This post is all about them and the inspiration they are for all of us. They are the leaders in the South African blogging industry. All of them left a personal message of inspiration, which they believe is needed for a successful blogging career.

The list is purely random with bloggers from all niches.

Enjoy –

1. Darren Meltz – More Than Food

“Coming from a food writer this may sound a little cliché but it is the most important. You need to have an insatiable appetite for what you write about. This will motivate you to write about what you love and that will show in your work”

2. Eleanor Douglas Meyers – Just Ella Bella

“I don’t regard my blog as hugely successful, what it has shown, however, is staying power (It’s ten years now). I’ve managed to win awards, be featured in numerous publications, use my platform for charitable endeavours, and run many successful campaigns with national brands despite not having millions of followers.

I think what has worked for me was to ignore the trends. I just write and post and share what is authentically me, readers can see through an act really quickly and it is also exhausting to keep that up”

Like Dolly Parton said, find out who you are, and do it on purpose. 

3. Catherine Carstens – Le Famished Cat

“Make sure you buy your domain & make sure you use a good blogging platform such as WordPress”

“Post well written, quality content with great eye-catching visuals that you’ve created yourself. Using stock images is lazy (in my opinion), so don’t start a blog if you don’t want to create good visual content. Content is king and it will also help your SEO eventually, so invest time in it”

“Find your niche. Don’t blog about everything, find a niche and stick to it, that will help you stand out in a sea of blogs on the internet”

4. Sarel van Vuuren – Galore SA

“Be Always truthful to your audience.  Never force your opinion down on others.  Stay honest and sincere and just be yourself.  Never compare to other bloggers as your blog is unique, just like you.”

5. Brent Lindeque – Good Things Guy

“This whole journey has been so humbling, and to be awarded the best blog in the country for three years in a row is a little overwhelming. There are hundreds and thousands of incredibly talented bloggers grinding every day, and just to be placed in the same space as them is an absolute honour”

“The evolution of the Good Things Guy platform has been phenomenal to watch. It’s almost like, through our stories, the country has found unity; the sentiment of the entire country has changed. And people are starting to feel a little more inspired by each other and a little more proudly South African. It’s been a beautiful thing to watch”

“Blogs are platforms that come with a massive level of trust in their readers. It’s an extended and far more real version of journalism where opinions can be voiced without an editorial mandate dictating the tone or angle of the piece”

“As consumers, we find ourselves being influenced more and more by opinions that are real and relevant, and blogs are exactly that. We have no commercial agenda — just a desire to tell our stories, irrespective of subject matter”

“As for 2020, I’m building onto the platform [and have] some new developments in the pipeline”

“Our readerships expand daily, with locals and a growing international audience tuning in to find the good news. We are also now featured in over 150 ‘out of home’ screens, which include hospitals, shopping malls and other public spaces where our good news can inspire”

“The Good Things Guy podcast is growing daily and often appears in the Top 10 SA podcast, as well as on the Apple ‘featured South African podcast’ lists”

“Moreover, we just want to keep telling the stories that matter to people who need to hear them”

6. Helene Olivier – Pretty Belle

“If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life – so not true – blogging started out as a passion project but to monetize your blog you need to put in the hours – it’s damn hard work – just like any other job!

“Be Consistent, Get Creative and Blog about what you Love”

7. Denisya – EatMee Recipes

“If you are contemplating starting a blog, do not over think it, just take the step to creating it. Blogs are a great way to express your ideas and/or products or services” 

“There are many social media platforms to promote your blog – I wish I knew this when I started mine in 2016. It took me a year or so after creating my blog to figure things out, thankfully Google and Web Nomads always has informative ways to help beginners nowadays”

“Also remember, you will always have haters no matter what niche you’re in, do not allow them to bring you down, always focus on the positive and keep pushing forward”

P.S. Make sure to join blogger groups – these are mainly found on Facebook. There are tons of information to help you along the way of your blogging journey as well as cool blogger events that will allow you to meet other amazing bloggers and explore other niches.

8. Naufal Khan – Indian Spice

“The art of a successful blog requires you to be someone who loves writing beautiful content, have a passion for the craft of words – read more, I say to develop your communication methodology” 

“Have a desire to continue learning the latest SEO and content strategies to help you amplify the presence of your content organically”

“When writing content, always think of how this piece of content can have longevity and maintain relevance next year and the year next! “

“Write content that keeps your reader engaged, keep the tone of writing on a human level.  engagement with your audience requires you to be on the pulse of your audience’s chatter. Understand your audience needs first before you throw anything out onto their time lines”

9. Megan Kelly – Cup of Faith

“Don’t allow yourself to get caught up in playing a game of comparison. Keep your head low and focus on your space and what makes it different from others.”

“If you want to run a successful blog be willing to do the work! From sourcing images, writing articles, establishing brand relationships, pitching, proposing, reporting, sharing on social media, engaging with your audience, building a database, sending out mailers, keeping your website updated, learning SEO and technical skills – there’s A LOT to learn and do, but with the right mindset you can do it all and in turn, learn new skills you may never have.”

“The success of my first blog put me on the path and taught me all the skills I know today, which lead me to working for one of the leading digital agencies as an experienced web designer, SEO expert, digital strategist, social media marketer, content creator and client relationship manager – all skills solely learnt from running a blog.”

10. Brendan Dale – Take Charge of Your Money

“Before jumping into anything start off by asking yourself why you want to start blogging, and what it is you want to share. What do you want to get out of it and what do you feel you can offer?

You definitely won’t have all the answers and you’ll figure a lot out along the way. However, if you’re going to spend 1 – 2 hours every day blogging then you better have some sort of idea why you want to do it.

Don’t choose a category based on what you think people will like; just write about what you know and like and figure out how you can help others who like the same things as you. A blog needs to reflect you and it needs to be useful, honest, high quality and interactive.”

11. Fiona Rossiter – Inspired Living 

“As a blogger who is starting out, your first step to blogging success is to just make a start! If you do not try, you will never know – do not let your fear of failure limit you!” 

“Find your PASSION. Focus on something that you love that thing that keeps you awake at night and write about it. Writing from a point of interest or knowledge is essential, and it will definitely come across in your writing and help you create a distinctive “brand”. 

“Next up, establish your NICHE. This may sound simple but believe me, it is not, especially when you are interested in a few different things. Having a niche will give your blog direction and clarity, allowing your readers to know precisely what you are about.”

“Lastly, find your VOICE. It is important to write something that is grammatically well written and researched. You do, however, need to find the inner you, essentially “your voice”, which will help your readers identify your writing from the millions of other bloggers out there.”

There you go, 10 inspirational quotes from South Africa’s best and influential bloggers. I hope you found something that resonates and the inspiration to keep blogging every day. 

Bloggers are caring individuals, and we all love to help each other. Don’t let the fear of the unknown stop you from doing something that could’ve changed your life. 

If you have any questions, ask away in the comment section below. 

Hope you enjoyed this post and as always, 

Happy Blogging