An Interview With Aby Moore Founder Of You Baby Me Mummy

This week is the start of my interviews with some of biggest mum bloggers currently in the UK and to start the interviews off, I get to interview the inspirational Aby Moore.

Aby is a blogging strategist and founder of youbabymemummy.com, one of the UK’s top family lifestyle blogs. She has written for a range of publications and has worked on a huge number of brand collaborations over the years. Aby’s special sauce is helping mamas turn their blogs into thriving businesses. Enabling them to remain in the home with their children, while they’re building their own online empires. She’s an author, course creator, has founded a successful membership programme and has a hugely loyal online following, the Mamapreneur Revolution. Aby is also a speaker at many blogging conferences and often works as a brand ambassador for international brands. Proving she still walks the walk, as well as helping other’s follow in her footsteps. As the co-host of the podcast The Huddle, Aby is focused on helping as many mamas as possible achieve their dream

1.When and why did you start blogging?

I was on maternity leave, with PND and a 5 month old. I was so worried that I would forget my daughter’s milestones, What age she first smiled etc and my friend was creating a memory scrapbook, but I’m not really a scrapbook type of girl. Also my daughter slept on my chest for what felt like years (!) so I could only move my right arm. I picked up the laptop and Googled ‘how to start a blog’. At the time I’d only read one blog post and thought no-one would ever read it, but we would always have it to refer back to. 

2. Has any previous training or education before blogging, helped you when it comes to blogging?

So many aspects of our ‘lives-before-blogs’ can help us when it comes to blogging. I’m a Psychology graduate and at times this knowledge really helps me. For example, when writing sales pages or understanding why people behave as they do. I‘ve previously worked in sales and some of these skills help me negotiate with brands.

3. Do you take much notice of your blogging statistics? (page views, unique monthly users, charts etc)

In order for you blog to grow you do need to pay attention to stats. It’s important to analyse which pieces of content are getting traction and being appreciated by your audience. Successful bloggers serve their audience and so it is imperative to know what they want so you can create more content like that. In terms of charts, I think they can put you on the radar of brands, but they shouldn’t be the be-all-and-end-all. If your blog is serving your audience well and you are making a contribution to your community then your blog is a success, regardless of chart position. I’ve been #1 in the Tots100 chart three times and my life hasn’t changed yet! ( 🙂 ) 

4. When you get approached by a brand who want to work with you, how do you decide if its right for you and your readers?

For me this is usually a quick decision. I’m quite selective when it comes to choosing brand partners. When you’ve been blogging a while you get to know almost instinctively what is a good fit for you, your blog and your audience. The brand needs to fit with your niche and the content should fit as seamlessly as possible.

5. What do you think are the key ingredients that make a successful top blog?

Written in an authentic voice and focused on serving its audience. Until you build up a following you need to be focused on delivering content that helps your ideal readers reduce/eliminate their pain points. If you’re a new blogger and you post about a family trip to the farm then no-one is really going to care (harsh as that sounds), but if you write the same content but focus it on reviewing the venue or focused on how to enjoy a family day out for less than £20 quid (for example) this post will get more traction, as it is helping people. Then when you have build an audience you can produce some of the more personal-focused content because your audience is invested and interested in you.

6. How do you balance your work/life balance?

As a workaholic this is something I have yet to master! I don’t actually believe in a work life balance. Our lives and work are so intertwined that I think it is all just life. Sometimes the focus will be on work and other times personal life. For me there are no strict lines on the sand, which I think is the case for many of us you can be out enjoying a day out with your family but take a few images for use on your blog or social media. I try to make sure that whatever I’m doing in that moment (be it work or personal) I give it 100% focus.

7. Many bloggers won’t talk about or use photos of their children on their blog. What are your feelings when it comes to talking about your children on your blog?

For me the boundaries will be different for each person. I’ve only ever posted ‘clothed’ images. I never used to give my daughters name for the first couple of years. Then something shifted and I decided to share it. Obviously, I’m careful with the information I share, but it would feel weird sharing our lives and not showing her. 

8. You have won awards for your work on your blog. How important is it to win an award for your blog?

There’s no doubt that winning awards, being finalists and being at the top of ranking charts can give you a boost. Blogging is hard and so these little joy moments are very welcome, but ultimately they don’t really matter. I’ve had readers show that my content and advice has helped them give up their jobs and blog full time. Not return to work after maternity leave and be able to afford things for their families that they couldn’t have previously and that is worth so much more to be than any award or chart position.

9. As a premier mum blogger and influencer in the UK, do you feel under any pressure or certain responsibility in regards to the content you publish?

I think we all have a responsibility to do the best job we can. I have a responsibility to my audience to create content that will help them reach their goals. As long as I’m doing that I’m happy.

10. If blogging was eliminated tomorrow, what would you do to make a living?

I’d probably have to write another book!

11. What do you think your children will think when they are teenagers about how their early life has been recorded online? Happy or mortified?

Our children’s lives are so different to ours at their ages. At the moment my daughter LOVES being on camera, in pictures and making the odd impromptu livestream appearance! If ever she doesn’t want to be involved, she doesn’t have to be. That’s her decision. I started my blog to give her a rich history of images and information, which I never had, so I know she will be grateful for that in years to come.

12. When family or friends find out you are a blogger, what is their reaction?

They are always so interested in how it works and amazed that this entire world exists that they had no real idea about. 

13. Since you have started blogging, do you think it has changed and how?

I think there is more expectation in the minds of people starting now. I’ve had people say to me they want to make money from a blog, but haven’t got any time to put into it! When I started I think more people started for the love of it and for the creative outlet. I certainly had no idea this crazy world existed. Now I feel people have more awareness of blogging and so people are going into it purely to try to make money. 

14. Is there any subject you won’t write about on your blog? If so what and why?

There are many topics I wouldn’t write about. Either that they aren’t really a good fit for my niche or they have no interest for me personally. There is no point in creating content knowing that it won’t be of interest to my readers, that’s just a waste of time and energy.

15. Do you find Pr’s and brands easy to deal with?

I’ve never had any big issues with brands or PRs. As long as your professional and do your best work, you’ll be just fine.

16. Where do you see your blog in five years time? Will you still be writing it, or will you have moved onto something else?

Oh I’ll definitely still be writing. I hope my next book will be out and I have lots of other plans that I hope will have come to fruition by then. Most of all I want to feel contented and know that I’m still helping people use their strengths to make their lives better.

17. What has been the most exciting thing to have happened to you from being a blogger?

There are so many things I could pull out of the *almost* 5 years I’ve been blogging. We’ve had amazing holidays, travelled to different countries to speak and attend conferences, attended spectacular brand events in places like Lisbon and Monaco. As well as being able to earn way more than I did on a full time job (with a part time income on top) from my couch in PJ’s. However, for me the best and most exciting thing to happen to me is the friends that I’ve made. I have the best group of friends that have become IRL friends and I couldn’t live my life without them. 

18. What has given you the most satisfaction from blogging?

Without a doubt making a difference in peoples lives. I have one client that was about to call a food bank and a few months later she had a thriving business. Being able to make real impact is what keeps my nose to the grindstone.

20. Finally did you ever in your dreams think that you would become a premier mum blogger when you started?

I didn’t know anything when I started and I’d only read one blog post. I have no idea that this strange, but awesome world even existed.

Thank you to Aby for her interview with me, now I suggest you rush off to check out her blog, and of course follow Aby on social media.