For our blogiversary this year we asked you on Facebook to send questions, and just like in 2009 and 2010 we recorded a rapid-fire video answering many of them. We tried to pack as many responses as possible into about 20 minutes, so although we didn’t get to every one of the 80+ questions, we covered a wide variety of topics. Below are some of the things we address:
- Our favorite and least favorite qualities in each other
- What our neighbors think about the blog
- Whether the previous owners of our house read the blog
- Our weirdest fan interaction
- Who Clara resembles more
- How we handle negative criticism
- What we wanted to be when we grew up
- What will happen to our blog name when we’re not young anymore
- Whether we ever fight or spend time apart
- And, for the record: John’s thoughts on the new Twilight movie
There are plenty of other questions in the video, a Burger cameo, and John cycles through soda shirts for added flair. If you’re at work you can still watch it on mute and try to guess what I’m gesturing wildly about, or save it for later with popcorn and a sip of soda each time John changes shirts. Our one rule for video recording is that we don’t re-answer questions: everything is unscripted and shot in one take (we later trim pauses and filler words to fit more answers). We don’t read the questions until the camera is rolling, so the responses stay spontaneous — and occasionally over-shared.
We also added three bonus business-related answers for anyone curious about how the blog runs financially:
Q: How did you get sponsors? Do you solicit advertising? What’s the secret? We didn’t start with a plan to get sponsors. After writing around 200 posts and blogging regularly for fun, we began to notice our traffic increasing. We put up a simple “want to advertise with us?” button on the sidebar to see if anyone would respond. To our surprise a few small businesses and Etsy sellers reached out and agreed to try a sponsored spot, so we shared our traffic stats and offered a straightforward flat monthly rate with a small discount for quarterly commitments.
We still use that simple pricing model. There are more sophisticated ways to charge — per click, per view, or complex rate calculations — but starting with a fair flat fee based on comparable sites worked for us. If anyone thought the rate was too high, we negotiated; if it seemed low, we were happy to offer a deal. That approach has held up, and we haven’t raised our rates in almost two years despite growth in traffic.
To manage sponsorships we use Google Ad Manager to serve ads and track expirations, which helps John send renewal reminders and invoices. There’s some paperwork, but it’s worth it because sponsors play a major role in keeping the blog going. Blogging isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme in our experience, but by prioritizing content and readers, sponsorships tend to follow naturally.
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Q: Do you have to post a certain amount of times each month for sponsors? No. Our sponsors pay a flat monthly fee, so we don’t promise a specific number of posts or traffic levels. For years we’ve published roughly one to two posts a day, and that rhythm works well for us — a mix of substantial projects, light updates, and personal stories. Keeping a consistent posting pattern gives us structure and keeps creativity flowing. If we stopped whenever we hit a rut, it would be hard to regain momentum.
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Q: Aren’t you scared to have so little job security when your whole family’s income relies on this blog? It can be unsettling if we dwell on it, so we planned ahead. We built a safety-net savings cushion before John transitioned to working on the blog full time, which reduced the anxiety of relying solely on this income. We also have other projects — a column for BabyCenter, work with Do It Yourself magazine, and a book we’re writing — which help diversify income.
Both of us left other jobs on good terms, so returning to freelance consulting or other opportunities is an option if necessary. John occasionally takes on advertising consulting as well. Five years ago we didn’t expect to be where we are now, so trying to predict the next five years feels futile. We focus on producing good work and try not to let worry take over.
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So that’s twenty minutes of video proof that we’re dorks, plus three business-related answers. What surprised you most? That I invent silly sayings and then giggle? That John really likes the Twilight movies? Or that I tried to make “I took that baby to the market and carried it home” a catchphrase? It’s catchy, right?
Update – We often get questions about professional blogging: how we built the site, grew readership, and monetized our efforts. For readers interested in the full story, we shared a detailed guide about how we started the blog, increased traffic, and turned it into a full-time job.