Gayla McCord's path to becoming a blogging success story started back in March 2004. Today, she owns a highly successful blog called MomGadget and is the Lifestyles Channel Editor at b5media, one of the largest blog networks. Suffice it to say, she's a busy woman who truly loves to blog. Gayla took some time out of her busy blogging schedule to talk to About Web Logs and provide information, tips and ideas for beginner bloggers.
What did you do before you started writing your blog(s)?
Before I began writing blogs, I was a patient advocate for those living with sexually transmitted diseases. I worked with a major pharmaceutical company via their speakers bureau to educate drug reps to sell their products more empathetically through their training programs. Prior to that, I was a buyer for a convenience store chain located in Indiana and Ohio.
What were your original plans for your blog(s), and why did you start blogging?
I was introduced to blogging by a company that hired me to write content for their website. Essentially that became my first paid blogging gig. I liked the concept so much that I began to create my own blogs on a variety of topics I was personally passionate about.
Approximately how many visitors do you get to your blog(s) each day?
Between all the blogs that I write, a ballpark figure would be 20,000 per day and growing.
How much time do you spend on work related to your blog(s) each week?
Since I began as the Channel Editor for Lifestyles on b5media, my hours have grown to well over 30 hours per week now, but most times it's more as I'm always exploring new tools to make my blogging more effective.
How did you get to where you are now with your blog(s)? To what do you attribute your phenomenal success?
Many people go into blogging with a free Blogspot blog thinking they are going to make it successful, financially fruitful and by only investing a few minutes a day. What they fail to realize is that blogging is just like any other business. You have to invest your heart and soul into your work. If you don't believe in your work enough to promote it all over the web and make your name known, then why would anyone ever want to believe in you as a writer?
Where do you see your blog(s) and yourself in 5 years?
I believe I've found my comfortable limit on my personal blogs, so I plan to grow MomGadget and continue working with my STD related support sites. Aside from that, I'll continue to work with b5media in any capacity they will have me. I've been with them since the second round of submissions, so I can't throw in the towel on them.
What tips would you give new bloggers to help them start out on a path to success?
Be prepared to invest money and time - lots of time! If you're passionate about the topic you choose, time is only a formality. It's as easy to lose track of time when you are writing about a topic you're passionate about as it was to lose track of time on a date when you were in high school.
One of the hardest things for beginner bloggers is getting traffic. What tips can you give bloggers to drive traffic to a new blog?
Write unique content - if you can't be educational, be entertaining. Investigate top keywords and use them often. Submit tips to large blogs for link consideration. They do appreciate the tips. It makes their jobs easier. Comment on similar blogs, and get your name known.
What is your favorite blogging tool or the tool you couldn’t live without?
The blog tool I can't live without is Blog Desk. I do all my blogging through that one handy little tool. It makes life so much easier.
What are your three favorite blogs to read? What makes those blogs special?
I think every woman on the net would list Dooce.com as one favorite. I do mostly because she overcame being fired and turned it into an empire. Heather rocks that way. Next would be Problogger.net. Darren always has a new and valuable lesson to be learned. Lastly, I'm a closet political junkie. I LOVE Glenn Reynolds, Michelle Malkin and DailyKos. I love reading them because they reach my deepest thoughts and make me think and plan for my own future.
What else do you do aside from blogging?
Aside from blogging, I live on a poultry farm with my husband and kids. We have four teenagers who keep me quite busy. I have my twin boys, age 14, and my husband's two children, ages 15 and 13. We travel to poultry shows, raise a garden, can our own veggies and live the simple life.
Gayla McCord's story of success is certainly inspirational. You can find Gayla blogging at:
To name just a few. Like I said, she's a busy blogger.
