Showing posts with label Tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tips. Show all posts

Tuesday, 6 November 2018

MY 1 YEAR BLOGGERVERSARY...TIPS & ADVICE



Well hello there!
So today is exactly 1 year since I started my blog which I cannot comprehend because time has seriously gone so fast. I just thought for today's post I could share some tips & advice for starting a blog as I pretty much threw myself in the deep end with it. I also want to share with you what I have learned throughout this past year as I have definitely learned a lot!

Let's start from the beginning, the reason I started my blog was because I love makeup so much and I also really love writing, so I just combined the 2 and thought it would be a great idea to share my thoughts on the internet about new products and things I was loving. I was so so nervous about starting and it took me a long time to finally take the plunge but I am so glad I did it now. 


I have 100% learned a lot throughout the past year and I would love to give you some tips:
1) The Blogging Community - omg the blogging community are some of the nicest people that I have come across online. I have actually met a fellow blogger and we are very good friends now.

2) Interaction - make sure you interact with as many other bloggers as possible on social media, the more love you give out the more you will receive.

3) Being Active - now I don't mean physically I just mean on social media in general. Whether that's commenting on someones blog post, replying to a tweet or liking someones Instagram photo.  

4) There's no right or wrong - the amount of times I would stress about not getting a post out on a certain day, there are no rules as to how many times to post a week/month. Make it your own thing and post whenever you want to!

5) Don't feel guilty when you need time off - if you need to take a break from your blog don't feel bad about it, everyone deserves and needs a break sometimes.

6) You are good enough - there has been times where I felt like I was never good enough to be a blogger because of the amount of other people that are so good at it. You ARE good enough! Everyone has their own little space on the internet to do whatever they want with it. Even if 1 person likes my posts that's a good enough reason for me to keep going!

7) Brands - collaborating with a brand can be a very exciting thing. Just watch out for the sneaky ones that will say that they want to collab, but really they're just giving you a discount code to buy one of their products and then ask you to promote it - that's not collaborating. 

8) Success - this does not come over night and you need to work hard for it.

9) Scheduling social media posts - if you work full time then I would definitely recommend this, I use Buffer. I have only started doing this but it has helped me out massively.


Some advice if you are wanting to start out:
1) Stop caring about what other people may think - this was the main reason for me not starting my blog sooner, and I wish I started it way before I actually did. 

2) Start it now - the longer and longer you put it off the more you will think about it, just go for it!

3) Be yourself - show your personality through your writing and be proud of your content.

4) Write about what you're passionate about - never write a half hearted post on something you don't love, people love to read content you are proud of.

5) Social media - try setting up an account dedicated for your blog or incorporate your blog on accounts you already have. For example I have an Instagram Page for my blog and I have my personal one. It's just another way for readers to reach out to you! 


So those are some tips & advice about starting a blog! If you have any more you would like to share, then please feel free to leave them in the comments.
Thank you so much for reading,


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Thursday, 7 December 2017

1 MONTH OF BLOGGING | WHAT I HAVE LEARNED

Well hello there!
First of all I just would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who has taken time out of their day to read my blog posts, it means so much for me you don't even realise! Just a little shout out to my mum and boyfriend who are my biggest fans and are so supportive! I started this blog because I have a big passion for makeup and now that passion has turned into blogging about it! I can't believe I'm saying this because I just feel like time goes by so quickly, but I have been blogging for a month already! A MONTH!! So it isn't exactly the longest time but to me, after wanting to do this for such a long time I feel like it is a big achievement.  I wanted to do this post to reflect back on different things I have learned in the short amount of time of blogging.

1. The blogging community are full of the loveliest people
Other people that you may not have even met or spoken to can be more supportive than people you do know, I honestly feel like I have made a few friends already. A lot of bloggers/blogger pages do threads on twitter which gives you a chance to gain some new followers, and for you to get to know other bloggers as well. I luckily haven't come across any negative people which I hope I never do!

2. Buying a domain
To be honest I have heard mixed reviews on this subject but the majority say to get a domain, I've read mostly that people were so glad that they did it. I personally have not done this yet (but I will be next year) and I have read and heard that if you are serious about your blogging, then become self hosted. People have said that brands are more drawn to people that have their own website. Also, it must be nice to have more control over your website and to do whatever you want with it.

3. Brands will not come to you straight away
Now this is a given but it is true. I will sit there comparing my blog to other people who have been doing this for years! They get PR from companies all the time but this is because they have a huge following. If you try hard enough you will get there one day, it does not happen over night. 

4. Interact and engage on social media
The more time you spend spreading a positive attitude on social media, the more people will support you back. For me, Twitter has been the best platform for this, you can get involved with group chats, threads and just generally talking to other bloggers! Making friends is also good if you go to events as you won't feel like you are on your own.

5. Doing some research
I starting doing this after I began blogging, but it is just learning little things to help with your posts. Just an example - your photos, I have seen so many people say that they use wallpaper samples for their backgrounds. I think your photo can make people more attracted to read your post - this is something I definitely need to work on! I read and look at different peoples blogs all the time just to get some inspiration.

6. Finally - I have learn't what my true passion is!
If anyone knows me then you will know that I probably come across quite boring - I wake up, go to work, come home, eat dinner, have a shower and then go to bed. Then repeat. I have always loved creative writing, in school I really enjoyed writing stories because it was a chance for me to be creative and come up with my own twists in stories. I feel like blogging is a combination of creative writing and what you love talking about, which for me is makeup. I love the fact that I now work towards something instead of the same old routine. I have not done this for the freebies and getting paid for posts, I have done it to express myself and be proud of something that I do. It may be just a hobby to me at the moment but you never know where life takes you. 

Bit of a lengthy talky blog but I hope you enjoyed reading! I just want to say a massive thank you to anyone who has read, followed or interacted with my blog as it means so so much to me. At this current moment I have over 4.3K page views which in insane!!! I have been only been doing this for a month but I am so happy of where it is at the moment. I wish I started this a long time ago but I never had the confidence to do it. 
Thank you so much for reading,

♥Alix♥
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Twitter: alixholdenx
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