We often create content hoping it will get views, get shared, or get some reach but there's never a true formula to success. Looking back over the years here are six posts of mine that did surprisingly well on their own — or as we like to call in the business: organically.
Organic success is the best success because it means that someone out there is actively clicking a link rather than being prompted to due so from an ad. Walk with me through the past to see exactly which of my posts did well & how they were successful. Some of these may surprise you because they certainly surprised me. Take a look!
Organic success is the best success because it means that someone out there is actively clicking a link rather than being prompted to due so from an ad. Walk with me through the past to see exactly which of my posts did well & how they were successful. Some of these may surprise you because they certainly surprised me. Take a look!
This is my most viewed post of all time by a landslide. I get consistent views every day, every hour almost exclusively from Pinterest. How to Tie Dye a Shirt with Bleach is a very Pinterest appropriate post, especially with the relevant photo with easy to read text. It's a crafty, do-it-yourself project, which is super prevalent on Pinterest. The post sometimes gets additional engagement with a comment or question asking how to achieve the best results.
My Experience at Comedy Central's @midnight Taping
I had no idea this post was going to do so well. My blog is a lifestyle blog after all. I share aspects of my life on it, so I simply wrote about my experience at the show. Little did I know this post would get daily views because people specifically search for @midnight information. This post also gets the occasional comment or question.
Social Media Basics for Bloggers
It's not so surprising that this post did so well due to the nature of its content. This particular post was my very first social media tips & tricks post for bloggers. It received a lot of initial traction & is beneficial for anyone who blogs. It's informational & relevant for the blogging world. I decided to continue my social media basics for bloggers series due to the success of this post.
6 Things To Do in Julian, CA
I went on a weekend trip to Julian, California & wrote about my time there. The businesses I mentioned ended up sharing the post, which got shared within the Julian community. That said, most of the viewers are Julian-centric, people who live there, or travelers looking for ideas on things to do in Julian.
Valentine's Day Gift Guide for Her
This was shared on Reddit by one of the included brands & it gained a lot of views in that community. Reddit is a difficult social media channel to master, so I was happy to see all the views this post received. This is an example of a post that got a lot of organic views but hasn't since its initial posting.
I simply wrote a review about my experience with the Bath & Body Works Wallflower. Apparently I'm not the only person who has one or is interested in purchasing one, because this receives consistent views from those searching for Wallflower reviews.
There you have it. These are six of my most popular & most read blog posts that did well organically. I continue to be amazed at the success of My Experience at Comedy Central's @midnight Taping. Let me know if you have any questions!
There you have it. These are six of my most popular & most read blog posts that did well organically. I continue to be amazed at the success of My Experience at Comedy Central's @midnight Taping. Let me know if you have any questions!
Which post of yours did surprisingly well organically? :]
Follow me for more fashion, travel, & the California way of life:
Wow such a cool post and great recap :) I loved the one called Social Media Basics for Bloggers :)
ReplyDeletexx, Carmen - http://www.carmitive.com
great post! thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeletehttp://patricialopman.blogspot.com.es/
So true that some posts kind of gets a life of their own and you are not to sure why they attracted the most views/engagement! Xx
ReplyDeletewww.thefashionfolks.com
Great information. It's always good to see what other bloggers posted that was successful. Especially if it is simple things.
ReplyDeleteInspire us to keep working! =) xo, Deborah
Nice idea for a post Carmen! I randomly got a massive spike in my views one day last week and I am always curious to how this happens! - wish every day was like that! haha!
ReplyDeleteThe Dazzle Guide
Very nice, Carmen! I love when that happens too. It's pretty reassuring when a post you're not 100% confident takes off. After about a year, I still have a terrible sense of what will be huge vs. a dud.
ReplyDelete-- Dara // www.peoniesandhoneybees.com
Very cool, it's interesting to see what led people to our posts. Making things easy to relate to is key!
ReplyDeleteThese are all great post ideas and they are also very helpful! Thank you so much for sharing and have a great week!
ReplyDeletexo, Esther
http://bubblesther.com
Really great posts and interesting to see which ones did well organically. Thanks for sharing! I've found reviews do really well organically.
ReplyDelete~Krisztina
http://www.krisztinawilliams.com
Some amazing posts here Carmen, I'm totally not surprised they're so popular as they totally deserve the hype ;)
ReplyDeleteSophie | soinspo xo
I love that you have so many comments. There are a ton of blogs out there that are very interesting, garner a lot of views, and yet no one comments? For a while, I was starting to think that people have stopped interacting, but your blog has taught me otherwise. Yay!
ReplyDeleteI just love this kind of posts!:) They are fun to read and helpful at the same time. I have almost no presence on Pinterest right now, but it seems like a great social media channel. Thank you so much for sharing and have a great week:)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.yuliannova.com/
I've really been interested in reading blogging tips posts lately so this fit in perfectly! It seems like the ones that offer advice or info seem to do the best! Thanks for the insight :)
ReplyDeleteMili
i feel like any posts that are actually informative and helps with people and their blogging/social media skills will always be a big hit. people just want to learn something new and improve so i can totally see why they're a big hit. i love reading them too!
ReplyDeletewww.fionnac.com
Really interesting post, thanks for sharing! I guess it just shows the power of SEO and sharing :)
ReplyDeleteA post of mine that got a lot of views was my review of my city's fashion week. I shared it on the subreddit for my city and it did surprisingly well considering the reddit post got a few "fashion is so shallow" comments.
ive seen the first post on Pinterest :D on my way to read the others!
ReplyDeletePam xo/ Pam Scalfi♥
Oh these posts look great! I'm especially interested in the social media post! Gonna have a look at them now :) Thank you so much for sharing! SOmetimes it's really the posts you do not expect to do well but some random others -so weird!
ReplyDeleteLove, Kerstin
http://www.missgetaway.com/
Your blog is amazing – keep up the good work!
ReplyDeletePlease check out my blog too. That are absolutely stunning photos!
violaroth.com
Thanks for sharing, funny how things work out sometimes!
ReplyDeletewww.miriamwoodburnblog.co.uk
Interesting post babe! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteX Merel
www.andathousandwords.com
I need a gift guide for my husband and that is prefect. thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeletewww.lifewithalk.blogspot.com
i like this post.. its always interesting to see what does well compared to what you THINK will gage interest.. love the tye die one btw xxo
ReplyDeleteJamie
www.jamieeverafter.com
My thoughts exactly! It can be so unpredictable at times. Always interesting to see what people respond to :)
ReplyDeleteThis is a cool idea to make a post about! Maybe this will be your next viral organic post ;)... Mine I feel are more typical, so I'm never really too shocked. Usually travel tips/guides are really popular that I do. And then coffee shop reviews. Beauty comes in last as no surprise, because the blog market is so overly saturated.
ReplyDelete-Emily www.coatandcoffee.com
This is so interesting for me to read. I'm quite a new blogger and need all the little hints & tips I can get. Thankyou for sharing this with us! :)
ReplyDeleteKatie | Words By Katie
It's always so interesting to see what does well. It just goes to show that all ideas are worth exploring because you never know what will resonate with people! I've wanted to visit Julian for quite a while and will have to check out your post on it!
ReplyDeleteSocial Media Basics for Bloggers! Love that read. Very informative and helpful.
ReplyDeletexx
atsunamatsui.com
My most popular post (views, not comments) were the ColourPop Ultra Matte lipsticks. Oh my gosh it was crazy! I checked the popular keywords and most were associated with ColourPop. I recently ordered the Ultra Satin lipsticks so I am wondering how that's gonna pan out...
ReplyDeleteHannah
Floraful
How cool, I've never read a post like this before :) posts that always do really well on my blog are reviews about new Essence makeup products!
ReplyDeleteThis was such an interesting post, I don't think I've ever bothered to check out which are some of mine most popular posts ever but definitely will now :) It's also funny how it's almost impossible to predict which post will be successful and which one will go pretty much unnoticed.
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome, great job! My most viewed post is a review for a Syoss hair dye, and it's one of the oldest posts ever on my blog. Although it's quite basic, it seems it gets the most views from Google. And another review for an eyeliner gets the most views from Pinterest. Which is cool, I can't complain about it :)
ReplyDeleteKisses,
www.bloggerissa.com
Hopefully you found some good info there. :]
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. It's always hard to know how something will do initially. :]
ReplyDeletePrecisely. What are your most popular posts? :]
ReplyDeleteInteresting Lauren. What post was it for? :]
ReplyDeleteI don't think there are duds. We shouldn't blog for the sole purpose of popularity - it should authentic to yourself & your readers. What are your most popular posts? :]
ReplyDeleteThat's true. Relatable, relevant. What are your most popular posts? :]
ReplyDeleteReviews can do well. There are so many out there, so it's good to focus on new, hot button products & then some unique, niche ones. What are your most popular posts? :]
ReplyDeleteHa thanks Sophie. What are some of your most popular posts? :]
ReplyDeleteAll social channels require work & upkeep. Try to spend 30 once a week to update your Pinterest - adding posts & photos but also liking & pinning from others. What are your most popular posts? :]
ReplyDeleteBlogging tips are always useful! What are your most popular posts? :]
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. It's always nice to understand your readers & how to attract new ones. What are your most popular posts? :]
ReplyDeleteHaha! Oh really? I guess I shouldn't be surprised. What are your most popular posts? :]
ReplyDeleteYep yep yep. Social media is always changing. That's interesting that your fashion week post did so well. Was it searched for or just clicked/viewed a lot? :]
ReplyDeleteI have a whole social media series. Hopefully you find something valuable in there. What are your most popular posts? :]
ReplyDeleteIt's good to let go of the expectations of wanting views & just aim to put out valuable, rich posts. What are your most popular posts? :]
ReplyDeleteYes, it varies too. That's why it's key to understand your reader! What are some of your popular posts, Amelia? :]
ReplyDeleteMaybe :] Coffee shop reviews. That's interesting. Are your views from people searching for the shop itself or clicking from your shared links? :]
ReplyDeleteGlad to help. I have a whole social media series for bloggers. You can read them all here: http://www.itscarmen.com/search?q=social+media
ReplyDeleteThere's more! I have a whole social media series for bloggers. You can read them all here: http://www.itscarmen.com/search?q=social+media :]
ReplyDeleteExactly Kasie. Just explore until you truly understand your blog, brand, & readers. Julian is a really cute place to visit. :]
ReplyDeleteYes! ColourPop is super up-&-coming at the moment, so I am not surprised. :]
ReplyDeleteThen keep doing Essence reviews! Awesome. :]
ReplyDeleteYou should, that way you can keep note to do similar posts. What are your most popular ones? :]
ReplyDeleteVery interesting. No complaints! It's nice to analyse & see what works. :]
ReplyDeleteMy most popular posts are mostly ones where I talk about a trend I'm loving or round up inspiration from pinterest & other blogs :)
ReplyDeleteClicking from shared links! :)
ReplyDeleteSo interesting. I always love seeing what people like to read and how they respond to posts.
ReplyDeleteLauren
http://www.anexplorersheart.com
What a great post! I love reading posts like this. Well done x
ReplyDeleteLouise | helloteddy.co.uk
Oddly, my most popular posts are the very first post I ever wrote which talked about moving to a Australia and the post I wrote about losing a parent.
ReplyDeleteStephanie
Adventures in Aussieland
I loved this recap, I clicked on the social media basics one already :P I actually posted something so similar to this yesterday on my blog! :P
ReplyDeleteRaashi
raashiagarwal.blogspot.com.au
Great post! It's interesting to see what ends up being popular - it's often completely unexpected haha. I think my most popular post is one of my first, investigating an abandoned victorian tree house.
ReplyDeleteweirdwonderfulwanderlust.blogspot.com
Those are all great posts. I can see why they did well! :-)
ReplyDeleteJennylovesbeauty.com
Very Great, insightful post! One can actually learn a lot from what you shared, so thanks!!! I want to get better at getting my stuff out there.
ReplyDeletewww.theoccupiedoptimist.blogspot.com
Ok TOTALLY agree on all points. Meaningful, personal blog comments go a long way! Someone put in a lot of time to create that post, and if you're going to leave a comment, at least make it a good one ;)
ReplyDeleteLove your blog btw!
xx, Amy
theluxilook.com
I love reading thoughtful comments on my blog regarding the text. I make an effort to keep the text short and generic. It hurts when people leave thoughtless comments behind.
ReplyDeleteI do get it, it's self-promoting but I've made it my goal to always read before comment and it's appreciated when others do too:)
Thanks so much for the inspirational post Carmen.
Cheers,
T.
https://tbymallano.com/
Comments are such a brilliant source of traffic and way to gain new readers. PLUS I always pick up inspiration for my own posts when I go on a commenting spree! I once read somewhere to phrase your comments as you would a blog post, which I think is a great philosophy to adopt!
ReplyDeleteSinéad ♥ fabuleuse, toujours ♥
I appreciate helpful, thoughtful comments that showed the person read my article/post and actually gained something from it. The replies that are obviously copied and pasted, self-promotional, or just incredibly vague and short, get a little frustrating at times.
ReplyDeleteI just deleted 12 pages (258 comments) of spam comments on one of my client's websites. They were all from two accounts with just tons of links. Very frustrating.
Great post, Carmen!