The Pressure That Comes With Being a Blogger or Influencer

Blogging and influencing is definitely a passion of mine, but it can become quite a bit much sometimes. There is a lot of pressure that comes with being a blogger or influencer and you can find yourself feeling overwhelmed when trying to keep up. There are all these rules that come with this type of lifestyle from how many times to post a week to what to post. Just when you think you have got everything figured out, some new feature comes out that you now have to try and figure out as quickly as possible.

It’s an eat or be eaten type of community where you practically have to fend for yourself and follow all these rules by the book in order to see some form of result. While no one held a gun to my head and forced me to do any of this, it doesn’t mean that I can’t point out some of the biggest pressures and issues I have with this lifestyle. It has definitely become a love and hate relationship despite it being more love than hate. In fact, HATE is quite a strong word.

THE PRESSURE TO LOOK A CERTAIN WAY

We all know what I am talking about. The pressure to look absolutely perfect in all your photos with no blemishes, marks, or imperfections. In actuality, no one looks like that. It is all a perception that a lot of people have been convinced is real. It makes people think that they need to look like that and it breeds insecurities.

THE PRESSURE TO KEEP UP WITH THE JONESES

I remember when I first started blogging, it just blew my mind at how every blogger I came across had so many expensive clothes and shoes. The fact that they had enough clothes that they didn’t need to repeat an outfit. I felt that I was completely out of my league. I almost flew off the chair when I saw the prices of some of the clothes that happened to be the same price as my rent. I love fashion as much as the next woman, but I couldn’t afford those things. It turns out that sometimes those bloggers can’t, as well. Some of the clothes and shoes were gifted or even rented for a single post. I realized that it’s not all that it seems to be. I realized the best thing I can be is me and that I needed to focus on the specific demographic I was trying to reach which was not the high-end woman, but the every day woman.

THE PRESSURE TO KEEP A CONSISTENT THEME WITH YOUR CONTENT

This, by far, has been one of the most frustrating things that come with blogging or influencing. Telling people they need to keep with a certain theme instead of encouraging people to be who they truly are. I don’t like to feel controlled like that and I don’t want to be put in a box. I want to destroy them, not be in them. I post what I want when I want because I don’t always want to wear same neutral-colored clothing. Sometimes I want to come out in a sexy neon dress and take cute pictures in that. There are too many rules that people have with this and it puts you on the fast track to burnout. If you have a pink theme, it can be stressful trying to find pink things that go with your pink theme. Just take fabulous pictures that make you feel beautiful. It might not seem like it, but people still want to see the most authentic parts of you. It is way more relatable.

THE PRESSURE TO NICHE DOWN

Some people might not agree with me on this, but I don’t believe in niching down. Some of my favorite bloggers don’t have a specific niche and that is what I love about them. Telling people that they only should post beauty or only post about fashion will cause them to run out of ideas faster than you might think. I might come upon a new blogger because of some beauty post they did, but stay to learn more about their lifestyle or their travels. I don’t only want to know about that specific topic. I have had much success on my blog without niching down and you can too. I’m not saying that niching down is a completely bad idea. It might even be a good idea when you are first starting out as a blogger or influencer, but I can honestly say that is one rule I did not follow when I started blogging.

 THE PRESSURE TO POST CONTENT EVERY DAY OR EVEN A FEW TIMES A DAY

You are human and sometimes, you are not going to feel like posting content. Don’t ever feel so pressured by social media that you feel it has complete control over your life. Sometimes you are going to need a break and that’s okay. You are not going to always be on and honestly voicing that to your loyal following might even gain you some brownie points. If you always appear to be on and perfect, then your following will always expect that. Be real with them if you need a mental break or some rest. They will be there when you get back. Just come back with newer and fresher content that makes the wait worthwhile.