Happy Blogiversary to me! It's crazy to think that exactly a year ago today, I timidly pressed publish on my 'Welcome' post. Since then I've achieved more than I could ever have deemed possible and have only my blog to thank for it! So to commemorate my first year as a blogger, I thought I'd share with you a few pearls of wisdom that I've picked up from my experience in the last 365 days- enjoy!
1. Blog for yourself
When I first started blogging, I immediately slipped into the typical beauty blogger stereotype and found it hard to crawl out of that 'blogger's rut'. My content fast became tailored to what I thought would be attractive to my audience, and in the process, fell out of blogging for my own enjoyment. At the end of the day, your blog is yours and you shouldn't allow other peoples' opinions and preferences to dictate what you post on it. Obviously it can be useful to be aware of what your readers prefer, but if it's something you don't feel comfortable writing about, you are in no way obliged to do so. Your blog truly is yours.
2. Let passion be your drive
Nowadays, more and more people have created blogs purely for the sake of monetising their writing. Whilst it is perfectly practical to make a profit out of something that you invest so much time and effort into producing, sometimes monetised blogs can be a bit monotonous and lacking in personal drive and emotion. I am in no way saying that all profitable blogs are in this way- in fact most of them are thoroughly enjoyable reads- I have just encountered a few blogs that appear absent in their passion for what they discuss. Okay, so I'm no good with words. What I'm trying to say is that blogging isn't about making mega bucks; in fact, most full-time bloggers don't make nearly as much as you think and often work tirelessly to earn their living. Blogging should be about passion for what you're writing about, be it beauty, fashion, lifestyle, travel or even something techy. If you let your passion for the subject be your drive, your dedication will shine through.
3. Blogger's block sucks. And I really do mean sucks.
Ah, the dreaded blogger's block. Let's face it, pretty much all bloggers, new and old, have experienced this craze-inducing obstruction of creativity. I for one can certainly vouch for having encountered this many a time in my last year of blogging. And I can also vouch for the fact that it is a major pain in the backside! But, it is surprisingly easy to overcome; you just have to give your brain a little bit of time and space to replenish its ideas. However, if you're still desperate to post despite your lack of creative juices, it is useful to keep a notepad at hand most of the time in case a eureka moment pops into your head. Having a list of reserve posts to fall back on has really helped me during times where my brain is just completely stumped.
4. Blogging doesn't have to be expensive
Although you may occasionally witness bloggers purchasing masses of products from all kinds of prestigious brands, it doesn't have to be this way. In fact, in my first year of blogging I doubt that I spent any more money on cosmetic products than I have done in previous years. Providing that you try to keep your blog interesting and as up to date as you can (aka try not to use discontinued products, something I'm a huge culprit of doing...oops!) it really doesn't matter which products you discuss with your audience. As I mentioned previously, blogging should predominantly be for your benefit and your own enjoyment, so try not to let money be an issue!
5. Google Analytics is a bare necessity
Although I only began using this nifty site a few months ago, it has fast become one of the handiest tools in my (metaphorical) blogger's box. Whilst Blogger can provide you with a brief overview of the number of pageviews your blog has received, as well as a vague idea of the geographical situation of your viewers, Google Analytics really gets into the nitty gritty breakdown of who viewed your blog, when they accessed it, and even tells you the length of time they sat and read it for! It is undoubtedly one of the most useful blogging tools out there, and something I would thoroughly recommend to anyone, whether you're just starting out or have experience as an online content creator.
5. Social media also plays a pretty big role in attracting viewers to your blog
I honestly don't know where my blog would be if it wasn't for my twitter account. Although my follower count is fairly small, especially in comparison to other users of the site, my blog gains a noticeable amount of pageviews whenever I tweet a link to a post. And although I do encourage anyone thinking of creating a blog, or those who already run one, to prioritise blogging for themselves before worrying about followers, I must admit that having people notice and appreciate your hard work is one of the things I find most enjoyable about blogging. Whilst blogging, for me anyway, has never been centred around gaining as many followers as possible, it is extremely rewarding (and also rather heartwarming) to know that people are actually taking enjoyment in the content you produce. Blogging sites like Bloglovin' are also very useful for getting your posts out there, and with hundreds of thousands of fellow bloggers posting their content on the site, you're likely to encounter some great new blogs to read too!
6. It's okay to take a break when you need one
I get it; sometimes the pressure of feeling that you have to post on a consistent basis can be pretty overwhelming, and you deserve a well-earned break when this becomes the case. Blogging is surprisingly tiring, especially if you have other educational or personal commitments crammed into your schedule too. Likelihood is, if you're feeling stressed, this will shine through clear as day in your writing and you'll only feel worse about the content you're creating if it's not quite up to scratch. If you find yourself stuck in a blogger's rut or have some personal issues that need to be prioritised, it's perfectly okay to take a bit of time-out until you feel up to the job again. At the end of the day, there's no point in forcing yourself to do something that you're really not in the mood for, and you never know, taking a short break may just be the key to getting your blogging mojo back and better than ever!
7. Setting goals is the best way to achieve them
We all have aspirations for our blogs, be it reaching the next milestone in your follower count or being able to blog consistently for a week (something I really struggled to do when set the challenge!) But how often do we actually set these aspirations out as clear (and realistically achievable) goals? I think the answer for most is 'pretty rarely' and instead these desires just linger at the back of your mind and have very little influence on what you choose to do. But this is where goal-setting comes into the equation. Start by creating a little notebook, or a large poster if you're feeling ambitious, where you can jot down your key objectives for your blog. Try and keep it as realistic as possible- maybe Beyoncé-style world domination isn't quite on the list of achievable goals but hey, a girl can only dream! Once you've got a clear set of goals noted down, it's then pretty useful to start brainstorming how you're going to achieve them. I find that having a slight challenge complete with a path of stepping stones to guide you to your goal is one of the best ways to achieving it!
8. Blogging shouldn't be a competition
With the uprising of so many new and exciting bloggers emerging on a daily basis, it can be pretty easy to start comparing yourself and your blog to someone else's. Although you may occasionally acquire a spot of inspiration from another blog, and it may even push you to try harder, blogging really shouldn't be a competition. As beauty bloggers begin to storm the internet on an increasingly large scale, it is understandably easy to start competing against other creators and in doing so, often making yourself feel inferior in comparison. But blogging really shouldn't be this way. Blogging should be a community. At the end of the day, we all have similar interests and are very much alike in the topics we write about, so surely instead of constantly battling it out to see who can create the best content, we should all support each other in the best way possible. Whilst most members of the blogosphere are generally extremely amiable and incredibly encouraging of other bloggers, it would be wonderful if all were that way inclined. But hey, not everything can be perfect!
9. Blogging can be a huge boost to your confidence
I've always been a shy in my nature and, quite frankly, a bit of a wilting wallflower in numerous social situations. Whilst I still do remain pretty reserved most of the time, I have noticed that blogging really has helped give my personal moral a much-needed boost. I honestly think that by having my blog on the side where I can spill my emotions onto however and whenever I please has been crucial in my personal development. I can't quite pin-point just how it's managed to achieve this- maybe it's the flattery that comes with people actually taking interest in what I have to say, or maybe it's having a creative outlet to ramble about my passions which helps to snatch my mind away from other issues. Either way, I'm so so pleased to have this little corner of the internet to call my own and am so grateful for everything it's given me.
10. Anyone can start a blog
And by anyone, I truly mean anyone. As you delve further into the blogosphere, you'll become aware of just how richly diverse the range of bloggers are. Whether you're young or old, wanting to blog about beauty, travel or even technology, there really is room for everyone to fit in. If you're thinking about starting a blog but are doubtful of your abilities to do so, please don't be. It's honestly nowhere near as scary or impossible as it may seem, and once you've started, so many new character-developing opportunities will arise. So take the challenge and give it a go! You can always remove all traces of it from the internet if it goes horrifically wrong!!
Wow, that was a pretty hefty heck of a post, so I'm desperately hoping that I've managed to cover everything! If you're new here, thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed this post! If you're a returning reader, thank you for your support- I really appreciate it! I will be eternally glad that I started this blog and am honestly so pleased to reflect on how much everything has shaped up in just one year- here's to many more to come!
Lucy x
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