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I see questions all the time about blogging and how to best start the blogging journey. I am by no means a professional or expert on the subject, but I do have this fairly successful blog (that you’re reading right now!!!) and think I can help anyone who is thinking about taking the plunge.
First, you need to know what you want to blog about. What inspires you? What interests you? This was the hardest thing for me when I first started because I simply picked beauty and lifestyle. I didn’t have a game plan, a model, or a freaking clue what I was really going to blog about. Trust me on this, you want to know what you’re going to start with. Later on, you can throw some curveballs in there and always rebrand if need be. My advice is to start a list and write out at least ten blog topics you know you can complete before you purchase a domain.
Second, pick a server. I’m with WordPress and used the free version for the first year my blog was live. I was really happy with the templates and the service. It didn’t cost me anything too, which was really nice! You can buy your domain pretty cheap, I got mine for $1 for the first year at 1&1. I think it’s about $15 a year after that, which is still a good price in my opinion. There are tons of servers and domain services out there, so do your research and pick the one that will best suit your needs and wants. Some are really minimal and some have really amazing templates included in their services.
Third, build your site and throw some content at the world! You won’t know what your site will look like unless you have some content…at least in my opinion. I changed my template ten times before I settled on one I liked, and then changed it again. I got super frustrated because it didn’t look the way I wanted, but I only had two posts up, so it wasn’t going to look like my vision! Don’t feel like it has to stay the same…change is good and as you grow, you’re going to want to make some adjustments to fit your needs and the vibe you’re going for.
I think the best piece of advice I got before I started my blog was to just do it. It might not be perfect timing, but is there really such a thing? Dive on in, get it going and work out the kinks as you go!
I’m going to save more tips like how to contact brands and how to earn money for another post since ya’ll need to get a blog going first! Keep an eye out for more tips from me, and if there is anything specific you’d like to know please give me a shout out!
xoxo, Nikol
Looking forward to your next post for more tips! I’m trying to get my blog up and running into something bigger.
Thank you!! I’m getting a few posts ready this weekend, so it will be really soon!!
You’re right about changing templates. I’ve been blogging for about 5 months and I’ve changed my templates about 30 times. I recently purchased my site and feel like I’m growing every day and changing a lot of things. I am a bit apprehensive about reaching out to brands due to my small following, but I am interested in collaborating with them. I can’t wait to read your next post about it!
I did the same thing!! Don’t be apprehensive…you never know until you try! I’m getting another post together really soon about pitching and contacting brands!