Let me start by saying I'm not a pro. I've only been doing this for a little over a year and a half. I barely uploaded last year. Who am I to give advice?
But in my Blogger Tag post, one of the questions was about advice for new bloggers. After answering with a very long answer I realized I had a lot to say. I decided I wanted to do a full post about advice for new bloggers.
I have picked up a few things over the past year and a half and there are things I wish someone would have told me when I started.
So here are some things that I think might help you if you are a new blogger.
Don't worry about the numbers!
This one is kind of obvious but the numbers don't really matter. Write about what you love not what you think will get views.
Seriously don't worry about the numbers. You aren't going to get a huge following overnight. You may write your blog for years and only get 100 followers. And that is ok.
Pageviews aren't going to be skyrocket at first and that's ok too. Your numbers will go up as you go on.
Just remember, blog because you want to not for the views. You won't get very far if you blog for views or if you are just trying to get popular.
Everyone wants to see big numbers but they don't happen right away.
Don't feel like you have to upload a ton of posts.
A lot of bloggers upload every day. Some upload every other day. And some upload multiple days in a week. But some bloggers only upload once a week or when they want to and that's ok. Some people need to take more time to write or plan posts and sometimes you just can't find the time to write and that's ok.
You don't need to start at everyday uploads. If you want too that's great but you may find it easier to work up to it. I started with an upload schedule of every 6 days. I did it for all of 2015. In 2016 that schedule went out the window with my motivation but my motivation is back now and now I'm on a schedule of every other day uploads.
Just upload when you can and write about what you love. People will most likely like your content more if your write about what you want when you feel inspired than if you wrote a post just to get one out or if you wrote it because you thought it would get more views.
Get inspiration but don't copy.
Drawing inspiration from other bloggers is great but don't copy exactly what they are doing. We all get inspiration from blogs and channels we love! Just don't copy them. That being said looking at blogs you love can be a great way to end a case of writer's block.
Use stock photos not google images.
Sometimes you just can't get the right photo or maybe you don't have the means to get the photo your want. We have all been there, but make sure you use legal stock photos instead of google images to avoid a copyright claim.
And if you really like a photo on a blog ask to use it first and always give credit! You wouldn't want someone using your images without asking would you, right? I wrote a whole post about this last week.
Get a planner or download a free blog planner to stay organized.
My planner has been a godsend this year! I only uploaded 34 posts last year. This year I've already uploaded 12 and this is my 13th! Organization is the key to motivation. Huh, I should put that on a tee-shirt.
Seriously though I have had so much motivation since I got my planner. I've been writing more and uploading every other day!
Getting a notebook to keep ideas in and write down products for posts or tag questions is also a great idea. I've had a blogging notebook since day one. I also recommend getting those little post-it tabs to mark posts to stay organized. Post-it notes are great too!
Use Twitter!
Tweet posts, old and new. Tweet posts with some relevant hashtags so more people see it. Tweet about products or recipes you are trying. And interact with your favourite bloggers.
Follow blogger communities like The Girl Gang and Female Bloggers RT. Follow your favourite bloggers and brands a tweet with them. Twitter is your biggest blogging tool!
And don't forget to respond to your followers even if you just like their tweet so they know you have seen it! Let them know they are heard!
Tip: As I said about tweet posts with relevant hashtags but don't overdo it. And don't use too many hashtags in normal tweets. A lot of people won't click on tweets that have a lot of hashtags. Same goes for Instagram.
Schedule Tweets!
Scheduling tweets is the best! You can schedule tweets for your old content for weeks in advance and sit back and forget about having to tweet them.
I just started using FutureTweets to schedule tweets. And I really like it. I can spend 30-60 minutes writing tweets for the month that link to old posts and then I don't have to worry about tweeting old content!
I usually schedule about 2-5 tweets for the day spaced throughout the day. I tweet old and new posts alike. From old posts from when I started to the content I uploaded last week. Scheduling tweets is a great way to drive traffic to your content.
I also schedule tweets to my other social media accounts here and there. About once a week. I typically link my Blog's BlogLovin' page, my blog's Twitter, my Instagram, my blog's Instagram, my Pinterest, and my Tumblr.
Tip: FutureTweets doesn't shorten links like twitter automatically so I suggest using bitly to get 22 character links so you save character space. Also unlike a lot of tweet scheduling services, this one is free and has no tweet limit!
Edit from 2020 me: TweetDeck is made by Twitter that lets you manage multiple accounts and schedule unlimited tweets. You can schedule a whole week worth of tweets!
BlogLovin'
Get on BlogLovin'! It's a great way for your followers to follow your blog for updates and it's a great way for new readers to find you! You can also follow your favourite blogs and find new blogs to read!
Also, add the BlogLovin' button to your blog. And if you are on WordPress and the button is not supported then add you blog's BlogLovin' profile to your social media icons.
If you're a beauty/lifestyle blogger Join Influenster!
Influenster is a great company that sends bloggers and YouTubers boxes of free samples (and sometimes full-sized products) for test and reviews. I won't go into full detail here, as that would make this post was too long, but I do have a post all about Influenster if you want to check it out!
That's it for this post. Are you a new blogger? Did you find these tips helpful? Let me know in the comments!
Are you a veteran blogger? What did you think of my tips? Is there anything you would add? Let me know in the comments!
Thanks so much for reading this post! I hope you enjoyed it! Please leave a like if you did, it's much appreciated!
Photo Credit: taken by me with a Canon T5 Rebel and an 18-55mm lens
Comments