Archive for September, 2009
How Did We Get Here?
John and I often ask ourselves this question. How did we go from blogging-about-our-impending-kitchen-remodel-to-our-friends-and-family-as-a-hobby to writing-to-thousands-of-people-about-interior-design-and-home-improvement-every-day-as-a-bona-fide-job? And since this same question seems to be popping up in our inbox more and more lately (and even in Tuesday’s reader survey) we wanted to take a stab at answering it. So for all of you aspiring professional bloggers or curious readers out there, here goes nothin’…
In a nutshell: we attribute our blog’s growth to a combination of lots of good old fashioned hard work and a series of lucky breaks (of which we’re eternally grateful). We didn’t start the blog with hopes of creating a business, we just wanted to share our kitchen renovation with our friends and family without constantly filling their inboxes with photos and stories. We figured a blog was a nice way to allow them to drop in on us whenever they liked, and because we’re never ones to do anything half-heartedly we excitedly jumped into telling our story and breaking things down into tips and tutorials for our friends and family from the start (even though we were learning as we went). Soon our family-&-friends-only readership turned into friends-of-friends and then (surprisingly) strangers-welcome. And with each encouraging comment, inquiring email or complimentary mention on another blog we got a little boost to keep going. Even if they were few and far between at that point.
Our first mega-boost came in December 2007. John had entered us into a home improvement blogging contest on a whim in the hopes that we’d make some new blog friends and gain two or three more readers along the way. So when we got a call congratulating us on winning the grand prize (to the tune of $5K, no less) we looked at each other and realized that maybe we had a knack for this blogging thing… and maybe someday it could be more than just a hobby! Consider us insanely flattered and immensely inspired at that still-surreal (and heavily photoshopped- yes, we added the crowns and the flowers and the sashes) moment.
We think blogging as a couple has been a huge help to us a well. Not only because John stands out as one of the few husbands in the home blog world, but because it means we can blog as a team. We’re able to divvy up the tasks of writing (in the beginning we alternated writing a post each night). We’re also able to support and motivate each other. When writer’s block hits or projects seem endless, at least we each have a built-in cheerleader of sorts (although John would want me to clarify that he doesn’t actually jump around with pom-poms). And because it’s a shared hobby, spending hour upon hour blogging together seems to strengthen our relationship instead of neglecting it (which may have been the case if only one of us was involved and the other had twiddled their thumbs and waited to be included).
By the time we reached the end of our blog’s first major home improvement project in January 2008 (the big kitchen reno), we started noticing some pretty steady growth in our readership. So we decided to keep writing. And as our post topics expanded – design dilemmas, reader redesigns, house crashing – we saw our names pop up in some pretty amazing and unexpected places. The Washington Post included us in their “blog watch” feature, big time blogs like Real Simple and Apartment Therapy began to mention us and local glossies like Richmond Magazine and national ones like Do It Yourself Magazine started calling us to author our very own columns with them! We even lived to see our mugs on the cover of a national mag this spring! We never solicited these mentions or paid for advertising; people just heard about us through the grapevine of friends, blogs, Google and who knows where else. And it seems as though they truly enjoyed our blog and our writing, which still has us blushing to this day. All of it still feels quite miraculous, meaning we still pinch ourselves quite frequently.
Why did these writers and reporters care to talk about us? You guys are probably better suited to answer that than we are. All we know is that we’ve never plotted a business plan or hunted for a blog niche to fill – we just write about what we care about: our home, our relationship and, okay, our eight pound chihuahua. That’s not to say that we don’t put lots of time into figuring out how to keep things fun and interesting around here, but when you’re writing about things that you’re crazy interested in, it’s not hard to do and it tends to come naturally. Heck, we can’t even go on walks or long car rides without ending up brainstorming projects to do or topics to blog about. It’s a sickness. We just feel so blessed that what interests us also interests so many of you, and that you keep dropping in to see what we’re up to.
We’d like to believe that some of what keeps you coming back has to do with our writing style. We’re both writers (I used to be an advertising copywriter and John did lots of creative writing in college) which means we both enjoy finding the words to narrate the regularly occurring adventures (and misadventures) here at Casa Petersik. And since writing is half of the fun for us, we have no trouble churning out over ten posts a week. Plus, we’ve been lucky that our inherent love of creative and unexpected projects that are doable for cheapskates like us (ex: using cheap Ikea tables to make a headboard or wardrobes to create bedside built-ins) seem to line up well with these times when being budget conscious is all the rage (and being a cheapskate is actually something to be proud of!).
We also realized pretty early on that good content and photos are important, but if people can’t find things easily then you’re doing yourself a disservice. So we’re constantly trying to make it simple for you guys to hunt down your favorite posts. From the How To tab full of tutorials to our House Tour page so everyone can easily see our home’s transformation in one fell swoop, we trying not to let things collect dust in our archives. Hopefully you find these features helpful, and hopefully we’ll stumble upon more ways to make our site user friendly and easy to navigate.
We also try to learn as much as we can about the technical side of blogging. John designed our entire site (which is nothing that he learned how to do in school) so that meant lots of library research, googling when things went haywire, and general nail-biting while we waited for things to load (we’ve been known to chant: “please make it centered, please make it centered, please make it centered” from time to time). John also whipped up our Young House Love logo in about two hours (he wouldn’t let me look over his shoulder while he worked, so when he finally said “ready” and revealed his little sideways heart thing, I squealed with excitement) and is also in charge of video editing and a lot of other technical things that keep YHL humming. Needless to say it’s great to have a self-trained IT guy as 50% of the staff.
We’re not gonna lie- it’s the hardest job we’ve ever had. The biggest misconception is that our blog is a part time thing that we spend a few hours a day on. When friends and relatives picture me out on the patio with a magazine and a cocktail I snort with laughter. It’s hard to put into words how we manage to spend every waking moment working on the blog, but we’re essentially writing over 45 posts a month AND taking and uploading photos AND running an online shop AND offering design services AND coordinating giveaways AND answering up to 100 email and comment questions a day AND making & editing videos. Not to mention actually doing the projects on our home that we then photograph and write about. It’s pretty much a never ending to do list! In all honesty, I’m a million times busier than I ever was in my old New York City 60+ hour a week job. We work nights, weekends and on vacation (after all, the internet is 24/7!) so sometimes it can all be very exhausting. And I don’t make as much as I used to. I actually took a pretty hefty pay cut to see this full-time blogging thing through.
But I wouldn’t have it any other way. I feel nothing but thrilled and honored to get to do what I love every day – and to do it with John right by my side (at least when he’s not as his 9 – 5) is truly a dream come true. This little old blog really is our passion and we feel so fortunate to be able to turn a hobby into a bona fide career- and we’re so thankful for the support and enthusiasm that you guys provide every single day.
So our advice to anyone who’s looking to grow their blog or turn it into a career is to: 1) work hard, 2) do it because you love it and 3) be patient. It probably won’t happen overnight (if it does, please share your secret!). You may feel like you’re talking to no one for ages (we had about zero point zero zero comments after our first few months of posting). But if you’re dedicated to it (long-term, not looking to get rich quick) and passionate about the subjects you cover, you’re bound to slowly but surely attract people who can sense your enthusiasm and get excited right along with you… and they’ll love what you’re putting out there enough to pass it on. Then after about a year or so (which is when we really started to see a lot more growth) you’ll hopefully have an expanding readership and lots of lovely people stopping in more and more frequently.
And speaking of lovely people, we can’t possibly talk about how our blog has grown without recognizing how amazing our readers are. You guys have helped spread the word about us and have encouraged us to keep at it from day one! Many of you are the reason YHL has grown since you’ve personally told your friends and family about us and even emailed us with kind words to keep us going after a long night (or a soul crushing how-did-those-posts-erase-themselves? moment). So thank you, thank you, thank you for dropping by and making our day for the last 730 of ‘em. Here’s hoping we have many more years to share the goings-on of our crazy house with each and every one of you!
Update: Big announcement! Check out how our blog baby grew even more nearly a year later right here.
These Fit Us To A Tee
We’re sticklers for observing anniversaries (and even dogiversaries and blogiversaries) and since cotton is the traditional two year anniversary theme, we though our second blogiversary would be the perfect time to (finally!) bring you the much requested YHL t-shirt!
We never fancied ourselves t-shirt designers, but after several requests and weeks of planning and prototyping, we’re excited to share the designs that we’ve proudly birthed (there was even a bit of lamaze-esque heavy breathing there at the end). We’ve whipped up two designs for the ladies – one that we simply call “Logo Love”…
… and one that we lovingly refer to as “Painted Love”.
And of course we can’t forget our “Hammer Love” version for the dudes…
…and even a sweet little “Puppy Love” dog tee for all of Burger’s virtual BFFs.
We hunted around a bit to find an amazing little local company (Affordabilitee, a spin on one of our favorite words) to print and provide all of these high-quality 100% cotton preshrunk tees for us, so they’re a cut above the usual mass-produced t-shirt. And we still worked hard to get the very best prices (we’re all about a deal), so all shirts can be snagged for $19 which includes free domestic shipping.
Oh, but we’re celebrating our blogiversary by applying a discount to ‘em right out of the gate. So you can get any of our new YHL shirts for just $17 for the rest of September (yup, that still includes free domestic shipping).
We truly wish we could dish every shirt out for $10 a pop, but alas, supporting the local guys and opting for high-quality shirts and screening comes with a few extra dollars attached to it. So mosey on over to our shop to check them out, and feel free to snag them at our special blogiversary rate. The lady and dog options do tend to run a wee bit small but we have a handy little sizing breakdown on each so you can suss out which tee will will do you (and your pet’s) home-improvement-loving body justice. Funnily enough, as a point of reference John, Burger and I all wear mediums.
And in summary: we’re beyond flattered at the interest you guys have shown in YHL tees (all your email, Twitter, Facebook and comment requests didn’t go unnoticed!), and we’re super excited that they’re finally here. You never fail to amaze us with your enthusiasm and support, so big virtual Burger licks go out to every last one of you.
Take A Number
With our two year blogiversary in full swing, we thought it would be fun to look back at some of the stats that make us smile, blush or just plain blow our minds. Here’s how it all breaks down…
1006- Our number of published posts to date (crazy considering we only had 380 on our first blogiversary)
68,025- The number of comments we’ve amassed from you, our lovely readers
19,206- The number of spam comments that our stupendous spam filter has intercepted (no we don’t want to see naked Lady GaGa pictures thankyouverymuch)
3,507- The number of comment questions that we’ve answered to date (we do our best to answer every single one)
78- Average number of reader emails that we receive each day (again, we also do our best to answer every single one)
14- The number of posts we like to have in the hopper at all times
2- The number of weekdays we have not posted on this past year. Once after this announcement (to be sure everyone had a chance to read about the big change, and once exactly seven days later when our server crashed for the entire day (it was a rough week)
44- Total number of weekly giveaways that we’ve held since starting them back in December
$6,233- The total monetary value of all of our fab freebies combined (thanks to this week’s gift card for pushing us over the $6k mark!)
49- Our average number of posts per month
15- The total number of videos that we’ve cobbled together since setting a goal of sharing one per week
229- The total number of projects that we link to on our How To page
15- The number of amazing homes that we’ve barged into and officially “House Crashed” (and there are more to come…)
108- Custom mood boards completed to date (check out a bevy of them right here)
26- Average number of minutes it takes for our custom mood boards to sell out after listing them on Monday mornings (crazy!)
17- Room makeovers that we’ve whipped up for other people (either virtually or in the flesh) and corralled in our Portfolio
32 (& growing)- Major home-related makeover projects that are still on our To-Do list (fear not, we’ll never run out of stuff to do around here!)
2.5- Number of people who live in our house (if we count Burger as a half)
2.5- Number of computers that live in our house (if we count John’s work laptop that comes home with him each night as a half)
40- Approximate number of times a text between me and John contains the word “clog” instead of “blog” (thank you auto-fill)
86,239- Most blog pageviews we’ve received in a single day (thank you amazing readers!)
1,621,079- Total number of blog hits we received last month (thanks again amazing readers!)
8,509,736- Total blog hits to date (did we mention that you’re amazing?)
12- The average amount of hours per day that I spend on the computer
18- The approximate amount of hours per week that John works on the blog beyond his 40+ hour a week job
5- Total number of steps from my desk to the couch, where we “decompress” after some serious blogging (with some trashy reality TV)
22.50 – Cost of the cute set of four “Take A Number” glasses featured at the top of this post (we bet you could DIY your own)
So there you have it. The how long, how many, and how often. Are we forgetting anything? Ask and we shall calculate…
Enough About Us…
…let’s talk about you. During last year’s blogiversary extravaganza we polled our lovely readers to learn more about who they really are, and we thought that the beginning of year three marked the perfect time to do that again. So who the heck are you? And how you think we can amp up Young House Love in the coming year?
If ever there was a time to comment, it’s now. Please – no, pretty please – take two minutes to answer the questions below. And if you’ve never commented before or are unsure how, it’s easy. Just click the number in that green speech bubble to the right of this post’s title and scroll to the bottom of the page. Oh and real names and e-mail addresses aren’t required (feel free to make up something entertaining) so the pressure is off.
In a few days we’ll be back with a little summary of your comments (you know we like to read each and every one) so we can begin to formulate a bona fide plan to pimp Young House Love even more in year three. So without further ado, here’s what we’re dying to know:
- Who are you? Male/Female? Age? Location? Marital status? Any kids? Pets?
- How often do you read Young House Love? (Daily? Once a week? Whenever you have free time at work?)
- What are your favorite types of posts & why? (Easy DIY ideas? Before & after pictures? Design Dilemmas? Major home improvement undertakings? Videos? Something else?)
- What advice do you have for us to make YHL even better in year #3? (More of something in particular? Less of something else?)
- Is there a topic or other area of our lives you’d like us to talk about more frequently?
- Anything else you want us to know, or just gotta share with the world? (If you have a blog of your own, feel free to plug it here!)
Thanks in advance for your input! We really value your thoughts, comments and suggestions. After all, if it hadn’t been for last year’s poll we wouldn’t have known you guys wanted giveaways… which means no one would be winning $500 from Lowe’s this Friday!
You Asked, We Answered
As bloggers we answer plenty of questions (especially when they have to do with painting cabinets, upholstering headboards and hanging art). But we wanted to take some time out of this week’s blogiversary extravaganza to answer a different breed of question: the personal one. Taking a cue from some of our other favorite bloggers who opened themselves up to a little Q & A, we recently asked our readers on Facebook and Twitter to ask us anything, particularly things not about home improvement or the blog.
We ended up with some familiar queries (“will you two just have a baby already?” “have you been approached for a TV show?”) and some unexpected ones too (“do you ever swear?” “who is the messy one?”). Needless to say, they all kept us chattering away. So check out the video clip below for Part 1 of Getting To Know The Real Petersiks (there were so many questions we broke ‘em up into two videos, the next of which we’ll share next week) or catch it here on YouTube:
Did one of our answers spawn a new question? Or did you think of something else entirely that you just gotta ask? Leave your query as a comment and we just might end up filming a third installment someday. After all, we’re Chatty Cathys when you get us going…
Psst- Check out part two of this video right here.
