Tips for the New Blogger

A lot has changed between when I started blogging and now. I am here to share some of the overarching tips that you may not know. I made a lot of mistakes and you may make poor choices too but if you stick with it and continue on with whatever your mission is for, then you’re good to go.

If you’d like to start out on the right foot with this whole process here’s a few main things I think you need to know to do. These may seem very obvious but indeed they are not. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the busy day to day and forget to stay on top of the work that needs to be done to help you be successful. So when I first started blogging it was very relaxed, ho-hum and this can work for some people but I always wanted to be seen and be social.

• Consistency

This is a big one! I never thought it mattered being on a schedule or having any kind of consistency. But at the end of the day, you have to be reliable for your readers. I started out as an all week long blogger. 6-7 days and short and sweet posts, mostly linkups. This isn’t a good way to blog or be successful in any kind of way. Now I blog 4-5 days a week with longer and more helpful posts on a variety of topics and fewer linkups, maybe one to two per week. You can also reuse old content, freshen it up, and make it shiny new. This will make your hard work show better and appease your target demographic. It’s a bit of work for a larger payoff-a new graphic will sometimes turn it all around. So here are my top points for a smooth start to your new space. 

• Be Social/Social Media

Being social to me means, talk to your peers and people you look up to. Communicate and share your genuine thoughts and feelings on their content and what they put up. Engage them in conversation aside from blogging on social media and get to know them. You never know what someone might help with, 

Whereas having a good technique with social media is different but also needed. You will not get seen at all if you don’t share, share, share! Make your readers and the public aware of your content and why they should read it. Pay attention to certain times of day that work best for each network you’re on. This does not mean to link drop constantly or bombard any groups and things. Don’t be that person, it’s rude and it will get you booted from groups and/or blocked. 

• Find your sisterhood or tribe

Being a blogger you will hit burn-out at some point. It’s nice to know you have things in common and people in your corner. I have found, begun and continued many friendships with quite a few ladies I wouldn’t have ever met otherwise. These friendships have been so valuable over the last six years and I have relied on these gals when my friends have been busy or otherwise not cut out. It’s a special thing when you share your thoughts and ideas with people. You genuinely want to see success and give success to them by supporting each other. These bonds form easily and also by working with each other you get a newfound sense of friendship. 

• Yes Niche, No Niche

There’s a huge debate. Or was. Should you have a niche or main topic for your blog? Or does it matter? Should you not and just write what you love to no matter what? Well honestly, in my opinion, it’s both. You should have a focus. But you shouldn’t narrow yourself for the sake of a niche. It’s not an all or nothing thing. I consider myself a lifestyle blogger but I also write about love and marriage, pets, and a lot of other things. I say do what you feel most comfortable with and just stick with it. 

• Use Visuals (even if they are just stock)

Your blog posts need to have some sort of visuals, even if they aren’t the very best quality. I’d rather look at cell phone pictures instead of one big long text with nothing to break it up. I have learned this lesson the hard way. Recently I have just simply used royalty-free stock photos and customized them all to fit my blogging. This has paid off pretty well and fits my audience in the best way I know-how. Occasionally I will take some personal pictures (still just high-quality amateur photos) relating to the topic if I have them.

• Have a signature or sign-off

It’s the end of the post. What do I do now? Well, it’s a part of the branding and making your blog or site look cohesive. To create or have a friend or designer do it for you and make a signature, a farewell bit, a funny little ‘bye now’ or later gator, or just your name. It’s a great way to have people remember you, by not only the language you use in the post but also in the sign-off. Something that is just you and will be original to your site. 

 The main point is to just put the time and effort in from the start. It’s a lot easier than going back and forth to fix or correct everything a year or so later. If you learn or saw any insight in this please leave a comment down below telling me or even better share with a friend!