I can’t believe it has been a little over a year since I started blogging! This has been the most rewarding and fun year of my life. If you clicked on this blog post then you must be curious about starting your own blog and my first piece of advice to you is JUST DO IT!!! I was so scared to start my blog because I had NO IDEA what I was doing (I’m still confused and constantly learning new things), I had no idea how people would respond and if people would even value my opinion. Ever since I put my first post up everyone has been so supportive. If you’ve been here since day one THANK YOU! If you’re new around here THANK YOU! I appreciate every like, share, comment and engagement. I see it all and I’m so grateful for this new community of friends I have.
How To Start:
- Just do it. Forget about whatever negativity is holding you back. There will never be a perfect time to start, so just go for it!
- Get a website. I use WordPress and I love it. I know most of my content goes up on Instagram, but I love having this separate platform to go more in-depth. If Instagram goes down one day (Let us not forget about the Instagram apocalypse of March 13, 2019) then people will know where to find me.
- Think about building a community. Forget about followers and focus on growing a community instead. This way you get to meet so many amazing people that actually appreciate what you do and feel comfortable enough to ask you questions and engage with your posts. If you think of your community as just numbers then people aren’t going to feel comfortable trusting you and asking questions.
- Find your niche. I like to focus on Fashion, Lifestyle, and Travel. Only choose a few things to focus on because you want your community of followers to think of you as their go-to person for one particular thing.
- Be consistent. Try to post every single day, but don’t post just to post. I know that sounds confusing, but if you have great content to post every day then go for it! If you run out of good content to post then don’t post something you’re not proud of just to say that you posted every day.
- Invest in a good preset. Presets make your pictures and your Instagram feed look more professional. Get to know the Lightroom App. If you’re curious about how I edit my pics click here.
- Stories. Talk on your stories every day! It’s fun I promise haha.
- Engage and support others. This is so important! If you get inspiration from other bloggers then give them credit. We’re all here to support each other.
What I’ve Learned:
- Don’t get frustrated and be patient. It takes a lot of time and effort. I’m in love with this job/hobby, but becoming successful (and I’m still learning to be) doesn’t happen overnight.
- Set goals. This isn’t a traditional job/ hobby so it is so easy to lose track of time and get off task.
- You will always be confused. I’m a year in and I still find myself googling stuff every single day lol. We’re all in the same boat. Keep learning! Keep improving! You can do it!
- Be YOU. This seems obvious, but people value your individuality so don’t compare yourself to other bloggers.
I hope that these tips helped you. Always feel free to reach out to me if you have any more questions. Thank you so much for supporting me. It really means the world to me. If this is your first time visiting my website then please subscribe below and follow me on Instagram (@melgalmin).
With love, Melissa
