Blogging Tips: So you want to Start a Blog
NAME/BRAND
Your blog name can be whatever you want. It’s your blog, it’s written by you and it needs to relate to you. Your blog name doesn’t have to be a pun, but ideally it does need to be short. A little hypocritical I know considering mine is called Charlotte Elizabeth which can look quite long, but that’s my name so I can’t really do anything about it. Instead, most of my platforms I use XCEWBLOG as it’s just so much easier when searching. Keep it short, sweet, quirky and most importantly, what you want it to be called.
PLATFORM
First things first, you need a platform. Something to write your create your brand and write down all those thoughts. The most popular blogging platforms are Blogger which is managed by Google, (which is what my blog uses) or Wordpress which I am not really familiar with (but considering many bloggers move from Blogger to Wordpress, I am guessing it’s quite fancy!). You can also purchase a website via companies like GoDaddy.com which offer a blog platform although, I haven’t really seen many recommendations on this before. Before you decide, have a look and see which platform you will find easiest to use, for me Blogger is really simple and does what I need it to do.
BLOGGING DEVICE
Now you have your platform up and running need something to write your blog on. You don’t need the latest Apple Macbook Air Pro Ninga Warrior 6000 Plus to be able to blog. You just need something to type on, I have an ASUS laptop which was kindly bought for me by my pops and is really reasonably priced, it is usually around £350 but Argos current has an offer on. It comes with the latest Windows edition, and has 1TB of storage, which, for those of you who aren’t techy, is pretty big so can basically hold lots of videos and photos. You can also get Apps for Blogger (unsure about Wordpress) to blog on. I use the Blogger app on my Kindle and iPhone so I can blog on the go, or just get away from typing on a laptop.
LAYOUT
A blogs layout never really used to be that important. As it used to be all about the content, and although content is still the most important thing, blogs nowadays are becoming more creative and professional, somewhat magazine like. Being honest, they are better than some magazines that I have read. A blog can be whatever you want it to be – any colour, any style, any design. It’s all up to you as the creator, writer and editor. But having a layout that is snazzy, professional and simple to use, whilst being within your own person style, will help your readers remember you. Pipdig have some amazing layouts to suit a range of styles and are all really affordable. Better yet, Pipdig offer a free installation service so you don’t need to worry about setting it up.
CAMERA
If your blog isn’t going to include photos then you can just skip this part, although most blogs will need a camera of some sort. Whether it’s to take photos of delicious food, your exciting travels, your latest beauty finds or just whatever you fancy then investing in a good camera is definitely a must. The quality of photos these days is borderline professional, but that isn’t to say you need a super duper expensive camera to get going. Its only after 2 years of blogging that I have purchased my very first “fancy” camera which is the Olympus Pen E-PL7. For a blogger, this camera is perfect! It’s a compact DSLR with ridiculously good quality and is super easy to use – for those who are non-techy like moi. Although it’s pricey, it is most definitely an investment. However, I started with the Nixon Coolpix L820 which is a great camera that has a good zoom and takes pictures in 16mp, which means its good quality and even comes with an editing program.
NOTEBOOK/JOURNAL
Blog posts spring to my mind in the craziest of places, and how am I ever going to jot down those thoughts? Using a notebook, journal or even your phone to store those thoughts and ideas will help you to remember to right them – I can’t count the amount of times I have forgotten about blog post topics. Although I don’t carry my big notebook around with me, just because I never have room in my bag, I do often make notes on my phone or even the Blogger app so I remember to write them up.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Social Media is a vital part to your blog. Not only will this share your blog with potential new readers, but it also increases your chances of getting known. Make sure you set up Facebook Page, Twitter and Instagram at least, and share your posts across all these sites. Use Social Media as an extension to your blog to attract different readers and share your content. I really wish that I had done this a lot sooner as since I have set these platforms up and really used these alongside my blog, my views and readers have increased.
CONTENT
The most important thing on your blog is content. Whether your blog is more of a photo diary filled with pretty pictures or as a chatty page filled with reviews or lifestyle posts, you need to have content. It’s important to make sure that your content is kept fresh, exciting and most importantly, showing your personality. Make note of all your ideas so you can use them at the times when you get writers block – which is perfectly normal by the way! I do it all the time. But on the other hand, there are times that I am writing a blog post, and another springs to mind, then another and I am finding myself writing two or three blog posts at a time. These are the kind of posts that are great to save to fill the blank spaces when you have no ideas.
If you are new to blogging, congratulations on your new venture! I really hope my tips were helpful in getting you set up, if there is anything that you’d like me to cover then leave a comment below or email me at charlotteelizabethblog@outlook.com.
If you have been blogging a while, why not drop a few tips in the comment box below to help new bloggers out a little?
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1 Comments
This was so helpful! Honestly! I just launched my "official" blog and am so excited to add more content to it once I graduate-- the only thing stopping me from posting is time! I have such limited of it, so I'm excited to commit to it in a couple of weeks :) I moved my Wordpress blog over to my own domain and everything so I'm sure this will hold me accountable to start blogging consistently �� Thank you so SO much for this post!!
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