This year I reached some blogging milestones. I had my first post published in Huffington Post. I am now getting paid for post on my blog and my Instagram. Brands are paying to advertise on my blog. I had a the opportunity to collaborate with Nordstrom for a paid shopping spree, and I had my first all inclusive complementary travel blogger experience. It was a year of first and blogger dreams come true, but it was also a year of sleepless nights, frustration, and sheer exhaustion. I had tons of help from fellow bloggers, and my family to get me through my first blogging year. You see what most people don’t realize about blogging, is that it takes time, lots of planning, and help to create a good post. It isn’t as glamorous as it may seem on social media, and it can be a full-time job for those who pursue it as a career. I was able to experience success in the business aspect of blogging, but it wasn’t easy. But through my own trial and error here are ten tips to success that will help you in your first year blogging.
1. Ask for help and help others – Don’t be afraid to ask someone who has more experience for help, but also don’t forget to help others too. Kindness goes a long way, and so does Karma, you have to give just as much as you take from others. And let’s be honest people aren’t fans of “smoochers”.
2. Ask for feedback – Always ask for feedback from your audience, family and friends. Make sure you are specific when you ask for feedback so you can get detailed constructive criticism instead of a generalized answer.
3. Follow other blogs – I 100% believe if you follow other blogs, it will help you learn so much about blogging. Bloggers give great tips and advice on their blogs. Plus it’s a great way to learn about different blogging styles and niche.
4. Join blogging groups – If you are serious about blogging, then you need to surround yourself with like-minded individuals who are also just as serious. The best way to do this is to join blogging groups. I joined online blogging groups like Houston Bloggers, Thrive for Bloggers, and the Blog Societies to name a few.
5. Invest in a good camera and a photographer – This is a must. Quality photos are what will make you stand out to brands and your audience. If you want to get recognized, you will want visually appealing photos. I use a Sony A6000, I love a mirrorless camera over a DSLR. It is lighter to carry around, and takes great quality photos. I do use my hubby to help me out with my photo shoots, but it does not compare to having a professional photographer who has the eye for details and creative shots.
6. Don’t be afraid to ask to get paid – I don’t get paid all the time for my post, but when name brands offer me a collaboration opportunity, I do ask for monetary compensation. Blogging takes time and effort like any job, and if you are going to give high quality post, you want to be paid for it.
7. Don’t fear rejection – Trust me, not every brand will be happy to pay, so don’t be afraid of rejection. This happens, but that’s life. You take some, you lose some, but most importantly rejection is a great learning opportunity.
8. Write about what you’re passionate about – You will get tons of opportunity to write for brands when you become more successful, but don’t lose your voice in the process. Always focus on what you are most passionate about because your readers can see it in your post. Don’t be afraid to write because of what others will think, this is your blog, it is about your thoughts and your opinions. Your readers follow you because they trust your thoughts and opinions. Not everyone will like what you have to say, but again that is life. You aren’t here to please everyone.
9. Treat your blog as a business – If you want to be a successful blogger, then you are going to have to treat your blog like a business. Plan your time, have a schedule, and surround yourself with the best people who are going to be there to support your blog.
10. Be Authentic. BE ORIGINAL – This is the most cliché blogging saying, but it is true. Brands don’t just contact you because you have a ton of Instagram followers, you have the most comments, or have the best looking pictures. They contact you, because of the quality and ORIGINALITY of your content. If you are following the crowd, then you won’t stand out. So the question to really ask your self is how are you being authentic to yourself and your brand, and what about you stands out? There are tons of fashion/lifestyle bloggers out there. So why would a brand choose you?
GIVEAWAY BELOW!!!
Photos by: Ajay Photography
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GIVEAWAY!!!!
Hey everyone! Thank you so much for supporting me, and making my blogging dreams come true. In leu of my birthday month, I am doing a series of weekly giveaways for all my readers. The first one is this modern and oh so chic phone case every GIRL BOSS is going to need. This LuxBox Case is perfect for taking on the go to that business meeting, brunch, or coffee date. All you have to do to enter is make sure you are subscribe to my blog, and follow the instructions of this photo on my IG. This will go live at 7pm tonight. Good luck and thanks for entering!
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I hope you enjoyed these tips! Let me know what you would like to learn from me next. Thanks for following along!
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Thank you for the great advice! What a successful year 1 you’ve had!!!
Best,
Bridget
Thank you!
Thanks Dawn for your great tips!! They were very helpful as a blogger just starting out 🙂
– Amanda
thesimplepetite.blogspot.com
Thanks so much for reading!
Congratulations, Dawn! It is so exciting that you have had so many firsts this year – great job!! I loved this list and totally agree with the top tips for new bloggers. I would say that when I started to really focus on improving my photography was when I started to see some success.
xx, Emily | Something Gold, Something Blue
Thanks for reading Emily and for your thoughts! I appreciate it!?
Awesome post!! Thank you for sharing these tips. I’m a new blogger (only blogging for 5 months) so this is so helpful!
Thank you Lindsey for reading! You are so sweet. I’m glad these help! Hope you have a great day!?
Thank you for the awesome post Dawn! Im so glad you have amazing opportunities coming your way. You are the sweetest and deserve all the best!
Thanks Sara! You are so kind! Love you girlie!?
Hi! I’m also a (new) Houston blogger and discovered your Instagram after following a few other Houston bloggers! I was wondering how you join blogger groups or where you find them! Thanks for the tips and LOVE your page! ?
Erica! (Aimingforaugust.com)
Hey Erica,
Thanks for reading! Most of the groups I joined are on Facebook. I searched “Houston bloggers” on Facebook and requested to join them. I actually just posted the link on my blog post, so you can go directly to it. For the Blog society, you have to apply for it. There are certain blogger requirements for that. I am going to write a more detailed post for this to answer your question. Have you subscribed? You will be the first to know!<3
I am so glad you posted this! I have been trying to figure out how to join blogger groups and I am glad you brought that up. How do we go about joining these? Specifically a Houston Blogging group as I am also a Houston Blogger(:
Thanks for reading! Most of the groups I joined are on Facebook. I searched “Houston bloggers” on Facebook and requested to join them. I actually just posted the link on my blog post, so you can go directly to it. I am going to write a more detailed post for this to answer your question. Have you subscribed? You will be the first to know!<3
Love these tips! I started my blog a few months ago and am so excited to see where it goes! It would mean so much to me if you looked over my blog (or anyone reading this comment did) and let me know what you think!! One of your tips was to ask for specific critique… I would probably want to know your thoughts on my content and photos as well as the ease of my layout. I have a section of my blog called “Thoughts” and I planned to share random thoughts with my readers when something sparked my interest or I found it to be important, but do you think this is just fluff considering my theme?
Thank you so much!
Xo, Amanda Strong
http://www.poisedavenue.com
Hey girl! Thank you for stopping by! I love the flow to the design to your blog. It is bright, easy to navigate and flows together. As far as “thoughts” go, I think you should categorize your thoughts in your other categories that you already have, like lifestyle or style. But you could have a blog series called “Thoughts” that you did weekly or monthly. I am not a fan of the miscellaneous tab. I think that is very random, but everything else looks great! Hope this helps! <3
Congrats Aswin on winning the giveaway! I will email you this week for your info! Thanks again for subscribing and following along!
Hi there! I just read your tips and it is very helpful. I do have some questions though and I really hope you can enlighten me. How do you radiate with confidence when shooting outdoor esp in public spaces? Like how do you deal when people just start staring? Another thing is what do you do with all the clothes that you have accumulate over time? How often do you shop to stay up to date with fashion/style? Thanks in advance 🙂
Hi there, first of all thank you! You are the sweetest! I actually am still awkward sometimes around the camera. I usually only shoot with my husband or my best friend because I feel the most comfortable, and I always find places that are not crowded so it isn’t awkward for me. I use to just shoot outside of my house my first year, until I finally ventured out to non busy areas. The best time to shoot is early to avoid the crowd. I usually sell my clothes if they I haven’t worn it in a year either on Poshmark or at a thrift shop. Also before I started working with brands, and I had to shop for myself, I always shopped sale or pieces that never really go out of style and then add fun accessories or a cute jacket. I never really followed the trend. I created my own so I didn’t feel pressured to spend money I didn’t have. I also stuck with a budget and only shopped once a month for pieces I can see myself wearing multiple times. Hope this helps! Thanks for all the questions!?