Today I am sharing a much requested topic… Top 5 tips for new bloggers! Honestly, it was hard to condense this post into 5 tips because there are a lot of things I have learned over the years. I am by no means an expert, but here are my Top 5 Tips for new Bloggers…

1. Blogging for the Right Reasons– Are you starting a blog to get famous? Are you starting a blog to get free clothes? Hit the breaks sister… When you start a blog, you need to be passionate and ready to commit. The blogging industry has grown incredibly fast over the last couple of years. You may be thinking… Where is my place in this blogging world? Will people even read it? Wait someone is already doing that.  The great thing about Fashion is that everyone has their own personal style. Of course there are tons of fashion bloggers that shop at the same places, buy the same pieces, work with the same brands etc.  The comparison game is an ugly ugly thing. I am completely guilty of this myself. You get discouraged, it affects your content and as ridiculous as it sounds, it can affect your health. It is near impossible to avoid this, it’s human nature, but if you consciously make an effort, it help you in the long run. When you start a blog, do it for the right reasons, find your place, and be true to YOURself. I started my blog to document my wedding process and it took 3 years for it to turn into a fashion/lifestyle blog. Your blog will evolve as you grow and your readership will grow with you if you are authentic.

2.  Relationships with Brands– Building solid, trusting relationships is not only an important part of life, but a huge factor in building your blog. No matter how small or how large a collaboration is, they all should be treated as equal. Of course, some collaborations may take more time and be grander in scale, but the communication and effort you put into them should always be the same. The PR world is a large, but very small world. People move jobs and companies constantly and you never know where your contacts will end up. Your reputation is your brand. You always want to follow through with your commitments, meet all expectations, and be on time. Always remember no matter how busy your life is, the brands’ time is just as valuable as yours.

3. Social Media– Now this is a topic I could talk about for days. I am going to talk about this in a bit of a different way as social is not the same as it used to be. New platforms are always going to be released, and the platforms you are used to using daily may change or completely disappear. Scary to think about right? Social media is still a HUGE part in growing your blog, but you need to make sure you are not putting all your eggs in one basket. Your blog should always come first. It is the only thing you have complete control over. Being smart about how you are using social channels and how often is key. As I mentioned, I could talk about Social Media for DAYS, so I will plan to do a post on this in the future and go into more detail.

4. Engagement– What is a blog without someone reading it? Your readers are the reason you succeed. Your readers could be the reason there is a roof over your head if blogging turned into your full time job. I can’t stress enough how important it is to engage with your readership. Listen to what they are wanting to see on your blog, analyze your traffic, respond to comments, respond to social comments, be present when time allows and always be respectful. You also need to remember you will not always be everyones cup of tea. Negative feedback will also come just as positive feedback will. It comes with the territory. Constructive criticism can be helpful even if you do not agree with it haha. Understanding your readership is incredibly vital and it is up to you to put in the work to find out exactly what they want/like to see.

5. Content– Consistent, high quality Content is King. To take your blog to the next level you need to be consistent with how often you publish so that your readers know what to expect. If you introduce a new series, stick to it. If you like to post collages, do them on the same day each week. We all like structure in our lives, why not treat your blog the same way? Additionally, when choosing collaborations, make sure they are in line with your brand. Readers will quickly loose trust in you which will be your blog’s downfall. As a fashion blogger, your photos will speak for themselves. Investing in good equipment, if you do not work a photographer, is an important step in getting that quality you strive to have.

My Equipment- Nikon D7100 Camera with 85mm sigma lens (incredible bokeh and portrait shots), 50mm lens (GREAT starter lens), and just ordered the 35mm sigma lens (pricey, but gets amazing angles)

There you have it, my top 5 tips for new bloggers. I hope this post was helpful to you guys. Again, I am by no means an expert in this subject, these are just a few of the many things that have helped me to get to where I am at today with blogging. I plan on doing more posts like this through August and September so if you have any specific questions or topics, please send them my way!

Please leave me a comment and let me know your thoughts!

xoxo Tara