Blogging has taught me a lot over the past couple of months. The biggest lesson I’ve learned is patience. Everything takes time. Blogging is not something you’ll get the hang of after one post. It’s something that you have to keep putting the time and effort into. And what separates bloggers from GREAT bloggers, in my opinion, is that effort and consistency. I’m still working on the consistency, but being patient has allowed me to find the motivation to keep striving. And in searching for that motivation, here are the 4 biggest lessons that I’ve learned over the last 2 months:
1. Plan Ahead: Blogging is a marathon, not a sprint. Especially when you’re starting out, the biggest mistake I always used to make (in my previous attempts at starting a blog) was starting out too fast and running out of fuel soon after. Don’t post every day unless you know you can keep that schedule. Even if it seems like you have a ton of ideas (especially at the beginning), budget them out. Being an avid blog reader myself, I know that one of my biggest pet peeves is when my favorite bloggers post consistently week after week and then proceed to vanish for 2-3 months. It’s always better to start off slow and then adjust your schedule as you become more confident in your ability to handle the load.
I also like to write my posts ahead of time (I hate writing under pressure)–generally 1-2 posts ahead of my planned schedule. It’s mostly just insurance…in case I have a really busy week or just really bad writer’s block every now and then.
2. Use Pictures: Pictures are important!! They’re a great way to grab attention, and they’re also great for breaking up a long post. I tend to get overwhelmed when I see posts that are just long blocks of texts, and while I do understand that it depends on the content, I don’t think you can ever go wrong with adding pictures into your posts. I’m still learning and experimenting with composition/arrangement styles, and observing how your favorite bloggers style their pictures is a GREAT way to find inspiration. Over time, you’ll find your own style (I’m still working on mine).
3. Be You: This is the MOST important. Stay true to yourself, and write about what you love. It’s ridiculously hard to write about something that you have no interest in, or something that’s just not really you. And readers, I feel like, can definitely sense it! So keep doing you. And you’ll find people who love that–and that’s where you really get the best of both worlds 🙂
4. Interact: My stuffed animals are super cute aren’t they 😉 But anyway, this one is really important too, especially when you’re first starting! How else are people supposed to find your blog?! Go out and network–virtually, that is. Leave a comment on someone else’s blog. Follow another blogger’s Instagram. You’ll get so much more out of your blogging experience if you take the initiative to put yourself out there. The blogging community is so so supportive, and I’ve met some amazing fellow bloggers over the last two months. And I’m excited to get to know more of you!
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What are some important things that you’ve learned during your blogging experience? I’d love to know!
XOXO,
Great advice! I completely agree as a new blogger myself. Thank you for the great post!!
Glad to hear 🙂 Thank you!
Wonderful post! I totally agree! Have a fun week!
xo, Bry
Swept.Away.to.KAABOO.Music.Festival.Naughty&Nice
Thank you, Bry! Hope you have a great week as well! 🙂
Great post! I’m actually just starting out with blogging so these tips are really handy, although I’ve already made one giant mistake – when I set my blog up a few weeks ago I didn’t fully think of what I *really* wanted to blog about, and I ended up making things quite narrow by calling myself “rachiefishbeauty”. I actually realise now that I want to run a lifestyle blog with just the odd beauty bit thrown in, so I’ve got to try to re-brand, and maybe change my blog address, etc. So my top tip would be to really “think before you blog” and not rush into it with all that initial excitement!
Thank you, Rachel! And oh yes that’s a big one too, thank you for sharing! I did that for my first couple of blogs where I tried to find a very specific topic, and after a while I just ran out of things to post about. So with this blog I wanted to start off broad and keep my blog name slightly detached from the topics I wanted to write about. Just in case anything changes in the future 🙂 Are you going to re-brand your current blog or start a brand new one?
I think I’m going to re-brand my current one! I’m hoping to get a new domain name in the near future anyway, so my wordpress username won’t really matter too much then! I think it’s difficult to keep momentum going when you’re a SUPER specialised blog, you REALLY have to have great passion and know-how for a certain topic, but keeping things broader allows more room for expansion, which is great because we’re always growing as writers, bloggers, and, of course, as human beings 🙂 x
Yes, so true! Have you already thought of a new domain name? 🙂
Not sure yet – I find naming things to be REALLY difficult. Any hints/tips? I just read how you came up with your name on your About page, very smart & creative! 🙂
I find naming things to be really difficult too! I think I just got lucky with my blog name this time. The old names that I came up with were just too generic. So I guess the one tip I have–even though it’s pretty obvious–is to pick something that defines YOU. Something unique, and something that people will remember and associate with you.
Such great tips, especially planning ahead. It happened to me to have to write under pressure, and I hated it.
Thank you for the advice, I will definitely follow it 😉
https://thechaitraveller.wordpress.com/
No problem, glad you found them helpful! 🙂
great post love! I totally agree with all of this and it reminds me there is so much to improve on still lol. the blogging ahead of time i think is key and certainly something ill have to start doing because it is so smart.. life happens sometimes lol. thanks again<3
Thank you, Miranda! And yeah haha I used to wait until the last minute to write my posts which never worked cause I can’t write under pressure 🙁 But glad you enjoyed the tips!
Great tips! I completely agree. As a new blogger, I find myself trying to follow these as best as I can.
Thanks, Michelle! Glad to hear 🙂
Great tips and advice to learn from! I am starting out as well and I think these tips were worthwhile to read. My problem is planning ahead and figuring out what the posting schedule should be.
Thanks, Linda! Yeah planning ahead is tricky so I try to just keep a list handy where I jot down post ideas and then once a week I go through the list and plan exactly which day each post should go up (to get me through at least 2 weeks). I post every 3 days, usually. Su W F M Th and then I start with Su again. So Foodie Fridays are the one exception with a 2 day gap every other week 🙂
I really enjoyed reading your post this morning Ashley. Some really good tips. Thank you.
Thank you! That means a lot 🙂
thank you so much for the tips! I have difficult with timing my posts, because i don’t really have topic to discuss and as a full-time university student it’s quite hard to balance it up. But thank you again for the tips, its like a virtual supports for me!
No problem! I totally understand–I actually go back to school tomorrow 🙁 So I tried to use these last few weeks to plan out way ahead in case school gets too busy. Glad you enjoyed the tips!
Love the personalised photos with the post 🙂
Thank you! 😀
Love this blog post!!! I just started getting used to blogging myself. I’m still getting used to my posting schedule. Some of this tips would really help me out majorly. Hope we can talk someday!
-Amanda <3
Thank you, Amanda! It does take a while to get used to, but I’m glad you found these helpful! Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any specific questions 🙂
Such a great post. I’m just starting out and the consistency is my biggest problem, having a schedule is a great idea. Thank you for the advice xxx
Consistency is the hardest part of blogging, I think. But yes, having a schedule as well as an ongoing list of ideas has helped me loads 🙂
Lovely post!
Thank you for sharing these tips with us, since I used to make the mistake and started to blog everyday and after a few weeks I just didn’t find the time to sit down and write everyday and I think I lost a lot of my readers during this break.
Now I’m focused on consistency and somehow having a schedule for my upcoming posts keeps me motivated.
Lots of love,
Anita
http://www.anischu.com
That’s great to hear! Yeah scheduling ahead is definitely a lifesaver. Thanks for reading! 🙂
All great tips!! Nice post
Thank you, Ella!
I agree with all 4 points. I am a new blogger and it took me like 3 months to understand the importance of interaction,lol. I must say the support I got from other bloggers is way more encouraging than most of the people I know in person.
I know, right? I love the blogger community! 🙂 Thanks for reading!
You are right blogging is a marathon, not a sprint. Sometimes I am in a rush to finish my post on time and then the result is not good at all. Thanks for sharing your tips!
Glad you found them helpful! And I used to find myself doing that a lot, so I tried to start writing a couple days ahead of my deadlines 🙂
Omg you are so right. I used to think that posting every day is the only way to gain traffic, because that was the only thing I cared about. But then I realized I had no real content and I was basically burnt out in the end. So now I’m just blogging for myself and enjoyment! ???
Yay that’s great to hear! I started off like that too but after a while, like you said, it’s just no fun anymore if you’re blogging for stats and numbers.
Ah, consistency – so tricky! I’m really try to get into scheduling posts in advance, since mine seem to come in a flurry when things are quieter elsewhere in my life. The biggest challenge for me is feeling creatively drained from my day job, and feeling like I don’t have much left to give the blogging world. Gotta push through those writer’s blocks! Great post, and thanks for checking out my blog 🙂
Yes, I think consistency is definitely the hardest part. But I think the challenge makes it worth it in the long run 🙂 And no problem! Glad to support a fellow blogger! <3
Thank you great article, really good tips!
Glad you found it helpful 🙂