*This post is sponsored by Intellifluence.

*Kentucky Girl Ramblings is occasionally gifted items to try and/or compensated in exchange for a post. Any collaborative post will be disclosed as a “collaboration” or “partnership”, or a “sponsored post.” Regardless of receiving a gifted item and/or compensation, all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own. I will only feature products I truly love and choose to endorse.

I started blogging in 2016. In college, I was a journalism major, and have been working as a Technical Writer for the past eight years. I missed writing for fun, so I started this little Kentucky Girl Ramblings blog. I’ve experienced some growth over the past few years, and wanted to share my experiences of being a blogger.

The Positives

My favorite thing about blogging has been the friendships I’ve made. I’ve met some of my closest friends through blogging, mainly through blogger events. Our friendships have blossomed because of our similar interests, and it’s nice to have others to grow with during this blogging journey. It’s always a pleasure having others to turn to when you have blogger questions, and people to just support you. Making blogger friends has also been beneficial for my growth as a blogger. Sharing each others’ content is helpful, and collaborating on blog posts (as well as Instagram) brings new viewers to my own content. I’ve done a few collaborations with other bloggers, local and/or in similar niches, and it’s been great for growth (check out this post and this post to see examples of blogger collaborations I’ve done).

I mentioned blogger events. These events have also been a great part of my journey. I love experiencing new things (restaurants, shops, exploring new local cities) that I probably wouldn’t have the opportunity to try without blogging. I appreciate all the local businesses who have hosted events, or requested that I come out to try them. I’ve been able to work with so many companies and I am so grateful for that (check out this post to see some work I’ve done with a local MedSpa). Posting about local businesses has helped my growth with local readers. They enjoy seeing places to try, and new openings in the area.

One thing being a blogger has taught me is how to keep up with the latest trends. Beauty and fashion is my main focus, and there are so many fun trends out there I’ve enjoyed trying. Confidence is key, and that’s something I’ve learned through blogging. Sites like this one from Popsugar discuss current trends, and it’s fun to follow them and try them for my blog and Instagram. Tik Tok has become very popular in the last couple of years too, and keeping up with trends is very important for growth on that platform. Keeping up with trends helps me create content on all platforms, which helps with growth.

I’ve also enjoyed finding new influencers to follow, local and throughout the world. It helps me get a grasp of what content works, and what others are doing. Check out this interview to see an Influencer Spotlight on Argentinian beauty influencer Cecelia Katz to see another view on being a beauty influencer.

The Negatives

I won’t say that blogging has been easy. It’s been fun, yes, but there are difficult parts of blogging. There is a lot of time, effort, and money involved in blogging. Renewing site fees, purchasing items for content (clothing and beauty items are my top two most expensive categories, followed by food and other supplies), and investing in equipment (such as camera lenses, tripod stands, ring lights, etc) can be costly. This is something I don’t think bloggers talk about enough. It’s not all fun and games and easiness, and free products. Products can be expensive, and not everything comes for free. Free products even take work, through pitching and creating content, and it can take quite a bit of time.

I think a lot of people want to start blogging for the wrong reasons. They see influencers living luxurious lifestyles, and receiving free product (and even being paid for promotions), and they want to do the same. A lot of times, though, they don’t want to put the effort into blogging. I’d warn anyone wanting to be a blogger that it does take quite a bit of effort. For example, it took me a while to learn my camera settings to improve my photography for my blog. I took a couple of classes, in person and online, and my skills definitely show some growth.

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Overall, I’d definitely say becoming a blogger has been worth all the hard work. I’ve enjoyed working with businesses and improving my writing and photography. I’ve also enjoyed having more opportunities to explore my community and try new things, whether it’s new foods and restaurants, or new fashion and beauty trends.

Have any questions about blogging? Let me know in the comments below!