Although I would consider myself a small scale blogger, I've been asked many times about my tips and tricks for starting your own blog and how to keep up with it. So, I figured I would share my best advice below. By no means am I an expert or a professional, just a girl who loves to have fun on the internet and write about all things girly! But, if you even have the slightest bit of curiosity about starting a blog, I highly recommend giving it a go!
Post consistently | One of the most important things I've noticed about starting a blog is that if you don't post consistently, it will be very hard to take off. Unless you have a major following on some other social media platform that follows you over to your blog, you need to post at least once, but most likely more than that, each week in order to gain a decent readership.
Plan ahead | Scheduling your posts is one of the best things you can do! I've tried blogging both ways, with and without scheduling, and find that having scheduled posts works so much better. This way, you can get a few weeks or even a month ahead on posts without stressing about having to write last minute. Have a plan (my posts are MWF at noon!) and just make sure to update any needed content before they go live!
Interact | Ask questions, respond to questions and comments, and use your hashtags wisely. Check out your followers and follow anyone back whose content you really admire. Don't be afraid to communicate with your followers and other bloggers that you enjoy!
Join networks | There are so many Blogger Networks and Influencer groups that you can join! You can see the groups I am a part of on my sidebar. These are great for posting and sharing your content with other bloggers, connecting for giveaways and collaborations, and getting help with anything blogging related. A lot of times these groups will also offer paid sponsorships and other opportunities for exposure.
Connect | It's important to have more than just a blog! Link your posts to Instagram, Twitter, and other social media accounts you have. Make a Facebook page where you highlight your blog posts or include a Pinterest widget on your blog so that followers can see your favorite pins!
Monetize, Analyze + Personalize | Keep up with your analytics! You can use Google Analytics or another service that can monitor your monthly users, visitors, and more. Next, monetizing your blog is a great way to make money while doing what you love! I use ShopStyle, an affiliate link program, that makes money off of clicks. You put a lot of time and effort into your blog, and affiliate links and other monetization tools are a great way to tangibly benefit from all your hard work! Lastly, personalizing your blog using a domain name and a paid layout helps to pull your blog together! I'm currently in the process of purchasing a domain name (and even switching my URL?!) and I can't stress enough how helpful it can be! It adds such a professional quality to your blog.
Monetize, Analyze + Personalize | Keep up with your analytics! You can use Google Analytics or another service that can monitor your monthly users, visitors, and more. Next, monetizing your blog is a great way to make money while doing what you love! I use ShopStyle, an affiliate link program, that makes money off of clicks. You put a lot of time and effort into your blog, and affiliate links and other monetization tools are a great way to tangibly benefit from all your hard work! Lastly, personalizing your blog using a domain name and a paid layout helps to pull your blog together! I'm currently in the process of purchasing a domain name (and even switching my URL?!) and I can't stress enough how helpful it can be! It adds such a professional quality to your blog.
Get feedback | Ask your family, friends, and other bloggers to provide feedback on your blog. As difficult as it can be to hear, constructive criticism can really help improve your content and target areas that you need to work on. Ask people if they like your writing style, photos, type of content, length of posts, etc. Any bit of information you can get will be useful for redirecting future posts!
Find a niche | Not every blogger can write about the same things. Sit down and brainstorm what you want your personal 'brand' to be, and really follow through with it. Create content that speaks to who you are in a much more detailed sense, don't just copy what everyone else is doing!
Do it for you | If you are considering starting a blog, the most important thing is that you do it for the right reasons (a la Bachelorette). Don't blog because you think you'll get free products or become famous. Write about what inspires you and feel free to get personal with it. Make your blog your own, and follow through with it because it's something you genuinely enjoy.
Comment below if you have any questions about blogging or would like to see content explaining monetization / choosing a blog name / anything else!
Comment below if you have any questions about blogging or would like to see content explaining monetization / choosing a blog name / anything else!
Well i expect that human capabilities are unlimited so we have to believe in ourselves and always try to break all the boundaries. It is very useful info so we will talk about it with my students and discuss it.
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