My Blogging Tips and Tricks!

 

Hey Guys x

 

At the end of this month, I will have been blogging for an entire year, which I find difficult to comprehend!

 

However, in my year of blogging, I have learnt many things that have either made blogging easier or more fun for me, or given me the motivation to continue to blog.

 

So I thought that I would share some of my tips and tricks with you, just in case you need some motivation right now, or if you think you'll need some in the future!

 

I really hope you find these tips helpful.

 

You can also leave your own tips in the comments below for other people to read!

 

1. The 'Comment' Document

 

I've mentioned this before, I but I can't remember which post it was in. Basically, what I do is, when I get a really nice comment (and you guys leave so many!), I copy the comment into a word document. Then, if I feel like I'm losing motivation, I read through the nice comments that have been left by you guys and it really makes me just want to continue and keep getting better. And thanks for leaving all of those comments, they mean a lot!

 

2. List Of Post Ideas

 

I guess this depends on the type of blog that you write. For me, my blog post ideas come from literally anything around me, so I get different ideas all the time. So, on my phone, I just have a free notepad app, which you can just download quickly, any one will do. Then, I named a page 'post ideas' and whenever I get an idea, I just write it there. This has resulted in me having a good 20-15 post ideas that I can use whenever I can't think of an idea. That way I always have something to write.

 

3. Read Old Posts

 

This is one that I find particularly helpful. I know that when a lot of people lose motivation, it's because they think that they're making no progress with their blog. My advice for this would be to read over some of your first posts, and really study them. They compare them to some of your latest posts. Look at the pictures you used, the subjects you wrote about, the way you used to write and compare it with now. You'll probably noticed that your posts have improved a massive amount. This might help you to see that, what you're doing now is pretty great. But if it doesn't, follow point 4!

 

4. Change What Doesn't Work

 

This is really important. When I first started blogging, I thought that I had to write about a specific thing or write in a specific way. And by the end of last year, I wasn't particularly happy with everything that I was posting, so I decided to change things. I started with the layout and template of my blog (such as having a header etc) and then I began changing what I posted about, and now I couldn't be more happy. If there's something about your blog that you're not really sure about, TAKE IT OUT! Your blog is for you and no one else, so you shouldn't pander to someone else. If you're audience like you, they'll read what you post, because it's something that you're passionate about. And this goes for the layout too. If there's something bugging you about your template/layout, change it. Recently, I've been helping people out with certain things to do with their layout and template. If you need help or want my opinion on something, feel free to either leave a comment here or send me an email at: lous.world@Hotmail.com and I'll happily help you out. Change whatever you don't like, you're blog is just that: yours!

 

5. Promote, Promote, Promote

 

The best way to get new readers is to promote your blog. I only really use twitter to promote mine, but as it seems to work for me, I'm not really looking for anything else right now. For me, twitter is a really good way to promote, because you can connect with all different people and get bigger accounts to retweet your tweets to help people to see your posts. However, you may find it easier to use a different platform, such as instagram. Whatever you use, make sure to promote your blog! Try out different social media sites to see what works. And when you find something that works, stick with it and build up a reputation. That's what I'm trying to do!

 

6. Connect With Other Bloggers

 

If you want other bloggers to notice you, you need to connect with them. The best way to do this is to comment on people's blogs. But not just 'great post' and your blog link, a proper comment. But still leave your link, because, for me, when you comment on my blog, I do go to yours and see if I like it. But if you leave a nice comment on someone's blog, they're much more likely to want to check out your blog. And it's really nice when someone leaves a nice comment, it makes you feel like you're doing something right. But yeah, commenting is the best way to connect with fellow bloggers.

 

7. Reply To Comments

 

This goes with the previous point. If someone comments on your blog, it's really nice to comment back. Even if it's just 'thanks', I think it makes people more likely to comment again if they come across another post that they like. Personally, I'm so much less likely to comment on someone's blog if they don't reply to their comments, just because I'll never really know if the person actually reads my comment, so it feels like a waste of time. If they say that they read all their comments, that's fine. It's when someone literally doesn't acknowledge their comments that stops me from commenting.  

 

8. Love The Blog You Own

 

We are all the owners of our blogs, whether we have paid for our domain name or not, we own our blogs. If you dislike your blog, or even feel indifferent about it, then either change it or stop using it. Unless blogging is your full-time job, it should never feel like a job. Blogging should be a really fun hobby. I mean, of course it gets hard sometimes, and it's very time-consuming, but ultimately, it should be fun. I mean, there's enough people in the world who hate their jobs. But life's too short for us to hate our hobbies too! Blog because you love blogging, not because you think that you should.

 

I really hope these tips are helpful if you're just starting a blog or if you've been blogging for ages!

 

Thank you for reading

 

Comment below some of your own tips and tricks for bloggers!

 

Keep Smiling - Lou xx