Well… the title says it all. It’s the end of an era.
After seven and a half years and 500 link up parties, I’m doing something that I never thought I’d do. I’m saying goodbye to the Friday Faves link up.
I started my blog in mid-February of 2015 (see my first post here) and within a few weeks, I had created my very first link up party. My link up parties actually started out with weekly trends on Wednesdays. After a few weeks, I came to the conclusion that trend parties were much more difficult to host so I changed it to what you know now as the Friday Favorites link up. And it stuck!
For years, link parties were great! I found that it was an amazing way to not only gain traffic early on but to connect with other bloggers, get inspired and build many of the relationships that I still have today. The link party landscape has changed dramatically just as blogging has changed due to the rise of social media. I kept the link up going because I loved the supportive community that it created.
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Why I Decided to Stop Hosting Link Up Parties
I want you all to know that this is a decision that I did not take lightly. In fact, it’s something that I mulled over for the last two and a half years. I actually began writing this post in January of this year but my little heart couldn’t take it. I wasn’t ready to let go.
As many of you know, I’ve gone through some major life changes in the past few years. I’m not the same person that I was when I started my blog and blogging itself has changed drastically since I started. I’ve been fighting it for as long as I could but I feel that now is the perfect time to evolve my blog, just as I have evolved as a person.
You might be wondering why I decided to stop hosting link up parties after all this time? After all, this is how I’ve met so many of my wonderful blogger friends and readers and I wholeheartedly attribute some of my early blog growth to this little link party. Here are a few reasons why I ultimately decided to stop hosting link up parties.
Lack of Time
Time has been a huge factor. My workload has increased immensely over the last few years, especially after starting my YouTube channel. You may have noticed that I stopped sharing the Blogger Pick of the Week quite a while ago and this was due to time restrictions on my part. The whole point of link ups, in my opinion, is to connect with other bloggers in the community – check out what they posted, engage, etc. But all of that time adds up and it ended up consuming a large part of my day. I don’t have a team… it’s just me. And I felt like it had gotten to the point where I was putting more time into redundant daily tasks rather than putting it toward something that would be more beneficial to me longterm.
Pressure & Restrictions
Surprisingly (or maybe not lol!), hosting a link party can put a lot of pressure on the host. Link parties kept me consistent all these years but they’ve also been limiting in some aspects. I felt a heavy pressure to overwork myself in order to remain on schedule. Early on, I would run myself into the ground – staying up well past midnight to finish writing my post, setting up the link party (along with creating graphics, code, etc) and manually sending reminder emails out once it went live. I kid you not… when I started out, I had a handwritten list of HUNDREDS of emails that had linked up previously and I input them in one by one each week (this was before I discovered Mailchimp haha!).
It was a lot, especially since I was basically working 3-4 full-time jobs during my early blogging years. I also felt anxiety if I forgot to post when traveling or if I fell asleep early. It was always important to be consistent with the timing as I have readers based worldwide. And to be among the first to link up was a big deal as it typically ensured more traffic. I understood that and it was important to me to maintain it for my readers and fellow bloggers.
As the years went on, link party days felt a bit more restrictive. I felt like I had to reserve my “best” posts for Friday and that there were limitations on what I could and couldn’t post. Of course, it’s quite possible that I put these restrictions on myself but this heavily affected my content calendar and even my personal schedule at times.
Dependence
With that being, I also felt like some people were becoming a bit too dependent on the link up parties. I always send out an annual survey and ask questions like “How did you find my blog?” and “Why do you continue to follow me?” It was interesting to find that SO many of my readers have actually found me through link parties! YAY I love that! It was also interesting to find out that a few also solely visit my blog just for the link parties. And that one was a kick in the gut.
I’m sure many bloggers can attest to this but I have always put so much time, effort, and love into my posts. It’s so much work and as much as I adored hosting link parties, it was a bit unnerving to know that some scroll right past the post that I put my heart and soul (and many hours) into just to link up their own blogs.
I also feel that I was getting too dependent on them as well. As I mentioned, quitting my link party has been in the back of my mind for quite some time now. There were several reasons why I waited but one of them was because I was afraid of losing the community that I worked so hard to build. These relationships mean the world to me and I didn’t want them to disappear as soon as I stopped hosting. I also know that many people looked forward to the link ups and I didn’t want to disappoint anyone.
Decline in Popularity
Link up parties are not the same as they once were, sadly. Back in the day, when you used to link up, it would help immensely with traffic and being introduced to new readers. For whatever reason, it doesn’t quite have that effect any longer. I’ve noticed that many people do not participate anymore and if they do, it’s the same people (which is totally fine by the way!). However, it just doesn’t seem like we are getting as much out of it as we used to (other than the community aspect) and I’m not sure it’s worth the monetary cost for me to run it anymore.
At times, there were well over 100 entries and new bloggers were constantly joining the link up. Over the past few years, I’ve noticed a heavy decline in participation and I can’t even remember the last time I saw someone new link up. The interest in co-hosting the link up with me also declined over the years in conjunction with the disappearance of many other link parties.
I’ve also noticed that along with the declining interest of link parties, there’s been a very noticeable difference in commenting as well. Years ago, it was not unusual for me to get over a hundred comments on a single blog post and now it’s a small fraction of that. I have no idea if this is correlated somehow or if it’s just part of the ever-changing blogging landscape. And then there are the blogger awards and online communities, which have have seemingly vanished right along with these.
I do think that social media (*ahem* Instagram) has a lot to do with this. Everything is SO fast now and people seem to have shorter attention spans. The magic of those old blogging days seems to be long gone, which makes me so sad!
My Evolution
With that being said, I’m a different person than I was when I started in 2015. This is one of the main reasons that I’ve decided to quit hosting my link party. I’m the same at my core with the same values, morals and beliefs but over the last few years, I’ve evolved and grown so much as a person. It’s only natural that my blog and brand would evolve too.
Moving forward, I want every aspect of my blog to identify with who I am now and not who I once was. As a blogger and influencer, you are expected to keep up with where the industry is going and honestly, it’s a lot. There is always some new platform or skill to learn and you are expected to take on everything, even when your plate is already full. There’s no time to do it all so I want to make sure that what I do moving forward is intentional, authentic and manageable.
I have been terrified to do this because I didn’t want to disappoint anyone. And historically, my link party days have been the most engaged and viewed posts of each week. As a full-time blogger, your traffic does matter unfortunately. I was scared that if I stopped hosting the link parties, then my traffic would drop off and the community of blogger friendships I built over the years would vanish.
Although I know that some people only followed along for the link parties, I don’t want that to be the case moving forward. I want people to come to my blog and leave feeling happy, inspired and excited for the next post. I want people to comment because they genuinely want to – because they want to be supportive or because they found an article insightful, relatable, inspiring or interesting. And most of all, I definitely don’t want to lose the community aspect, which is why I held off on doing this.
Changes
So where do we go from here?
I hinted earlier this year that I would be making some big changes in 2022 and while many of these weren’t and won’t be implemented right away, I’ve been working diligently behind the scenes. I’ve felt the need to “shake things up” for a while and I am confident that now is the right time to let go of this and embrace the future. I’m finally ready to transform my blog and brand into what I’ve always intended for it to be.
Blog
For a while now, I’ve been feeling that I needed to make some changes and really hone in on what I do best. In the past, my content was dictated by so many things and while they were things that I loved to share, it was so all-consuming that the things that I truly wanted to share went overlooked.
As you know, fashion has been my main category since I began and it truly is where my passion lies. What I didn’t realize is the uniqueness of my style and how that has affected the direction I want to take. I don’t solely want to share outfits just to share outfits. I want to have a more meaningful impact than that.
There are some content categories that I will be sharing less of and some that I will be sharing more of or introducing. What makes my style and brand unique is the celebration of femininity so I want to share this in a more well-rounded, refined and simplified way. Of course, I will continue to update you all through my Month in Review series on the first Friday of each month(ish) and share my seasonal bucket lists but I am also planning to introduce another very exciting series this year so stay tuned! For now, I’ll continue my blogging cadence as it’s always been – Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Video
Something that I did not fully expect to fall in love with was video. It’s still something I’m working on but I really love it and I love the way that I can connect with others through this medium. If you didn’t know, I have a page completely dedicated to my YouTube videos – feel free to check that out here.
In regards to video content, I have so many ideas and so many things that I want to share! For now, I’ll continue to upload once a week to YouTube but I have plans to increase this to twice a week in the near future. I have also started to embrace more short form video content, which you can find on Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok.
One thing to note – many of these are entirely new pieces of content that are separate from each other so please feel free to follow along on whichever platforms you like best to stay in touch!
Shopping
My video hauls have been highly requested so I will continue to share my latest faves in hauls, reviews and try ons. I also have a variety of shopping pages including my LTK shop, Amazon storefront and a page dedicated to all of the products I’m currently trying out in my Unboxing Fridays.
Newsletter
I have some very exciting things going on in this arena that will be specific only to my newsletter subscribers. If any of you have participated in any of my past link ups, then you are on my link party reminder newsletter list. This does not subscribe you to my official newsletter. I will not be moving over any subscribers of the link party reminder list but I will keep the list for any important future announcements.
However, I’d love if you kept in touch via my official newsletter where you can find important announcements, giveaways and customized content. You can opt in here!
Outfit Details
White Bl-nk London Lace Top c/o (similar) | Pink Chicwish Skirt c/o | Pink WOLF1834 Handbag (similar) c/o | Cream Kate Spade Bow Sandals (similar) | Lele Sadoughi Pearl Headband (similar) | Sequin Jewelry Pearl Bracelet c/o (use LIZZIEINLACE20 for 20% off!) | Olivia Mar Ring c/o | Charlotte Tilbury Lipstick | Halo Hair Extension (use LIZZIEINLACE for $25 off!)
Last Things to Note
The Friday Favorites Link Up will official end in two weeks. The last link party will go live on Friday, August 5th – I hope you will stop by to celebrate! As far as participating, I do plan to continue to support those that are still hosting by linking up and engaging. The only change is that I will no longer host.
Lastly, even with the changes and lack of the link up, I hope that you all will remain part of the community. Many of you that continue to link up have been doing so from the very beginning and I can’t even begin to explain how much itI appreciate all of the support, kindness and encouragement that you all have shown me throughout the years and I hope that we can continue to show this to one another throughout our blogging journeys for many more years to come!
Love you all so much!! <3
xoxo, Lizzie
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I completely understand why you are stopping the link parties. It is a lot of work. I’ve seen a lot of bloggers end because of the declining numbers. I will still support you my friends! So glad we are in a group on Insta. Thanks for hosting all these years!
https://www.kathrineeldridge.com
Thank you so much, Kathrine! It definitely is and it makes me so sad to stop 🙁 Aw yes! I’m glad that we are too.You’ve been here since the beginning and that means so much! I’ll continue to support you on there and on your blog as well! You are so welcome!! <3
As a fellow linkup host, I completely understand your perspective. It’s sad because when linkups were good, they were so fun and a great way to meet other bloggers! It’s harder to discover new bloggers other ways. But the time and effort don’t really make sense much anymore. I know it’s the end and I’m sure I will end my linkup at some point, I’m just not sure when.
Thank you so much Laura! It was definitely a tough decision. Absolutely!! They were so great in the beginning! And I’ve really loved hosting all these years. It has really created such an incredible community. And of course, I will still continue to support yours each week <3
I completely understand how you are feeling. The idea of those things is too connect with likeminded others who share your interest and a great way to form a community. But it comes across now like it’s a click. And quite honestly, there’s no room for individuality in something so sorted for the regulars if that makes sense. I’ve seen this on certain ones 🙂 I think you post great content that is unique to you. And definitely keep doing what feels right and natural. It’s best to share what makes you smile and not feel like an uneasy effort. Have a great weekend by the way.
https://www.bauchlefashion.com/2022/07/fashions-2022-forecast-voluminous.html?m=1
Thank you so much Heather! You are absolutely right. That’s the whole point in my opinion and the reason why I hosted all these years. I loved the community. Agreed! I don’t think it started off that way but over the years, more has gotten added to each of our plates and I think that some just breeze by and add their link in an effort to save time. I can’t fault people for that but it does sting when you’ve put so much heart into your post. I totally agree! I think that this will be a good thing for me down the line. I appreciate your support throughout all these years – it means the world!! And of course, I look forward to continuing to support you as well! <3
Yes, exactly right. I think it can be really bad that someone doesn’t look at all the hard work you put into your content and breezing by with their link is exactly what I thought as well. I will continue to support you as well since I’m loyal to people that I feel are true artists and continue to create such great content. I hope your enjoying the August season.
🥰
The world changes Lizzie and so do we – moving on is initially difficult but it’s the right thing for you. The most important thing now is to be true to yourself and the unique brand you have created. You have a niche topic that celebrates feminity, freeing up time will allow you to concentrate on establishing yourself more with the many like minded women around the world ready to welcome this very specialized expertise.
Thank you so much for the many many linkups I have enjoyed and the time and effort involved. My love and best wishes go with you through all your exciting ventures in the future.
Pamela x
http://www.style-yourself-confident.com
That is so true! It’s really been a tough decision to make. Absolutely! I think this will free up some time for me to do the things I’ve always wanted to do and to expand my brand even further. It stings now but I think it will be a good thing down the line. You are so welcome, Pamela!! Thank you so much for your support throughout the years and for such encouraging words!! I will definitely keep supporting you and your ventures as well <3
I understand completely. Things are always changing and we must evolve and grow with the new ways of doing things.
Thank you for all your hard work and the link-ups. I will continue to follow you and wish you the best of luck in your new endeavors.
Rosemary
Absolutely! You are so welcome, Rosemary!! Thank you so much for always being so supportive – it does not go unnoticed. And of course, I look forward to continuing to follow you as well!! <3
I can fully understand your decision. I just a link up party every Friday for about 6 years and it is exactly as you say. I will continue to follow you as I just love your posts and your style. And looking forward to all the new things!
Absolutely! You know firsthand how much it has changed. It was definitely a tough decision! Thank you so much for all the support throughout the years!! I love yours as well and I’m looking forward to continuing to follow you as well, Nancy! <3
Lizzie, I have been having a lot of these same thoughts about link parties. I host quite a few of them and they have always been a means for me to stick to a schedule. But like you said, it requires a lot or work and I have been so overwhelmed with other life things that I can never even get around to visiting and reading all the wonderful blogs that do join my parties. For years, I made that a priority. If you linked with me, I made sure to comment above all other things. And now I just can’t find the time and often my desire lacks as well. After I respond to all the comments and emails and have written the posts that I need to write, I simply run out of the motivation to write even more words in comments to others. I always feel so bad about it, too. The landscape of blogging has changed tremendously and I am not sure where I fit into the new landscape. The written word has always been my preferred medium and I think it always will be. I don’t like to watch or make videos and the social media platforms just confuse me. So I am going to keep trudging along on my little website and I will keep hosting link parties for now. But I definitely see them being phased out…onwards we must go! I look forward to seeing the new direction of your brand, my friend. Keep shining your light and love into the world!
Shelbee
Aww! You are the Link Party Queen!! I don’t know how you do it all!! I totally agree with you there – they’ve helped so much with keeping my schedule consistent. I did the same thing at first. I used to comment on everyone’s blog and would prioritize it above other things. It was really important to me to create and maintain that community, even if I wasn’t getting much out of it on my end. It’s so tough now!! Not only do we spend many, MANY hours on our blog posts but now we are expected to keep up with the demands of social media in an effort for our work to be seen. And those platforms are constantly changing – it’s a lot, especially when you are one person doing it all. Blogging has definitely changed and like you, I’ve seen a huge shift in content creation as a whole. It’s confusing and time consuming to learn a new medium, especially if you’re heart isn’t in it. Back then, I feel like people shared because they wanted to – because they had a passion for it. And now, it’s all about numbers, quantity and appealing to short attention spans. It’s been difficult for me to evolve as well so I get it. However, I think you have SUCH a talent for writing!! I always enjoy your posts and love the unique insight you provide. If you ever wrote a book, I’d definitely be the first in line to purchase (and get an autograph!). You’ve been the biggest supporter of my link ups all these years and have been following along since day one. You don’t know how much that means to me, truly! So thank you, Shelbee!! And of course, I will still continue to support your link ups and posts <3
Oh my goodness, you made me get all teary eyed! Thank you so much, my friend!
Totally understand—I once looked into hosting my own linkup and I was so overwhelmed, I decided not to do it. Blogging is work, yes, but it should feel creative and joyful, not draining! I will continue to follow and support you, and wish you the best of luck!
Cheryl Shops | http://www.cherylshops.net
Thank you so much, Cheryl! Oh yes… SO much work lol!! It doesn’t seem like it but there’s so many little details involved. I really loved hosting all these years but I think the extra time will really help me out right now. That is so true!! Drained is the last thing I want to feel 🙂 And of course, I will continue to follow and support you as well!! <3
You really know how to communicate so well. The community definitely has changed, that’s for sure. And you are spot on that change doesn’t have to be bad. I always call it evolving too, and I think that’s important.
I know I stopping adding my posts to link ups about the time we moved to AZ because I just didn’t have the time. I still love to blog, but like you said when you’re the one employee doing everything, you have to evaluate what you put your time towards. And it takes so much more time than people realize.
I always love your content. In fact, I remember learning so much about taking flat lays from you. You have such talent and I can’t wait to see where you go nect.
XOOX
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Aw Thank you so much Jodie!! I appreciate that! Absolutely. That is so true! There is so much that goes into blogging that people don’t understand. It’s so much more than writing out some words and publishing a post. And over the years, we’ve had much more put onto our plate with the ever-changing landscape of blogging and introduction of social media that seems to be ever-changing. So much to keep up with and we are only one person so naturally, we have to prioritize the things that work best for us. Aww that makes me so happy to know – thank you for sharing the impact I had with the flat lays 🙂 I appreciate it so much! And of course, I love your content too and always enjoy seeing the interesting outfit combos you ladies come up. You’ve been here from the beginning and it means so much to me. Looking forward to continuing to support!! <3
Change can be a good thing! And I’ve definitely noticed a huge decline in link parties. I’ll still be stopping by each week regardless!
Jennifer
Curated by Jennifer
Absolutely!! There has definitely been a change, which makes me so sad!! But I do think this will be a good thing. Thank you so much for all the support, always! And of course, I will continue to support you as well!! <3
I totally see where you are coming from and I have noticed that blogging has changed so much these days. It is not the same as it was 5 years ago and not so many participate in groups to support each other’s posts. I know it can be time consuming and life happens where you just can’t seem to find time to participate in link parties or other groups as well. As for me I have not been blogging as much as I normally did before. I have been thinking of doing something different but still can’t let go of my blogging. I still like to blog whenever I am in the mood for it and to keep me busy. You have a gorgeous content and I have always enjoyed reading your blogs! xo
It definitely has. And the participation of pretty much everything has dwindled down. It’s a time consuming labor of love but I have a passion for it and that’s why I continue. Life has definitely gotten busier over the last few years though and sadly, there’s just not enough time to do everything anymore. I think that many have been in your position! And I think it’s perfectly okay to blog whenever you want or feel the need to. It shouldn’t feel forced. I know that I, for one, have always enjoyed your content and style as well but I will support you in whatever you choose to do. Until then, I’ll keep supporting you on here!! <3
Being a host, I could really relate to what you are saying Lizzie! I am considering it as well for the same reasons. Blogging has certainly changed, and we started our linkups about the same year, as I started blogging in 2014, and a year later did the linkup. IG and social media has taken over and I really related to when you said you took hours to create a meaningful post and at times people just cruise on by and linkup their blog posts. I also loved the community of it all, and it is a bit sad, it is not quite the same. But like you said, perhaps change is a good thing. I appreciated this post and hope you have a great weekend!
jess xx
http://www.elegantlydressedandstylish.com
Absolutely!! It has changed so much. Oh wow, I didn’t realize you started a year before me (or maybe I did and just forgot lol!) – that’s amazing!! Absolutely. Blogging is definitely a labor of love most times. We put too much time and effort into it for people just to cruise on by. The community was what I loved most of all. After all, it’s how I met you and so many others!! You’ve been following since the beginning and that means the world to me! Thank you so much, Jessica! I’m looking forward to seeing more of your beautiful posts! <3
What a nice, lightweight, long sleeve top! Living in Florida, I always get funny looks wearing long sleeves and jackets year ’round, but it’s just the style I’m most comfortable in. Wish there were more tops like this one in stores locally.
I’ll be sad to see this party end, but interested to see how things evolve.
Best Wishes!
Alexandra
OnRockwoodLane.com
Thank you so much Alexandra! This would be perfect!! The sleeves are lace so super lightweight and pretty. 🙂 I appreciate your support!! Thank you so much for following along! I’ll continue to follow you as well!! <3
Thank you for hosting for so many years, Lizzie! Times are changing and I appreciate that you are looking at different ways to stay you and stay relevant.
I hope you are having a great week so far!
Amber
Visit AvecAmber.com
Follow Avec Amber on Bloglovin
Aw you are so welcome, Amber!! Definitely. It was a tough decision to make but I think it will be a good thing in the long run. I appreciate you always being so supportive!! And of course, I’ll continue to follow along with you as well <3
I completely understand. Blogging really isn’t the same as it was a few years ago. I’ve noticed a huge decline on comments and link party participants too. I always have love your posts and look forward to still stopping by to check them out!
Jill – Doused in Pink
If anyone understands, it’s you! There’s been a noticeable shift, which makes me so sad. I miss the old days of blogging!! Hopefully the tables will turn in the future 🙂 Thank you so much for being a supporter all these years. I love yours too and will continue to support you as well!! <3
I completely understand while you’re stopping. It’s a lot of work. And blogging has changed so much. It’s not the same community building experience between bloggers that it used to be.
I’m really proud of you for making this decision for yourself. Since I never participated in link parties, I never really knew what they were or how they worked. It was actually really interesting reading this and finding out more about that aspect – even as you’re choosing to no longer participate in them. I’m glad that they were such a positive part of your blogging journey for many years! Here’s to a new chapter for your blog 🙂
All your reasons for stopping link up parties resonate with me. I have been soul searching about whether or not to carry on with blogging because traffic has fallen dramatically since the end of the pandemic. I can’t see myself embracing video because I have too much to learn. Sounds like you have a solid plan going forward, focusing on your blog’s USP of femininity. Hope you will still join the link parties!
Hi Lizze, I so agree on all of this. This is why I seldom link up anymore. I do sometimes just to keep connected with blogger friends. You are totally right, blogging has changed so much. Social isnt doing much for my brand either, so I have to rethink everything. With instagram and their constant GAMES of pushing content creators into a box to do things their way ..or else they hide your content. Hello..not everyone is a tech genius to be able to spend HOURS doing reels…I refuse to be put in a box, so I ‘ll keep doing me! I started blogging in Aug 2014 and yes things have changed immensely!
Keep being awesome and perhaps we can meet up someday, since I am not far from you in Las VEgas! I am planning to move back to WA tho by summer, I dont like living here LOL..its great for vacays tho!!
xo
Valerie
http://www.mapleleopard.com