When Kayleigh asked me if I’d like to guest post for her whilst she was away I was super excited and sat down mind mapping (sorry if that’s not the pc term!) ideas, I came up with 100s so instead of a specific blog post decided to assemble a 101 for lifestyle blogging. I’m by no means an expert in anything to do with the blogging world but I’m quite proud of my little space on the internet & get quite a few emails from people asking for advice on setting up a lifestyle blog, so here goes ...
001: be yourself.
When I first started blogging I wanted a fashion and beauty blog, but quickly realised a) I have no fashion sense b) I wasn’t comfortable posing in front of the camera & c) I know naff all about beauty products. I really respect girls like Kayleigh who know the ins and outs of makeup and beauties like Olivia who look like a Hollywood starlet on camera- I am not one of those girls so it only seemed natural to not have a blog like theirs. I often see people saying ‘’show your personality through your blog’’ which I think is almost impossible, but you can definitely make your blog reflect you- after all having a lifestyle blog is all about your life.
002: do stuff.
If you spend your entire life sat in your bedroom staring at the ceiling lifestyle blogging probably isn’t for you, in my opinion lifestyle blogging is all about adventuring. Some people, like the ever so gorgeous Rosie document the life of luxury through their blogs & make the rest of us mere peasants ever so jealous. Realistically though you wont be jetting off to Cannes with someone from made in chelsea, so you need to find other fun things to fill your blog with. I can’t prescribe things to blog about but when I getting bloggers block I just go for a little wander around, sometimes I’ll find an amazing new cafe which I can blog about, other days I’ll just take lots of pretty photos. If you’re not an outdoorsy type you can still have a lifestyle blog, just blog about what you do- if you love movies or music or painting or baking, blog about that!
003: take lots of pictures.
To me, lifestyle blogs are all about pictures; this could be because I’m a rubbish writer or because I have a really short attention span but if a post has tonnes of text and no pictures I’ll probably scroll past it on my evening blog catch up. Photography is a huge part of blogging, it’s all good and well telling someone how amazing something looked but like the saying goes a picture speaks a thousand words. Take your camera everywhere, take too many photographs (one will come out nicely) and don’t be afraid of what other people will think. Another thing I can’t stress enough about blog photography is you do not need a DSLR, quite a few of my blog photos are taken using my iphone. People focus more on the content and composition of a photograph than they do the quality, if it looks pretty in real life I guarantee your camera will capture it, if it looks rubbish in real life it’ll look rubbish on film too.
004: eat lots.
I can’t think of a lifestyle blog that doesn’t feature food, some focus on cupcakes that would induce a frosting related coma and others of meals so healthy I lose weight just looking at them, imagine if that was possible! Regardless of the ingredients there’s a whole lot of food in the blogging world. Like I said earlier when I get bloggers block I often end up blogging about food, it’s like my contingency plan, be it a gorgeous restaurant or a recipe I’ve known and loved for years.
005: be a yes (wo)man.
One of the things I’ve found most useful with blogging is being a bit of a yes man. If you haven’t seen the film & have never heard of the concept before here’s a very quick run down- say yes to everything. You dont have to say yes to everything in your life, I know I’d have some very unimpressed bosses, a few broken bones and a very empty bank account if I did, but saying yes to lots of blog related things can only end well right? I’ve met so many amazing friends from going along to blogger meet ups & brand events- keeping an eye on twitter is the best way to find out about these things. I’ve also had loads of amazing new experiences and done loads of things I thought I wouldn’t!
006: get stuck in.
Screw all the other tips, it’s your blog after all! If there’s one bit of advice I’d give to someone joining the blogging world it’s get stuck in- comment on other blogs you love, tweet people to say hello, offer to do guest posts, like photos on instagram, hype looks on lookbook etc.etc. jump in to the blogging community feet first, embrace it with open arms and let your personality shine through, unless you’re really nasty and mean to everyone- carcrash blogging isn’t pretty. Blog about what you want to blog about, blog when you want to blog & blog however you want to blog. In ten years time we’ll probably all have forgotten about blogging, but I know for one that I’ll be able to look back on mine & smile at all the hard work I’ve put in and be glad that I recorded this time in my life so thoroughly.
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