50 Things I've Learnt About Blogging

I've seen a lot of people doing posts like this over the past few months and I found them pretty interesting to read, so I thought I would share what I've picked up in almost 3 years!

I started my blog (officially) on October 3rd 2013, but I've had my blog since early 2010 when I used to use it for fun and an occasional rant/life post. Back then I had no idea what the blogging world was and no-one read it other than my sister.

Come 2013, I just randomly posted about some beauty things I liked recently as I wanted to share them so my friends at school could see it. It got 73 views in two days and I was baffled. After some digging around on twitter, I discovered the blogosphere and I ended up becoming and 'Beauty and Life' blogger! I've picked up a lot over almost 3 years of continuous posts, and here they are!

1. Be honest - don't say you love a product just to win brownie points with a brand. You can tell 90% of the time in the way it's wrote if someone hates the product as opposed to when they love something!
2. Post titles are important - if it's not snappy or relevant, people lose interest
3. Stick to a blog schedule and post regularly. I find without one, people won't come back!
4. Schedule blog posts - just set a time and date for it to go live, press publish and you can go to bed knowing you've not got to be up early in the morning in a frenzied panic because the post is late going up!
5. Twitter isn't just for following celebrities. Utilize this wonderful platform!
6. Instagram is perfect for sharing images of your life and getting better with photography
7. Scheduling tweets is a great way to make sure you have your content going out regularly over the day. I use Buffer and I get at least 60% of my blog traffic from that alone
8. Twitter chats are a great way to find new bloggers and get your blog out there
9. Don't expect blog fame and fortune after a few blog posts. It can take months, if not YEARS of hard work to get your blog associated with brands
10. Networking - reply back to blog comments you receive and make sure you're commenting too! Don't just do post after post and not interact with people
11. Stats aren't the most important thing in the world - but it's fine to check them as often as you want and feel proud when you hit milestones!
12. There is bitchiness in the blog world. You're going to come across people who think the world revolves around them, and think your little blog isn't worth anything. And honestly, a bunch of females trying to make it in the blogging world is never going to be smooth sailing, who are we kidding?!?!
13. You will make so many blog friends! I've made some close bonds with people mainly over the past year or so due to using twitter a lot more, and there are some true DIAMONDS out there. I've got friends all over the world now thanks to my little slice on the internet
14. Don't get involved with social media drama ~ unless you are a target and feel the need to defend yourself! Remember you can always block/delete/report people online, so make it your safe place!
15. Picture editing will help you so much
16. You don't need a £1000 camera to get good images, you can use a smart phone and get the same results
17. You don't have to say yes to every PR email you get. If it doesn't fit your blog you can decline or just delete the email -  or if it sounds way to good to be true, it usually is
18. You can say yes to any paid posts you want to do, but keep true to your blog
19. Don't copy other people's posts - This may be an obvious one for some people, but you would not believe how many times I've seen a post of mine or a friends be copied on another person's blog, including the pictures. 
20. But it's totally fine to take inspiration from blog posts. Like with this post, I've seen this idea around for ages and I'm doing my own version. Just make sure you don't copy anyone!!
21. Ask for help if you're stuck. In my early days, I had no idea how to use HTML, make a blog header, how to layout my blog or how to run a giveaway. All of these were answered by the lovely Stacey (her blog) who took a good few months telling me how to do things and giving me tips and tricks to help me along my way. I'll forever be grateful to her! 
22. Pintrest, Tumblr and Facebook are the hardest platforms to get traffic from
23. Take pictures in bulk. 
24. Because winter lighting is soul destroying when you can't get a good flat lay picture
25. Change the layout, look and colours of your blog as many times as you want. I must be on blog look twelve by now - HOWEVER, do try and find a look and layout you really like and stick to it after a few new looks. Branding is important!
26. The amount of followers you have doesn't correlate a number of readers. I can assure you that my 1800+ twitter followers do not all read about my new Mac Lipstick
27. You'll feel guilty if you miss a blog post
28. Don't break the bank trying to blog. You don't need to buy new things to review. Tell us about something you love that you've used for a while!
29. If you're like me, you'll find those 'follow for follow' people are annoying! 
30. If you get unfollowed for not following back, don't get discouraged. It happens! 
31. Just because something is free, doesn't mean you should say yes. Remember #17!! 
32. Try not to brand-bash. I know some companies might piss you off all the time, but try not to slander them too much...
33. Personal posts seem to generate the most interaction
34. Negative comments are not the end of the world
35. I find that asking a question at the end of a post leads to some interaction!
36. When bloggers mention your blog on theirs or on twitter, it's the best feeling!
37. Anything can be a blog post - dinner with your best friend, a shopping trip, Comic Con. a new hairstyle you've tried...
38. Always try and use your own pictures. I had no idea about copyright laws back when I started out. The image at the top of this post is from PicJumbo.com which is a free pic hosting site so you don't need to credit them - and then I've edited it with a title. There are free pic sites, but don't use Google!!! 
39. Not everyone will like you
40. If you want to take a week off, do it! 
41. Keep a list of blog post ideas - this has saved me in a hurry so many times
42. Don't feel like you need to comment on everyone's posts
43. When doing a giveaway, Rafflecopter is a really good tool to use
44. Link products when you're reviewing them! 
45. Do a variety of post lengths. 
46. Asian wedding dress sites will offer you $10-$30 to do a post for them or put a button in your sidebar. Some are genuine, other are not! I was lucky enough to have a genuine one contact me... However, most are shit and not worth effort to do it!
47. There are loads of websites that can help with HTML and other queries you might have!
48. You will shocked as to how many people love Disney!
49. Live tweeting events/along with TV shows is a great way to make new friends and maybe gain some followers from time to time
50. Blogging is supposed to be fun! As long as you keep doing you and blogging about what makes you happy, you'll never find it a chore!

I originally planned on about 20 things, but that seems to have gone out the window! I didn't think there was so much in my head, but there we go - 50 things! Hope you liked this little post and have you had the same experiences? Let me know! Hope you have a great day and keep safe :)

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