Grow Your Blog – How to Get Your Spouse on Board with Blogging and Influencing

Tips for turning them from a hater to your biggest support

It’s been almost 2 years now since I started my blog, Mamablondeinka Blog. Its been about a year that I started taking my blog seriously, and started to turn blogging into my career. Over the past few months, I really started to gain some traction. A few of my posts, videos and photos have gotten tens of thousands of views. I’m finally able to pay off some of my student loans and have even been treating my hubby to some fun dates and surprise gifts.

With my growth, came the need for more. More time spent working on my blog, on my phone, shooting content, making videos, submitting campaigns, working with brands, meeting deadlines. REALLY A LOT, and it can be stressful – just like any job. The scope of work needed for blogging is so broad, there is no way for one person to do it on their own – especially if you are trying to grow your social media pages as well – like I still need Instagram help after 2 years.

It was in this moment that I realized that I needed Brandon more than ever – Because I am new to this and I am still learning along the way. Lately, he’s been giving me ideas for blog posts, helping me scope out fun locations for shoots and even offering to help more at home and with Logan. I think the moment that took me back most was when he bought himself a new camera bundle – with just about everything a photographer would need. Seriously, like 10 different lenses, tripods, reflectors everything. I realized when the package arrived that he really is here for me. He wants to support me, grow my blog and my influence.

 

But it wasn’t always like this.

There were times where he would get frustrated with me spending time ‘scrolling through Instagram’. Or seriously questioning my reason for pulling over to take 100 pictures next to a cute little tree. Or why I was spending all my nights on my computer writing and editing and creating. He was wondering why I was putting so much work into something that seemed to be pointless to him.

 

 

It took a few months of me making blogging my habit. A passion that I was putting all of my effort and attention into. So, let me break down my tips on How to Get Your Spouse on Board with Blogging and Influencing:

 

Tip #1 Plan

Plan everything out. If you have a job, or your spouse has a job plan to create your content around that. If you need them to take your picture or get their opinion on a post, do it when you have some stress free time.

 

I shared more about content planning HERE.

 

Planning is one of the most important and overlooked parts of blogging. I really started to notice that my workload had lessened (and my blogging stress) when I started to plan out my content.

Create a steady plan and map out your content beforehand. Decide on what you can do yourself and what you really need to use your partner for. At first, I needed Brandon to be my photographer for every shoot and every campaign. On the weekends, we would go to a particular location, while the baby was sleeping and go through about 4-5 different looks. I made sure to have everything ready so there were no hiccups, and everything went according to the PLAN – see what I did there.

 

Read more about my content shooting strategy HERE.

 

Before you get to working on your blog together, show them the plan. Let them know exactly what you’re going to do and how they can support you. Plus, let’s be honest it doesn’t hurt to give them a little reward if you know what I mean… I typically treat him to the meal of his choice after. Depending on the day we either hit up McDee’s or go to a nice sit-down restaurant and he gets his favorite steak dinner. Just like any part of your relationship, you have to give a little if you want to get a little. Reciprocate the love and show them your appreciation for helping you out! A genuine thank you and a kiss can go a long way.

 

Tip #2 Share with Them

Be honest! They’re yours, right? To have and to hold? You need to be able to voice your opinions with your spouse. I didn’t really mention blogging or ask for help until I was SURE this was something that I wanted to do forever.

Funny story, I didn’t actually tell Brandon that I had started a blog or that I was trying to start my own social media influence. He overheard me talking to someone at a family party and was like ‘wait what, why didn’t you tell me?’. I guess at first I was a little embarrassed. I feel like I share so much with my audience – I love being real, sharing my thoughts and my fears, and all of the creative ideas I have. I didn’t want him to see me this exposed. But why not? This is the one person who has seen me entirely exposed and that I should feel most comfortable sharing my hopes, fears, and passions with.

If you love blogging, creating content, making Youtube videos or showing up on social media, you need to relay that passion to your spouse/partner. Otherwise, how are they going to know?

 

Tip #3 Show Them How it Pays Off

I’m not even talking about the cash here. For me, blogging is more than a paycheck or social validation that I matter in the world. It makes me so happy when someone tries one of my DIYs or styles a look that I put together. I love sharing my creativity with you guys. My blog is my creative outlet and I love maintaining it. When I first started blogging, it was just about that – I really didn’t care if anyone was reading because I just love posting. After I started getting the thank you messages and making connections with other women who were looking for some creative relief or fashion advice, I started to feel a whole nother type of way!

It took a while for Brandon to see this. I think the first project that I was really really proud of the post I had written on Making Our Cheap Walmart Christmas Tree Look Real. It was so much fun making that post, and I got so excited when the video reached 20 views. Originally, I made it when Brandon was on a month-long business trip, and he wasn’t there to decorate the tree with us. When he went to watch the video, he was like uh, this has 500 views. I freaked! That was my most viewed Youtube video, and I was not planning for that at all, I really just wanted to share a moment that I loved.

In terms of monetizing my blog, that also seemed to be a push for showing him how all of this work that I’m putting into this is paying off. I remember I was so happy when I made my first affiliate commission from RewardStyle, I was like “OMG, I just made $0.57” and he was like “WOW, are you going to start paying for the mortgage now?”. UM MAYBE. Not until a few months ago did I actually start making money from blogging, and he has been the first person I’ve told about every deal. It’s gone from laughing about my happiness over $1 to being proud and buying a camera to help evolve the quality of my blog.

 

Tip #4 Catch them at the Right Time

Do you think that when your husband or partner is pooping on the toilet they want to take a picture of you for the ‘gram? HECK NO. Just like you don’t want to be caught with the ‘you need to do this right now’ task, don’t do it to your partner. There is nothing worse than trying to relax and someone starts asking you to do a bunch of things. Because, let’s be honest, asking me to do anything when I’m relaxing after putting the baby to bed and turning on my Netflix and getting ready to scroll through Pinterest, is just not going to happen.

If you need your spouses to support or help to do something for your blog, you need to catch them at the right time.

Most of the time that I found my husband not wanting to help or telling me no to taking a picture, was because I was doing it at the worst time. Like right after he came home from work or before he ate (and was hella hangry) it was just the worst.

Think about your content ahead of time, because not everything needs to be shot the day of. Planning out your content ahead of time is one of the best ways to relieve the stress of blogging. It’s one of the best feelings to have a huge bank of photos and written posts ready to publish. Does anyone else hate the feeling of going through the day waiting for the perfect minute to capture that Insta-worthy photo?

 

So, You Want Your Spouse/Husband/Boyfriend/Friend/Partner to Help You Grow Your Blog?

Having a supportive spouse isn’t just going to happen. If you randomly decided that you wanted to be a frog do you think your spouse would be there for you? For some people, the benefits of blogging are unknown. Some people don’t like to share their feelings. Plus, the idea of blogging and influencing can sound a bit weird if you think about it. Think about this, most people use social media for pleasure. They like to share updates about their kids, see what their high school friends are up to, and scroll through other random posts.

Very little people know (unless they’ve been on the other side of it) how much work goes into taking those pictures, shooting those videos or writing the blog posts that we all like to see and read in our free time. Invite them to this experience. Share some of the things that you are doing in the blogging world. Make blogging and influencing a part of your daily life and something that includes their opinion or ideas as well.

If it took you a while to muster up the courage to start your blog or write your first post, it might take a little while for your spouse to get on board. Remember that in relationships, you always give what you get. You need to be giving support and praise both ways to be a successful working blogging team.