It is the last day of October. Happy Halloween everyone! Hope you all have a safe and fun last day of the month. Although October and November are still technically defined as fall seasons, where I live, it already snowed. It is going to be a cold winter, I suppose.
Of course, the end of a month means a new monthly update! Please see below for my Monthly Update – October 2020 edition.
Guest posts
There is no guest post this month. I did receive a few requests for fake “guest posts”, which were sponsored posts in disguise. As you know, guest posts are free, and I only offer them for fellow bloggers, but sponsored posts, whose aim is ultimately to promote a certain site, product or service, are not free. I was sad to see the individuals trying so hard to persuade me that their posts perfectly fit within the parameters of a guest post. No they do not.
If you are a blogger who is interested in writing a guest post on my site, feel free to drop me an email at bella.wanana@hotmail.com. You can also reach me on Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook.
On the other hand, if you are a brand/company with a genuine interest in working with me (my domain authority is now 60+!), please send me an email at bella@bellawanana.com as well. To see a sample of options that I offer, head to “Work with Me!” page.
Publications
Here is where things got a bit exciting: I had three articles syndicated on MSN.com!
- Home alone? 30 things you can do if you’re bored
- 17 totally free things we should be thankful for
- 25 fun & cheap things to do this fall
A shout-out to Mike at Your Money Geek and Mike from MediaFeed.org for your support in making it happen.
I also published two articles on other platforms:
- Ladders: The absolute most annoying email mistakes you need to avoid
- Sahoja: Best money-saving tips that are also eco-friendly
Blog stats
Below are some basic blog stats. They are by no means impressive, but they motivate me to keep on making this blog better.
- Twitter followers: 907 (+166, vs. 971 in previous month)
- Instagram followers: 41 (+20, vs. 21 in previous month)
- Domain Authority: 58
- Alexa Rank: 179,722
I am skipping Pinterest for now because the platform has been giving me so much trouble in October. For some reason, my account keeps on getting suspended, reactivated, only to be suspended again (sometimes within 30 minutes of reactivation!) I am still working with Pinterest on resolving the issue.
To all my readers and followers, thank you so much for dropping by and for following my accounts. To all of those who have liked, commented and retweeted anything I have published, thank you very much for all your support. For all the brands/companies that I have collaborated with, thank you very much.
If you are interested in becoming a witness of my journey, you may want to subscribe to my newsletter. As a bonus, you also get a copy of the net worth and monthly expense tracker that I personally use for free!
Pinterest scheduling tool – Tailwind
I have so much to say about this supposedly great tool that it is worth its own section.
In my last monthly update for September, I mentioned that I paid for Tailwind Plus, for a full year! For a small blog like mine, it was a big decision. Unfortunately, it also turned out to be such a stupid decision that I regretted one week in. As soon as I started publishing my pins through Tailwind, my pins TANKED – near zero impressions, no clicks, and no saves.
I am disappointed to see that the tool touted by so many bloggers online actually worked AGAINST me. I have reached out to Tailwind, and they insisted that there is nothing wrong with Tailwind. I guess it is just pure coincidence that ALL the pins I published through Tailwind were consistently disengaging and bad, while ALL the pins I pinned manually were awesome.
Of course, this is just my personal experience for October. Perhaps I will give it a try for another month once my Pinterest account is back again.
I also learned a big money lesson: try first before making a big purchase. I did participate in the trial period, but I was always worried that perhaps there were secrets only available once you became a paid member. From hindsight, I should have purchased one or two months first and then take the plunge, instead of purchasing an annual package right away.
My top articles for the month
- Easy Hacks on How to Save Money on Groceries
- How to Deal with an Unexpected Layoff
- Fall Bucket List: 25 Fun Things to Do on a Budget
- Ways to Reduce Stress without Financial Stress
To dos for November
- Continue improving my social media engagement
- Drive traffic by consistently delivering good quality content and promoting more often
Final words
I have done some good work in the month of October, but I can always do better. I made a little bit of money, and I feel that I still have plenty of room to grow. My priority is to work on growing my online presence, so my voice can be heard more. There is still a long way ahead, but with hard work and dedication, I will have something to show.
Thank you so much for all the people that have supported and inspired me. I am incredibly grateful.
I look forward to a fabulous November.
