I did my first ever blog reader survey and I had so much fun with it! I loved seeing your responses and getting some helpful, informative feedback. Some of the answers were surprising, while some were completely expected. Thanks to everyone who participated! I had 36 people in total respond. Let’s get down to business!
Gender and Location
100% of survey participants were female. HA! Not surprising!
The majority of respondents were also in the USA, with 1 in India and 2 in Canada.
5 respondents were in my home state of New York, with 3 of those being here in my city of Rochester.
California, North Carolina, and Florida each had TWO readers, and any other state listed had ONE reader.
How long have you been reading my blog?
Nothing super surprising here, though I noted that MOST people had been readers for 1-3 years, which makes sense. It was in 2014 that I kind of re-did the blog and changed it from a book blog to a lifestyle blog. I’m glad to see that some of my readers have been around for 4+ years too, which means that some of my book blogging friends stuck around after the change… awesome!
What age bracket are you in?
Nothing really surprising here either, except to say that even though I’m in my 20s, that isn’t my largest demographic of readers. I’m not surprised that my largest demographic of readers are in their 30s though, based on the topics I write about, most notably motherhood and finances. I think a lot of women in their 30s relate to those topics.
How are you notified of new posts?
As you can see, about half of my readers are using a feed reader, whether that be Bloglovin’ (what I use), or Feedly. 10 people just check my site for updates, and 8 people subscribe via email.
Feed readers used:
- 8 people use Bloglovin’
- 8 people use Feedly
- 1 uses WordPress
Are you a blogger?
The majority of readers have either been or currently are a blogger. I was surprised though that there was a decent number of people who have never been bloggers… though I’m guessing those readers may be my family members, for the most part!
How often do you read my posts?
Nothing surprising here. My personal blog reading habits are basically that I TRY to read every post of those that I follow, but I will skim if it’s not of interest. Seems that most people are similar!
How often would you like to see updates?
This is great news, as most people would like to see two updates a week! That’s typically what I shoot for, as is. Any more than that, and I get stressed out and don’t always have enough topics on hand that I want to write about. This is reassuring though and will guide me in the new year to stick to two posts a week when possible!
What posts do you enjoy reading?
- Daily life updates (like Five on Friday, Thankful Thursdays, weekend recaps, etc.): WOW. This is the most popular topic and is a bit surprising. I always wondered if people thought that those were boring because my daily life is less than exciting. Good to know that you’re all enjoying those. I will definitely keep that in mind and try to do at least one post a week like this.
- Creative reflection pieces (Personal Essays). This is the second most popular type of post and I thought they’d be first most popular! These are my “topic” posts that involve me flexing my creative muscles and writing on a particular topic in a creative way. These are my favorite pieces to write and I tend to get the most comments and feedback on these. This is when I tend to pour out my heart and soul and I consider these the “meat and potatoes” of the blog. I’d like to fill my blog with these ones, but these are the posts that I have to be inspired by… posts that tend to randomly pop into my mind which I compose in my head late at night. To me, these kinds of posts are written about a topic that’s on my mind at the moment and are written in a more stylized manner that is less casual and more polished.
- Goal posts and fitness posts: These are tied for number three most popular, which is great! I really love writing my monthly goal posts because they motivate me, so those will be sticking around, for sure. Fitness posts are also something that I enjoy writing because they help keep me accountable. Y’all know that I was a weight loss champ before Caleb came around and now I am struggling big time with weight gain and re-losing. I will definitely keep in mind next year that you guys enjoy those posts and hope that you will help me stay on track in the new year with getting back to a healthier, slimmer me!
I was surprised to see that so many of you (58%) enjoy the book reviews. I cut way back on those in the past few years because truth be told, I don’t personally love READING book reviews. I enjoy writing them for myself so I can remember what I read, but I tend to skim other people’s reviews. They also don’t get much interaction or comments. Since a good majority of you enjoy them, I’ll try to do at least one or two a month, but probably no more than that.
What posts don’t you enjoy reading?
You guys were trying to be nice I think, because I didn’t get a whole lot of responses in this category – ha! Looks like motherhood and financial posts were both the “least popular” of my posts though, with 4 respondents for each of those. Book reviews only had 2 respondents, which surprised me; I thought a lot more people would say they didn’t enjoy the book reviews. I will say that the finance and motherhood posts, though not as popular as some others, will still be around just because they’re both important to me at this time in my life. We’re working on paying off debt and I am anal retentive and love seeing it all laid out on a month to month basis. Motherhood posts are still going to be around too because it’s a huge part of my life, of course! I will say that I have cut back recently though because I’m not so “new” to motherhood anymore, and also I want to respect my son’s privacy as he gets older. In the new year, you’ll see one “Debt Diary” update at the beginning of each month, and an occasional Financial Friday post, but that’s it. Motherhood posts fall under my “creative reflection” pieces for the most part, and just come when the inspiration strikes, so I can’t say how often those will or will not be around going forward.
How did you discover my blog?
- Comment on another blog: 4 people
- Personal Family / Friend / Coworker of mine: 4 people
- Can’t remember: 4 people
- Blog link up: 3 people
- Someone else’s blog: 2 people
- Old book blogging friend: 2 people
- Feed reader / Facebook / MyFitnessPal: 1 person each
So a lot of people found my blog from other blogs and/or my comments on blogs and also link ups which is GREAT to know and very helpful. I used to do a lot of blog networking but it’s fallen by the wayside in the last few months as life has gotten so busy. I think I’ll try to participate in more link ups next year (know any good ones? Please share!). Also, thank you to my ol’ book blogging pals who have been here for the long haul!
Please share feedback about what you’d like to see more or less of
- “I would love more on working motherhood/balancing it all.”
- “I’ve loved your blog from the moment I started reading! I think your writing voice is engaging and smart, and I feel like we have a lot in common.”
- “I’d love to see posts about Diplicious and the different ways you use them!”
- “The posts I don’t read of yours are not “bad” in any way, I just am not interested in them, that’s all. But I do appreciate that this is your personal blog and that you post about all aspects of your life!”
- “How do you pick what books to read? Where do you find them? Day-in-the-life of a librarian.”
- “It’s only that I don’t have kids, so the mother hood ones are less relevant for me. That said, I do tend to read yours because you often are writing about bigger things (e.g., the friendships with new moms) that DO apply to me!”
I loved these responses because they gave me great insight and also ideas for new posts! I will definitely tackle some more balance/motherhood posts next year, and will also share a post about my Diplicious affiliate business. I’d also be happy to share about finding my books and my life as a librarian some more. For those who are ready and raring to go on reading about these topics, I have touched a bit on balance here, and my career as a librarian here. I love talking about these things though and now that I know there’s an interest, I will talk more about them in the future!
If you’re a regular reader, what keeps you coming back to my blog? If you’re not a regular reader, what would make you come back?
- “I relate!”
- “I just love the topics you cover and the way you talk about them.”
- “I like that you blog about real life and motherhood!”
- “I like reading your blog and I think you’re very real, which I appreciate!”
- “I can’t remember how I found your blog, but there are some bloggers who you just feel like you click with. I think I was intrigued by your book reviews at first but I’ve come to love everything you have written!”
- “Your personality and authenticity. You’re relatable and real, and you don’t take yourself too seriously.”
- “I like your writing style, and I feel like you’re a kindred spirit!”
- “I love how honest you are in your posts.”
- “Your sweet and genuine heart.”
- “I just love your writing and I love that you have never been afraid of bringing something different to the table, rather than the same content as every other blogger.”
- “Interesting topics.”
- “YOU :)”
- “Your writing is so candid! I feel like we are similar in a lot of ways, especially with weight loss and the debt diaries.”
- “I just like how you write and can relate to a lot of it.”
- “enjoy your reading – your goals motivate me. appreciate your honesty.”
- “I am also a librarian, at a college and through reading your blog I have realized we have a lot common. I really enjoy your blog.”
- “Your insight into life, and your thoughtful wisdom.”
- “Relatable, love your writing style, love reading about others, etc.”
- “I like to read the book reviews.”
- “Very personal & authentic.”
- “Your life is very different from mine, and I enjoy and appreciate reading about how different people approach life!”
Alright guys. I’m not crying… you’re crying! For real though, I loved each and every one of these answers. They seriously made me so happy and had me smiling from ear to ear. The thing that people said the most was that I am relatable and real. People also seem to love my writing style, honesty, and authenticity. This means the world to me, you guys. I strive to be honest and real with you all the time, even when it has me feeling vulnerable, scared, or embarrassed. I bare it all here and that’s BECAUSE I want people to feel they can relate and to know they’re not alone, whether that be in their struggles with motherhood, anxiety, weight, finances, anything. I feel like some bloggers put up a wall and portray their lives as being perfect. That does nothing but make me jealous and feel “less than.” I wonder why their lives are perfect and clean when mine is sometimes messy and hard. I want to read blogs that are real, messy, dirty, and get down to the nitty gritty of life because that’s how MY life is and that’s how I will always portray it to be. I want openness and honesty because that’s how we bond and make friends, ya know? I will keep trying my very best to be real and vulnerable at all times.
Thank you all for your awesome feedback and answers. It’s really helping me guide my blog and my goals in 2018. Here’s to another great year of blogging and friendships!
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