Blogging 101 – Tips +Tricks to Get Your Blog Started
Hey guys! Recently, I was privileged enough to be part of a Q&A for my job at Soft Surroundings. Our department works with lots of affiliate partners and bloggers, so my lovely coworker Kim created a Q&A about my blogging journey to share with the bloggers she works with. I get many Instagram messages and emails about how to start a blog, so I wanted to share some of the questions and answers with you to hopefully encourage you if you’re new to blogging or even just contemplating the idea of starting a blog! This content was originally shared on The Affiliate Paper blog.
Q: How long have you been blogging?
A: I have been blogging since 2013. Originally, I started my blog toward the end of high school to improve my writing skills since I was deciding whether to major in journalism or not. After a few months of consistently writing, a magazine in my hometown contacted me and asked me to become a featured blogger during my city’s Fashion Week. Through that opportunity, I networked with other bloggers and brands, which is when I realized I could turn my blog into something greater than I ever had imagined.
Q: What ways have you monetized your site?
A: I have tried a lot of various outlets of monetization, some of which have brought great success, while others did not. I write sponsored blog and social media posts, guest write for other blogs, provide mini consulting sessions for new bloggers, host local events in my city as a blogger, place ads throughout my blog, and monetize through ‘Like to Know it’ and Amazon Associates.
Q: Do you remember your first paycheck?
A: Yes, I do! My first check was from an Etsy shop years ago that wanted me to help promote their items on my blog. It was such a fun and random opportunity, and it allowed me to gain a better perspective on how to successfully collaborate.
In the beginning of my blogging career, I was so excited for any and every opportunity that I accepted most collaboration requests that came my way. I don’t think at the time that was bad because I learned how to become a better negotiator and businesswoman. Now, I am much more strategic with the collaborations I take on. I have created a stronger brand and want my collaborations to reflect the brand instead of losing followers because they scroll past my collaboration thinking, “Why in the world is she posting about that?” While it is nice to earn an income from my blog, I don’t want to do so at the cost of my target market. Ultimately, my readers are the reasons why I am able to receive the opportunities that I have, so it only makes sense to take on collaborations that mutually work for me and my audience.
Q: What has been the most challenging aspect of blogging?
A: The most challenging part of blogging is that consistency is key. For me and so many other blogger friends, when the consistency is there, so is the growth. Often, school, work, and life in general get in the way of maintaining the consistency I would like to have, which causes my traffic to slow. Even though consistency is key, it is also important to enjoy what you’re writing about. If trying to stay on top of everything is becoming a large area of stress, it might be time to take a step back and analyze how you might be able to make a change. There’s a fine balance between enjoying what you’re doing and monetizing, but it’s so important for your own personal self to find that balance.
Q: What social media channels do you use and which channels are better for monetizing?
A: I actively use Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest for my blog, however the most successful platform for monetization has been Instagram. Not only is it an easy platform to monetize, it also has a great analytics backend to better understand my audience. With Instagram’s analytic tools, I can understand key times when my audience is on Instagram as well as their likes and dislikes.
Q: How have you grown your following?
A: I am a strong advocate for organic growth in the blogging and influencer industry, especially because there are so many people with unethical business practices. Many bloggers I know will buy followers, skew their pageviews, or find other routes to manipulate the system. Even though my following is smaller than others, I have an incredibly loyal following because I interact with them and make sure they know I am a real person who cares about their opinions and feedback. I also enjoy staying on top of the latest marketing trends through podcasts, books, and conferences. Through these methods, I can broaden my horizons to better understand my audience.
Q: What has been the most surprising aspect of this career?
A: The most surprising aspect of this career has been its connection to my school and job duties. Since beginning my blog, I have taught myself countless programs and tools to make myself more successful. Those tools have come in handy for various jobs and even for coursework at my university. Whether it has been basic coding, marketing tools, SEO strategies and more, there are unlimited things to learn in blogging to better build your skills. You never know where else those tools will come in handy!
Q: What types of posts/graphics get the most interest?
A: A lot of times, I take myself out of my writing. I will generally write about a topic, travel location, fashion trend, etc. that doesn’t incorporate myself into that at all. However, I notice that most of my audience reacts well to a post where I talk a little more about myself. I don’t say this to sound braggadocios or narcissistic, but rather to emphasize the fact that every person has their own unique opinion and outlook on life. Don’t downplay how important your audience will value your personal thoughts on things and don’t be afraid to incorporate yourself more into the blog by photos of yourself or writing in first person.
Q: What advice would you offer to someone just starting out?
A: When you’re starting out, research your target niche. Create an assortment of blog posts on your site before going live so your readers have exciting content to maintain their interest. Once your blog goes live, try to keep to a consistent schedule because, like I said earlier, consistency is a major key to success. Make friends with other bloggers – I have learned so many tips and tricks that I would have never known if it weren’t for other bloggers who, by trial and error, learned lessons that they taught me. Every city I visit, I meet up with other bloggers which has resulted in providing me a close network of women around the country who are there for me, cheering me on in my blogging journey. If you’re just starting out, surround yourself with people who will help and encourage you along the way.
Q: Do you have any predictions for the future of influencer careers?
A: So many people are becoming “influencers” in their own right. Everyone has access to create a social media account and post branded content to it. Along with this however, there are a lot of people who purchase fake followers to boost their numbers. The common trend beginning to (finally) happen in 2018 is that companies are more interested in working with influencers with high percentages of engagement over their follower numbers at face value. Because of this, I think many people who are micro-influencers will be given the great opportunity at a blogging career while in the past it was reserved for bloggers with 100K+ followers. This opens the door for many fresh faces to come into the industry and take it by storm despite their number of followers.
Again, I just want to shout out to Kim for the honor to be interviewed – sometimes I feel as though because I have a smaller blog, I’m not worthy of being asked questions like this. But, she taught me otherwise and I am proud to share this post with you today! Thanks for reading. If you have any further questions about starting a blog, feel free to ask me anything below!
Much love,
Olivia