Blogging Tips from a Newbie to Another

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I’ve gotten a lot of questions around blogging and seems like there’s a lot of interest from my followers around the subject. I recently shared what I’ve learned the past six months of blogging and now I wanted to share some tips for my fellow newbie bloggers. I think it definitely has worked in my advantage the fact that I work in social media and have experience with all the different platforms and best practices! Hope this gives y’all some insight into the world of blogging or inspires you to try it out.

Plan Ahead

We all know it takes a lot to plan for blog posts and content. When I first launched my blog I wrote out topics and titles of blog posts that I could start out with. I made sure I had at least 5 different posts on my blog before I launched, to give people something to look at and read. I also have a planner and plan ahead for when my posts are going live and what I will be posting about. I try to post on Instagram at least once a day and have cut down my blog posts to about 3 a week.

Join Facebook Groups

When I first started blogging, I quickly discovered the hidden world of Blogging Facebook Groups. They have been super helpful and supportive and I strongly joining those that make sense. In those groups, not only do you meet new people but you can promote your posts with them if someone is interested in a specific topic, get tips on pitching to brands, have access to brand contacts, find a solve for a problem you might be having, talk about best practices, etc. My favorite group is specifically for RewardStyle members and I love connecting with all the bloggers I already follow and learning tips from them. It’s a great resource!

Be Proactive

Sad that a brand hasn’t reached out to collaborate? Reach out on your own! The worst that will happen is that you’ll get a no or they won’t even respond. Who cares! At least you tried. It’s easy to find marketing contacts through linkedin, social media or company websites. Get creative. If I see a blogger working with a brand that I’d like to partner up with, I look for the marketing contact and reach out. I already know they’re willing to work with bloggers because I have seen it in my feed, so if I’m the right fit something will workout. I also search on google “all opinions are my own + a specific topic/product” that way it’ll brig up sponsored posts from bloggers and I can reach out to brands that already collaborate with bloggers. This tip is super helpful when you’re reaching out for hotel/travel partnerships.

Set Goals

Have a clear goal or goals in mind that you can measure and work towards. When I started blogging my number one goal was to be accepted into RewardStyle. 2 months in, I checked off my goal as I accomplished it! So whether you want to grow your following, post x number of times a week, make x number of sales, partner with a specific brand- have it in mind and do whatever it takes to achieve it.

Don’t Be Fooled by Loop Giveaways

So I’ll probably get a lot of crap for this but I’m just being honest and sharing my opinion, I’m entitled to that right? I want to start off by telling y’all that I am NOT judging those who do loop giveaways- you do you boo!

So what are loop giveaways? A number of bloggers (5-50) partner up and pitch in some money for a prize to giveaway to followers. You have to be following all the bloggers in the “loop” post and then they’ll select one lucky winner to win and instant camera, kylie lip kit or nordstrom gift card LOL. Okay, kidding but really those are the only prizes I see nowadays and they’re not very exciting. At least make it fun!

Anyways, this is essentially buying followers whether you like it or not. People only follow you so they can win something not because they like your content. Most of the time at least 20% of new followers unfollow you after a giveaway. If not, you just gained yourself some followers and has caused your engagement rate to drop, unless they truly become a fan of you and your content. As someone that works in social media, I can tell you engagement rate is much more valuable than your following when partnering with brands. I take pride in my +10% engagement rate and my real following (while it might not be too impressing).

Rant over.

Hope these tips were helpful! Have anything you want to share? Comment below!