Happy New Year, babes! It's officially 2018 and I cannot believe how fast 2017 flew by. I'm also having some serious post holiday blues.
But I'm super excited to share some newness happening here on Blondes & Bagels for 2018.
I took the last two weeks of 2017 "off" as I gave myself a bit of a rest and did some re-strategizing for the blog. 2017 was definitely a huge year of growth for me. In February we were only 1,000 #BagelBabes strong on Instagram - today we stand at a tribe of 14K. I also had the opportunity to partner with some amazing brands like my family at Olay!
But I don't think I've fully hit my stride. I'm still honing in on my aesthetic. I'm still fine tuning my content strategy. But when I really don't know what my plan is, I know exactly where to turn: you guys!
I hit ya'll with some polls over on Instagram Stories last week and got tons of insight (thank you!). I asked you what topics you'd like to see, where you'd like to see content, and more.
I asked and I received. You guys gave me so much amazing feedback!
So after noodling everything you've said I have some exciting changes that I'm excited to share with all you babes!
My posting schedule
For 2017 I had set a weekly posting schedule of Tuesdays and Thursdays here on the blog. I mostly kept to this schedule (some weeks I couldn't manage - but I was fairly consistent!). For 2018 I'm officially switching up my schedule.
I will now be posting on the blog on Wednesdays each week. I'm also super excited to announce that I will also be uploading one YouTube video a week - every Saturday! I may squeeze out accompanying blog posts for some of my Saturday YouTube videos, but I am a big believer that video is going to be the wave of 2018 so I'm placing more of a focus here than I did in 2017!
Over the last several years of blogging I've written tons of posts (over 100 to date!). I really want 2018 to be about quality over quantity. I don't want to post just to post - I want to give you guys quality content that is easier for you to consume than it has been before.
This also means I'll be placing a bigger focus on Instagram. I've talked about my Instagram strategies here and here, but in all honesty it's never been my favorite platform. My blog has always been my favorite. That being said - I know how much easier it is for you guys to keep up with me on Instagram than it is here on my blog. In fact, you told me as much in my polls on Stories!
So let's do this. Let's make 2018 the year of video and the gram.
Newness you'll see in 2018
In my Stories polls I asked you guys what posts you'd love to see more of in 2018. You guys were super interested in...
Makeup tutorials + beauty product reviews
I don't get an insane amount of DMs every week - but most of them are about my makeup and skincare! You guys have expressed a huge interest in seeing more makeup tutorials and product recommendation/reviews.
I made sure to give you guys a tutorial in December and can't wait to crank out more for 2018!
Handbag reviews
It made me so happy to see you guys love handbags as much as I do. Purses and makeup are definitely my two biggest vices and you guys are such bad influences I love it.
You can catch some of my handbag posts here and here. This post is also my most popular blog post to date and happens to be allll about designer bags.
Skincare routines + product reviews
I turned 26 in December so skincare is a huge part of my life. I'm all about preventative skincare - I want to get all up in there before any wrinkles even think about settling in.
You babes loved my winter skincare routine post and my most popular YouTube video was all about my experience with Glossier products. You're digging the skincare and so am I - more to come!
More life hack posts
The biggest Stories poll response I got was about my "life hack" posts. You babes are alllll about the life hacks and so am I.
Some of your fave life hack posts so far have been my post about cutting carbs with chickpea pasta, my post about the best noise cancelling headphones, and my post about my aromatherapy roller ball obsession.
These are probably my favorite types of posts to write so I'm pumped to tackle more of these in the new year!
Less emphasis on fashion and travel
In my Stories polls I also asked about fashion and travel content. Fashion and travel posts definitely still had more "yes" replies than "no's", but they had no where near the overwhelming response as the topics above.
I'll still toss some fashion and travel content in where I can, but these topics will not be my primary focus in 2018. And honestly it feels really right. I've never identified myself as a fashion blogger and I really want to embrace my lifestyle content in 2018.
Things I don't intend to change
I'm constantly growing and changing and learning. What will never ever change though are my core values both personally and for Blondes & Bagels.
You'll still hear lots of sarcasm. You'll see lots of all black everything. You'll get lots of realness about topics that matter (like strokes and the period tax).
I promise to always keep it real.
Seriously - THANK YOU.
I can't even put into words how thankful I am to have all of you guys in my community. In my family. I'm so excited to connect and grow with you babes in 2018. I love you!