Diary of a Semi-Health Nut

ramblings + recipes of a semi-healthy nut

Blogging 101: 14 Questions with Lindsay Cotter

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Happy Monday, friends! Today I am so excited to have a lovely blend share some advice with you all for my Blogging 101 series.

Catch up on past Blogging 101 posts:

Getting Real with Heather from Kiss My Broccoli

Living and Learning with Katie

Advice from Alex Tries it Out

Tips from the Chimes

Advice from the Purely Twins

Perspective from Maria Falls

Free, User Friendly Tools to Make Your Blog More Awesome

 

I have followed Lindsay’s blog for a couple of years now and am in love with her passion for God as well as her kind heart. She is also pretty blog savy, so soak up her advice!

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My name is Lindsay and I blog at Cotter Crunch. My blog title pretty much sums up my life, for now at least.
 
“pro triathlete’s wife, wanna be wino, fitness consultant, kombucha lover, nutrition manager, who has a joyous passion for gluten free cooking!”
 
Yep, I’m a 30 year old Texas girl married to a kiwi. He likes to race triathlon, that’s kinda his profession. I am the sherpa wife that likes to feed him, that’s kinda what i am good at. We travel a lot, enjoy good wine, and have yet to settle down. Whoa.

Personal:

1.  How long have you been blogging?  Did you have any blogs previous to your current one?
– I’ve been blogging for 5 years. I actually started blogging recipes on my husband’s blog first, back in 2008. Crazy! Then he kicked me off, haha. Actually he said I needed to start sharing more recipes and create my own. Voila!
 
2. What do you blog about?  How did you find your “niche?” 
I blog about a lot of random stuff. Mostly my life as a Sherpa wife (supporter) to a professional athlete. The ups and downs of dreaming big, the food (gluten free), and my life between (fitness, health, my small business- Healthy bites). 
 
3. What is your ultimate goal as a blogger or for your blog?
Good question. I really just want to be able to support and encourage others. I also blog to bring in some income so I can support my husband. Every little bit helps. 
 
5. Where do you go for inspiration?  
Do you blog when inspired or do you blog daily?  I blog when I can. I think the more space you give yourself to live in the moment, the more you can write about. 3-4x posts a week is all I can handle at the moment. And I think I’ll keep it that way. 
 
6. How do you balance your blog and your life?  Do you feel like blogging/networking gets in the way of other things you want to do?  
I work from home most of the day, so I can juggle things. But then it also can be a bit overwhelming at times when we travel, etc. That’s usually when I ask for a guest post or just call it a sabbatical week. 😉
 
7. How has the blogging community impacted you personally?
I’ve come to know so many wonderful and genuine people! In fact, every time we travel for a race, I get to meet up with someone. It’s like having penpals everywhere you go! LOVE it!
 
8. Do you plan on continuing your blog for years to come or do you have other projects in mind?
I think my goal would be to write another ebook for healthy bites or an ebook cookbook for endurance athletes. But to be honest, I’m not sure I would be able to blog when we have kids. That’s in a few years though, so we’ll see.

Blog Growth:

9. How do you get a discussion going on your blog?  On social media?  Do you respond to each comment?
I always ask a question at the end of my posts and I try to share via social media throughout the week. I also love responding to comments. Another reason why I don’t blog every day, responding takes time! But it’s worth it!
 

Money and Sponsors:

10. How do you select the companies you work with?
I’ve been lucky to meet a lot of companies at races. I usually connect with a brand that is what I believe in or what I represent. Like gluten free, fueling, etc. It’s nice to KNOW the company behind the brand first, and then go from there. 
 
11. What kind of disclaimers do you use?
I usually use disclaimers when I am sent products to do a FULL review on or am paid to create a recipe, etc. I also use a disclaimer for my Nutrition work. I am not a certified RD but I am nutrition specialist, so I have to distinguish that. 
 
12. Do you use an ad agency?  Which one and why? (or why not)
I have been with Glam Media for 2 years now. Or more? Ha ha, can’t remember. But I really like the way they work. I have opportunity to choose what campaigns I work on. Very flexible. 
 
13. Have you ever been sponsored to go to a blogging event or race?  How did that happen?
I Have. Attune Foods sponsored me for Blend. I know them quite well and they reached out to me. I worked with them at several gluten free expos and development a great relationship with Annelies. It was lot of fun representing them. I loved giving everyone free stuff! Haha. 
 
14. What is something you would NOT do when starting a blog?
Haha. Lots. Don’t PRESSURE post. Don’t apologize for not posting. Don’t forget to LIVE life FIRST!

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I definitely agree with the last point. We tend to put pressure on ourselves as bloggers because we think that our readers will just DIE if we don’t keep to our regular posts or (heaven forbid) take a whole week off. Or if you’re like me, you also get overwhelmed by blog e-mails and feel like you need to answer each one ASAP.

The thing is, most of us are blogging for free or only make enough money to cover blog expenses. So although we want to make our readers happy, we should be working for ourselves, not for our readers. We also have to make sure we are taking time for “real life” and not let the blog take over. This is easier said than done, but just a reminder to those of you who are feeling overwhelmed with your blogging schedule. Readers will know when you are posting just to post versus writing about something you are really passionate about, right?

PS Make sure to check out the Thankful Thursday link up this week! Each link-up stays up for a week so you can even go back to last week’s if you have a post to link-up! 🙂

 

use this one amanda

Tell me…

If you are a blogger or a reader, what do you look for in a blog? What makes you come back regularly?

 

Linking up to:

Marvelous in my Monday with Katie at Healthy Diva Life

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Love this! Lindsay is awesome. The second I feel pressure to post is when I know I have to take a step back. Blogging is supposed to be fun and when it stops being fun I know I’ve done something wrong. Great advice Lindsay!

  3. Great post Lindsay! I feel the same way about a lot of that! Although I wish I was making more money from it. I think I need to look into Glam. I remember the twins telling me about it at Blends.

    • I have heard good things about Glam, but it is one of those that requires certain numbers (I have no idea what) to have their ads on your blog. I applied earlier this year (I think before Blend?) and was rejected without a real reason as to why. It never hurts to apply though!

  6. I love Lindsay’s last point. I don’t think bloggers should ever apologize for not blogging or even taking a break. If you don’t live you’ll have nothing to post about! Plus, everyone gets busy so it’s completely understandable. Better posts come when you have the time and wherewithal to write them!

    • I agree! It honestly annoys me when bloggers apologize for not posting…some even apologize when a DAY goes by without a post haha. And yes the best posts come when you have something you really want to talk about! 🙂

  7. As someone new to blogging I really appreciated Lindsay’s point of view on living life first and not pressure posting. I read her blog often and it was great to hear some of the behind the scenes stuff. Thanks for sharing.

  9. Love it! Love Lindsay and loved having the chance to meet her at Blend this year! She’s got such a big heart and full of knowledge!

  10. Hi Amanda, I thought of a question!! In one of your posts you mentioned that at a conference they said you needed to be an LLC. Can you talk more about this?

    • Hey Ashley! Pretty much all I wrote about the LLC in that post is all I know. You don’t HAVE to be an LLC, but if you are getting serious about blogging and/or you have a lot of assets, it’s good to consider in case someone decides to sue you for stealing a recipe or photos or something. I don’t personally have one set up YET as I don’t have a house or considerable assets, but I am considering getting one in my name so taxes will be easier for blogging and free lance writing. Thanks for bringing that up and reminding me!! 🙂