We’re wrapping up another busy year at Lyrical Host HQ, so it’s time to take a look back at some of the highlights of 2023!
(If you’re new here, we’ve done this before: in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022).
Or keep reading to find out what we got up to in 2023!
January
We kicked off January with Lottie‘s goal setting workshop – 25 attendees from around the world, including Australia, Ireland, the UK and various US states. Finding a time that worked was challenging, but it was more than worth it to hear all about people’s businesses, blogs, goals and dreams.
Later in the month, we took a team trip out (belated Christmas party celebrations!) for a chocolate making workshop at the lovely Studio Chocolate. Between us we made tons of tasty truffles and bars in a range of flavors – very fun!
Over in our Facebook group, I hosted a month-long Residency called “Growing your blog or business in a fun, sustainable way” which covered how to make things achievable and enjoyable for you without falling into the traps of comparing or burning out. And on the blog, we had a fun time rounding up some of the best Google Fonts pairings.
February
February was a huge month for us because we picked up the keys to the new Lyrical Host HQ – aka The Createry! The top floor is the home of the Lyrical Host team, while the other two floors are coworking and content studios (meeting room, podcast/video studio and photography studio) respectively. This was the start of a ton of very different work, as we had over 20 different tradespeople in to get all the spaces looking how we wanted (i.e. not an office!).
Kayla‘s takeover in our Facebook group covered a great but often overlooked topic – video shorts for marketing.
And on the blog we created a much requested bumper post on email deliverability.
March
Jane was over in our Facebook group with a residency on supercharging your website content to boost your success. We’d also had a few people mention they were struggling to find WordPress themes that represented their style, since they love bright colors but so many themes are minimal/neutral. So, we rounded up a bunch of lovely free bright and bold themes.
April
Our Easter-rabbit-themed chatbot, Bunnybot, hopped back to host our traditional virtual egg hunt. This is one of the most popular contests of the year – everyone loves submitting their eggs to Bunnybot for a chance to win a prize!
Over in the Squad, Louise ran a super useful Residency on all things Pinterest strategy. Pinterest has been a bit up and down for people as a traffic source in 2023, so it was good to pick up some tips.
We also published a post on the best free minimal themes for WordPress.
May
In May, half the team went to a really interesting virtual event on connecting and collaborating, which was hosted by two Lyrical Host customers – Willow and Heidi.
Emma was in our customer group running a residency on how to be a successful teacher, especially if you have no formal training but want to share what you’ve learned with others. It was a busy month for Emma as she was also on the blog with her top pick of AI tools!
June
June was a huge month as we officially opened The Createry with a launch party! Covering a Friday evening and Saturday afternoon, we welcomed lots of Lyrical Host customers and friends to see the space. We also had fantastic Lyrical Host customer Ells with a live performance. You can read more about the party over on The Createry blog.
In the run up, we had a clues contest for people to guess what it was we were launching! Although no one guessed exactly, we gave a bunch of prizes to people who guessed things like a photography studio, podcast studio, coworking space, and similar.
Over in the Lyrical Host group, Charlotte hosted a fantastic residency on starting a podcast (topical given we’d just opened a studio!) and on the blog I listed what books to read if you only want to read one book on a given topic.
July
After an extremely busy month preparing for The Createry launch party and finishing up some of the last minute bits and pieces, it was a relief to go into a quieter July!
August
Summer is traditionally a quieter season as so many people are away from their laptops, so it’s usually a chance for us to get prepared for the last few months of the year. This year was very different, as all our free time went into The Createry, but that doesn’t mean we slowed down on the Lyrical Host content!
Over in our Facebook group, we ran a series of small month-long challenges to help people get prepared for the next big affiliate season. And on the blog, we looked back at the most popular posts of all time.
September
“Purposeful content repurposing” was this month’s Residency topic, with Willow on hand to help everyone save time and create more value with their existing content.
On the blog, we covered some of the best free and paid WordPress themes for photographers – which was an immediate hit with some of our photographer customers who were inspired to switch theres.
October
Lottie returned, and took to the stage to run a much-needed residency on self-care and wellness, and here on this blog we looked at some ideas for your Instagram Reels.
We also started planning cross-over events and workshops for The Createry!
November
We welcomed Lyrical Host customer and award-winning photographer Nathan Walker
We also released a limited edition resource bundle, and announced our new 2024 workshops!
The last residency of the year was Alison‘s residency on smartphone photography tips. No equipment needed, just your phone!
Over on the blog, we rounded up a whole bunch of stunning free WordPress themes for travel bloggers.
December
In December, we ran our first in-person crossover Lyrical Host x The Createry event! A bunch of us got together to do some planning for next year, and it was a fun and chilled out end to 2023. We even had a customer, Beth, who visited us all the way from Texas (now that’s commitment!).
In the Squad, we ran a fun little stocking filler contest for people to win a book from their wishlist. We sent books all over the world, from the US to Australia. A fun way to end the year!
How was your 2023? Let us know in the comments!
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