For some reason, the last few weeks have seen a staggering number of emails pop into my inbox, all asking similar questions on how to set up a blog and grow a following. In all honesty, I’m flattered that people think I am an expert (or someone to ask) about this topic, because I’m still very much learning myself but I thought rather than send off 30 + waffly emails, I’d collate all of my ‘knowledge’ into one mammoth post. Hopefully then, that’s an easier way to share my experiences and tips in a beneficial manner.
So, lets get started shall we? If you’re reading this, you’re probably the proud owner of a blog or in the process of setting one up, so perhaps it’s best to cover the basics.
Starting out
What is a blog?
Well, whatever you want it to be I suppose. The name ‘blog’ originally came from the term web-log, when the first users of the internet created their own space online to log their thoughts, experiences and opinion, on the web. When I started in 2011, I’ll be honest and say that I didn’t even know what a blog was. I just set up a website and started pouring my thoughts into it, without any real direction or aim. I didn’t know the whole blogging community existed – and largely, at that time – it was still in the very early stages of the community you see now. Today, pretty much everyone and their dog has a blog. But that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t get in on the action too!
But the blogging market is too saturated, I’ll never stand out?
Don’t worry about that yet. I think because of the way blogging is nowadays, with the Daily Mail positioning it as some sort of ‘get rich quick’ method, everyone assumes that their blogs will easily grow, flourish and make millions overnight. You don’t have to worry about finding your niche or standing out in the beginning. Focus on what you love doing (for me, it’s producing great content that I love writing and spending time on my photography) and the niche will come. People read blogs because they want to invest in that person, because they’re interested in you! So don’t be too coy, make sure your personality shines. Your niche is the fact your blog is yours! No-one else can say that about their blog!
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But how do I get started? What if my friends tease me? Should I even start one?
Stop thinking about it – and start it already! If I had a £ for number of times I’ve had people message me and ask ‘well I want to start a blog but I’m too nervous’, then I really would be a blogging millionaire. The more time you spend contemplating blogging, when you do actually start, you’ll wish you used the time to start writing content instead of wasting it thinking about the ‘what ifs’. It sounds harsh but you’ve honestly got nothing to lose! Although if your full-time job is likely to get funny about you starting a blog, then I’d maybe check with them first! If your ‘friends’ tease you, then they’re clearly not friends. The rather hilarious thing is that when I started, I didn’t tell a soul (not even my mum) for the first year, while I started building content and finding my feet. I was ridiculously nervous of what people would think. And when my peers found out, there was a mix of positive and negative comments. I know a lot of people thought it was a stupid thing to do, or that I was self-obssessed. But now, they’re the ones messaging me saying “Oh look you’re doing so well, lets catch up and go for a drink”. If you want to start a blog, do it for yourself!
Blogger or WordPress?
Personally, I’d go for WordPress but only because I’m biased. I’ve used it throughout my blogging career and I find it’s far easier to use and create something professional looking, with minimal effort required. Plus, if you work in digital (or are aspiring to), it’s likely that you’ll use a content management system that is similar to WordPress at some point, so you may even already be familiar with it!
What does WordPress self-hosted mean?
I’m probably not the best person to ask, but essentially there are two ‘types’ of WordPress you can use for blogging – WordPress.org (which is the free one that you’ll probably start with) or WordPress self-hosted, which essentially means that you have to pay for hosting on another server (I use 1&1 and it costs £17.99 every three months) but you content management is WordPress based. If you’re self-hosted, you can install new themes and overall, you have a lot more control over the look and feel of your blog. Plus of course the fact that you own it, rather than WordPress!
Should I buy my own domain?
Yes, definitely! If you have the means to and you’re looking to really dedicate some time to your blog, then buying your own domain is a no brainer. If you’re starting out on WordPress, buying a domain is usually $18 for the year (or less), so it’s not a huge investment if you end up ditching it after awhile. I think having your own domain really makes your blog stand out and shows that you’re serious about it. PR’s and Blogger Outreach teams always look for this, so if you’re looking to get invited to more events and so forth, this is definitely something to consider. I’d personally go for something short, memorable and easy to type. Sammieyeahhxo-you-me.co.uk might seem like the perfect thing to sum you up in a nutshell, but are people going to be able to type it easily without getting a spelling wrong or a dash in the wrong place? Possibly not. I’d always try and get a dot com too, if you can! They’re worth their weight in gold – and you never know, you might be able to sell it in years to come!
Do I have to love writing to blog?
No, not at all. Some of the best blogs I love and read on a daily basis are predominantly picture based. I love writing paragraph after paragraph because the written word is my passion but if it’s not your thing, it’s not going to hold you back. Aim for putting more time and attention into making sure your photography is stunning and just have a paragraph of text at the beginning or the end. You do need some text for SEO purposes (for people to be able to find you on Google) but you don’t need masses. Make sure what you write offers something to the reader (don’t just state the obvious) and make it clear, concise and grammatically correct. Don’t just write for the sake of it because you want your blog to be a true reflection of what you love – and you don’t want anything to come across half-hearted.
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Growing Your Blog
Okay so now you’ve got yourself all set up and down with the blogger tech lingo, I guess you’ll want to see those reader numbers trickle in. The sad thing is, blogging shouldn’t be about follower numbers or how many readers you’ve got, but it is. The community used to be less driven about this when I first started out – which was way more relaxed but now, things have got a bit more competitive. It’s easy to get hung up on numbers, but honestly, the only way you’ll make your blog a long-lasting one is focusing on creating quality content, enjoying it and being authentic. When I’ve been on press trips in the past with journalists, so many of them have alluded to the fact that ‘blogging is easier than what we do’ or that it’s an easy way to find fame and money. I think if this were true, everyone would be a wealthy blogger, wouldn’t they? Unfortunately unless you’re Harper Beckham, things won’t be an overnight success. Blogging is a pretty hard graft because you’re working for free, in your spare time, often for years without anything ‘sponsored’ ever comes into the equation. So you have to love it!
How can I build my following?
Well, I guess you’ve got to tell people about your blog. Shout it from the roof-tops, print business cards and hand them out, announce it on social media, share it with your friends and families. Make sure you have a bit of content (I’d say 10 posts or more) on your blog, ready for readers to get a feel for what they can expect from you and then be consistent with it. If you can’t commit to lots of posts per week, maybe just aim for one.
But how can I grow it quicker?
There’s no simple method, unfortunately, but other than sharing it with people – one of the really important things to do is interact with other blogs and comment on other bloggers posts. You can leave a link to your own blog (although make sure your comment isn’t spammy and only there to promote yourself – as this isn’t authentic and will show) and an insightful comment, showing that you’ve enjoyed a fellow bloggers work. The blogging community is a very strong one – and it’s lovely to show support for others and grow alongside like-minded writers, photographers and creatives. Plus, reading other blogs is great for inspiration – and seeing how others are presenting themselves online!
What about my social channels, how can I grow those?
I think the only reason I am where I am today with my social channels is because I started early on and they’ve kind of grown as the blogging community has grown. My events have really helped me to immerse myself in the community and get to know a vast array of wonderful bloggers on a personal level. However obviously, everyone still wants to be growing on a continuous basis and for this, a combination of things definitely helps. Making sure you’re consistent is key, but you also have to make sure you’re on people’s radars. Follow people with similar interests, comment and RT their content (although not in a spammy way) and they may be inclined to do the same for you. Build friendships online and connect with others – because people aren’t always going to come to you, you have to find them. Often your most loyal readers are the ones you connect with on a daily basis.
Any other ways to grow my blog?
In the early stages, I feel unless you’re specifically writing about beauty or fashion, not all of your posts should be about ‘brands’. Make sure there’s a couple of posts about you, introducing yourself to the reader, as a way of them getting to know you better – after all, the readers have to invest in you as a blogger in order to keep coming back. However, if you are writing about a specific brand, make sure you tweet them the post (and include their social handles) so that they can have a read. You never know, they might even promote it to their followers – and earn you a few readers in the process? As you can probably tell, it’s all about connecting. People aren’t going to come to you, so you have to go to them!
Should I tailor my content to my audience?
Hmm, this is a tricky one – and a question I’ve spent time contemplating myself. I have Google Analytics, which is a handy little tool that helps you understand your audience better. Not only does it tell you how many people are visiting your blog on a daily basis, but it also gives you a scary amount of information about the people who are reading. You have to enable the ‘demographics’ tab to view this, but essentially, you are privy to aspects such as age, gender, interests, country and the time they spent on your site, along with what they’re viewing. As a trained journalist, we’re always taught to ‘write for your audience’ and make sure that they are the main focus when it comes to tailoring your content – however I’m in two minds as to whether this is applicable for blogging. In many ways, you should always blog for yourself and do what you enjoy – and I suppose in tandem with this, if people are reading your blog, then they’ll assumably love these topics too. When you’re starting out and growing, weave in some content that you wouldn’t normally write about – and see how it goes down. I used to stick to beauty and fashion but I’ve since branched out to a more ‘lifestyle’ theme and some of my most popular posts are food and travel related – the latter of which, I probably most enjoy writing about now!
How much time per week should I spend on my blog?
It’s totally up to you and how much time you can feasibly dedicate. When I was studying and had a job, I worked on my blog 3 or 4 evenings per week, plus the entire weekend. I still devote A LOT of time to it, as things can be more time consuming than you think. It normally takes me an hour or so to write a post and put all the links in the right places, an hour to take the photos, an hour to upload and edit and then half an hour to ensure the promotion of the post is all there. Developing a blog that stands as a beautiful showcase of your work does take time but don’t rush things! Make sure what you put out there on your blog is something you’re happy with – and something you’d enjoy reading yourself!
How many times a week should I post?
Again, this is up to you. I post every other day, on all the days with even dates – so the 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th and so forth. I tend to find this works quite well, as if someone tunes out of your blog for a week and want to catch up, it’s not going to take them all day – but there’s still a decent amount of content to choose from. Maybe aim for once a week in the beginning and then scale it up if you have the time. But rather than posting intermittently, if you have a spare day – schedule up 3 or 4 posts for the month – that way, you won’t miss a weekly slot! Consistency, is key!
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How can I go to events?
PR’s will start to notice you if you appear on their radar, so you can either reach out and follow PR companies on Twitter and engage with their posts, or let things happen the natural way. I actually run events (little shameless plug) that help both established and newer bloggers connect with brands and PR’s, in a big, yet relaxed networking environment. My #BloggersBall in June is now currently full but I am hosting another annual #BloggersFestival in September, which you’re welcome to get a ticket for!
Any final, last minute quick tips?
Always have a contact page with your email address on (just please, anything but a contact form). You’d be surprised how many bloggers I’ve wanted to get in touch with to invite them to an event, don’t actually display their email on their blog and then ask why they haven’t been contacted about said event. Also, always make sure you have an easy to read font (and colour of font – bright yellow writing HURTS the eyes!) and that your pictures are all the same size. You can pretty much always re-size them to the specific dimensions that you want, so make sure everything looks clean and consistent! An easy to navigate and read blog, is one thats well read.
Omg, all of the above seems so complicated. I just wanted to start a blog?
I suppose it seems daunting but really and truly, ultimately it’s about creating your own little space of the internet, so do what you please with it! You don’t have to follow the above, they’re just suggestions that I’ve personally found helpful in the five years I’ve been blogging. I guess making sure your blog is unique to you – and that you enjoy doing it, is what’s really most important!
Do you have any blogging questions for me or blogging tips you’ve found handy yourself? I’d love to hear what you think!
