I’ve been blogging now for
just over a year and thought this was a good opportunity to share with you some
of the hints and tips I have picked up for writing a blog. I’m by no means
saying I’m an expert at this (believe me, I’m not!) but I’ve got some
experience and I always find these sorts of posts helpful to read, so decided
to share what I’ve learnt so far. Like I’ve said I’m not an expert so please
don’t take this too seriously, as it is intended to be a light-hearted glimpse of
what it’s like to write a blog.
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| Image from Weheartit |
Think about what you want to get out of blogging
So, you’ve decided to start
a blog. The first question you need to ask yourself is ‘why?’ And this is
important. If your answer is something along the lines of ‘because I want free
stuff’ or ‘because I want to be famous’ then there really isn’t any point in
going any further. Yes, some bloggers do get freebies and yes, there are some
bloggers who have found fame through what they do, but neither is guaranteed.
There are millions of bloggers out there, with only a very small number of
‘famous’ faces and only a certain amount of free products to go around. If
you’re in it for the fame and fortune I’m afraid you are going to be incredibly
disappointed. However, if you enjoy writing or taking photos, or are looking
for a hobby to showcase your love of fashion/make-up/cats/the colour pink then
you’re more likely to enjoy being a blogger. I’m not saying you won’t make it
as a famous blogger one day, what I am saying is that it takes a hell of a lot
of work and you need to enjoy what you do, otherwise it will become rather
boring very quickly.
Choose your platform
Once you’ve decided you’re
going to write a blog, you need to choose the platform your blog will run from.
There are two main sites to choose from – Blogger and
Wordpress.
Blogger is fairly simple to use whereas Wordpress gives you scope for more
personalisation. I personally went with Blogger, just because the simplicity
appealed to me, but have a play around with both and see which one works best
for you. You’re going to be spending a lot of time using it, so you need to go
with what feels most comfortable! Depending on which platform you use, you will
either have ‘blogspot’ or ‘wordpress’ in your blog URL, unless of course you
decide to buy a domain name from a host and therefore personalise your URL. But
that’s not something you need to worry too much about right now.
Make it look nice
When I first started
blogging I spent a long time playing around with all the different templates
and layouts, making my blog look like something I was happy with. Certainly on
Blogger there are a good number of free design features to choose from, and to
begin with I would recommend just using these because as you become more
established you’re bound to change your mind about what you want your blog to
look like. Once I’d been blogging for a few months I put the feelers out on
Twitter, asking for recommendations on people who did personalised blog
layouts. I went through my list of recommendations and looked at examples of
people’s work before I chose someone to do my layout for me. It can also help
to look at blog layouts that you like, because there is usually credit on the
page for the person that created the layout. When you get to this point make
sure you’re upfront about what you want your blog to look like. In my
experience it’s best to keep it simple but personal. I prefer to have a white
background with personal touches, like my header and social media buttons, but
there are thousands of different options so spend some time researching what
you like and don’t like. A good designer will work with you until you’re both
happy with what you come up with.
Find your niche
As I’ve already mentioned,
there are millions of bloggers out there, so it’s important that you write
about things that are important to you. There is so much you could write about,
but spend some time working out what your niche is. It can be as general or
specific as you like. You may be solely interested in lip products or zoo
animals, or like me, you may decide you just want to include a bit of
everything in your posts. It doesn’t matter what you choose, as long as you
feel comfortable in the space you create yourself.
Be original
I think it can be very easy
to see a blog that you really like and inadvertently copy what they are already
doing. I’m not saying it’s something you will do on purpose, but if something
works it can be hard not to do the same thing. My only advice on this subject
is plain and simple: Don’t copy! Yes, by all means write a review about the
same product, but write it in your own words. People will notice if your
content is the same as others, it will get you in all kinds of trouble and
you’re unlikely to get people reading your work if they know it’s been copied
from someone else. You need to have faith in yourself and your ability to blog.
People will be interested in what you have to say, so make sure you say it!
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| Image from Weheartit |
Be yourself
Similar in some ways to
being original I guess, but one of the biggest things I’ve learnt through
blogging is that it’s so important to stay true to yourself. If you’re not into
make-up then don’t write about it. If you hate chocolate but love fruit then
don’t hide away because your opinion is just as valid and it makes for
interesting content if you’re not the same as everyone else. It is so easy to
tell if someone writes about something they’re not interested in and yours will
be a better blog for staying true to who you are.
Take your own photos
This is really important
because it adds a real personal touch to a blog. I’m not saying don’t use
photos from other sources (just please remember to credit them!) because
sometimes you find the perfect picture elsewhere. But wherever you can, try to
take photos of your own. Especially for things like product reviews, it’s good
to see that the person has actually used the product and it makes it more
interesting to see the way someone has set up their own photograph. You don’t
need to splash out on a mega-expensive camera. Most phones have a decent camera
these days, or there are plenty of good value point and shoot varieties. Try
and use natural light as much as you can, or there are alternatives like soft
light boxes and lamps that can be found on eBay for not too higher price. I
always like to see nice big, clear photos on posts as I think it makes them
more interesting to read. It’s also a great way to improve your photography
skills, as the more you blog the better you will get at taking photos.
Honesty is the best policy
I always think it’s really
important to be honest on your blog. Now, I don’t mean you have to lay yourself
bare and tell us your deepest and darkest secrets. But you need to give your
honest opinions. If you try a product and hate it then say so (without being
unprofessional of course). Just because a product has loads of hype from other
bloggers doesn’t mean it doesn’t have flaws. If you happen to dislike something
about it then don’t feel like you can’t be honest. Also, when it comes to
products, if you’ve been sent something as a press sample then I’m a firm
believer in being open about the fact you didn’t pay for it. Or if you’re
writing a sponsored post, it’s customary to include a note at the end to
indicate you’ve been sponsored to write it. This doesn’t mean you can’t still
give your opinion; it just gives your readers an understanding of where the
post is coming from.
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| Image from Weheartit |
Manage your time
If you’re looking at taking
blogging seriously, whether it’s as a hobby or a potential career, it’s vital
to manage your time wisely. The majority of bloggers do it as a hobby and
therefore have other commitments to contend with as well. Be it work, school,
family life or other hobbies, everything needs to be fitted in and it can
sometimes get pretty difficult and stressful. I find it helpful to set aside
certain times purely for blogging, when I’m not going to be disturbed by other
things going on in my life. I also find it helps to have a blogging plan to
follow, so I know exactly what posts I need to be writing when I sit down to
write. I wrote about the way I plan my blog here which you might find helpful.
Look to the future
When you first start your
blog you may not be thinking about where you want to be in five years time, but
I think it’s important to know which direction you are heading in. Some people
are very set on making their blog the next big thing, and that’s absolutely
fine, but it’s not just going to happen on it’s own. You need to set yourself
monthly goals of things you want to achieve, so you can measure how successful
your blogging is. How many posts do you want to post a week? How are you going
to promote your blog? Will you be contacting companies about the prospect of
working with them? This all needs to be set out in your long-term plan. Even if
you’re just blogging for a hobby, it can be helpful to have some longer-term
goals for what you’d like to achieve, so that, in those times when you’re maybe
struggling to keep going, you’ve got something to work towards.
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| Image from Google |
Get to grips with social media
As I’ve just mentioned,
promoting your blog is big business and one of the quickest ways to get your
blog out into the blogosphere. Set yourself up on as many different social
media platforms as you know how to, and generally I think it’s better to keep
your blog account and personal account separate (which I haven’t always done
and am now kind of regretting!) Just as a starter you can look at making a
Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+ accounts. There’s also
Tumblr, which I’m just getting my head around and I know a lot of bloggers use
Linkedin, especially if they’re turning their blog into a business. Once you’re
all set up, make sure you have links on your profile back to your blog, and then
every time you write a blog post you can post links to it on all your social
media accounts. There are also ways to connect your accounts together, so you
do not have to individually post on each one in turn, but that’s something I
haven’t quite got my head around yet!
Ignore negative comments but learn from constructive
criticism
If you’re very lucky you
will never get a negative comment about your blog, but in reality, there’s
going to be someone out there who doesn’t like what you’re doing. Whether it’s
a direct comment to your blog or a post on a social media site, it’s likely to
happen one day. And the best thing you can do is ignore it. I know it’s easier
said than done, but remember that people are very good at hiding behind a
computer and dishing out criticism, knowing there will be no comeback because
they’re basically invisible. However, not all negative comments are bad. There
may be some constructive criticism among them, which if you take on board may
actually help you improve what you’re already doing. It can be hard to decipher
the negativity from constructive criticism, but if it’s something impersonal,
largely about the way you post, have a think about what has been said and if
it’s something you can improve.
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| Image from Weheartit |
Interact with your readers
I can’t emphasis how
important this is! These are the people you are writing for, and if they take
the time to leave you a comment then please, please reply! I’m sure we’ve all
done it – you leave a comment on someone’s post, perhaps asking them a direct question,
and never hear anything back. It’s incredibly frustrating and actually quite
rude. Set aside some time to just respond to comments each week, and you’ll get
into a routine of doing it. People are more likely to read what you write if
you’re nice to them! I know it gets harder when you become a more popular
blogger, and I’m not saying you have to respond to thousands of comments if
you’re lucky enough to get that many. But even replying to a select few shows
your readers that you appreciate them taking their time to read what you have
to say.
Be realistic
It’s very easy to go into
blogging with goals to get a certain amount of followers or to work with a
certain company, and wanting instant results. But you need to be realistic.
It’s not all going to happen overnight and you need to put a lot of work in to
get anything back. As I said earlier, I’ve been blogging for over a year now
and have only just started getting e-mails from companies wanting to work with
me. There are loads of exciting companies I’d love to work with, but I’m going
to have to put a lot more work into my blog before they will even notice me. It’s
taken me a year to gain 500 readers and as much as I would love it to happen, I’m
not going to suddenly have 1000 readers next time I switch my computer on. It’s
that old saying ‘You get out of it what you put into it’ that really applies to
blogging.
Read other blogs
Last, but certainly by no
means least, it is so important to read other blogs if you’re planning to be a
blogger. The blogosphere is a massive community and interacting with other
bloggers will provide you with inspiration, friendships and opportunities.
Reading other blogs will also make you a better writer. We were always told in
our English classes that the more we read, the better or written work would be,
and I’m a firm believer in this. You want other people to read your blog, so
you’ve got to be prepared to read other people’s blogs too. And it’s not like
it’s a chore is it?! I could quite happily spend an afternoon curled up under
the duvet with my laptop, reading all my favourite blogs!
Are you an established blogger or are
you just starting out? What tips would you give a new blogger?
