The year 2018  was such a special and surprising year for me. My “baby”, HEDONISTIT  has become, before my eyes, not only an international and informative platform followed by thousands of people, but also as a real community in which relationships are formed and friends are made. I am so happy that i was able to spend the year doing what I love as part of my day-job, and that I was able to contribute, help, and offer my advice to so many people on the way to realizing my own, personal dreams ♥

Every single time I receive an email, a comment on my blog, a message on Facebook or Instagram, my heart fills with joy! Every  message reinforces my understanding that I made the right decision when I chose “blogging” as my way of life , and I continue to discover how great the community I have built around me really is.

Just before I set my goals for next year, I decided to reflect on the past year and share a short, concentrated  post of all the things that happened over the past year on and thanks to the blog.

BLOG

I’ve written dozens of new blog posts  mainly on the subjects of travel guides and blogging guides. After realizing that these two subjects are what I currently enjoy writing about most, I’ve turned the two two into the website’s two main categories.

My blog traffic rose by almost 90%  thanks to a constant increase in each of the blog’s traffic channels – organic, social networks, referrals, emails and direct access to the site.

The number of subscribers to the site's newsletter has increased tenfold I began to really invest in the newsletter this year, and I must admit this is one of the smartest moves I did! Not only did the blog traffic take off, but also the community created around the blog became much stronger and my connection with each of you became more personal.

I opened the Facebook group “The Blogging Babes – The Israeli Blogger Community”  I dreamed of opening this group for a long time and finally it happened last year! Since then the group has already reached more than 1,500 friends and is constantly growing and developing.

I launched my free blogging e-course for beginner bloggers  After being asked many questions about blogging, I decided to write an email course that gathers the answers to the questions I've been asked the most and it quickly became a huge success with more than 10,000 subscribers!

I opened my blog to guest posts  After a long period of deliberation I decided to open my blog to external bloggers and enable the publication of a guest post on my blog. I believe in the power of the community I have been able to construct and I’m happy to offer a platform to other bloggers who want to gain exposure.

I collaborated professionally with brands I love  Many people say to me “I can barely see you posting sponsored posts on your blog and instagram, are you even earning money from you collaborations? “. The truth is, I receive many collaboration offers, on Instagram as well as on the blog, but I carefully select the campaigns for brands which I really like or believe in, and that suit the spirit of my blog. This is something I don’t compromise about, and I greatly believe that when you try to get your hands on it all, you’re eventually left with close to nothing. You have no idea how many times I see bloggers and social influencers advertising products that simply do not match their brand and style, and how unpleasant the clash can be. As a follower of theirs it just makes me feel uncomfortable and in my opinion it creates more harm than good. My integrity and brand are much more important to me than a little extra money in the bank.

ACHIEVEMENTS

I was chosen by Pinterest! My Amsterdam travel guide was selected from a million articles to demonstrate one of Pinterest’s top traveling trends of 2018 ״Living la vida local“!

I was interviewed for an article in GoStyle Magazine  At the very beginning of the year a 3-page article about me was published in GoStyle, my favorite Israeli magazine {and later in the weekend magazine XNET}. In the interview I talked about the circumstances that led me to open my blog, behind the scenes of the blogging world, and more …

I had a permanent spot on The Good Life TV channel  In the show ‘On Set with Noa Tishbi’. I hosted a corner about foodies in Israel and abroad. It was my first time ever on television and I was extremely nervous, but decided to take the risk and I’m so happy I did! It was a wonderful experience and opened many doors for me.

I appeared in Vanity Fair Italia  An image from the post I wrote about The LaLit Hotel in London appeared in the magazine’s October issue in an article about the British capital.

FREELANCE WORK

I created visual content for brands in Israel and abroad  I worked with local and international brands to create visual content for marketing on the social networks. Whether I’m talking still photography, GIFs or videos, the companies approach me because they like the unique style and aesthetic of my blog, and are interested in creating quality content that includes concept, styling, photography and editing. My blog and Instagram account served as my business card and attracted potential clients, so that in this case the marketing was actually more passive, and only once did I turn to  a brand I wanted to create content for, myself.

I built strategies for visual branding on social networks  In addition to creating visual content, I also created visual branding strategies for each of the businesses I photographed. I live and breathe the world of visuals and Instagram so it was only a matter of time before I did it professionally 🙂

I’ve advised dozens of bloggers and owners of small businesses  This year I officially launched my consulting services, which have become very popular. Although the time I can allow myself right now for consultations is very limited, I hope to broaden the activity in the future!

TRAVELS

This year I have traveled to 7 destinations around the world and have had amazing experiences in each of them! One of things I love most about my job is that I am free to travel whenever I’d like to {Without having to ask for permission from anyone!}.

So where did I travel?

Berlin, Germany

Bucharest, Romania

Athens and Zakynthos, Greece

London, England

A long trip to Italy

Vienna, Austria

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

WIth a year like this one, I cannot wait to see what the next chapter – 2019!! –  has in store 🙂

Finally, I would like to wish you a year filled with achieving goals, health, love and the pleasures of both small and large, happy new year! ⭐

I would really like to hear about your greatest achievements this year, so share your story below!

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