Reader Survey Results (+ the giveaway winner!)

As you probably know (since many of you filled it out!), a couple weeks ago I asked Just Bee’s readers to fill out a little blog survey.

And like I said in this post, I really get so excited about these! A survey is such a specific, useful way for me to find out what you enjoy on Just Bee and how I can improve the blog. I’ve never done this before, but I thought it’d be interesting to actually share the results with you all!

(The survey questions were a bit more specific than I’ll share here in today’s post, but I wanted to at least share the general thoughts and results coming from readers like you!) The point of sharing the results today is not only because they’re interesting, but also because I think it’s important for you as readers to see who is in this Just Bee community with you — who you’re journeying with here! I feel it fosters connections and relatability between readers to know who’s all reading the blog alongside themselves!

I do have to say a huge THANK YOU to those of you who filled out my survey!! It means the world to me to receive feedback like this! I am also blown away by the sheer number of you who took the time to do the survey for me — it’s the largest number yet of readers who have filled out a survey for me and I’m honored and humbled!

May 2017 Survey Results:

Length of readership: The majority of you have been reading this blog for a year or longer, and there’s also a sizable group of you who have read the blog for 6 months or more. THANK YOU to those of you who have stuck with Just Bee for a long time – even since its humble beginning – your presence really matters around here and I’m honored to have you continuing to read along. There are also good numbers of readers who are relatively new here, having read the blog for 1-6 months. That is encouraging to me because it shows that Just Bee is still continuing to reach new audiences! It is wonderful to see this community grow!

Bloggers or not: The large majority of you are not bloggers yourselves. This is always interesting for me to use as a survey question, because sometimes I forget that most of my current readers aren’t bloggers! Knowing this helps me to guide my blog in that I know I won’t be posting entirely about blogging tips (although, as I’ll share later, several of you did express a desire to see more blogging tips).

Age of readers: Most of you are between 23 and 30, and the next largest age group for Just Bee readers is age 31-40, with age 19-22 close behind. This is the perfect “sweet spot” that I was hoping to see! I gear my blog most towards people (specifically, women) who are in their 20s but I was thrilled to see that age 31-40 is pretty well represented here also…since that’s the next age category I myself will be in eventually! (I’m 26 now.) I’m also happy to see that age 19-22 is another significant reader group, since that is the “typical” college age that will soon be transitioning into the more established 20-something age group!

Life stage of readers: We have a large variety of life stages here in the Just Bee community, but I’ll share the categories that are most common here. 54% of you are married, with other smaller percentages being single or in a dating relationship.

About a third of you marked that you have children. This is a new category for me to explore too, since we’re expecting our first! Over half of you responded that you work full-time or part-time (which is why I’ve written posts like this one) and a third of you stated you are a stay-at-home spouse or parent. My goal is that this blog would meet the needs of both categories of parents – stay-at-home or working moms – focusing on helpful homemaking tips or thoughts on faith, marriage, and parenting.

RELATED: Tips For Managing Your Blog When You Also Work Full-Time

Favorite topics to read about: 72% of you marked that you enjoy posts about homemaking and cleaning! This was fun for me to see – of course, because I love homemaking and cleaning. It’s just something I get excited about. 🙂

69% of you also said you like reading posts about faith or deeper topics. I try not to make every post on this blog deep (a variety is good), but I do tend to be a deep thinker so I’m sure you’ll see more musings faith-wise or otherwise.

52% stated that you enjoy posts on marriage, and 50% of you like posts on travel. I do love sharing posts on marriage, and I love sharing about trips and adventures we go on! I’m glad to hear you like reading them, too. 🙂

RELATED: Our 2016 Europe Trip

What surprised me were the high numbers of readers who stated you like posts on rural/small town life! I’m pleased – I just didn’t expect small town life to be as interesting to others as it is to me! 🙂

What you’d like to see more of: For this survey question, I left it as a fill-in-the-blank question. It’s interesting, though, because when I was reading individual responses, I started to see common themes! I tallied those up. The topics with the most “votes” were Faith/Deeper posts, Marriage posts, Blogging posts, and Product Review posts.

A good number of you expressed that you’d like to see more on blogging. I’ll continue brainstorming posts that may be helpful to you!

I was a bit surprised (pleasantly surprised) to see that many of you would enjoy seeing more Product Review posts. I know that sometimes there can be negative feedback from readers when bloggers share sponsored posts, so this was very encouraging! Just Bee at this point does function as a side income for me, and I do receive compensation and products at times, but please know that I only share honest feedback and products that I actually like! (Just like how I’m a Rodan + Fields skincare consultant — I do it because I personally use and love the products!) I will be sharing more products – even baby-related ones! – fairly soon, so be on the lookout for those posts!

Social media platforms you use: This is always an eyeopening survey question, since as a blogger, I need to be adept at managing and promoting my blog on multiple social media platforms…and sometimes, we bloggers can get caught up in that on our personal favorite platforms without thinking where most of our readers like to follow us!

Half of you who completed the survey follow along on Just Bee’s email list! Woo hoo! It’s so fun to have you on board! Being on the email list allows you to access some awesome printables (like a detailed blogging inspiration workbook, for those of you interested in blogging!), PLUS my email list subscribers were the first ones to hear about our pregnancy and other fun announcements! You definitely want to be on the email list if you’re not already. I don’t send out a ton of email letters, but it is a fun way to stay in touch!

Many of you also follow along with Just Bee on Instagram, Bloglovin’ and Just Bee’s Facebook page. Bloglovin’ (via computer and also the app!) will automatically give you my new posts when they go live. I personally love using the Bloglovin’ app as a means of staying caught up with my favorite bloggers on the go! Just Bee’s Facebook page will also give you the most recent posts, as I always update it with new posts the day they go live (plus other posts I want to share). Instagram is one of my very favorite platforms — and I will try to let you know even more frequently on Instagram when a new post has gone live!

Even though those are the most common ways you’re following Just Bee, I do also share posts on Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr!

My Thoughts Moving Forward:

Overall, this survey was very encouraging!! These results are extremely useful to me, and they do fill me with excitement about this blog’s future, because most of what you have shared you enjoy or want more of are topics in the general direction I’m moving in!

I plan to continue to write about marriage, even though not all of Just Bee’s readers are married. After all, I know that before I personally was dating anyone, I was interested in and passionate about marriage! Before I even met Bjorn, I was reading and learning about marriage because it was a priority to me. Whether you’re that way as a Just Bee reader or not, know that I will continue to talk about marriage in a real and passionate way!

Since we’re expecting our first child, you can bet that pregnancy, motherhood, and parenting are on my mind a lot more now days (although yes, this post popped up on the blog even before I was pregnant!).

RELATED: Why I Read Parenting Books When We Don’t Have Kids Yet

I will be sharing some baby products on the blog before long, and I will continue to share thoughts on motherhood or updates on pregnancy along the way. I’ve always been passionate about sharing what I truly think about products, and I’ve found some things for our little one that I’m super excited about! However, I’m not sure that Just Bee will ever turn into a 100% “mommy blog” (although, who knows, I suppose) because there are SO MANY different post ideas I’ve been brainstorming that fit into multiple different categories!

With so many of you stating that you enjoy reading homemaking/cleaning posts, and many saying that you’d like to see more posts about keeping a home, rest assured that those types of posts will continue as well. 🙂

And now it’s time to talk about the giveaway!

Starbucks Gift Card Giveaway:

At the end of the survey was an option to leave your email address to enter for your chance to win a Starbucks gift card giveaway!

If you haven’t checked your email since starting to read this post, then you should probably do so because….you may be the winner!! As soon as this post goes live, I will be notifying the winner of the Starbucks gift card by email!

Again, thank you for filling out my most recent reader survey! I am so grateful for your insight and feedback. Have a wonderful start to your week, friends!