Thanks again to all 50 of you who took my 2016 Reader Survey!

I had a really fun time sharing the results with you all last year, and in the name of tradition and transparency, I wanted to do so again this year. As always, I think a big takeaway from surveys like these is that you can’t be everything to everyone! And if you try to be, I think that’s the fastest way to fail.

You see, some of you love cocktail recipes, some of you hate them. Some of you would rather see more blogging posts, some of you would rather me focus my energies elsewhere. I definitely am going to try to take all of your feedback to heart over the next year, while also staying true to what I want to write about. So let’s dive in, shall we? 

This was the first question on the survey, and way more enlightening than I thought it was going to be! I was really shocked a the number of people that discovered A Touch of Teal through my Instagram or other bloggers.

I was surprised Instagram was such a big feeder into my actual blog since you can’t link directly to outside websites on the platform except the one URL in your bio. But hey, I’ll take it! Instagram is my favorite social media platform to curate, so don’t expect me to slow down there anytime soon.

In regards to finding me through other bloggers, people specifically mentioned finding me through Jenn at Southern Anchors, Monica at Cake and Lilies, and Kristyn at Primp & Proper. These are some of my best blogger friends in DC, and I am honored to be mentioned in the same sentence as them! This finding also makes me want to focus more on supporting other bloggers and finding authentic ways to collaborate with other creative gals since it seems like readers on both sides are interested in finding new blogs to read. Stay tuned!

This question allowed respondents to select multiple answers, so the numbers don’t neatly add up to 100%. However, you can see the top three topics my readers are interested in are my What I (Actually) Wear to Work series, career advice, and local DC/travel content. Look forward to more posts in these verticals coming soon. They are some of my favorite, so I am excited my passion for these topics really resonates.

I am currently brainstorming ways to revamp all my DC content, which has been sporadic and poorly organized since I started this blog. I am also excited to share my travels with all of you in ways that are not only good for me to capture my own memories, but help you plan trips to the same locations. If you know of any bloggers that do this well, please let me know in the comments so I can take a look!

Also, a word about Shop Talk—no one wrote any comments about this series, but I can tell from the results this isn’t a hugely popular series here. I will definitely keep that in mind when creating content in the future—especially since it isn’t the easiest series to pull together for me, either.

Combining these responses with the answers to the question “Is there anything you don’t want to see on A Touch of Teal?” was very helpful.

First, I hear you loud and clear on the cocktail recipes! Many of you called these out in your written responses as something you don’t want to see more of, but you don’t mind that I post them. Or, you mentioned I should start mentioning these are simple cocktails, not complicated ones—which I feel like was a great comment, and something I did on the pineapple punch post I did after the survey results were in. I can’t promise I won’t do any more cocktail recipes—they’re fun to make, fun to drink, are a great source of beautiful photography, and really help with SEO/repins—BUT, I will keep in mind the things y’all prefer more!

Second, another reader commented that outfit collages and shopping posts seem like click bait and are impersonal. I agree with this, and had been starting to do them more recently when I was in the mood to blog, but didn’t necessarily have any original imagery. If you’ll look at the archive of my blog, I rarely do them except for holiday gift guides. I also make very little money off those types of posts—usually $10-20 at most for two or so hours of work—so I also want y’all to know I really am trying to help you guys find cool items, and not necessarily sell you anything. That being said, some of my favorite bloggers do collages and mood boards and it works really well for them—but I understand they might not be as natural of a fit for me.

Third, one reader commented, “I really don’t want to see a whole lot of obviously sponsored content that seems forced and unnatural. A lot of bloggers, specifically in the DC area, have become sponsored content-centric and it really turns me off. I almost don’t want to read or click any links.” This is something I have been really trying to hone in on, and only accept collaborations that are a natural fit and not “shill” for just anyone. However, I do want to say that it is nice to be paid in some regard for your work. I spend a lot of time on my blog, and often don’t see a monetary return, which is completely okay because I love blogging. But if I am offered some free pineapple tumblers I’ve had my eye on, or a new straightener I was going to buy myself anyway, I’m not going to turn down that opportunity just because sponsored posts rub some people the wrong way. I do really appreciate when y’all keep me in check about not selling out on this journey, so if you ever have a question about one of my partnerships, feel free to email me: katie@atouchofteal!

Lastly, another reader called me out for putting a lot of affiliate links on Twitter. You caught me red-handed. I am part of both rewardStyle and Shopstyle Collective. On both, you get paid out when you reach $100. I was very close to hitting $100 on Shopstyle, and because of my impending move, really needed the extra cash so I tweeted a few more affiliate links than usual. I’m going to rethink my Twitter strategy in the coming months, and take the number of affiliate links into account. I appreciate y’all keeping me honest.

Thanks so much for all your wonderful feedback. These are so much fun to read as they come in, and a great source of ideas for new content. Some posts I’ll definitely work to incorporate over the next year:

• my organizational methods/tips/tricks
• photography + photo editing tutorials
• blogging tutorials
• DC-centric content
• best bridal shower/wedding gift ideas
• more DIYs (a lot of you called my DIY Mardi Gras Bead Champagne Art out specifically, and I am glad my labor of love has such staying power!)
• entertaining/hosting content

But if you have any other ideas, feel free to email me at any time! x

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Thanks again to all who participated! If there’s anything I’ve left out that you’d like to know, please leave me a comment and I’ll cover it this week in my Friday link love round up.