As it goes with many of my passion projects, this one started on a whim. One day I just decided I wanted to blog and that was it. No technical or business experience, no long-term plan, and I was going to write in English, my second language. I just felt like I had something to say, and it wasn’t being said in the miles and points community. Not yet.
It’s been more than four years, and I keep on yapping away. To paraphrase hilarious JP Sears , I thought about starting a cult, but blogging seemed like a more socially acceptable way to go about spreading my weird message. Many mistakes were made and few bridges were burned permanently. In addition, my content isn’t exactly known for being aesthetically pleasing or carefully curated. Oh, and I sell credit cards, not cupcakes. A terrible combination for a lady blogger. The worst!
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p style=”text-align: center;”>Image courtesy of iosphere at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
And yet, despite all my best efforts to sabotage this project, it did turn into a small business thanks to you guys. I’m sure this will sound corny, but it’s a huge privilege that you stop by and trust us to help plan your next family vacation. It’s something I don’t take lightly. I know how much work it takes to collect miles and points, which is why I insist on covering only the best credit card offers.
I feel like I’m writing for friends and family, so the last thing I want to do is to betray that trust. The same goes for my hotel and airline reviews. It’s extremely important for me to present a balanced picture and not gloss over the problems. Your time and miles are valuable, I want to make them count.
I’ve struggled to define what this project is exactly. Is it a labor of love with a goal of creating a community? A business? A platform that helps make a small difference? Probably all of the above. Speaking of… I wasn’t going to give any updates on the fundraiser I did for a little girl in Belarus, the one with a brain tumor. But some of you have been asking, so I just wanted to let you know that the tumor was removed and the girl is currently recovering in Belarus. Obviously, her future is uncertain, but it looks promising. Your donations helped pay for living expenses in Germany, and took some of the burden off this poor family. So thank you again and please know how deeply touched I am by your response!
Back to the blog. Even though I never wanted to focus on numbers, unfortunately, they matter. For me it’s not about being one of the cool kids or getting admiration from strangers. It makes sense from a practical standpoint. Having a decent following allows you to diversify your income streams and invest in the website, as well as quality content. I’m sure we can all agree that adding Nancy as a contributor has been a major boost to the blog.
But it is primarily about seeking new ways to monetize this site, and relying less on credit cards. I’m not embarrassed by the fact that we make pretty much all of our profit from affiliate commission. Not at all. We promote products that we believe in, and if some are offended by the fact that we do that rather than sell cupcakes, it won’t keep me up at night.
One thing I’ve learned over the last four years is that someone (either blogger or reader) will always have a problem with the way you are running/monetizing your site. While listening to constructive criticism is important, pandering to haters who offer nothing but vitriol is not.
As problematic as this whole affiliate business has been (and it is tricky at times), it has allowed us to cover running expenses and even turn a small profit. I’m grateful for the fact that I get paid for something I would recommend anyway. However, it’s a very unstable income stream and could literally go away tomorrow. Which brings me to the topic of my post (finally).
I would like to ask that you help us grow this site. There are a number of ways to do it:
1) Follow us on Twitter (Nope, I’m not about to buy fake followers :))
3) Subscribe to receive free updates. You can do so by entering your email address above “Follow” button. Don’t worry, you can always unsubscribe.
4) Share our content wth family and friends via email when you find a helpful nugget of information.
5) If you are a small blogger (as in writing for only few people), link to our posts if you find them helpful. Don’t be shy, we are a small site too, and appreciate each and every share.
6) Share our posts on your social networks. It’s very easy, and you can locate share buttons under each post:
What’s in it for you?
Right now some of you may be thinking: I already read your posts and apply for credit cards through your site, and now you want me to promote it for you?! That’s a fair question. By helping us grow, you will allow us to find new opportunities to help readers. In one of her posts few months ago, Nancy mentioned a discount on camper rentals that she was able to negotiate by mentioning this blog. BTW, we were not paid for that post, we simply passed on the discount to our readers.
This sort of thing would be much easier to negotiate if we had the numbers behind the site. Brands and companies are looking for numbers, period. They don’t really care about engagement and comments. And like I said before, I’m not about to artificially inflate numbers just for the sake of getting access to various lucrative opportunities. To me, it’s dishonest. We plan to do it the right way even if it takes longer.
I have turned down various paying gigs because there were not a good fit. By having a larger audience, I’m hoping that we will have access to projects that are a good fit for us and most importantly, for our readers. So, I’m hoping you can help us help you!
Author: Leana
Leana is the founder of Miles For Family. She enjoys beach vacations and visiting her family in Europe. Originally from Belarus, Leana resides in central Florida with her husband and two children.
I’m so glad you have this blog Leana. I remember when you quit for a while, there was a little hole in the blogosphere for a few weeks 😉
@Leticia Thank You! Your kind words mean a lot. I remember when you reached out to me via email for the first time. I’m glad to have “met” you. Maybe we’ll cross paths in real life one of these days.
Was already following on Twitter and now on Facebook as well.
Keep up the great work! And wow, didn’t know the blog had been around for four years.
@DDG Thank you! And I’m happy to follow you as well. Yeah, it’s been a long journey, for sure. I did actually quit for a few months awhile back, because it all got to be too much. I’m still looking for that healthy balance of blogging vs. family vs. life. I’m not sure it exists!
No kids here yet, but I’m sure it will get much harder to blog once that happens. On the plus side I’ll be reading your blog much more then. 🙂
One of the things that’s great about you two and your community is how helpful you are to readers and emailers. When people ask me about my travel hacking hobby I always tell them to visit this site. I’d say that’s another helpful way to get the word out.
In fact, thus community is so helpful Im pretty sure a suggestion from either Stephani or Jennifer are the reason we went to the Hyatt Ziva this year for a trip instead of blowing free hyatt nights in Chicago.
Cheapblackdad, that’s very kind of you to say that! And yes, recommending the site to your friends definitely counts. That’s exactly what I mean when I ask to spread the word. 🙂 I also should add, you have been incredibly helpful to this community as well. I value your input, always.
I’m also thrilled that you have benefited from reader’s suggestion to use certs at Hyatt Ziva. That’s fantastic! I do remember that post, though don’t recall the name of the person.