Lena began blogging on Blogger in 2008.  And we moved her over to her own WordPress blog in November, 2011.

before

after

Q: Lena, what are your goals for 2012?

A: Its going to be a great year for ListentoLena (knock on wood)!  I’m going to make the blog my full time income.  This is my business!  Thats why I need the retainer- because I don’t have time or energy to worry about whats going on in the background.  I just want to get online and write!

Q: How did you get to this place where you can monetize your blog?

A: I started just blogging about things I love.  I would find something I loved and take pictures.  I took a lot of pictures of my boys in 2008.  Then I found something I loved at a well-known food store.  And I just emailed them to let them know that I wrote about them; I simply thanked them and said to keep up the good work.  That Christmas – 2008 – I received a gift basket thanking me!  So when people ask for my advice, I always say to let companies know when you write about them!

Q: How did you build this audience?

A:  I’d say in the beginning when I was building up my audience, I wrote every single day.  People have started to form a habit – I can see it in my analytics.  Between 8:30 – 10:30AM, people are settling into their day, they check their email, sort things out.  Get bored and visit ListentoLena!  So I always make sure there is fresh and relevant content on there.  Every morning.  Thats why I blog in the morning – I get up early to be sure its ready for them.

Also, I think you have to have fresh content, a knack for writing – be witty and humorous.  There’s a lot of witty humorous writers out there.  You have to have a knack for it.  And keep it relevant.

And always, always, let companies know when you’re writing about them.  If you get your name out there, they’re more likely to reach out to you in the future.

A little about ListentoLena.com:

• Winner: 2010 Canadian Blog Awards, Best Blog and Best Family Blog
• Winner: 2010 Mom Central Blogger Grant – “Big Brother Blues”
• Winner: 2011 Ultimate Sandwich Contest, Black & Decker
• Toronto’s Most Trafficked Blog: Swingcat Productions, June 2011
• Top 35 Mom Blogs We Love: SavvyMom.ca, October 2011
• Winner: 2011 Motorola Canada’s Social BLAZR
• Winner: 2011 Canadian Blog Awards, Best Family Blog

Visit ListentoLena, Follow Lena on Twitter, or Facebook.