We’re so pleased to continue our Q&A series ‘How Blogging Changed My Life’. This week, we chat with Susie of So Happy in Town. Susie’s posts are funny, often touching and packed with insights. Read on to learn how she got into blogging and launched a successful fundraiser to support young people’s mental health.
How Blogging Changed My Life with Susie of So Happy In Town (S.H.I.T)
What is your blog about and when did you launch it?
I launched So Happy In Town / S.H.I.T. back in February 2017, so just over 2 years ago. It is a lifestyle and parenting blog covering everything from the more amusing anecdotes of life as a parent, to the more serious issues that affect all of us such as mental health, to interviews with inspiring and interesting people. It’s all about the good sh*t and the not so good sh*t (hence the name) – the main bond being that we’re all in it together. The most popular posts are the lighthearted Mr & Mrs S.H.I.T. ones – I think it’s because they give both sides to marriage/partnership and parenting and so both men and women like to read them.
Why did you decide to start blogging?
I’ve always really loved writing and there was so much I wanted to say about parenting. Instead of having to pitch ideas to magazines, I realised if I started my own blog, I would have my own platform to write whatever I wanted.
Did you have a clear plan or were you just winging it?
I was totally winging it! The blog has organically evolved over time, but when I started I had no idea what direction it was going to go in. I had written a number of pieces for Huffington Post so I started by publishing them, and then just wrote what I felt compelled to talk about each week.
When did you realise your blog might be bigger than you’d anticipated?
When I got to the finals of the BritMums BiB awards after only blogging for a few months, I was really surprised and very honoured. It still amazes me when I hear that people all over the world enjoy my blog and share my posts. Recently a friend was over in Budapest and she was wearing one of my S.H.I.T. tees (a recent campaign I ran to raise awareness for young people’s mental health) and this guy came up to her in the pub to tell her that he and his wife love reading So Happy In Town. I was flabbergasted and obviously thrilled.
I wouldn’t have been able to run that campaign with such success if it hadn’t been for my blog and all the support behind it. So in that way, blogging has changed my life and definitely increased my faith in the goodness of people out there.
How has blogging changed your life?
I’ve learnt so much about the power of social media, especially through my recent #itsoktofeelshit t-shirt campaign. 100% profit from every single tee sold went to Young Minds and I raised £7000 in the end with the word spreading through the blog and channels such as Instagram. The support blew me away and I connected with so many people who had stories they wanted to share about their own experiences with mental health. I wouldn’t have been able to run that campaign with such success if it hadn’t been for my blog and all the support behind it. So in that way, blogging has changed my life and definitely increased my faith in the goodness of people out there.
What’s the best thing blogging has given you?
The best thing is definitely the number of wonderful new people I’ve met. Amazingly supportive and encouraging people from all different walks of life that I would never have crossed paths with if I hadn’t started my blog.
What do you think is the future of blogging?
I’ve heard that blogging is on the decline due to the explosion of Instagram and people not wanting to bother clicking through to read blog posts anymore. There is an element of that amongst the younger generation for sure, but I think people will always enjoy reading posts that they can relate to in their everyday life, so I hope that blogging has a good few years in it yet.
Follow Susie @SoHappyinTown on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and read her blog at sohappyintown.com
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