I’ve read countless articles on blogging, and most focus on the design/layout aspect of blogging, but once you have that done, what’s next? There’s soooo much more that goes into blogging beyond picking out a name, but once you have those things figured out, you can start creating amazing content.

First Up:

What Will You Blog?
The first thing you need to decide is what exactly do you want to blog about? If you’re interested in blogging about fashion, do you want to cover celebrity fashion, or will you be focusing more on personal style? Do you want to write about food? Are you sharing original recipes, or will you only be doing restaurant reviews? The first thing you have to decide is what you want to blog about so that you can start brainstorming post ideas. You can go super niche and only cover 1-2 topics, or you can keep it general and have your content fall under lifestyle, but deciding what your blog will be about is the number one step you have to do in order to launch a (good) one.

Where Will You Blog?
Blogger, Wordress (both .COM + .ORG) and SquareSpace are currently the most popular platforms to use for bloggers. There are thousands of cute templates out there to use for each one (I’ve found a few on Etsy), but you can also work with a web designer to develop a layout from scratch. The design choice is yours. I personally tell everyone to go self-hosted with WordPress.Org because of the design freedom, unmatched SEO capabilities and the ability to monetize once you’ve built a good audience, but honestly, just pick one to get started. You can always change it down the line.

When Will You Blog?
Blog post prep should be carved into your schedule as well as time to actually write and edit your posts. How much time do you have to devote to blogging? How often would you like blog posts to go live? Depending on the topics you will cover, you can have blog posts go live anywhere from once a week to five times a week (on average, fashion bloggers post 3-5 posts a week, Monday-Friday). It all depends on your personal schedule. Most articles will tell you to blog as much as possible so that Google is “pinged”, and while this can definitely help with traffic, always choose quality over quantity. If you’re not taking the time to edit your writing or snap good pictures then it’s a waste of time (and readers will leave), so try to plan out your posts using an editorial calendar Download so that you can create fabulous content that people will always want to read.

How Will You Enhance Your Blog (Photos)?
If content is king, photography is queen. You must, must, must have great photos to support your written content if you want people to keep reading. Blogging = storytelling, so you want your visuals to be really good. Not only does this keep people on your site, but great photos will be shared, and attract brands that will want to work with you. This doesn’t meant that you have to go out and buy a $5,000 camera, but what it DOES mean is that you have to think about the photos that you use in your posts. Whether you use your phone, a point + shoot, or if you’re lucky enough to have a DSLR camera, make sure that your lighting is good (natural light is best), that your shot is in focus and not blurry, and that your composition (the placement/arrangement of whatever you’re shooting) is interesting. Also, wipe off your phone/lens! Before you upload a picture ask yourself “is this pinnable?” You may have to take 50 photos to get 1 good one but trust me, as your readership grows you will be glad that you did. If you don’t have time to take your own, there are tons of sites out there that offer amazing stock photography. Death to Stock Photo + Creative Convex by Chaitra of Pink Pot (used in this post!) are great sources. You have options!

In addition to the tips I listed above, make sure that you live a full life to keep things interesting and prevent blogger burnout, write from the heart so that you connect with your readers, and have fun.

More posts to help with blogging:

4 Steps to Find Your Fashion Blog’s Niche
Tips for Switching From Blogger to WordPress
Style Blogging 101 | Tips + Tricks for Better Photos
Super Easy Photoshop Editing Trick for Bloggers
Using Your Blog as an Asset for Your Fashion/Beauty/Lifestyle Brand
Planning Your Blog’s Growth Strategy (+ Free Editorial Calendar Download)
The Art of the Flatlay with 7th Street Studio
3 Things You Must Master for Blogging Success

See all posts on blogging via this thread.

blogging tips business of blogging