Today I have a different type of blog post. I have been blogging here on Mind Body Beauty {formerly Meet Makeup} since January of 2011 and even though I am not a professional, I realize I know a lot more than someone who has been blogging for only a couple months, maybe. I wish I would have come across something like this when I first started out, so I really wanted to do something like this for the newbies out there. This post isn't only for beauty bloggers, although some things are specific considering I am a beauty blogger. Feel free to take what you need and leave the rest.
everything is linked. Anything I talk about, just click on the link and it will take you to the article/tutorial. whatever.
Content:
This
is what I have always loved -and known- about blogging. I love coming
up with different ways to write and thinking up different series',
styles, and ideas. Here's some tips for inspiration and management.
1. Manage your time. Manage your week. I write down a weekly plan every week that includes everything I do in my life, including blogging.
2. I
divide the blogging categories in my weekly plan into 3 parts:
Picutres, Write, + Publish. Feel free to schedule time in there to reply
to comments, go to blog hops, tweet, pin and re-pin and all of that. I
don't but if you are even more micro-managed then me, go for it!
3. Write all of your blog post's for the week, then publish them on the day you wish. It helps me.
4. Re-read your blog post's before you publish them. Make sure your links are there and correct.
5. When choosing a name for your blog post, pick something that draws interest. This one is always hard for me. Make people want to click!
6. Get inspired. Pinterest, Tumblr, other blogs, whatever.
7. I have been loving Elle Sees lately for ideas. She has really great content.
5. When choosing a name for your blog post, pick something that draws interest. This one is always hard for me. Make people want to click!
6. Get inspired. Pinterest, Tumblr, other blogs, whatever.
7. I have been loving Elle Sees lately for ideas. She has really great content.
8. Kiss and Makeup {Jacenda Leeann} has been one of my favorites since I started blogging.
9. P.S. It's Vida , The Beauty Milk, Pink Pistachio. Check out my Blog Love Page.
10. How about Undressed Skeleton? She is a health blog but also is coming up with some great ideas for blog post's.
9. P.S. It's Vida , The Beauty Milk, Pink Pistachio. Check out my Blog Love Page.
10. How about Undressed Skeleton? She is a health blog but also is coming up with some great ideas for blog post's.
12. Start
a TAG! I have been in the process of creating a Fashion tag. I created
it last year but never got around to publishing it. So I need to work on
it. look out for that!
13. FOTD, {face of the day} OOTD,{outfit of the day} NOTW {nail of the week}WIAW {what i ate wednesday} WIWW {what I wore wednesday}Friday's Fancies
14. Do a Summer Series: Fashion, Pool Essentials, Healthy Treats, Wishlist, whatever!
15. Favorite ____{fill in the blank}___ nail polishes. {glitter, pastels}
16. Favorite ___{fill in the blank}___ lipsticks {nude pinks, mattes}
17. I also have a Blog Love page. Those are the blogs I love and get inspired by
17. I also have a Blog Love page. Those are the blogs I love and get inspired by
Social Networking + Marketing:
This is one of my favorite things about blogging! It's fun for me to come up with different ways to get my blog out there, then see how effective it actually is. Finding different platforms and being creative about each platform- they all have different fun things you can do (ex: on Lauren Conrads you can post recipes.) Read on.
18. Pick a url that resonates with you and your content. You can change it later on if you want, but then you run the risk of people knowing of your former url and not your new one. Although, I changed mine from Meet Makeup to Mind Body Beauty and I would say it went pretty smooth.
19. Create a twitter account for your blog {I am @MeetMissJackson}
20. Tweet about your blog post!
21. Tweet/Reply/Retweet other bloggers
22. There's a great #hashtag us beauty bloggers like to use on twitter when referring to our blog: #bbloggers
23. There are other great #hashtags that I have used before to link my blog: #jadorlavie is a good one to tweet out positivity.
24. Make up your own #hashtag
23. There are other great #hashtags that I have used before to link my blog: #jadorlavie is a good one to tweet out positivity.
24. Make up your own #hashtag
25. Create a Pinterest account
26. Create a Pinterest board for your blog
27. Pin every picture you blog about, linking back to the actual blog post {I get a ton of views from Pinterest!}
28. In the description of your Pinterest, write something helpful/informative about the picture/subject.
33. Upload pictures/videos to Beautylish.
34. Chat in the Beautylish Forum
35. Join The Beauty Department. I love that blog for inspiration on blog post's + beauty ideas.
36. If you have done a project on your blog that they have talked about, link it complete with a picture. I have gotten 100's of views from linking 1 picture on The Beauty Department.
39. Join Elle and Blair.com
40. Emily from Beauty Broadcast has her own community. That's exiting! I love her
40. Emily from Beauty Broadcast has her own community. That's exiting! I love her
41. Post pictures, recipes, FOTD's, OOTD's: Whatever you can post about on any of those platforms! Don't forget to link your blog (:
42. Join Makeup Geek.com
43. Do the monthly challenges on Makeup Geek.
44. Participate in any of the forum's these sites have to offer.
45. Join instagram. I just got my iPhone and set up my instagram a couple days ago!
46. You can use any #hashtag from twitter on instagram too
46. You can use any #hashtag from twitter on instagram too
47. Apply for iFabbo. They send you a newsletter about blogging tips every month. It includes things like: how to market your blog, how to speak with companies. They recently started this new shop where you can basically get stuff for free! That I will speak on more later because I am currently trying something out from the iFabbo shop
48. Sign up/apply for any platform you can think of pertaining to your blog
49. Start a Youtube channel.
50. Join Blog Hops. {Here's a bunch of them}
51. Join tumblr.
52. The Small Things just did a 3 part series on how to blog better. Read it.
53. She included links to articles. Read those.
54. Create a Blog Button
55. Do button swaps with other bloggers you like
Pictures + Look of Your Blog:
No wait, this one's my favorite! As you may know, I got a new camera and I am still figuring that one out, and I have a few tips for point and shoot cameras. As you start picking up little things and ways to do things, it gets easier with this category and really gets funner and funner {.....?}
56. Make sure your camera is on macro mode. That is the little flower in the corner.
57. Make sure your ISO is on 80. The higher it is, the more noise you will see in the picture. It will look grainy
58. Take a million pictures
59. Always film/photograph in the daylight.
60. Place subject of interest {weather that be a video or photos} near a window to take a photo. With the window behind you, take the picture.
61. Make sure your not blocking the light.
62. Don't photograph while there is straight up sunlight directly on subject. You want the light to be coming in, yes, but you don't want the sunlight directly on subject
59. Always film/photograph in the daylight.
60. Place subject of interest {weather that be a video or photos} near a window to take a photo. With the window behind you, take the picture.
61. Make sure your not blocking the light.
62. Don't photograph while there is straight up sunlight directly on subject. You want the light to be coming in, yes, but you don't want the sunlight directly on subject
63. If you have a DSLR camera, read the manual
64. Edible Perspectives is my girl for any photography stuff. She also has really great healthy food.
65. A Beautiful Mess as another good blog for photography.
64. Edible Perspectives is my girl for any photography stuff. She also has really great healthy food.
65. A Beautiful Mess as another good blog for photography.
66. Download Gimp if you don't have Photoshop. I have been using Gimp for years and it is totally free. It's great for watermarking, editing photos, creating headers, buttons, etc. And collages too (: I have had 0 problems with Gimp.
67. PuglyPixel.com
68. Free Pretty Things For You.com
69. Give your blog a face lift from time to time. Weather you create your own header on Gimp or change the layout. I think of it as a new hair color or wardrobe. Changing it up gets me exited.
70. Remember Jacenda Leeann? She creates blog layouts and all that
71. From Inside My Closet is great at buttons and banners
69. Give your blog a face lift from time to time. Weather you create your own header on Gimp or change the layout. I think of it as a new hair color or wardrobe. Changing it up gets me exited.
70. Remember Jacenda Leeann? She creates blog layouts and all that
71. From Inside My Closet is great at buttons and banners
72. Match your picture background with your actual blog. Example: I usually take all of my pictures of everything on a lilac desk I have. I made some of the words on my blog that purple color.
73. Wonder Forest has a fun newsletter for this stuff too.
73. Wonder Forest has a fun newsletter for this stuff too.
74. Photos are not really everything. Some of my favorite blogs dont have the best pictures. Doing unique tutorials, DIY's, etc. is great for a blog. Just blogging from the heart is really attractive in itself
75. Try your hand at HTML. If you want your blog wider, you want your sidebar to be aligned, blah blah blah. I takes a minute to find a good tutorial but when you do, you will be happy with the way your blog will turn out. Exactly the way you wanted it. Everything you see on my blog, I taught myself.
Comments:
77. read your comments on your blog
78. reply to your comments on your blog
79. If someone leaves a comment on your blog, comment back.
79. If someone leaves a comment on your blog, comment back.
80. Go a step further and comment back on their blog.
81. Every comment you publish on someone else's blog should be thoughtful and reflect the subject they are talking about. Never go to someones blog and ask if they will follow you.
82. Always leave your blog url on any site you comment on. You don't have to be obnoxious about it, just type it out at the end.
83. if your getting spammed, set the security code for people to publish comments on your blog. That is the only reason I set mine like that. Otherwise, I hate those.
84.
If your on a blog that is writing something that is relevant to a blog
post you have done, tell them in the comments. That's how you get people to come over.
Other Ideas:
85. I was just thinking about buying Turkish Delight lip gloss then buying the dupes to see how they compare just to write a blog post about it. You get to have fun with it on the blog and buy yourself some new stuff! Perfect. But don't take my idea! Just kidding, if it inspires you, please do take it! (:
86. Get your readers involved with a poll on the side bar.
86. Get your readers involved with a poll on the side bar.
87. Do a give-away
88. Start a series on your blog.
89. Join a blogging challenge. I did one last summer. Nail bloggers always do them too.
90. Jazz up your sidebar
91. The blog post's that people seem to love to most:
92. Here's some of my favorites:
ELF Studio Blush Review
Smoothie Bags
Other Healthy Stuff
Besties Awards/Favorites
I love Current Obsessions
I love talking about Jewelry
93. Pinterest Favorites:
Healthy Dip n Dots: 61 views this week from Pinterest
Broke Girls Gift Guide 16 views this week from Pinterest
An ELF Haul 71 views this month from Pinterest
P.S. I Made This Nail Polish Rack 3 views today from Pinterest
94. Go To Pinterest. There are a ton of ideas! Like, so many.
91. The blog post's that people seem to love to most:
3683
| |
1001
| |
922
| |
655
| |
606
|
92. Here's some of my favorites:
ELF Studio Blush Review
Smoothie Bags
Other Healthy Stuff
Besties Awards/Favorites
I love Current Obsessions
I love talking about Jewelry
93. Pinterest Favorites:
Healthy Dip n Dots: 61 views this week from Pinterest
Broke Girls Gift Guide 16 views this week from Pinterest
An ELF Haul 71 views this month from Pinterest
P.S. I Made This Nail Polish Rack 3 views today from Pinterest
94. Go To Pinterest. There are a ton of ideas! Like, so many.
Writing:
95. Re-read your blog post's
96. +1 your blog post's on Google
97. Let your first paragraph of every blog post, say a lot without giving away too much. This will add interest and will make people want to read on. I'm not really great at this one, but it's a good tip, nevertheless.
98. Create a Review template for yourself by asking yourself what a review should consist of.
99. Watch this video if your a beauty reviewer
100. Let your blog inspire.
101. Lastly, let your blog reflect the person you are and want to become
Leave your tips for blogging, blog links, platform links, whatever!
xoxo
Erica
2 comments:
This is a brilliant post! I got a tonne of new ideas, thank you :) xx
oh good! I am so glad you liked it! thank you for the shout out too <3
Post a Comment