What advice would I give to bloggers who are just starting out? Find out here!
1. Design - Don't worry if your blog doesn't look like you want it to right now. If you could've seen how this blog looked when I started, you'd cringe as much as I do! (It was mustard yellow from top to bottom. The horror!) The design will evolve with time, so don't beat yourself up about it!
2. Be Patient - Don't try and run before you can walk. You're not going to reach stratospheric blogging success overnight, if ever. It's important to be realistic, and to actually enjoy blogging! (And you probably won't enjoy it very much if you're only interested in becoming 'big'.)
3. Social Media - Twitter, in particular, is a fantastic way of getting people to discover your blog! There are relevant hashtags such as #bbloggers (beauty bloggers) and #lbloggers (lifestyle bloggers) that'll let other bloggers find you with ease. This blog didn't get many readers until I started utilising Twitter as a promotional tool.
4. Photography Skills - Nearly every single blog in existence started off with iffy photography. It's practically a law of blogging that your first few months worth of posts must be accompanied by grainy, sometimes out-of-focus, dark, unedited photos. Again, don't worry about this, because you will definitely improve with time.
5. Scheduling - Try to find a schedule that works for you. Work out what days seem to bring in the most readers for your blog, and try and publish on those days. I know how hard it is trying to juggle blogging with life, but creating an editorial calendar can sometimes help overcome busy situations.
6. Spread the word! - Tell your family and friends about your blog, if they didn't already know. It took me a while to do that, but they're really supportive and read my posts and sometimes (kindly) share them too. There's no reason to be ashamed of your blog. Shout it from the rooftops!
7. Find your own voice - It's really important to find your own style of writing, instead of copying someone else's. (Admittedly, I still occasionally adopt writing styles from other people, if I read a lot of their work in one go. Anyone else do that? It's weird, isn't it?!)
8. Edit your snaps - When I first started blogging, I didn't edit my photos. The prospect of buying and using Photoshop or Lightroom seemed incredibly daunting, and so I eventually started using PicMonkey, which is a free photo editing website. It's great for basic editing, as well as adding text and other bits and bobs to your photos too.
9. Read around - Reading other blogs is a great way of finding inspiration, especially if you're suffering from writer's block. Be careful that you don't end up copying other bloggers though; nobody appreciates a plagiarist. You will definitely hit writer's block at some point, as there's really no way of avoiding it. (I've got some tips for getting over it though! Read here.)
10. Enjoy! - Most importantly, enjoy blogging! It's not always an easy ride, and it's sometimes an uphill struggle, but really rewarding too!
Have you got any advice for new bloggers?
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