Best Blog Opportunities in 2019 That Helped Me Go Full-Time

A good way to start my first month as a full-time blogger and creative entrepreneur is to reflect back on the best blog opportunities in 2019 that helped get me to this point.

These types of posts remind me to take a step back.

It’s a gentle tug to review the milestones, the wins and even the things I can improve on. 

I started doing monthly blogging reviews (to be revived this 2020!) because I would not celebrate the small moments and small wins enough.

And maybe that’s why I enjoy reflecting because I am reminded that I have come so far even if at times it feels like I have not. 

A huge decision I made in 2019 was deciding to quit my full-time job to pursue my creative biz wholeheartedly. 

I knew I wanted to take my creative biz full-time and give it the attention it deserves to grow and be able to scale my income.

Because I believe it is possible to earn six to seven figures with my creative biz.

Throughout 2019, there were moments that gave me hope.

An avalanche of opportunities–paid opportunities–were coming to me. I had a strong pull to go full-time because I knew I would have multiple sources of income.

Things were aligning for me.

And so as I reflect back on 2019, I’ll be sharing with you the best blog opportunities that helped me make the decision to go full-time.

I started off 2019 strong with the help of a content calendar.

My content strategy was to rotate around my three main themes of create, bloom and travel, meaning I would alternate a post on content creation, self-care, and travel.

I was also able to post consistently on Instagram in January.

I attribute these to the digital content calendar I created & set-up in November 2018. 

Best Blog Opportunities in 2019

I experimented with Instagram Story ads which resulted in 2 wins

In February, I decided to dip my toes into Instagram story ads because I wanted to increase my Instagram followers.

I was really reluctant at first because I’d tried boosting my Facebook posts and advertising my Facebook page but never got significant results. I did not know if I would have a return on my investment.

To lower the risk, I only spent $2 or Php100 on an Instagram story ad that would lead them to my profile.

My goal was to increase my followers and those who viewed my ad also ended up signing up for my email list. In turn, I was able to increase my email list by 50%.

Branderly Media featured me

Branderly Media reached out to me to write a piece about starting a side-hustle blog and of course I had to say yes.

I wrote about 3 Tips to Start a Side Hustle Blog.

Having a clear & focused Instagram bio helped me not only when I ran the Instagram story ad but also helped attract an opportunity such as this.

I made my first affiliate sale online

And it felt glorious!

It wasn’t a huge amount.

In fact, it was only $1.80 but I was grateful nonetheless.

Up until that point affiliate marketing was something I was wishing that would take off so it could be one of many revenue streams.

At first, I was in disbelief when I saw the email that I had made a successful sale and then it felt like I had crossed a threshold.

It definitely was a milestone.

My first ever affiliate sale after having run three blogs!! 

I collaborated with Skillshare and launched my first online course 

When Skillshare first reached out to me to join them as a teacher, I had to read the email twice.

I kept thinking “As in THE Skillshare I was always seeing so much about online? The same one that many bloggers and entrepreneurs promoted on YouTube and Instagram and now they wanted ME to create a course on their platform?!” 

I knew I had to say yes even if it terrified me and had me experiencing a serious case of the Imposter Syndrome.

The amazing thing is that launching an online course was one of my big goals of 2019. Though I had not prioritised this goal within the first few months of the year I manifested an opportunity to do so.

I am so thankful to God for this.

And since launching my course, Skillshare has become a consistent source of revenue.

A dream come true and a realized goal.

RELATED: A course that teaches you the strategies I used to set up my blog & helped me become a full-time blogger

I landed multiple copywriting projects 

Putting myself out there as a blogger has helped me in so many ways.

Apart from the collaborations and being able to put out my first digital product, marketing myself as a blogger and promoting my blog had people reaching out to me to hire me as a copywriter and content writer.  

I traveled for a press trip for Feliz Hotel Boracay’s opening

This is a HUUUGE pinch-me moment of my 2019.

One of the highlights–if not the biggest highlight of the year.

I wrote in my vision notebook in early 2019 that one day I would be invited to travel for free because of my blog and it happened.

It manifested when I least expected it to. And that experience opened so many doors for me.

Many people reached out saying how they enjoyed reading my piece and that they wanted to book their trip to Boracay to stay at that hotel. 

Another dream come true.

I set up a blog and got paid for it

This was an unexpected one, but now that I think about it, it’s always felt so right.

Every time someone told me that they want to set up a blog, I get so excited that I talk about how they can do it, which host and platform to use.

I even offer to help them set up their blogs, but it was this one close friend who really committed to taking action.

We met up and I helped her set up her site through a self-hosted WordPress blog and she paid me to do it!

Let’s make your blogging dreams a reality. ✨

I quit my day job to go full-time as a blogger and creative entrepreneur

Writing that out just made me so grateful.

Yes, it’s a scary journey, but this 2020 I’m focusing on loving the journey and this opportunity to get to do what I want instead of the fear.

I’ve tried the corporate route for 5 years and every year, I was always wishing to focus on blogging and become a full-time creative entrepreneur.

But fear stopped me and the whole “what will people say?” scenario would hold me back.

Would people think I was lazy or that I didn’t want to work anymore because I wanted to focus on my blog and writing?

But then, as I took a step back I realized I was always worrying about how my decisions would be accepted by others and it was causing damage to my mental health.

It wasn’t their life after all. It was mine.

I had to be courageous enough to face the risk that backlash was always going to be a part of going full-time.

I owed it to myself to try, to give myself a shot at happiness because I had been miserable for a long time going against what I truly wanted for fear of others’ opinions and actions.

2020 is the year I thrive in pursuit of passion and purpose!

PIN THESE NOW!

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Now that I’ve shared the best blog opportunities in 2019, in my next post I’ll be sharing my 2020 goals and intentions.

In the meantime, here is a list of top-performing posts:

How to Create a Vision Board & Fulfill Your Creative Goals

Why Your Blog Isn’t Getting Any Views and How to Fix It

How to Be a Successful Content Creator and Start a Blog

Blogging Monthly Review: I Made My First Online Sale

Stay Happy in this Instagrammable Hotel in Boracay

A Letter for the Days I Feel Not Good Enough

An overview of 2019 blog analytics thanks to MonsterInsights

• There were 2,299 visitors–December being the top-performing month
• Blog visitors came from 104 countries–mostly from the Philippines, the United States, and the United Kingdom
• My top sources of traffic were Facebook, Pinterest, then Twitter

Looking back at 2019, though it was one of the toughest years of my life, major wins and dreams also manifested. And for these, I am truly grateful.

What is your biggest win for 2019 or what are you most grateful for in 2019? 

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