SO, YOU WANT TO BE A BLOGGER?

Hey lovelies! Recently, I've been asked a couple of times if I'd consider doing a post on 'blogging tips and advice', by a couple of girls new to blogging or thinking of starting a blog. To be honest though, I feel a bit nervous about that as I know some people can get a bit funny about this sort of thing and think it comes across as bloggers telling others how to blog, but that totally isn't the case! So, my aim in this post is to just give a few of my personal tips for new bloggers. This is not to say that my advice is the be all and end all of blogging, just as someone who's been blogging for a while I thought I'd pass on a few things I wish I'd know when I started my blog. So, let's get started!

Start Fresh
This one will seem obvious, but if you start your blog as a second rate version of another blog out there, people may not read it. If your posts, writing style and layout mirror that of one of the 'bigger bloggers', then people are more likely to go for the real thing than just another copy. If your blog is true to you and completely your own ideas, people will read it, if you're interested in what you're writing - someone else is bound to be! It's so easy to spot when someone has clearly copied another blog, and while it's fine (and even flattering!) to be inspired by other bloggers, there's definitely a line between being inspired and blatantly copying - don't cross it! It's also a great idea to start out with a catchy blog name, a great site to visit to help you with this is: 34sp.com, this is really useful if you need a bit of help thinking of this!

Freebies, What Freebies?!
Never, repeat, never start a blog expecting freebies straight away. If you start out with the intention of getting free stuff, you may soon be disappointed. A lot of people assume blogging is all about the freebies and admittedly, when you've been blogging a while and start getting a substantial amount of views per day, you do start getting 'free stuff', but this isn't just a perk of being a blogger that happens overnight. You need to work at a blog to get those followers and views and to do that, you have to love blogging and keep it up, freebies or no freebies! Sure, it's nice to get something for nothing, but blogging is much more than that, it's a hobby and it's what us blogger ladies love doing, the 'free stuff' is just a bonus! And not to forget, companies send products to bloggers either in return for a review or advertising of some sort and often, they only have a few products to send out, so if you are one of the lucky ones to be considered, then to build a good relationship with the brand, then it's only right to keep to your end of the deal and post that review.

#bbloggers
If you're interested in blogging and blogs, then it's a good idea to start getting involved in the blogger community. I've made some amazing friends through my blog, which I totally didn't expect when I started out. Talking to and getting to know other bloggers is the best way to get your blog noticed and get people reading! There is a #bbloggers chat on twiiter every wednesday and sunday night at 8pm, just use the hashtag and chat away! It becomes strangely normal to chat to strangers on the internet, trust me.

Quality over Quantity
One mistake I think I made when I started out with blogging was feeling pressured to post every single day, sometimes I rushed posts and posted things I just wasn't happy with just to get a post up. Now though, I post around 3-4 times a week, sometimes more sometimes less, basically I post when I feel like it, because I've learned that the best blog posts are the ones you really enjoyed writing!

Easy Viewing
Blogs are easier to read when they're.. well, easy to read! A clear, dark font on a light background is definitely best, as if a blog has a difficult to read font, I often give up (sorry!!). Also, as much as I don't think it's important to have a fancy camera and photoshop to have decent photos, I do think it's a good idea to have large, clear photos. Lots of people worry about what camera they have, but most phones now have pretty decent cameras, what's more important is a clutter free background and making the image as large as possible, particularly with product photos and swatches. Pretty, easy to see pictures definitely make a blog for me.

Don't be Scared!!
It surprises me how many people are afraid to start a blog because of what people will think. I know it can be different when you're in school, but I started my first blog in college and was a bit wary of telling people at first, but now I've told a huuuge amount of people of no one has ever had a bad word to say! It's cringey and clichéd, but you only live once and if you want to blog, then you should definitely go for it and don't worry at all about what anyone says!

Remember though, take all of these with a pinch of salt, there are no real 'rules' for blogging, just do it because you love it and go for it!