Natalie Said So is ONE!
I did it! One whole year of writing and feeling and thinking and creating and sharing and ahhh! I still have so much to learn and much more to say, but I’m really proud of all I’ve accomplished over the past 365 days.
At a time when social media is fairly dominant, it sometimes feels slightly rebellious to have your own slice of real estate in the great big world of the internet. But this little space has been my home and sanctuary for the past year, and really getting back into writing and finding my voice along the way has been so, so good for my spirit. Every single one of you that has read, shared, liked, commented on, and messaged me about my posts has touched me and made me feel seen and heard (often in moments that I desperately needed it).
So, from the bottom of my heart: thank you, thank you, thank you.
I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite takeaways, moments, and fun facts I learned over the past year of bringing Natalie Said So to life!
Things I’ve learned over the last year.
We are more alike than we are different.
While the world can sometimes feel like a scary place where humanity has devolved into something truly sinister, my inner cynic is often kicked to the curb! With nearly every post I publish, someone reaches out and says they relate to or feel impacted by something I wrote. I really take that to heart! It gives me a sense of comfort I can’t fully articulate. Those connections and the subsequent conversations are deeply meaningful to me.
getting too hung up on analytics is a waste of energy.
Months have gone by where I haven’t even tracked the analytics for my site, and then there are weeks where I start my day frantically staring at the numbers in an attempt to draw meaning from them. It’s as if I’m trying to understand quantum physics. While it’s really cool to see which country my viewers are from and how many unique visitors I have every month, week, and DAY, it can be easy to get caught up in the details instead of the purpose of why I’m doing this in the first place. I know it’s just because I care, but there are better uses of my time — like writing or snuggling my puppies!
It doesn’t hurt to Be organized…
Case in point: I definitely wrote a version of this post previously and can no longer locate it LOL. But this version far surpasses that one, which brings me to my next thought…
Progress > Perfection
I see other people that are, professionally speaking, lightyears ahead of me doing things a certain way, and therefore, I feel as though I need to do things in a similar manner. That is crazy. The quote “Stop comparing your beginning to someone else’s middle” comes to mind. Actually, just stop comparing — full stop. Easier said than done. I get it. I tend to think everything is on this invisible timeline that people I don’t even know are holding me hostage to, and that is simply not true. In blogging and house projects, I say this to myself often: Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. Perfection is a myth. If I’ve learned anything it’s that people appreciate authenticity, which brings me to my next point… (wow, my senior year english teacher would be blown away by these transitions)
Vulnerability is a super power.
I have really bared my soul on this site over the past year. I know it sounds dramatic, but it feels that way. At times, some of the pieces I’ve published have felt like the literary equivalent of being butt naked on the internet. I’ve had to force myself to hit “save & publish” on a handful of pieces that I was highly nervous about, mostly because I am a *control freak* and like to be able to manage how I’m perceived, which is obviously impossible. That being said, I’m really glad I put myself out there in that way and for the many meaningful conversations I’ve had as a result. I’ve learned so much about the people around me and myself in the process.
I know who my cheerleaders are!
As someone who has spent years on the sidelines supporting the hell out of my friends and their various endeavors (still love doing it, babes!), it has felt so good to put myself out there in this way. And the support I’ve received has been so incredibly life-giving. You know who you are because you’re probably reading this. I would come through the screen and squeeze you if I could. Your encouragement has meant the world. I promise to keep giving it back.
And for a dose of reality, here are things I have NOT learned…
Where my email list went?
Y’all. I don’t know 🤣 I saw it when I built the site. I remember 2 of the people that were on it. And other than setting up an automatic introductory email, I haven’t used it yet. And I maybe never will at the rate I’m going. Stay tuned?
RSS/SEO/WTF
If you know what that means and want to give me a tutorial, please, PLEASE let me know.
What Style of posts my audience gravitates towards most
It’s all across the map, which I guess is a good thing? Maybe you just like ME! This is not me fishing for a compliment but if the spirit leads you…HA! No, but honestly — some of my most and least viewed posts are beauty posts. Same for style posts. Same for every category. I’ll just keep putting all kinds of stuff out there as long as I’m interested and someone’s there to read it.
I know I told you not to get hung up on the analytics, but…
here are some pretty cool stats:
my Busiest month:
July! This is shocking to me because, coming from a sales background, July is always the slowest month. July is also when I started publishing my writing after a difficult few months, and you all showed up for me in a very big way, so thank you <3
The Post I received the most messages about:
To date, this post has received more shares than all my other posts combined. I was scared to death to write it and explore that side of myself, and publishing it was even more of a battle. But I did it. The feedback was instant and overwhelming and sparked dozens of conversations about the heartbreaking reality of unrealistic beauty standards and their toxic effects on women (and men).
my Most popular post
This style post that I wrote with fellow ex mall rat Elizabeth was such a fun collaboration! We work so well together and had a total blast filming content and figuring out how to bring our individual talents and interests to the table. We should probably do it again WINK WINK. Our post was shared by some pretty popular style bloggers (the style community is so supportive!) and therefore had the most page views of any post over the past year. This is a pretty big achievement considering it’s only been live a little over 2 months!
Most commented post
When I said y’all knew how to show up, this is what I meant. This post was a hard one to write. It was 2 months after my entire world as I knew it turned upside down. Publishing it kind of changed the tone of my posts from that point forward. I legit joked about creating a new blog category called Feelings. Still haven’t ruled it out!
My favorite post
It might not be one you expect, but this post was truly for me and helped me work through some negative mindsets I had in place, especially after my major life upheaval over the summer. As much as I want to write posts that others can enjoy and relate to, I also hope my words spark a sense of mindfulness and intention. I think this post walked that line.
Other quick facts
80% of you access my site through a mobile device, which is why most of my posts are optimized for being viewed on a phone
41% of you find my posts through Instagram
34% of you find my posts through Facebook
3,644 unique visitors have made their way to my little slice of the internet over the past year! (That’s almost 10 people a day! Hi new friends!)
People have visited NSS from 48 states!
The top 5 states that visit this site are:
Tennessee
Georgia
Texas
Unknown? (do the Area 51 aliens have internet access???)
California
South Carolina
The top 5 countries my viewers come from after the US:
Canada
United Kingdom
Australia
Ireland
Germany
I have only been to one of these places! Justin, are you reading this??
And lastly…
In true parent of a 1 year old fashion, this celebration is more for me and you than the blog, so stay tuned next week for some super fun giveaways! We’ll just call it a birthday month celebration ;)
