FINALLY! Here are my 10 tips for starting a blog! I’ve been needing to do this post for about two years now and finally here I am sitting down to write it. To be honest, I feel like I myself am learning new things about the blogging world every single day.. so creating this post has been hard, but perhaps in a year or two I’ll do an updated version sharing even more with you! But for now, here are my top 10 tips for new bloggers…
- BUY THE DOMAIN!
This is a mistake I see many people make and it just looks bad.. spend the extra $ to get the real deal website, not just the .blogspot.com version.
2. Make your IG handle something easy to find.
This doesn’t need to be a quirky title or anything crazy, just something that is easy for people to find and ideally has no numbers/underscores/etc. Basically the more simple it is the easier it is for people to find you.
3. Come up with a posting schedule and stick to it!
This one totally depends on your current career, how much time you have in general, and how often you actually WANT to post! I think if you’re just starting try 3 times a week on Instagram and move up from there. My personal goal is to post twice a day on IG, but a lot of my friends post only once. You should also create a blog schedule- even if it’s only once a week it will help people know WHEN to look for a new post and helps for them to notice a schedule. Make these goals and hold yourself to them because they really will help you not only grow, but also just get better at your photos, writing, and style you want overall.
4. Hire an affordable graphic designer.
Lets say you’ve been working on the blog for a few months now and are really sticking to a routine- that’s incredible! Now treat yourself to an affordable graphic designer to help you create and customize your blog. If you scroll to the bottom of my blog you can get the link to Little Blue Deer who has created mine and for some simple work is super affordable! The more cool and custom your site looks the more people will like what they see and want to come back. It’s worth spending the extra $ to get some cool stuff done on your site that makes it unique and YOU!
5. Invest in good editing apps!
This goes without saying but pay the extra $10 for the additional filter packs if you’re taking this blogging thing seriously! If there’s a site you’ve heard great things about buy aren’t paying the extra to get rid of the watermark or have extra stuff just dooo it! It’ll help you get more creative and figure out your style. My all time fav editing apps (some are free) are Afterlight, VSCO, Facetune, Snapseed, Darkroom, and Lightroom. Do I use all of these apps all the time?! YES! Just about on every. single. photo.
6. Planoly!
A great way to get your feed looking cohesive and dreamy is to use the app Planoly! This is in no way sponsored with them, but I use this app daily. To be honest, I think you don’t need to be toooo crazy about your overall feed, but it can be such a nice tool to plan ahead. For me I’ll usually try to lay out my feed a day or two in advance to see how it looks and this app is perfect for that!
7. Tag brands and use targeted hashtags!
This is something I really contribute to myself growing in the beginning- tagging brands in the photos! This way brands like Crossroads Trading, Modcloth, etc might regram your photo or put it on their stories- giving you lots of exposure! It’s a great way to get new eyes on your page. Another thing is using targeted hashtags- not a big clump of generic ones as IG counts that as spam now. Real hashtags like #UO if you’re wearing Urban Outfitters or #NewYorkCity if you’re in NYC.
8. Connect with other bloggers with similar followings.
This is something I see gals doing now that’s awesome and really helps! Find someone who has a similar following in numbers to you and who’s feed you like. Reach out and see if they would want to do a trade shoutout on stories for each other to work together and help each other rise to the top! This may seem cheesy or you’re worried they might think you’re crazy for asking- but teamwork realllllly does make the dream work!
9. Think about what makes YOUR blog special.
There are 139124q934857 blogs out there now so what makes your blog special? Why take the time to check out your Instagram and blog? Think about this and figure out what you want that something special to be. It doesn’t have to be super crazy, but to give you some ideas: your photos are super bright and colorful, you’re a curvy inspirational gal, you love finding the best bang for your buck, etc. Just something that really makes you stand out even if it’s just the way your edit your photos that’s super special!
10. LOVE TO BLOG OR GET OUT.
This is something I can’t keep saying enough. If you don’t love to post on Instagram every day, make stories, take photos and blog posts STOP NOW! You will never succeed and it’ll just be a huge waste of your time. To be honest with you guys, I didn’t make any money off of my blog for about 1 1/2 years. I posted daily (at the time like 3 times a day) and posted on my blog 2-3 times a week without ANY money! Needless to say it just takes a huge commitment with no guarantee there will be a payoff.. it’s sort of like playing sports in that way. You do it because you love it and if you go Pro then YOLLLLOOOO!
I hope you guys found this helpful and enjoyed it! I’ve been thinking on all of these tips a lot and I wish someone had told me these when I started.
