10 Blogging Tips for Beginners
1. Find your Niche
Writers find their voice whilst bloggers must
first find their niche. With so many blogs out
there on offer to potential readers, its
important to set yourself apart from the rest.
Don’t just start a travel blog, start a blog
that focuses on solo travel, couples travel, a
particular region, a particular city, food and
travel, ballet and travel… whatever it is, just
be sure to make the mission statement unique
for your readers!
2. Write for yourself
One of the biggest mistakes I made for the
first couple of years blogging was writing for
my audience and not myself. For a long time I
was writing articles I thought people wanted
to read and forgetting all about the fact that
my blog should be a reflection of me and my
interests, not a mediocre regurgitation of
information that is already out there. So I
started including recipes, DIY’s, home decor
and the many other ways you can incorporate
travel back into your life at home, too (like
the secret to learning a new language).
3. Network
Perhaps the single most powerful tool you
possess as a blogger is your ability to reach
out to other bloggers to network, collaborate,
or just to say “hey, I love your work!”
Networking is a great way to build friendships
in the blogging world, swap tips, meet up in
“real life” and create all those community
vibes that you will soon learn are worth their
weight in gold (especially when you’re in a new
city and want to meet up with some local
readers!).
4. Learn from your mistakes
I’m not afraid to admit that I make mistakes
on a daily basis – but that is of course the
only way to learn! Remember it is better to
make a mistake and learn from it than to not
try and never learn/grow.
5. Carry a Notebook (Always)
Those fantastic ideas tend to come out of
nowhere and if you don’t reach out and grab
them with two hands, before you know it the
sudden influx of inspiration is all but gone.
Carrying a notebook has been the biggest help
in brainstorming new post ideas, new category
ideas, and ways to move forward as a blogger
and a brand.
6. Invest
They say you’ve got to spend money to make
money and when it comes to blogging, “they”
are totally right. One of the best ways to
grow your blog organically is to approach it
like a business internally. Don’t be afraid to
invest your time and money into something
you believe in – whether that means paying
for more travels as a travel blogger or new
garments as a fashion blogger.
7. Have a Writing Schedule
One of the best pieces of advice I found online
early on in blogging was to have a writing
schedule – and stick to it. This is a great way
to plan content in advance and layout your
posts to ensure you’re always keeping it
interesting for readers, as well as a great tool
of discipline for you.
8. Keep it simple
And by simple I mean clean – clean lines, a
clear and easy to follow layout of blog posts, a
simple text, and an easy to navigate site for
new readers.
9. Spin Criticism
One of the first things I read when
considering writing a blog was an article about
criticism and how to deal with it. “Not to
worry”, I told myself. “Who would have
anything to criticise on a nice and friendly
travel blog with the intent to help and inspire
people?” How naive I was! No matter what
you’re writing about and how good your
intentions may be, people are bound to
criticise your work for one reason or another
(usually it says more about them than you).
The best approach? Spin criticism into a
positive experience and learn to distinguish
constructive criticism (the kind that will
actually help your blog) and birds (who fly in,
shit on your blog, and fly away). The latter
comments can be deleted as they serve no real
purpose.
10. Choose a classic and beautiful template or
theme
This is an important step because if your blog
is attractive people will to revisit so choose a
beautiful theme