Some year-end wrap-up numbers:
I’ve been enjoying various ‘state of the blog’ reports, so I figured I might as well share! This site had 1.4 million pageviews last year (up about 11% from 2021) — and I know the majority of those visits are repeat visits rather than random traffic, so THANK YOU! You make it fun and gratifying to write here.
The newsletter is up to ~3700 subscribers, which is wonderful. And my favorite part is that when I sent a newsletter, several of you always email me back interesting tidbits related to what I sent — unexpected and fun!
(If you’d like to subscribe, the form is included below for convenience):
BOBW downloads are up 25% and BLP ~36% (though the latter harder to tell since it hasn’t been on the same host platform for 2 years, so I extrapolated by comparing two 4-week periods one year apart).
Our BOBW Patreon has grown a lot in the last few months especially and the conversations (both in our meetups and on the site, message-board style) have been active and fun.
And finally, the launch of Best Laid Plans Academy was a success — and round 1 is about to kick off! I’ve been enjoying meeting participants in 1:1 sessions and can’t wait to get the group together.
The growth above has happened organically – no paid ads and (importantly) no social media. I am much happier without IG/etc in my life so I am thrilled to see people will still find what I create without it.
Your ideas, welcome!
I probably should do some kind of survey at some point, so look for that in the weeks/months to come. But if you have ideas or feedback for what you’d like to see more (or less of – just be nice 🙂 ), I would love to hear them! It has definitely been a mindset shift to bring my work in this realm to ‘real job’ territory, but since going part time I feel like I have the space and energy to give so much more, so I am excited for what is to come!
Back next week with regular 5 on a Friday!
Just felt pulled to share some of these numbers and my gratitude to you all for helping these things grow.
27 Comments
Cheers to pod and Patreon! Hopefully even more growth this year.
Have you done a survey to capture demographics for BOBW listeners? To me, you are reaching an extremely attractive demographic: high income women (age 30-50) with children who have large discretionary spending budgets. As a marketer (although in the B2B space) I have always thought BOBW should be able to capture a really broad range of advertisers based on stats of your listeners.
All this is so exciting! I’m really happy for this turn in your life. I will say I contemplated taking the class but in the end couldn’t justify the money Particularly given that there’s no way to attend live sessions for me. Although it’s commensurate with classes I’ve taken for professional development online I can’t get work to pay for it. Ha ha. I just don’t have the budget. I do wonder if you’d consider pre-recorded and asynchronous options?I realize that’s less fun than life! But might allow for greater participation at lower cost? Just a thought. it’s a great initiative Regardless. (Random capitalization brought to you by voice to text)
Happy for you Sarah. You proved that quality content doesn’t need IG promotion. Way to go 👏
Congrats on the increases in your numbers. I really enjoy getting your daily blog posts in my email and BLP is usually my first podcast listen of the week! Excited to see what the extra time and space brings!! 🥰
Congrats! While I have enjoyed the recent BOBW episodes, I would love more episodes with real moms discussing their experiences instead of authors or experts. I really enjoyed the episodes with Alyce and Lisa this year and would enjoy more in that format.
Oooh yes, I second this. (nothing wrong with authors or experts – I like them, too! but I really enjoy the ‘real’ feeling of people who are frequent commenters here. I bet you’d have several people who would be happy to be on the pod!)
Thanks, K! I am glad you enjoy the episode with me. I also LOVED Alyce’s episode. I’m glad I went outside my comfort zone and offered to share my return to work experience after having our first child. It is a topic that I feel is not talked about enough!
Loved your episode!
Thank you so much, Erika!! 🙂
Same here! A balance of both is great, but those real stories are just as valuable as ‘experts’
Yep, me too, especially since the authors tend to have less traditional careers than most of your audience (I assume?) and you often hear them on all the what I call “smart mom pods”.
Congratulations Sarah! Well-deserved! I love everything you do and I am excited to see where you take this. Your quintile system specifically has been life-changing.
How fabulous to see you being recognised for the wonderful content to create. Here’s to a great 2023!
Nice going!! This must all be so gratifying. Very excited for you and to see what 2023 holds!
Congrats on your success, SHU! It is well-deserved! And I love that you’ve been able to grow your business without social media! I have never been “sold” anything on social media. I’m not on social media anymore, but when I was, I didn’t even notice the ads! I guess I just glossed over them!
I love the content you share here. I think a regular “day in the life” kind of post would be fun? I always like it when you have guests on BOBW share a day in the life.
I love reading your blog so much! It feels old style in the way that people used to just talk about their lives and I love that about it. You also share really cool things. Anyway thanks for blogging and I am so glad you are keeping it up.
Congrats! I’ve been following along with your journey – in various formats – for years now, and all these exciting developments feel like a good friend is finding great success and it genuinely warms my heart – even though we only “know” each other virtually! Cheers to 2023 and all the great things you’ll do and share <3
Congrats! it’s fun to see your hard work paying off 🙂
Hi, and congrats. Would love to hear how it goes as you declutter, since I’m making that an area of concentration as well. I love before and after stories, plus tips along the way.
Hi Sarah, just wanted to say keep up the good work! I really enjoy the content you and Laura create. I think BOBW started right around the time my daughter was born (July 2017) which was perfect timing and I *think* I’ve been reading your blog at least since summer 2010 when I heard you speak (on planning!) at the HLS in Chicago. I’m an accountant and mom to an only child and don’t have a ton in common with you personally but have always enjoyed your practical approach and “real” sharing of best practices etc. Anyway – so happy to see all the success you’re having and looking forward to being a BOBW Patreon member (I just joined!) – particularly excited for the book club.
HLS!!!! Love the throwback and thank you!
Congratulations on all the success! I still remember how I found you guys. I had checked out Laura’s “I know how she does it” (I think it was that one) to read on a beach trip to Florida years ago now. Then I think I looked up more about her and found she had a podcast. So I started listening to that. And despite hearing you say “I’m a practicing physician, and blogger on the side!” many weeks in a row, it took a long time before I realized, oh! I could actually look up Sarah’s blog! So I finally did that, and then read shyly anonymously/lurker mode for quite a while before finally starting to comment under an anonymous name (I was so shy at first!), and then finally under my name, and then eventually even made my own blog, inspired by you (and others like Lisa, etc.) Anyway, I get so much enjoyment from that whole arena of my life now- from listening and reading to now my own blog too- so, thanks! It all stemmed from you and Laura. 🙂 🙂 Proud of you and your hard work and continued success and growth! P.S. I heard today on the podcast that Cal has 70,000 subscribers on his newsletter I think? So I guess there is always room to keep growing! 😅
haha yes – I am *not* in the realm of Cal Newport in terms of reach (and I waited way too long to start a newsletter). But that’s ok 🙂
Hi Sarah – Congrats on all the success, long term listener/reader here of all things… I have a question about the BOBW patreon – I am in Australia – are the online meet ups and other things recorded… I would love to join but being on the other side of the world just want to know if you have others in Aus or elsewhere 🙂 thanks Kylie
Hi! Yes, all of the Zooms are recorded and of course you’d have access to threads on the chat. 12pm Eastern does appear to be 4 am in Sydney – not ideal for live, I know!!
Thats all good 🙂 Thank you for replying x