Blogging is one of the best hobbies I ever started. It's exciting to plan and have something that I can call my own. However, getting started can be a challenge. While I'm still learning myself, some people have recently reached out to me asking for tips to help them so I figured I'd write a post to share what I did and what has helped me.
I don't know if many of you knew this or not, but I started blogging back in 2015 during my senior year of college through a different blog. I loved writing posts, but there was no "method to my madness" so to speak and I never planned anything out. I slowly became frustrated because I was just trying to keep up with what everyone was doing. The lifestyle blog I created no longer represented my lifestyle anymore. I began to resent it and just got rid of it all together.
Last July, I decided I wanted to take another shot at blogging because I missed writing and sharing tips so much. However, my approach this time was very different. In only 7 months of blogging with Minimal Lyss I have already surpassed (almost doubled) the amount of followers that I had with my previous blog -- which took me over 2 years.
I'm not a professional by any means, and I'm sure each blogger has something different that has worked or helped them, but these tips have helped me so maybe they can help you too!
1. Find Your What/Why
Before naming Minimal Lyss, I had no idea what to call it or what I was going to blog about, but I knew I wanted to keep this blog simple (since my last blog failed), I loved hair, and I wanted to bring positivity into others lives. I asked myself what on earth am I supposed to do with each of those concepts?!
It wasn't until I thought about it that I realized I found my WHY. My "niche" was going to be surrounded by positivity and simplicity. Each post I create will cater to one of these two concepts (if not both). Positivity includes things such as inspirational posts (sharing experiences, what I'm grateful for, etc.), whereas simplicity will include any tips and tricks (how to's) that I feel like could help people and sharing what I know.
I'm still a "lifestyle blogger," but I make sure what I post is going to be beneficial to my audience (which I'll go more into this later in this post.) I also carry my "brand" through my Instagram theme as well. It's clean and simple looking, sharing positive quotes, and any tips or posts that I publish on my blog.
If you're struggling to find WHAT you want to post, ask yourself these questions:
1. What do you like talking about?
2. What passions can you share?
3. What skills do you want to help others with?
4. What journey are you on that may inspire others?
Then, ask yourself WHY?
1. Why do you want to blog?
2. Why is what you're saying beneficial for others?
3. Why is what you're saying important to you?
This is the hardest, but most important step! It sets you up for success in terms of identifying the audience you want to attract, how you should design your blog, etc. The more specific the niche, the better, however do what you like! The beauty of blogging is that nobody can tell you that you're doing it wrong.
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| Photo credit: Victoria Miller Photography |
2. Network/Connect
When I had my other blog, I would post a picture on Instagram or publish a new blog post and would wait and see what happens. I had no idea how big of a community blogging was and didn't use all the resources to my full advantage.
Those that know me probably know that I can be a bit of an introvert and stepping outside my comfort zone scares the crap out of me. But, I told myself that this time around, I am willing to step outside my comfort zone to grow.
My suggestions are to genuinely engage in what others post, join groups on Facebook that fit your niche or that you think you'd enjoy being a part of, and attend meet ups or even host your own.
This past month, I attended my first meet up with the Pittsburgh Blogger Babes
to network with other bloggers and photographers. I was so nervous
before I went because I had never done anything like that before,
however everyone was SO nice and supportive. While I may have been
nervous, I quickly found out that others were just as nervous as me and
we were able to bond over that.
Other things to do are to utilize hashtags to find people who have similar styles or interests to yours. Ask your subscribers/followers through polls what they like to see from you to not only interact and connect with them, but also to help you know what those who read your blog like to see.
No matter which of these tips you utilize, one thing I urge you to do is stay true to yourself and be genuine! Which leads me to my next tip.
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| Photo credit: Victoria Miller Photography |
3. Be Genuine/Organic
Before starting Minimal Lyss I was worried that I wouldn't do well because I wasn't high fashion or didn't have the best wardrobe. But, I realized that I have my own gifts and skills to share.
My point is to stay true to yourself. People are attracted to genuine people. Not everyone is going to like your style, but that's okay! Those that do will stay loyal to you. I'd rather have 10 loyal followers who enjoy my content and that I can connect with than 10,000 followers who don't read a word.
In saying that, every blogger loves seeing their numbers grow -- myself included. But, don't let that be a deciding factor of how well you're doing -- it's just a number. Some people chose to buy followers and likes. If that what you'd want to do, that's your decision. It's not something that I personally want to do because I want to have an organic following -- but and who am I to judge? Just realize that if you do, people may question your purpose which could result in losing your "real" followers.
Also, exposure from a company or brand for a blogger is great, but don't be afraid to say no to a collaboration if it isn't what you want or believe to be good for your brand. I've said no to companies before that I didn't think lined up with my purpose. However, if I ever do a collab or get complimentary products, I always make sure my readers know.
4. Plan, Plan, Plan
Okay, so this is something I'm still working on myself, BUT I have gotten better. At the beginning of the year, I set a goal for myself on how many posts I want to post (at minimum) each month. So far I've been able to stick to it and even surpassed it last month.
Let's face it, life is busy! We've got jobs, appointments, places to go, people to see, etc. and sometimes blogging ends up last on the to-do list. That's how it was for me, until I planned.
At the end of each month/beginning of the next month, I will sit down and recap to see what posts I've gotten done and what I would like to post in the upcoming month. I pick dates and times that I think would work best to complete each posts and write them down in my planner. I will even plan out what days I will take pictures so that I can have them ready to go before I start writing the posts.
While things come up and sometimes I don't press publish on the exact day and time I had planned, I'm usually able to get my posts up no later than a week after I scheduled it. I never want to rush just to get a post. I'd rather take my time and post quality content over quantity.
It's a challenge, but I'm just proud of myself for consistently being able to plan out content for posts because I did not do that at all before.
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| Photo credit: M Philip Photo |
5. Have Fun!
Share your gifts, skills, and passions with the world! Be creative in whatever way that means to you. You'll grow as your blog grows and maybe even re-brand yourself and your blog along the way -- and guess what? That's okay! In fact, it's awesome.
Blogging is such an awesome outlet and it's fun to look back and see how far you've come.
Criticism is bound to happen, but ignore it. If you're enjoying yourself and having fun, then keep doing you, girlfriend!
If you made it to the end of this post, I hope you found some of the tips I shared helpful! As I've shared, I'm still learning myself. I feel like there's always something to learn in the blogging world and that's exciting.
If you guys have any other questions that I didn't answer in this post, feel free to reach out to me!
Happy blogging, beauties!
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