10 Things Blogging Has Taught Me
This is my 100th blog post, which is crazy. I thought I'd give up after 5 posts, so to reach 100 posts is pretty good going. I thought I'd do something a bit different and talk about what I've learnt and how much I, and my posts have changed since that very first FeelUnique Haul.
During this time blogging has taught me quite a few things, including the fact that British sunlight is the worst for taking photos. Below I have listed 10 different things that I have learnt over the past year through blogging.
Be Organised// Organisation is key. When I first started out I would decide on the day what I was going to blog about. I never planned anything and basically just decided to write a blog post when I came up with an idea. Now, almost one year on, I plan everything. I plan posts at least 3 weeks in advance, have posts scheduled and take photos weeks before they are needed. Of course this doesn't mean that everything goes up on time, but I'm a lot more organised than I used to be.
Be Consistent// This kind of ties in with my previous point, I never had a specific day when my posts would go up and I never planned how many blog posts I would write per week. Nowadays I try to keep my posts as consistent as possible, blogging at least 3 times per week and uploading a post every other day (Monday, Wednesday and Friday). Of course there's days that I deviate from this but I try to be as consistent as possible.
Be Brave// I am quite a shy person, so the thought of people reading what I have written scares me a bit. I'm such a critique of everything I write and reading over old blog posts makes me cringe. But I've learnt to be brave and just put my thoughts out there and not worry about what people think. At the end of the day I blog because I enjoy it and if I'm not going to write what I truly think then whats the point?
Be Original// Originality is one of the most important traits for a blogger. So many people have a blog and in order to stand out you need to be original. Of course this is easier said than done, with numerous beauty bloggers reviewing the same products it's hard to make your post stand out. I always try to make my posts as original as possible, of course blogging inspiration can come from other bloggers. If you write a post than is inspired by someone else's try to do a different spin on it.
Be Yourself// As well as being original, it's important to be yourself and let your personality shine through. I don't like to just rhyme off facts in a blog post, I try to write something as I would actually say it. I can be quite sarcastic sometimes and this may come across in what I write, but that's who I am and it's part of my personality.
Be Honest// 100's of reviews may be praising a certain product that you don't necessarily like, if that's the case, it's a perfect opportunity for you to be different and view your own opinion. It's your opinion so you are neither right nor wrong, if I don't like a hyped up product that everyone else seems to love, I'll say I don't like it. I absolutely hate the Benefit They're Real Mascara, but it's the No. 1 bestselling mascara. Despite this I'm not going to say I love it just because it's so popular. Negative reviews are just as helpful as positive ones, so whether you like or dislike a product, I think the only important thing is that your opinion is 100% honest.
Be Realistic// Reading blogs can be one of the worst things for your bank account, reading numerous product reviews can leave me with an extremely long wish list. However, a lot of items in my wish list never make it to my 'basket'. If I bought everything that I liked the look of I would be seriously broke (even more than I am now). I've learnt to be realistic regarding what products I buy. I think long and hard about whether I really need them, and if I did buy them would they just end up lying in my drawer untouched after 1 or 2 uses.
Be Supportive// There are so many blogs out there and I think that it is important to show your support to other bloggers. I am still shocked that there are people who actually read my blog and I'm so thankful for the support I receive. I think it's important to support those who support you, especially as there are so many bloggers in the same boat, trying to grow their audience.
Be Promotive// One way to get your blog out there is to use social media to help promote it. I found that once I set up a Twitter and Instagram account for my blog it really helped. Bloglovin is also a good way to gain followers and readers. It definitely is beneficial to make the most of social media in order to help promote your blog.
Be Patient// Almost one year on my blog is still very small, but it really has grown since I started. Whether I get 10 readers or 1000 readers I'm still extremely grateful that those people choose to read what I write. Growing your audience is difficult and it takes time, it's therefore important to be patient and not expect too much too quickly. I love having a blog, it's a hobby and something I enjoy doing and I will continue with it whether I get more readers or not.
I am still pretty much a novice at blogging, but these are just a few things I have picked up and learnt in the past year. These things have helped me improve my blog and its content. As always this is just my opinion I am in no way saying you must incorporate all these things into your blog, I've just found they have helped me.
During this time blogging has taught me quite a few things, including the fact that British sunlight is the worst for taking photos. Below I have listed 10 different things that I have learnt over the past year through blogging.
Be Organised// Organisation is key. When I first started out I would decide on the day what I was going to blog about. I never planned anything and basically just decided to write a blog post when I came up with an idea. Now, almost one year on, I plan everything. I plan posts at least 3 weeks in advance, have posts scheduled and take photos weeks before they are needed. Of course this doesn't mean that everything goes up on time, but I'm a lot more organised than I used to be.
Be Consistent// This kind of ties in with my previous point, I never had a specific day when my posts would go up and I never planned how many blog posts I would write per week. Nowadays I try to keep my posts as consistent as possible, blogging at least 3 times per week and uploading a post every other day (Monday, Wednesday and Friday). Of course there's days that I deviate from this but I try to be as consistent as possible.
Be Brave// I am quite a shy person, so the thought of people reading what I have written scares me a bit. I'm such a critique of everything I write and reading over old blog posts makes me cringe. But I've learnt to be brave and just put my thoughts out there and not worry about what people think. At the end of the day I blog because I enjoy it and if I'm not going to write what I truly think then whats the point?
Be Original// Originality is one of the most important traits for a blogger. So many people have a blog and in order to stand out you need to be original. Of course this is easier said than done, with numerous beauty bloggers reviewing the same products it's hard to make your post stand out. I always try to make my posts as original as possible, of course blogging inspiration can come from other bloggers. If you write a post than is inspired by someone else's try to do a different spin on it.
Be Yourself// As well as being original, it's important to be yourself and let your personality shine through. I don't like to just rhyme off facts in a blog post, I try to write something as I would actually say it. I can be quite sarcastic sometimes and this may come across in what I write, but that's who I am and it's part of my personality.
Be Honest// 100's of reviews may be praising a certain product that you don't necessarily like, if that's the case, it's a perfect opportunity for you to be different and view your own opinion. It's your opinion so you are neither right nor wrong, if I don't like a hyped up product that everyone else seems to love, I'll say I don't like it. I absolutely hate the Benefit They're Real Mascara, but it's the No. 1 bestselling mascara. Despite this I'm not going to say I love it just because it's so popular. Negative reviews are just as helpful as positive ones, so whether you like or dislike a product, I think the only important thing is that your opinion is 100% honest.
Be Realistic// Reading blogs can be one of the worst things for your bank account, reading numerous product reviews can leave me with an extremely long wish list. However, a lot of items in my wish list never make it to my 'basket'. If I bought everything that I liked the look of I would be seriously broke (even more than I am now). I've learnt to be realistic regarding what products I buy. I think long and hard about whether I really need them, and if I did buy them would they just end up lying in my drawer untouched after 1 or 2 uses.
Be Supportive// There are so many blogs out there and I think that it is important to show your support to other bloggers. I am still shocked that there are people who actually read my blog and I'm so thankful for the support I receive. I think it's important to support those who support you, especially as there are so many bloggers in the same boat, trying to grow their audience.
Be Promotive// One way to get your blog out there is to use social media to help promote it. I found that once I set up a Twitter and Instagram account for my blog it really helped. Bloglovin is also a good way to gain followers and readers. It definitely is beneficial to make the most of social media in order to help promote your blog.
Be Patient// Almost one year on my blog is still very small, but it really has grown since I started. Whether I get 10 readers or 1000 readers I'm still extremely grateful that those people choose to read what I write. Growing your audience is difficult and it takes time, it's therefore important to be patient and not expect too much too quickly. I love having a blog, it's a hobby and something I enjoy doing and I will continue with it whether I get more readers or not.
I am still pretty much a novice at blogging, but these are just a few things I have picked up and learnt in the past year. These things have helped me improve my blog and its content. As always this is just my opinion I am in no way saying you must incorporate all these things into your blog, I've just found they have helped me.
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