I love challenges and I feel like it has been a while since I have hosted a blogging challenge so here we are, almost in the middle of October, and we are bringing our A game to end the month. 

It is no secret that I have fallen off of the blogging wagon. I have lost my consistency and with that, the numbers that I was building. It is ready to get serious again and start blogging like I used to. 

WHY JOIN A BLOGGING CHALLENGE

We all need support and motivation from time to time (sometimes more often than we would like to admit) and blogging challenges are a great way to get both. Challenges not only give you the support that you are looking for but they will give you a plan to follow. 

The last challenge I did was back in June and it was my Rebuild Your Blog Challenge. It was a 31-day challenge that gave you a daily task to complete that would help you rebuild your blog. You can view the original challenge here. 

That challenge was a HUGE success and I think it may be time to do another round of it come November. If you want to see how successful that challenge was, read my update that shares the numbers of my blog. 

This challenge is a little different. I wanted to focus more on writing for the month of October because it is all about creating a habit and becoming consistent with blogging. This is where you are going to find success.

Are you ready to jump into the October blogging challenge, the guidelines, and how you can join us? 

BLOGTOBER: OCTOBER’S BLOGGING CHALLENGE FOR BEGINNER BLOGGERS

More than ever, 2023 has been about focusing on my mental health and sometimes that meant taking a step away from my business and my blog. I have been changing, reevaluating, and looking for ways to deepen who I am and who I want to be. 

Writing has always been a part of my life since the age of ten. I wouldn’t know who I was without writing. It has helped me to heal from a young age to explore the depths of who I am, now as an adult.

Blogging is a give-and-take hobby. (Well, for me, it is more than a hobby.) You need to show up and do the work or nothing really changes. 

That can mean that you sometimes fall out of love with blogging. 

That can mean that sometimes you need to take a step back and re-evaluate.

That can mean that sometimes you need to find inspiration. 

This month’s challenge is meant to bring back inspiration without focusing on all of the little details that can hold us back. Writing just to write. Writing just to share our stories. That is why I started blogging in the first place so now is the time to take it back to the roots of my personal blogging journey and begin there. 

BLOGGING CHALLENGE GUIDELINES

This challenge isn’t going to give you daily tasks to complete. Instead, it is going to give you an overview of what is “expected” and you can do what you need to do. This challenge is starting today and I will share with you what my plans are for the specific guidelines to help give you an idea of what you can also do. 

Guideline One: Focus on publishing content that is related to your audience

I want you to focus on stories that are going to resonate with your audience. We are all built of stories that have been pieced together by the experiences that we have had and our audience wants to hear those. Focus on storytelling as a way to blog for the rest of October. 

Guideline Two: Don’t focus on SEO

Oh I know, the mouths that are open right now. I don’t want you to focus on SEO because I want you to just write. SEO is and always will be a work in progress so for the rest of October, I want you to focus on stories and writing. Just show up and be real with your audience. 

This challenge is all about getting those stories out and building a deeper connection with those who are coming to your blog. 

Guideline Three: Take your publishing schedule up a notch

Let’s get uncomfortable. 

Are you used to blogging once a week? For the rest of October, publish content twice a week. 

Are you used to blogging twice a month? For the rest of October, double your content creation.

Take it up a notch. You don’t need to stick with this content schedule but for the next 3+ weeks, we are going to focus on writing and publishing. 

Guideline Four: Join my Facebook group and share the blog posts that you publish

This isn’t mandatory but this is a great way to see what others are publishing in the challenge and to get support when things come up. I am not expecting things to go smoothly. There are going to be days that you don’t want to write but I am asking you to fight through those thoughts for October. 

If you are interested in joining my Facebook group, you can join Becoming The Blogger Within here. 

Guideline Five: Share every blog post in five different places

You don’t have to stop at five different places but I want you to not only write these blog posts, I want you to share the sh** out of them. Be proud of the work you are putting in and the blogs that you are creating. 

Don’t be shy about sharing them. Ask friends and family members to share the links as well. Go to my Facebook group and ask some of the members to share the links. Remember, we are in this as a team and I want you to succeed. 

Those are all of the guidelines. Remember this is a challenge that doesn’t have daily tasks but instead is going to push you to your limits when it comes to blogging. 

Here are my upcoming blog posts for the remainder of October so you can see what I have planned and how I am moving forward with this challenge.

October 11: Blogging Challenge

October 15: What 9 Years of Blogging Has Taught Me

October 18: Blogging Workshop Announcement

October 22: Rebranding From Creative Purpose To Empoword Blogging

October 25: My List of 100 Things That Make Me Happy

October 29: The Pain On The Pages (Talk about Meraki Pages)

October 31: Saying Goodbye Is Hard But The Only Option

In my group, I will also be sharing how and where I am sharing my blog posts so that you can see what I am doing to gain readers. This would even be a great time to do the Rebuild Your Blog challenge if you want to. 

I hope you are as excited as I am to do this challenge. I can’t wait to see what you bring into this written world.