As someone who has been blogging since their late teens, I often get A LOT of questions from people hoping to start a blog of their own! From friends in real life to strangers on the internet, I never go long without someone asking, "how do I start my own blog?". Well, I'm no expert, but I'd like to think I've learnt a few things about blogging that might help you on your way!
So how do you start your first blog post, and what should it be about?
I'll let you into a little secret, there is no right or wrong way to start your first blog post! Yep, that's right, you literally can't go wrong with this first creation! Okay sure if you're starting a blog for your business or you're going for a more professional angle instead of a personal blog you probably won't want to swear your head off, but this is your new baby so it's down to you how you plan to do it!
But don't worry, I won't leave you to figure it out yourself, here are my tips...
Just start it!
Stop overthinking it. Chances are your first blog post won't be a work of art. This is a brand new thing to you, you can't expect to be 'good' at it straight away! The longer you stress and rewrite your first blog post, the longer it will take you to launch your blog properly, and let's be honest you want to get this off the ground sooner rather than later right?
Brainstorm
If you're really stuck for ideas - get brainstorming! What is your blog going to be about? What do you want to tell people who click on your site for the first time? Maybe you want to introduce yourself, or maybe you just want to give the reader a run down of what they will find here in the future? Scribble down your ideas and get cracking!
Stick to the golden blogging rules... or don't!
Once you have an idea of what you're going to write about, get stuck in! Now in the blogging world, there are some rules to make your posts the best they can be. These rules help your blog posts appear in google searches and they are super important if you want to drive traffic to your blog. However, I don't think they matter too much when you are just starting out! It's your first post at the end of the day - you should have fun writing it, not worrying about making it SEO perfect!
Oh you're a sucker for the rules eh? Okay, I'll tell you a few of the basics to see you on your way:
- Try to write over 500 words, but definitely no less than 300
- Insert at least 1 relevant photo
- Keep your title short, ideally no more than 60 characters
The longer you blog, the more rules you'll learn to live by but for now just enjoy your new creative outlet!
What photos should I use?
Again this is completely up to you! If you're introducing yourself, maybe a nice inviting selfie would be a good idea, or if your blog post is going to be about beauty, a photo of your favourite beauty products would be great. Just try to make sure the photo is good quality and belongs to you. You don't want to use photographs you don't have the rights to as you might find yourself with a surprise bill if the owner catches you using it!
I've written the post but it just doesn't look good?
Don't beat yourself up too much if your first blog post doesn't look the way you expected it to. Learning to style up blog posts takes a lot of time and patience. Have a play around with the fonts, font sizes, headings, and even colours until you're happy with how the blog post looks. In time you can purchase blog themes which will give your site and blog posts and more unique uniform look, but for now, just have fun!
Starting a blog can be one of the most enjoyable and rewarding modern hobbies, but just like anything else, you won't master blogging straight away. Some of the biggest bloggers with the most beautiful platforms have been doing this for 10 years, and believe me their blogs DID NOT look that pretty when they first started! So get cracking, go write your first post, and most importantly enjoy putting your new creation together!
If you're after a few more tips on setting up your blog check out my ultimate guide to starting a blog for everything you need know about getting going. I also really love Sarah's post about her 5 step blogging checklist and Jenny's blogging Q&A post is also sure to help you on your way!
And if you're still super stuck on what your first blog post could be about, I've rounded up a few easy ideas below:
- Introduce yourself
- A run down of what your blog is going to be about
- The creators who inspired you to start a blog
- 50 facts about yourself
- Why you're starting a blog
- A round up of your favourite blog posts
- a Q&A or a FAQ
Good luck starting everything up, I'm sure your brand new blog is going to be AMAZING!
It's no secret that from time to time I'm sent 'free' products. Occasionally I'll receive skincare items, clothes, and even a gifted lunch here and there. The 'freebies' I'm sent often give me great content ideas and I love unboxing them on my Instagram stories too. While I don't accept every gift I'm offered, I have received an influx of PR packages recently which has caused my DM's to practically explode with questions.
Right now my inbox is flooded with a million queries about my blogger mail and that's understandable! So I'm going to let you guys in on the secret.
How I get PR products and everything else you've ever wanted to know about blogger mail...
What is blogger mail?
Blogger mail is a fun little name for products sent by businesses to influencers in the hope that their product will get coverage. For brands, this is a very inexpensive way to advertise which is why it's so popular at the moment. But a word of warning - starting a blog or an instagram account just for freebies won't get you far. Bloggers and brands can spot it a mile off and besides that it takes real dedication to post regular content and build up quality following.
How I get my PR packages
The majority of my press packages are from big brands or PR companies who usually contact me over email. To make everyone's life easier, and to make sure I don't miss out on opportunities, I ensure my email address is clear and visible on all my platforms. While some brands are happy to slide in the DM's I still find the majority like to do business over email and they will be much more likely to get in touch if your email address is easy to find.
From time to time I'll see that a brand I love is actively working with bloggers, and if I want a piece of that pie I'll email them first. I have secured a few goodies this way before but it's never guaranteed results. If this is a path you're considering taking just remember that while big companies often have a budget for gifting, it's not fair to ask smaller businesses for 'freebies'.
Do I get paid?
Occasionally I will receive a PR product and payment, this usually happens when a brand has specific requirements. Many bloggers and influencers will be happy to accept products on the understanding that they may or may not receive coverage, but this isn't always the case. If a brand expects coverage or gives guidance on the type of content they expect to be produced to promote the product I would encourage the recipient to discuss payment. There won't always be a monetary budget for this but brands have got to start understanding that as amazing as their new skincare launch is, we can't pay our bills with a fancy pot of moisturiser.
How to get on a brands PR list
There is no foolproof way to get a space on your favourite brands PR list, sometimes it's just down to luck! I do however have a couple of tips to help you on your way:
- Interact with the brands you love on social media and tag them in relevant content you create, they might just notice you.
- Check #BloggersRequire and #BloggersWanted hashtags on Twitter. Yes, these are often clogged up with other bloggers chatting shite, but PR teams often tweet about upcoming opportunities using the hashtags too!
- Keep in touch with PR's after you receive a product, let them know you've received it and when you are going to mention it. It's also helpful to send over your engagement stats if you mention the product on social media. Be nice to you PR and they will remember you fondly for future opportunities.
Beware of the scams!
Because gifting has become such a popular thing in the influencer world, scammers have picked up on it. Ever received a comment on your latest Instagram post that goes along the line of "Hey babe DM us for a collab!" Well, chances are it's a scam. They work by offering you a collaboration where you either buy the product and are later refunded after your post about it, or you pay the postage and are later refunded. The only problem here is that you will never get a refund. A legitimate company will never ask you to pay for any part of a press product.
I hope this has answered a few of the burning questions you all have about PR packages and freebies! I know that not everyone likes or even understands the influencer industry, but for so many of us who have spent hours creating content and building relationships with brands, these are just little perks of the job.
Still have a question about how to get free press products or anything else? Feel free to leave a comment below or drop me a message on any of my social media accounts!
Over the years I've consumed tones of advice on how to grow my blog, but there's always one tip which seems to come up time after time - pick a niche. Now there are plenty of tips and tricks I'll happily listen to in the hope that my online presence grows however, this will never be one of them.
While I agree that by picking a niche and focussing on one area to write about, your blog may grow quicker, and yes it will probably help with SEO too, but I think it also hinders your creativity and limits your blog's potential. That's not to say you shouldn't pick a niche when starting a blog. If you have a passion for something in particular or you run your blog alongside your business it makes sense, but for budding bloggers just starting out, I don't think it helps to restrict yourself.
Why am I so against this advice? Well, there are a few reasons. The first reason I never took it onboard was simply that I have so many interests. Right at the start when I created my blog I knew I wanted to talk about fashion, and makeup, and travel tips, and anything else I found interesting. I simply didn't want to chain my blog to one subject.
Another reason I steered clear of picking a niche for my new creative venture was that I saw it as a hobby and not a revenue stream. Making money from my little space on the internet was not my priority. That's not to say blogs featuring various content can't be profitable, many bedroom bloggers have gone on to make millions from their diverse, multi-subject blogs. It is possible to be a successful lifestyle blogger while also covering a multitude of areas. Which brings me to my next point...
The problem with so many articles on growing your blog is that they suggest you cannot be a successful blogger without picking a niche. This is an issue because not only is it false, everyone's idea of success is different. To one blogger success might be achieved with a certain amount of monthly views, to another, it might be when their blog starts to generate income, it depends what each blogger is hoping to get out of creating their blog.
So what advice should you take when trying to grow your blog? While I'm no blogging expert, I've read a lot of blogging advice over the years and these are the tips which seem to pop up quite a lot:
- Use social media. Instagram, in particular, is one of the best platforms to get your creative content seen. You should also share your new blog posts on social media and engage with other creatives too.
- Get to grips with basic SEO. Yes, search engine optimisation can seem like a minefield for newbies but it's an important technical part of growing your blog.
- Leave meaningful comments on other blog posts and social media content. Generic 'nice post' comments may get you noticed but building relationships is much more important.
- If you don't already own a custom URL for your site it would be worth buying one as it makes your blog look more professional and can help build trust with your readers.
To conclude, there is tonnes of really great advice out there that may help budding bloggers to grow their platforms. Whatever you chose to do it's important to pick the advice that works for you and your blog, and if that means writing about a whole host of subjects then so be it. There are some things you'll need to do to grow your blog, but picking a niche isn't necessarily one of them.
