We live in a world dominated by social media. When we talk about influencers, we’re quoting their instagram account, their youtube channel or hell, their TikTok username now. Same goes for the book influencers’ world. When publishers are thinking about book influencers, thye’re not thinking about blogging or book blogs: they’re thinking about people with social media accounts. Whether it’s a bookstagram, a booktok or a booktube account. Today, I just really, really wanted to write this post to underline the fact that, despite everything you’re seeing or thinking, in the blogging vs. social media battle, having a book blog still matters.
This is something I feel deeply about, friends. I know the whole “book blogs are dying” discussion. I know things are changing and the landscape of the blogging community isn’t the same as it was when I first started, 7 years ago now. (Insane how I’ve been blogging for 7 years? HOW. Anyway).
Today, I really want to tell you all about the perks of having a book blog.
Before I do, I just want to make one tiny thing clear:
I’m not writing this to undermine, in any way, the work of book influencers on any kind of social media platform. I deeply admire everyone’s work and while, in this post, I will of course praise all of my love for book blogging, this doesn’t, in any way, suggest that work on any other platform is considered less.
Okay, now that this is out in the air, I’m ready to tell you all about why you should start a book blog. YES, despite everything, you SHOULD have a blog and here’s why.
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4 Reasons To Start A Book Blog
When you have a blog, you own it. Like, really.
This may be obvious for some people, but for others it might not be. For me, it’s one of the most important things about having a blog: the fact that I really own it.
When you’re on social media, you’re always dependant of the platform’s well doing or working. If instagram’s down or if Booktok suddenly crashes and burn, well… so do you.
It sounds absolutely terrifying.
If you have a book blog, you’re responsible for it.
While this also sounds terrifying, it also helps you reclaim some of the control you are NOT having with a social media account. You’re dependant, yes, but on yourself.
You might have to set back-ups yourself when you’re self-hosted (I’m lucky, my amazing host Lyrical Host backs up my website for me every 24 hours). You might have to watch what you’re doing a little more, but you know what? You’re the actual OWNER of your OWN platform on the internet and you CONTROL it and… if you ask me, that’s pretty amazing.
☂️ Read on: How To Self Host Your Book Blog: Sharing My Exciting (and Stressful) Experience
You also have full control. Of, basically, everything
I’m talking about having a self-hosted blog, just to be clear. When you’re self-hosted, you’re have FULL control over, basically, EVERYTHING about your blog. From the way it looks to the way you’re setting up your blog posts, to adding amazing plugins for more accessibility, for book reviews, to boosting your visibility on search engines to more.
The possibilities are endless because, with this ownership, you can DO ANYTHING.
“Through a blog, you don’t just get a standard page. You get an entire personality.”
anika, chaptersofmay.com on why book blogs are an asset today
Well, almost. Let’s face it, I don’t know how to turn my blog posts into eatable cakes, yet.
How does this compare to social media, you ask? Well, whether you’re on Instagram, BookTok, BookTube or anywhere else: you’re always ending up being dependant on the platform you’re on. This has its perks, of course, yet it also has its drawbacks. If the plarform decides to delete your account, to ban you, to make some of your favorite features something you have to pay for… well, that’s it.
You’re not in full control of how your account looks, because it will always fit within the frames created by the social media. If you want a redesign on instagram, you can take new, different pictures, but it will always fit within the same frame, whereas on a blog, if you want to look COMPLETELY different, design-wise, you can.
Check out some of my favorite wordpress themes in my blogging essentials!
If you want to be more visible, with a blog, you can juggle between blog-hopping, working on bettering your SEO, promoting your platform and so on. You’re not dependant or falling down because of your platform’s algorithm.
If you’re on a free blogging platform, you still have wonderful possibilities, too! That’s what I love about a blog vs. social media : you can do what you want and take your platform wherever you want, to make it look and be 100% your own.
☂️ Read on: How To Self Host Your Book Blog: Sharing My Exciting (and Stressful) Experience
On blogs, your content will last WAY longer than on social media
The world is changing and so is the way we consume information. We need everything quickly, we’re spending hours scrolling and scrolling but not retaining a thing, we’re watching video over video over video and that’s it.
Blog’s content is WAY more demanding than any kind of social media content it.
“It’s so much easier to scroll Instagram and quickly double tap a photo, or to lie in bed and watch a Youtube video before going to sleep, than to read a 1,000 word-long blog post.”
may, foreverandeverly.wordpress.com, on the future of book blogging
I get it, I really do.
That being said… it’s so important to remember that social media content is like Taylor Swift’s whirlwind romance in Red. “Faster than the wind, passionate as sin, ending so suddenly.” Sorry. Couldn’t resist that reference.
You scroll, you register something, you react about it and then… it’s over. Let’s take a look at the average life-span of social media posts now, shall we.
- Instagram : 48 hours for a blog post, 24 hours for a story, around 14 days for a reel.
- Twitter : 15 minutes
- BookTok : this is counted in minutes, too.
- Facebook : 6 hours
- Pinterest : around 4-5 months
Of course, there are exceptions. A tweet catching some buzz hours afterwards thanks to a retweet. A video going suddenly viral days afterwards.
Still, if these average statistics teach us anything, it’s that social media isn’t made for long-lasting content.
That’s where you’re thrilled to have a blog. You can put book recommendations together on an instagram reel and it will gather 10k views and comments, but will soon be forgotten. If you write a blog post about it, work on your SEO and promote it correctly, you can end up being the top result on Google and gain consistent traffic for YEARS.
I just want to point out that I’m not just saying this. I have a blog post I wrote in 2017 that’s, as of today, 2021, one of my most seen blog post every month.
That’s why having a blog matters and that’s why I love it. To take my book recommendations’ exemple from before, while you’re recommending awesome YA winter books for 24 hours on your instagram stories… with a blog post, you will be recommending these stories for YEARS to anyone searching for them.
With a blog, you’re allowed to dwelve a little deeper
There’s a reason we like social media : like I said earlier, it’s quick to consume. Your instagram reel will be about 15 seconds-long and you can move on to something else.
To create a long-lasting relationship, blogs are amazing. There’s no word-count limit, no complex gymnastic to be done with a 280 character-limit to get through to try and bring a point home.
You can express yourself lengthly, let your thoughts run wild on the virtual page and no one will stop you.
Yeah, but no one will read it, you’ll say.
Respectfully, I don’t agree. Have you noticed how social media tend to lengthen their content, too? Instagram stories gaining more length, twitter creating threads to express yourself more, for instance… those are just showing that people WANT to hear more. Hell, have you spent some time on bookstagram lately? Some captions are long. Not as long as a blog post, for sure, but people like to talk. And people like to listen when the topic’s something of interest to them.
I’ve learned a lot from research and where I retained the most information was on blog posts, not on social media. I will admit it: I’m more likely to retain a book recommendation from a blog post I read than from an instagram post, where I scrolled and moved on quicker.
On blogs, no one will stop you from writing a long blog post and that’s what I love about it, too. I’m rambly, okay and I know I have enough room to talk, in length, about what I want with nuance, too. If I were looking to start a book blog, for instance, I wouldn’t just watch a quick video and get started with it. I’d turn to a blog post explaining in length, directly linking to useful resources, videos, images and more.
☂️ Read on : How to write a blog post people will read
Blogs are also easier to navigate. If you’re looking for something in particular on social media, you’re just here to scroll for a while, while blogs have categories, menus, a search bar and so on.
Book blogs aren’t staying on the surface, they’re ready to take that shovel and dig deeper and I love it.
Blogging vs. social media: it’s not a battle, it’s an allyship
I feel your arguments coming in favor of social media. Let me list them out of the way for you all:
- There are way more people on social media.
- It’s much easier to grow, there.
- It’s easier to connect with people on there, too.
I hear you and while I agree with all of these… I also think that social media is hard. It’s constantly there, in your face. It allows you to get lost into a feed of a thousand posts, to drown, to make you feel like your voice doesn’t matter. Being on your blog does that, too, but somehow, to me, it feels less… daunting.
For me, social media an entry way, a passage, someplace you have to be because, right now, it’s just the way things are. For some people, it’s their main platform, for others it’s a way you’re passing through to a blog.
There is no better platform between blogs and social media. The two of them should work in sync, however you imagine them to.
Social media is complementary to your blog.
It can be used to promote your blog, bring you traffic, boost your SEO, help you connect in easier and quicker ways to people with similar interests and more. If you have any photography talents, like to show yourself on camera or anything like that, social media is awesome to expand and create content in a new, fresh and relevant way.
As I explained it before, for me, it’s still essential to have a blog, a platform that is your very own, a platform you control entirely and can take a shape of its own, 100 % according to your personnality. It’s the high point of your brand, the best of who you are, who you’re showcasting in little peeks here and there on social media.
For me, social media will always be something you stop by, in passing. A pretty shop you browse on your way home, while a blog is your home. A place where you’re comfortable enough to leave your shoes at the door, sit on a couch and stay a while to enjoy the plunge into this little universe, one that’s unique to every blogger out there.
☂️ Check out all of my book blogging resources here!
☂️ For more blog posts about blogging check out these :
- How I Use Notion For Blogging: My Organization Tips For Bloggers
- 10+ Essential (And Free!) Blogging Tools To Grow A Successful Blog
- Reflecting On 7 Years Of Blogging: Lessons Learned, Wins, Fails & Goals (+ INTL GIVEAWAY!)
📌 Pin Blogging vs. Social media & why you should have a blog on Pinterest!
Do you feel like you’re more on blogs or on social media, lately? Do you feel like having a blog isn’t “necessary” today anymore? I’d love to hear your thoughts on the topic in comments!
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Kat Impossible says
You know where I stand on all of this, because we’ve had the discussion a lot. I really do agree that posts last longer on blogs. Some of my most viewed content is from years ago and keeps attracting more and more readership. My tweets on the other hand? Not so much haha
drizzleandhurricanebooks says
Thank you so, so much Kat, I’m so happy you agree with me on this! I love how long-lasting a blog is and it always makes me so happy to see some old blog posts still getting love now! 🙂
Kristin @ Kristin Kraves Books says
I love this and agree with it all! I’ve seen a lot of people on Instagram start blogs because of the unpredictability of social media. There’s so much more freedom with blogging!
drizzleandhurricanebooks says
Agree! Social media is a bit more unpredictable and it’s nice to have a blog you know you can rely on, more! 🙂
confessionsofayareader says
Great post!
Books Teacup and Reviews says
I’m always more on blog. While I love taking pictures of books and posting them on Instagram, I love blog lets me write as much as I can and I agree with you, Blog posts stays around way longer and people visit the post written today even after some years while that is not possible with Instagram or other social media unless that person is stalker.
drizzleandhurricanebooks says
I’m glad to hear you love blogging so much! It’s so good to have long-lasting content like that, it always makes me so happy, too. 🙂
Kristina says
It just marked my 4years of blogging too! Though mine started through tumblr, I quite like having my little corner of the internet that I don’t only have full control over now that i’m selfhosted through bluehost, but that I can also talk about whatever I want! On social media alot of time there is need for censure; wether it’s violence or sex, you can’t always talk about ALL that you want. I’m also not a fan if the « time limit »; few seconds for tiktok, not too long wording in instagram for exemple, as if it gets too long people just won’t read it all because «ain’t nobody got time for that!» and well.. I do love ramblings 😅
drizzleandhurricanebooks says
AH happy 4 years of blogging, that’s fantastic! I completely get that, I’m the same way: I love rambling and I love that blogs gives us much more room for that ahah 😀
Kristina says
Wierdly enough, blogging also gave me the anxiety of « not rambly enough » whenever it’s too short too 😅 like- something feels wrong here, ahah
drizzleandhurricanebooks says
😂 OH no! That’s the beauty of it all, on a blog, you can be rambly or not, you can just so whatever you want ahah 🙂
Whimsically Meghan says
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
YES! I love how you summed it up at the end, a blog is ‘a home where you leave your shoes at the door and sit on the couch’ I LOVE that ❤️
Another amazing post, Marie! 😊
drizzleandhurricanebooks says
Aww thank you so much, Meghan! So happy you enjoyed this post <3
Whimsically Meghan says
You’re welcome! ❤️
Sophie @ Me & Ink says
Book blogs are so important, I 100% agree. Honestly I love being about to search for a topic on specific books recommendations and blog posts being there so I can stroll at my own pace… And like you say so accessible… You can get links to shops, the whole synopsis and more. I couldn’t imagine not having that and I really don’t want to.
And yes the length thing. I can’t tell you how many times I was writing an Instagram caption and got cut off by space limitations (I like to ramble too 😂)
Thank you for this post. Your support and enthusiasm for the book blogging community is unmatched Marie, and I love it 😍 *thank you, thank you*
drizzleandhurricanebooks says
I’m glad I’m not the only one who likes room to ramble 😂 I just love how much more you can do with a blog and how you can express yourself in your own way, too. With social media, you’re always dependant on an algorithm, the platform itself and certain character or time limits. I love that we can express ourselves more on our blogs!
Thank you so, so, much Sophie this means so much <3
Charvi says
I absolutely love this post! I think I agree with all your points but hold on lemme elaborate lol.
I definitely agree that longer blog posts are harder to read but I do want to read them! Even when I’m blog hopping I keep lengthier, more discussion based posts aside for when I’m in the zone to properly interact with them. (I think this has been open on my tab for 2 days?)
BUt it’s rewarding to read them and comment and discuss. And wow, you’re right. I didn’t think about the ownership aspect of blogs before but yes yes yes! I don’t have to follow a stupid algorithm or chase whatever is trending on an app to a great extent when writing for my blog. Also yes, ugh the only reason I post regularly on Instagram is because I love makeup looks and that is highly visual. Otherwise I have a very love hate relationship with the platform.
Thanks for writing this post <3
drizzleandhurricanebooks says
Oh Charvi thank you so much! I completely get it: I love reading interesting discussion posts and sometimes, it takes me more time to get to them because I need to be in the right headspace. That being said, once I am, I love it! I learn so much more from blog posts and I find it so rewarding to do that, too, I agree! 🙂
I understand the love for social media, I really do. I have a love/hate relationship with it, too, but I know I’ll always cherish my blog because it’s really mine, too.
Thank you so much!! <3
Samantha @WLABB says
I admire those who carved their place on social media. It’s just not a place I enjoy spending too much time. I am not a good photographer, nor can i come up with the perfect soundbite. I enjoy having a blog where I can just let my thoughts flow.
drizzleandhurricanebooks says
I understand, I feel the same way! I feel much more comfortable on my blog than on social media. Thank you so much, Sam! 🙂
theorangutanlibrarian says
Brilliant post!! I absolutely love being in charge of my own content! And I also like the fact that it’s more long-lasting! And this definitely goes for bloghopping as well- because I love discovering people’s older content as well! There can be some fantastic discussions out there that were written years ago- so it’s great to go into a blog’s older content!! I also really like being able to explore content in more depth and reading about it in more depth too!
drizzleandhurricanebooks says
Oh thank you so much! I agree with you on that, there are so many hidden gems and so many interesting discussions to find, even ones that are a bit dated and I love it so much.
Thank you! 🙂
Briana | Pages Unbound says
I completely agree with longer-lasting reach, and it’s one of the things I love. I don’t have to feel as if I am creating content and then it’s just disappeared. Of our top-performing posts this year, only one of them was published this year. The rest are older.
drizzleandhurricanebooks says
I’m so happy to hear that, Briana! It’s so wonderful your older content works so well. I love that we’re creating long lasting content here, whereas on social media it quickly disappears.
Thank you so much!! 🙂
Caro @ bookcheshirecat says
This post really spoke to me, Marie! ❤️ I feel a bit sad whenever it seems like social media is much preferred over my blog 🥺 That’s why I love that you highlighted the perks of blogging! I also prefer that blog posts last longer and I find the slower pace of blogging much more comfortable than the rapid-fire pulse of social media. Though I agree that social media can be helpful for promotion 😊
drizzleandhurricanebooks says
Oh thank you so much, Caro! I’m so happy you recognized yourself in this post, too. I love the calm beats of a book blog, it’s always more peaceful here 🙂
riv @ dearrivarie says
Oh Marie I loved how you worded this post! It basically highlighted all my fears with social media and why I keep coming back to book blogging even after so many years. It does feel like my own little corner of the internet without the pressures of performing well constantly and combined with the ability to make it as personalized as I want truly makes it irreplaceable 💗
drizzleandhurricanebooks says
Oh thank you so much, you’re so kind! <3 I'm so glad you agree and keep coming back to it. It's truly a wonderful place here <3
Kal @ Reader Voracious says
AHHH Marie, your post perfectly sums up my feelings on this topic, and said way better than I said it! Search engines drive traffic for years to come — my reviews tend to get massive views about a year after the book’s publication – and that’s doing the publisher’s work on their backlist.
All sectors of the book community are important and I sincerely hope book bloggers (and honestly those on Goodreads based on my recent Twitter poll) start getting recognition from publishers again instead of chasing virality that lasts a few days at best.
drizzleandhurricanebooks says
Oh thank you so much, Kal! I so agree with you that we’re such a huge help when it comes to backlist titles, too and that should be taken into account way more. Fingers crossed that we won’t get forgotten more than we already are, ahah. <3
May @ Forever and Everly says
marie i love this post SO MUCH!!! like… so true at what you said about social media slowly adjusting for longer content—of course, quick and easy content is a plus, but it definitely also comes with forgettability! and 100% about what you said about social media being a tool to aid blogging—my notion post has consistently gotten views because of pinterest, but also because of the easy accessibility of blog posts & longevity of them
drizzleandhurricanebooks says
Oh thank you so much, May!! I agree with you, both are complementary. I feel like, especially now, blogs are forgotten, but it’s good to remember that they have this long-lasting quality that will always make them relevant and important! 🙂
Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight says
I could not agree more, Marie! I find that social media is complimentary to a blog, but it absolutely doesn’t take the place of one! There is just so much MORE I can say in a blog post, frankly. So many options to convey my opinions! Whereas on social media, you’re limited by both the platform’s polcies and its content. And you make such a great point about the impermanence of social media posts- they are gone in the blink of an eye. Truly, most of the stuff I post on social media is barely noticed in the grand scheme of things. But with a blog, like you said, it doesn’t matter WHEN you post it, when you Google something it can be found years later! This is such a wonderful post, and I agree wholeheartedly!
drizzleandhurricanebooks says
Ahh thank you Shannon, so happy you enjoyed this post. I’m here with you, social media can be fun, but for me nothing beats a good old blog ahha 🙂
Aria says
You have so many great points here! I love bookstagram, and I think that it’s a great platform, but there are also so many restrictions, and it can feel like your content isn’t valued as much. I have a friend who’s bookstagram got deleted for a couple days, and she didn’t know if her dozens of pictures and captions and everything would be recovered.
With blogs, you really control everything, and there is so much more freedom and certainty. I don’t self host, but I still can change the theme of my blog, and can write posts as long as I want. It’s frustrating when publishers put all their focus away from blogs, and ignore the possibilities of book blogs. I love the slower pace of blogs, and knowing that my older posts don’t just disappear, and that people still read things I wrote from months, or even years ago! This is a really great post 💕✨
drizzleandhurricanebooks says
Oh thank you so much! Wow, I can’t imagine how stressful it must have been for her, losing her account like that!
I agree with you, it is a bit frustrating, because while social media has its perks, books have different perks that should be considered, too. Thank you so, so much for your sweet comment! <3
Izzy Lively says
I think blogging as it was once known is dead, but it’s now more commonly being considered content creation, primarily because blogging encompasses way more than just blogging. It’s essentially a repeat of the girl boss boom some years back. Blogging resurfaced because it’s the only platform creators themselves can actually control, instead of having to worry about social media algorithms changing.
Like, I think it’ll make a comeback in a year or two after the TikTok/Instagram surge of 2021. Because TikTok mostly only blew up because of the pandemic, when a lot of people were stuck inside their homes with charged phones and WiFi.
I keep seeing a lot of people who have websites get frustrated because they keep getting too political on social media and wind up with account suspensions — um, that’s literally why I recommend blogging.
I just don’t see blogging ever truly dying. It’s changing, but ultimately a lot of creators boomed during lockdown and essentially turned into the old self-made-esque YouTube celebs, and blogging still lived on throughout that time. It’s just changing a bit.
drizzleandhurricanebooks says
Yes that’s exactly it! Blogging is changing, but it’s resurfacing and it couldn’t make me happier. I hope that it will make a real comeback soon, I love your point of view on this so much and it makes me so hopeful so thank you! <3
Malka @ Paper Procrastinators says
This post was absolutely fantastic in so many ways! One of the things that stunned me was how you made me think about aspects of book blogging that I’ve never considered! And here I was claiming that I overthought everything about blogging!
Firstly, your point about having control over your blogging platform is such a strong one. I’ve never really thought about it, but you’re so right! The format and the design of every blog I have visited has been so unique which helps every blog stand out. And that’s not even mentioning the different ways each blogger chooses to format their blog posts. There’s such creative freedom there! But honestly the lack of any associated algorithm is what makes it the best.
Which perfectly ties into your point about how blog posts last longer. I know I haven’t done much blog hopping this year, but that’s okay! Because I easily caught up on posts from months ago that had just been sitting in my inbox waiting to be read. Or when I clicked on a wrap up from 6 months ago and was recommended posts by other bloggers, I then checked out THEIR posts from months ago! It’s just so easy to find older, but still relevant posts from other bloggers!
And lastly, as this comment is proving, I just love to ramble! Most social media really isn’t made for someone who love to chat as much as I do. The only platform that would maybe also work for me is YouTube, but editing a blog post sure is a lot easier than editing a video! So it’s with blogging that I stay!
Interestingly, proving your point, this year has really highlighted the difference between social media and blog posts for me. I genuinely did not have the energy or time for thoughtful, long form posts, but I did have enough brain power for social media and constant scrolling through stories and such. They really are two very different activities for me!
This was such a fantastic and thought provoking post! I absolutely adored it!
drizzleandhurricanebooks says
Oh thank you so much, your comment made my entire WEEK, really 🥺 I so agree with you here, there’s so much creative freedom that, even if a lot of bloggers are using the same core platform (like wordpress, for instance), the end result is completely different in every blog you visit. It’s SO great to see that!
Right here with you on rambling ahah! I love writing a lot and social media isn’t made for that and… I couldn’t do youtube because… just, not for me! I’m so glad that you enjoyed this post and thank you sO much for sharing your thoughts! <3
Nick says
10000% agree with everything you’ve said in this post. The fact that any social media platform could just “disappear” anytime is really scary and it’s why I’m glad to “own” my blog. But also, content lasts longer on websites. My website is constantly getting traffic from people searching on Google or what not so I would argue that blog content last forever while with social media it’s literal minutes or seconds. I will say that it is really frustrating to see how we are being left behind and underestimated by everyone, but I feel like at this point I’m also used to it.
drizzleandhurricanebooks says
Thank you so much, Nick! I agree that it’s so frustrating to feel left out like that. We have SO much potential and we’re constantly overlooked. I’m used to it, too, sadly. Sending you all the love, you’re doing such an incredible, important work and I admire your blog SO much! <3
orangutanlibrarian (@orangutanreads) says
Absolutely love this post!!
drizzleandhurricanebooks says
Oh thank you! So happy you enjoyed it 🙂
Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction says
You make a really good point about how long blog posts last vs. social media. I’ve never really thought about it before, but it’s definitely true. I have posts from years ago that still get traffic to this day. It’s interesting to see which posts have an impact much later.
drizzleandhurricanebooks says
Yes! I think it’s so interesting to see what kind of posts work and always attract people, year after year 🙂