2024 was the year it all started clicking. After years of trial and error, chasing trends, and trying to do all the things, I finally found my rhythm. It was a year of consistency, discovering my voice, and realising the power of leveraging Pinterest to grow my blog and email list on autopilot. But it wasn’t all smooth sailing—there were plenty of lessons along the way. As I look back on 2024, I’m sharing my five biggest takeaways and how they’re shaping my blogging goals for 2025.
1. Consistency is the Key to Freedom
Let me tell you: consistency is underrated. This past year, one of the biggest blogging lessons I’ve learnt is to be committed to a realistic schedule—one that didn’t leave me overwhelmed but still allowed me to show up regularly for my audience. By creating a steady rhythm, I not only freed up mental space but also started to see growth that felt sustainable.
The biggest lesson? Consistency doesn’t mean perfection. Some weeks, my content was a little simpler than planned, but I still showed up. And that’s what mattered. The key was finding a balance that worked for me and not overloading my plate.
Actionable Tip: Choose a posting schedule that feels achievable and sustainable. Whether it’s one blog post a week or two a month, stick to it and treat it like an appointment you can’t cancel.
2. Pinterest and Email Marketing Are the Real MVPs
If there’s one thing that transformed my blog’s growth in 2024, it was doubling down on Pinterest and email marketing. Pinterest became my go-to platform for driving traffic, and Flodesk made building my email list an effortless, automated process.
Here’s what worked for me:
- Pinterest: Creating pins consistently, optimising them with SEO keywords, and linking them back to valuable blog content kept traffic rolling in.
- Flodesk: I set up beautiful landing pages, embedded forms throughout my site, and created automated workflows that worked while I slept. From welcoming new subscribers to delivering freebies and nurturing relationships, Flodesk became the engine behind my email growth.
Focusing on these two platforms allowed me to stress less about Instagram and other “trendy” platforms. And guess what? My traffic and list kept growing.
Actionable Tip: Prioritise platforms that give you the best ROI for your time. Pinterest and email marketing are evergreen strategies that keep working even when you’re offline.
3. It’s Okay to Stress Less About Instagram
For years, I treated Instagram like it was the end-all-be-all of blogging success.
Spoiler alert: it’s not. This year, I gave myself permission to step back and spend less time agonising over posts, Reels, and hashtags. Instead, I poured my energy into Pinterest and email marketing, and the results spoke for themselves.
Don’t get me wrong, Instagram still has a place in my strategy—but I’m no longer putting unnecessary pressure on myself to post daily or chase engagement. And honestly, it feels so freeing.
Actionable Tip: Reevaluate where you’re spending your time. If a platform isn’t driving meaningful results or bringing you joy, it’s okay to shift your focus elsewhere.
4. Stick to One Planning Tool
Confession: I used to waste so much time bouncing between planning tools. Notion, Trello, Google Sheets—you name it, I tried it. In 2024, I decided to simplify and commit to one: Airtable.
Airtable became my one-stop shop for planning blog content, organising Pinterest workflow and even tracking my email newsletters. It kept everything in one place, which meant less time switching tools and more time actually creating content.
Actionable Tip: Test out a few planning tools to see what works best for you. Once you find one that clicks, commit to it and resist the urge to jump ship every time a new tool pops up.
5. Be Kind to Yourself
This one’s personal. There were moments this year when I felt like I wasn’t doing enough. But here’s the thing: blogging is a marathon, not a sprint. Giving myself grace on tough days and celebrating small wins made a difference.
Some weeks, I didn’t hit every goal—and that’s okay. Progress isn’t always linear, and taking care of yourself is just as important as taking care of your blog.
Actionable Tip: Celebrate small victories, like publishing a post or gaining a new subscriber. And remember, it’s okay to take a break when you need one.
Looking Ahead: My Focus for 2025
As I head into 2025, my goals are all about simplicity, consistency, and growth. Here’s what I’m focusing on:
- Double down on Pinterest and email marketing to keep growing my audience and list.
- Stick to my consistent schedule that allows me to show up without burnout.
- Commit to Airtable as my go-to planning tool for keeping everything streamlined.
- Stress less about Instagram and focus on what actually moves the needle for my blog.
My mantra for 2025? “Do less, but do it better.”
Closing Thoughts
Reflecting on 2024 has been eye-opening. It’s shown me the power of focusing on what truly matters and letting go of the rest. If you’re planning for the year ahead, take a moment to reflect on your lessons and set goals that align with your values and vision.
What’s one big lesson you learnt in 2024? Comment below and share your blogging goals for 2025—I can’t wait to cheer you on!
This is all such great information! I didn’t realize different social media can be so different when you post/pin/etc. Thanks for sharing!
All of these are fantastic tools to make money, Candice! I use many of them, but have always wanted to try BlogtoPin, I’m so intrigued by it, I always create my own pins in Canva but that would be so helpful if it did it for me!
Make Life Marvelous
That’s so true, BlogtoPin is a huge time-saver! It really speeds up the Pinterest process so you can focus on content creation.
Love all of these blog traffic tips for the holidays, Candice! It’s so hard to believe it’s almost holiday time and it’s always great to get ahead as much as possible with content.
Wishing you a wonderful rest of your week! 🙂
Make Life Marvelous