We all know that the global pandemic has had a devastating impact on so many different industries, and those operating in the blogging and content creation industries know that they weren’t spared many of the challenges that shook the business world.

Plummeting traffic, disappearing ad revenue, and certain affiliates even pulling their programmes completely whilst they tried to weather the storm, a huge number of bloggers and influencers found that their incomes took a huge hit.

But content creators are a flexible and agile bunch.

Just this week in our members’ Facebook Group, I asked our bloggers for the positive stories of how they’d pivoted their strategies and managed to emerge with better, stronger businesses.

It’s safe to say they delivered, and the conversations proved the creative and innovative nature of our community.

Here are 19 short stories of bloggers who’ve successfully pivoted during the pandemic…

1. Joseph at MoneySavingSuperhero.com

“My self employed business took a 80% loss in clients within 24 hours, so I took the opportunity to build and launch two new blogs.

These are now making money and it’s helped me realise that the content I write has value.

I’ve built blogs which no one can take from me, whereas clients can cut the cord overnight”.

2. Lauren at LaurenyLoves.co.uk

“I worked throughout lockdown but on a rota which really gave me time to focus on my blog in a way I’d never been able to do before. I was able to write better content simply because I had more time and really connect and engage with other bloggers which massively helped my views.

I found the more I focused on creating great content the more opportunities came my way. I was also able to write my first blogging guide and sell it as a digital product, something which I probably wouldn’t have done if I’d not had that time.

My blog is now better then it’s ever been and even though I’m back at work full time it’s given me the drive to make my blog into a career”.

3. Charlotte at CharlotteMusha.co.uk

“I was furloughed at the start of April and have spent my time off building on my current blog and launching two new ones.

It’s made me realise that I don’t really want to go back to work full time so I’ve been trying to work as hard as possible on all my online ventures so that the option to leave work to blog full time could be a possibility in the future.

It’s been hard work but it’s really been worth it and I’m excited to see what the future brings. Oh, and I’m now starting to see regular monthly affiliate income, which is nice!”.

4. Emma at SunshineAndRain.info

“My freelancing work dropped dramatically as soon as lockdown began and my diary opened up.

Around the same time, I discovered I was pregnant and found a new love for blogging, sharing my experience of pregnancy during a pandemic.

It has allowed me to journal this amazing journey during such a strange time, as well as hopefully providing some insight and comfort for other pregnant women. My blog has helped me to turn a tough situation into a positive one”.

5. Vicky at IBeatDebt.com

“I’ve been working from home in my main job so I’m saving anything up to 2 hours a day which I was spending commuting.

I’ve been trying to use that time to really focus on my blogging and primarily SEO.

My traffic is still not amazing but there’s definitely an upwards trend overall”.

6. Charlie at CharlieMoss.eu

“I started lockdown by writing a giant post on all the different ways that my readers could improve their incomes. My readership is mostly photographers who work for themselves, and many of them found themselves excluded by the government schemes. I wanted to help them find ways that they could keep themselves occupied and perhaps give them a little financial hope for the future when we come out the other side and we start getting back to normal.

The post was really popular and been linked to by many different social media accounts and webpages. I decided to try the technique of building a huge “super post” that had all of the info in one place rather than writing a number of different shorter posts. It’s not an approach I’ve tried before, but it seems to have really helped with my SEO and I’m seeing a real positive result in the numbers of people finding me through search engines”.

7. Emma at MyBlogMyBusiness.com

“Blogging is my full time income so I was really worried about how the health crisis would impact my business. Almost overnight my high paid brand work dried up and still hasn’t restarted!

My advertising revenue is less than a quarter of what it was beforehand and generally income was down. I used this as a chance to push myself to create a blog all about blogging, where I can post blogging hints and tips for other bloggers. I also used it as a chance to create some freebies and digital products that I had been sitting on for awhile and never got around to doing.

The response has been overwhelming and pivoting my focus has meant that I have had some of my best earning months to date!”.

8. Emma at BeeMoneySavvy.com

“I’ve been working from home since the start of lockdown. Cutting out my daily commute has given me the time to go through and update all my old posts, paying a lot more attention to SEO.

I’ve also started a new blog, without lockdown I wouldn’t have had the time to create lots of new content for my second blog”.

9. Jodie at MaidenheadMum.co.uk

“In March, all of my marketing client work stopped completely and I have had to get a temporary job to keep money coming in. It has been a timely reminder that my local lifestyle blog, which is usually my passion project, or ‘bit on the side’ could actually have a lot of value for me when we return to the new normal.

Rather than being something I work on after all my paid client work is complete, the blog could be something that generates income for me. So I have been spending time working out a clearer content strategy, did a blogging audit with another pro blogger (the lovely Jenna Farmer!) and have reinvested time in my Instagram too.

I’m currently working on my first e-book and will be creating a new monthly newsletter! I’m excited for the opportunities ahead and the blog will now be a key part of my working week”.

10. Tracy at MindOverMoneyMatters.co.uk

“I’ve taken the extra time from a huge drop in work to refocus on helping travellers with refunds on Mind Over Money Matters and start a new blog, Enjoy England For Less, as people are more likely to be staying in England and looking for ways to spend less”.

11. Rachael at AccessibleRach.com

“I have taken advantage of opportunities that opened for me with the MS Society UK that otherwise wouldn’t have happened”.

12. Jennifer at EnglishRoseFromManchester.com

“I haven’t been working due to COVID so have been able to give my blog some much needed housekeeping.

I have also switched up my content, which was heading in a local tourism direction, but which wouldn’t have been useful or relevant during lockdown.

Instead I focussed on topics such as creative things to do at home, recommended book lists and tips on sleeping better and self care. Together with a new Pinterest strategy I am seeing much improved blog traffic this year!”.

13. Emma at EmmaAnd3.com

“I was quick to realise that educational posts would be key for both traffic and sponsored opportunities.

As a former teacher, I contacted brands I had worked with previously and pitched them ideas.

I was commissioned for a weekly blog post for an educational website documenting our home learning. I did this for 12 weeks. I also created content on things to do at home and my traffic more than doubled which increased my affiliate earnings”.

14. Anne at The Platinum Line

“I wondered how I could keep going as a travel blogger during lockdown when it was difficult to leave the house.

I decided to write some posts about my local parks and suggest suitable walks. I posted links in the relevant Facebook Groups and much to my surprise got my highest ever monthly page views”.

15. Clare at MyTunbridgeWells.com

“As my blog focused heavily on events, my income almost completely dried up at the beginning of lockdown.

I have managed to diversify my income now, earning money through working with brands that aren’t specifically about events but are still interested in reaching my readership. I used to predominantly work with brands that were local (as my readership is local) but have started working much more with national brands as well as signing up to content writing and placement services like the fantastic Get Blogged!”.

16. Inma at AWorldToTravel.com

“The huge drop in traffic experienced since the second half of the first quarter of 2020 was the ideal catalyst to put our efforts in one of our main focuses: sustainable tourism.

Not only is it the only way for the industry to move forward, but it is also the one that makes more sense by bringing other means of transportation to the forefront. And thus avoiding the added danger of contagion that this medium represents. So far, our audience seems to love it!”.

17. Jesica at MommyBunch.com

“I’ve had the opportunity to start a few side hustles that have been going well.

A friend and I partnered together to sell food photography to bloggers, and my husband and I opened an Airbnb which has been going great. People still want to travel locally and a place all to themselves is highly appealing”.

18. Caz at InvisiblyMe.com

“I’ve found that my income stream has declined, especially as I did some freelance writing for a travel blog previously. I’m now having to work twice as hard for half the money, while finding my health has struggled considerably these past few months too.

It’s given me a chance to reflect on my stress levels and what is really worth my time, leading me to focus a little more on revamping my blog complete with new header, improving SEO and writing new content with a focus on posts that resonate, inspire & provide a little advice”.

19. Keara at DeluxDs.com

“Ironically when all of this pandemic stuff hit I was six months pregnant so I was already quarantining myself and work had begun to slow down with my 9-5 so it helped prepare me for all this stuff that has come about this year.

I used my pregnancy as a way to start a motherhood and parenting section for my blog which gained a lot of attention on social media and helped towards affiliate marketing income as well. Since giving birth I have been more focused than ever on monetizing since I’m still sort of in quarantine with having a newborn and having to work from home solely through my blog 100%. Affiliate marketing has picked up a lot and sponsored blog posts have increased so I feel like I’m a real paid blogger now.

I have even earned my certification for digital marketing and social media management online for free due to COVID-19 and due to me being home 24/7 with my new baby. I guess this pandemic was a blessing in disguise. If it wasn’t for it and giving birth I wouldn’t have had so much time to slow down and focus on monetising”.

Do you have a positive story to share, too? Leave a comment and let us know about how you’ve pivoted your blogging strategy over the past few months.

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