So you want to be a blogger? I’ve only been blogging for three years, two if you count the year I didn’t focus on it so much because I was being a miserable pregnant woman & then taking care of a newborn. However taking the time off didn’t affect my passion for what I do. I love bringing you my readers, my thoughts. I get asked so often “how do I start blogging?” ..It’s not just a simple..start a blog answer although some might tell you it is. Today I’m going to tell you how to start your own blog and join in all the fun.
1. Why do you want to blog? To share your life? Because your really into fashion & beauty and you want to share it with the world? To share your craft ideas? Whatever the reason…have a reason! Without a reason to blog you will get burnt out and run out of ideas.
2. Choose a witty name related to the topic you want to blog: you need to stand out from the crowd. Your name needs to tell who you are with just a title..I started my blog to talk about my life as a mom of 3 boys, the products and places we like to go..it has since grown from there.
3. Pick a platform & start a blog: Blogger or WordPress..that is the question..well for me, I started (and still use) blogger..its simple to create a blog and start blogging…easy to add a background and image header…however, if you look at the more professional blogs, they are all on WordPress…why you ask, because wordpress is a more professional platform. Now there are two different wordpresses, this has recently been brought to my attention when looking to switch. Wordpress.com & WordPress.org..here is a breakdown I found to explain the difference..you can also click here to read more about the differences.
4. When you create your blog you will need to select your design..look at other blogs and see what they are doing.. By no means copy them, but take notes and make your blog reflect you..who you are. I’ve been through so many title designs over the years, and I think I finally might be happy with this one..maybe..There are many designers out there who are willing to help for a fee of course. You don’t want a lot of clutter, a clean professional design will draw in readers, and help your page to load faster.
5. Ok, you have a purpose, a name & a blog & design..now what? Start writing your heart out..put your heart onto paper, or in this case the keyboard. Write about what your passion is, who you are..introduce the world to you!
6. Join blog communities…there are many out there now days, your sure to find one you fit in..ask questions, comment, and make new friends. You will find a lot of support out there, you just have to look. Here are a few to get you started:
Mom Bloggers Club
Bloggy Moms
Mom Dot
Pitch It To Me
That should get you started making friends and learning more about blogging.
What next? If your just blogging to share your life, your pretty much done..if not you have more work to do!
7. Set up blog social accounts…Facebook Page, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, Instagram, and if your brave enough, YouTube..I’m not a person who likes to be on camera, so I’m struggling with this one! Make sure you try to “brand yourself”. If your blog is “Socialite in the Country” than so should your social media..facebook.com/socialiteinthecountry, twitter.com/socialiteinthecountry, etc. If it’s already taken try to find something similar like twitter.com/socialitecountry, but keep it uniform across your platforms. Make sense?
8. If your wanting to connect with brands doing reviews, giveaways, sponsored post etc…you will need to create a media kit. What is a media kit you ask? A media kit tell the brand who you are, what your blog is, how many followers you have, your rates for sponsored posts, ads etc. You can view an example here.
9. After your make your media kit & create all your social media accounts start following the brands you want to work with, retweet tweets, share posts..mention them in a tweet etc..but don’t be overwhelming…just gently let them know you are there.
10. You will now need to come up with the perfect pitch letter. Whats that? Well if your going to work with companies, you will need to pitch them in an email. How? I start by going to their site and looking for a contact page, or news page…You can always fill out the form on the site with your pitch, this is called cold pitching. I usually try to find a news page with press contacts or search google for press releases (which have press contacts) before I will cold pitch. Now it’s time to craft your email…tell them who you are, your blog name & purpose for contacting them. DO NOT DWELL ON AND ON! Make it short and to the point, they get hundreds a day and don’t want to read a story with each one. Make sure to include your stats (followers, page rank, etc.)
11. Now that you’ve done everything above and have products & clients, be professional, timely and write a stellar well written post for your client!
Happy Blogging! Have a blog? Leave your link in the comment so others can check you out!
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