month in advance
- Develop reoccuring blog post series to make post
planning easier

35. KNOW WHEN TO
BRING IN HELP.

36. KNOW WHEN TO BRING IN HELP.
- Don’t be afraid to invest in your blog! Your own
time still equals money
- Photographers are amazing for fashion bloggers
& can shoot multiple looks in one day for several
different posts
- Site design & branding are important – hire a pro
& save yourself the headache

37. OVER-ORGANIZE.

38. OVER-ORGANIZE.
- To do lists and google docs are your best friends
– be sure to keep track of all upcoming deadlines
& deliverables
- Break down larger projects into each step that
will be required to complete + what’s needed
- Plan ahead and avoid surprises or last minute
scrambling as much as possible

39. DON’T FORGET THE
LITTLE THINGS.

40. DON’T FORGET THE LITTLE THINGS.
- Stay engaged with your readers - answer all
questions via social media + respond to comments
- Say thank you! Send follow up notes to sponsors
and PR partners
- Don’t get an ego & always remember to have fun!

41. IF YOU REMEMBER ONE THING
FROM THIS…

42. THE SECRET TO DOING IT ALL
IS BELIEVING THAT YOU CAN.

43. QUESTIONS?