Monday 6 January 2014

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!

Photobucket

46 comments:

  1. You're so sweet! :D This is why I enjoy reading your blogs! :) Thanks for the tips! My boyfriend don't get blogging so he dislikes it, but I love it, so I'm sticking with it because it's something I enjoy! He'll come to terms with it eventually when he sees how much I enjoy doing it! :D
    Eneshai
    http://thebeautifulcloud.blogspot.ie/
    xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's so lovely of you! I'm so glad you enjoy my blog :) I think it's a strange thing for some people, particularly boys to get their heads around, my boyfriend was hugely confused about what a blog even was when I started but now he's totally into it and supports me 100% and I'm sure your boy will do the same! xx

      Delete
  2. Love that you did this post, it's nice that it's helpful, but it's also nice that you tell the truth! People don't realise that we don't do it for free things and that it's all down to passion and hand work!
    www.lost-in-wonderland.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so so much Laura, passion and hard work pretty much sum it up! If you don't love it, don't do it! xx

      Delete
  3. This is amazing advice! I started my blog back this time last year and admittingly I hated it when I didn't get approached my companies and realise now how wrong that attitude was. However, I have grown to absolutely love blogging and 28,000 views and 157 bloglovin followers later I absolutely love blogging and couldn't imagine life without my little blog! I definitely wish I had posts like this to read when I started to help me along the way! Great post Chloe! I absolutely love your blog :)
    fleurdanielle.blogspot.co.uk :) xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much Fleur that really means a lot :) I'm so glad you've come to love blogging, I think a lot of people start with that attitude and it's not necessarily bad thing, just a little lesson in blogger reality haha! xx

      Delete
  4. I love this post! It's nice and helpful.. plus a lot more 'real' than some of the ones you read. I'm so new to this and reading posts like this is quite inspiring to keep it up :) xx

    http://anniewritesbeauty.blogspot.co.uk/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much lovely, that's so sweet of you! 'Real' was definitely what I was going for haha! I think lots of people go into blogging blind thinking it's all freebies and champagne events and give up when they realise it's not quite like that! xx

      Delete
  5. Thank you, this was really helpful as I am pretty new to blogging. You give some great advice :) xx

    http://penneychic.blogspot.co.uk/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aw thanks so much! Comments like this totally make it worthwhile! xx

      Delete
  6. Thanks for these tips ive been blogging (on and off) for about a year now but defo am going to get involved with the bbloggers xxx

    http://champagnelambinibudget.blogspot.co.uk/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aw that's great! Hope to chat to you in the #bbloggers chat soon! xx

      Delete
  7. All my friends and family know about my blog, however I am yet to tell the world! It's not because I'm ashamed or care what people think about me, its just because its more personal to me to keep it to myself!

    daisy//daisydaisyxxo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know what you mean about not telling the world, I was a bit wary about going 'public' (twitter!!) at first, just because when something as personal as a blog is out there for anyone to see you can definitely feel protective of it! xx

      Delete
  8. This blog has really helped me! I've just started up my own blog
    check it out

    brittanyhearts13.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so glad I could help! I'll definitely check your blog out :) xx

      Delete
  9. Good advice! I've been blogging for a while now on and off. You definitely need to make sure you are satisfied with your blog and are doing it for all the right reasons. I only knew a little about the #bbloggers chat but I will definitely be joining in with that soon so thanks for the info :)

    Tania xx

    http://tinytaniatalks.blogspot.co.uk/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're so right, I think loving what you're doing is definitely the most important thing! Hope to see you in the #bbloggers chat soon! xx

      Delete
  10. Love this post! since i'm starting now it really helps :) thank you so much ^^
    http://marybloomy.blogspot.pt

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ooh I'm so glad this post could help, I've just checked out your blog as I love reading new blogs and you're doing fabulously already! I've followed :) xx

      Delete
    2. Many thanks to you !! You're so lovely :)
      xx

      Delete
  11. Great tips Chloe, thank you. I've recently started my blog and I definitely held back from doing it for a very long time as I was worried about what other people would think. I'm so glad I went for it now as I'm enjoying it so much already - just a shame it took me so long xx

    kizzyhearts.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aw I'm so glad you're enjoying blogging! It's so much fun when you really get into it, I hope you have many happy bloggy years ahead of you! :) xx

      Delete
  12. I definitely needed to hear this! Thanks! I absolutely adore your blog!
    -Ignis Au xoxo
    (followtheaurum.blogspot.com)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much for your sweet comment, I'm so glad you enjoyed this post! xx

      Delete
  13. Great tips Chloe - I really enjoyed reading them! Can I have your opinion - do you think it matters whether a blogger sticks to one 'type' of post, or whether they mix them up? I love writing beauty and product reviews, but I also really enjoy writing cookery recipes, as well as lifestyle posts. All seem equally popular, but I'm wondering whether I should stick to one particular thing?

    http://ninegrandstudent.wordpress.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Some people find their niche and stick to it, for example, somebody might choose to do a beauty blog with mostly product reviews and that's fab, because you know what to expect and if you love reading product reviews, you'll go straight to that blog. However, I think some of the most exciting blogs are those where you don't know what to expect and that have something different all the time.
      So if you want to post about several different topics you definitely should! Your blog is exactly that, YOUR blog! And if people love your blog and enjoy your writing style, they'll definitely love to see you mixing it up every now and again :)
      Hope this helps! xo

      Delete
  14. I was so nervous as first to start a blog and barely told anyone but now my close friends know about it and they're so supportive! You have a lot of wonderful advice in this post, as a new-ish blogger (a little less than a year) these posts are always inspiring and help refocus me if I've felt a little off in my blogging.
    Amber
    Lovely Notions

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Amber, I was quite nervous to post this so it's lovely to get such a good reaction! I know what you mean about being wary of telling people, but I was so pleasantly surprised by the support from my friends and family, they're my biggest bloggy fans now haha! xx

      Delete
  15. I totally agree with all of these tips! The major one is be unique. I always love reading blogs with an actual opinion xx

    laurathinksabout.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I honestly think being unique is the most important, no one wants a copycat blog! xx

      Delete
  16. I've just started blogging in the last few weeks and these are such great tips!
    Would love if you could check my blog out, if you get the chance. :)

    http://ellistuesday.blogspot.co.uk/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Of course I'll check it out! Thanks for leaving your link :) xx

      Delete
  17. Such a lovely post, wish it was around when I started blogging! People thinking about it should definitely just go for it, blogging can be such a rewarding experience :)
    Carrie xx

    carriebrighton

    ReplyDelete
  18. Thanks for this post!I agree,blogging should be all about enjoying the stuff you're writing and feeling comfortable with it. x

    ReplyDelete
  19. Really awesome and helpful tips, thank you Chloe :) Hopefully my blog will be a success - I post things that are a little bit different to the beauty/fashion cliché blogs out there!
    http://basicallykellyblog.blogspot.co.uk/

    ReplyDelete
  20. This is so helpful thank you! Especially the tip about chatting on twitter - I asked for advice and was pointed in the direction of this post! x

    ReplyDelete
  21. Love these tips, wish I'd read this when I first started especially the one about the twitter chats!

    xxx
    www.maisymeow.com

    ReplyDelete
  22. Chloe, this is such a great post!
    I like that you threw in the tip about the freebies because I'm CONSTANTLY getting asked "Do you get free products?!" Like NO. It's not all about that! (Although, I can't wait until my blog is big enough to be able to have that opportunity!)

    Again, awesome post-very informative! :)

    xoxo,

    Shree

    ReplyDelete
  23. Quality over quantity is some of the best advice I've ever heard re. blogging. It's so tempting to think that posting everyday will automatically make your blog more successful but that's really not the case. Unless of course you can spend all of your time writing your blog, in which case, blog away. This is such a good little post, I love it when people do things like this. So helpful! xx

    ReplyDelete
  24. Just found your blog through Ariel's and I love it! You really have some goods tips I wish I would have known when I first started blogging! Now following :) x

    www.natalielovesbeauty.com

    ReplyDelete
  25. I really enjoyed this post, Chloe - some fab tips!
    My boyfriend doesn't get the concept of my blog at all, in his words it's "weird", so it's always nice to interact with other bloggers through the chats :)

    Jess xo

    ReplyDelete
  26. I loved your tips!! Recently I'm thinking about creating a blog and this really helped me!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  27. I love this post! I'm still fairly new to the blogging community but it's nice to see lots of bigger blogs welcoming the idea of newcomers :-) Thanks for the tips!

    Caitlin
    caitacrawford.blogspot.co.uk
    - xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  28. Great post! These tips are fantastic and will be very beneficial as we are still new to blogging! :) xx

    ReplyDelete

Thanks so much for your comment, I read and appreciate every single one! If you leave me your link I will always do my best to check out your blog too!
If you have any questions feel free to tweet me @chloesway xo