Blogging Series: How To Start A Blog

One of my most often asked questions is "How do I start a blog?". This is SUCH a loaded question, so I wanted to take the time to write out the best tips for you all to read over and have to look back on. It is so exciting that so many of you all are wanting to pursue a career in the blogging/influencer/online creative space, so I hope this new Blogging Series, where I will be sharing my tips and tricks on how to succeed in this industry, will benefit you guys! I will be breaking up this series into several posts and each will be dedicated to a specific topic. The different parts of the series will be:

• How To Start A Blog

• How to Grow Your Instagram Following and Social Media Platforms

• Best Apps/Resources For Bloggers

• How To Edit Photos For Your Blog and Social Media Platforms

• How To Monetize Your Blog and Work With Brands

So lets dive into the first part of this new series!!! (I'm actually so excited about this because I LOVE talking about blogging 💕🙈)

How To Start A Blog

1. Figure out what you're going to be blogging about! While your niche doesn't have to be super specific, it definitely helps to have a general theme. To help with this, ask yourself these questions:

   • What am I passionate about?

   • What do my friends and family come to me for? (What kind of advice do they seek from you)

   • What sets me apart from others?

   • What do I have to offer to my readers?

  Asking yourself these questions will help you narrow down your niche. 

    2.   Come up with a blog name / buy your domain. Your blog name can either reflect what you will be talking about or be your real name! I chose my real name because I felt like I could really evolve and grow into different content categories if I wanted to. This part is entirely up to you! Once you have your name, check to make sure that domain is available and buy it! I bought my domain through GoDaddy. 

    3.   Choose your website host. This is something that you will have to do your research on in order to decide what best fits your needs. I personally use Square Space and LOVE it. It's super user friendly, offers great templates, and is just customizable enough for me to get the exact look I want for my site. 

    4.    Customize your blog and make it look how you want it to look! Add sidebars, choose your website theme colors, pick your fonts, add photos, etc.! If you end up going with SquareSpace, this is all super easy to do! This is also when you will be wanting to create your logo. You can either purchase one off of a site like Etsy, or have a graphic designer make you one. I would recommend not making your logo too "trendy" and having a minimal, simple, timeless design! 

    5.   Write out 3-4 blog posts before launching. This is so key in my opinion! Before you announce your new blog to the public, make sure you have some content for them to see! This will be one of your highest traffic times, so you want to take advantage of that and capture your readers. You also want to have content stocked up for the upcoming weeks so you have content to post every week after you launch.

    6. Snap some photos for your blog posts and supporting social media posts! At this early stage, don't worry about having a professional photographer or expensive camera. iPhones take incredible photos these days so just work with what you have! I would suggest making sure you absolutely love blogging and are fully dedicated to it before you invest a ton of money into new equipment. 

    7.    Announce your blog on all channels! Proof read your site and make sure it is free of flaws and works properly on desktop and mobile, then spread the word on all your social channels! Be confident about your blog and talk it up whenever you have the opportunity. 

That's it for starting your blog! If you have a passion or itch to start one, just go for it! Don't wait for there to be a sign or "right time" to launch your blog, because there is never going to be a right time. Another quick thing I wanted to suggest: A lot of people ask me if they should start a separate Instagram for their new blog. My answer is NO! You already have an audience on your current Instagram, even if it isn't huge, so don't start at ground zero. This is such a fun and exciting career path, so I am beyond excited for all of you that are wanting to pursue this! I wish you all the best of luck - let me know if you have any specific questions that you want me to answer in the upcoming parts of this series! XO Heather