I love how many of you always reach out with questions about how to start a blog, determine a brand voice, create a website and build a following. I get this question so much, I wanted to draft up all my tips in a blog post to answer all of your questions and provide advice for new bloggers! Before you get your hopes up TOO much, let me just preface this blog post by saying that I am just hitting my one year blog anniversary. There are plenty of bloggers far more experienced than I am that probably have excellent tips, but I thought I’d share just a bit of my perspective that I’ve learned after a year of having this creative outlet.

1. Invest in Tools

While you can definitely get by without paying for anything, I would highly suggest that you take it seriously and invest in the proper tools for success. Having a good camera, editing tools and a proper website will set you MILES ahead!

Website

If you are truly serious about blogging, I would HIGHLY recommend starting out your website correctly right from the start. I’ve had friends who’ve started on something like Wix or Blogspot, but as their blog grew, they realized that the platform has very limited flexibility and had to start from scratch on something else. WordPress is the only way to go in my opinion. I host through Bluehost and I absolutely LOVE them – any time I’ve ever had an issue, they have fantastic customer service and always help me work through tech issues. It’s super affordable, about $3/month to host and that includes a custom domain, e-mail address and all the jazz! Click here to get started on Bluehost.

WordPress is definitely a learning curve. If you are unfamiliar with working on the back end of a website, be prepared to be a bit confused at first, but I truly believe that anyone can figure it out. It may mean reading some tutorials and watching Youtube videos to better understand the full capabilities of the platform, but I can guarantee that you’ll be rewarded with lots and lots of flexibility and customization!

Camera

I know tons of bloggers that use their phones and I do think that you can definitely get by with using a good phone camera to take your photos. If you are planning to take your photos on your phone, I would definitely make sure that you have a more recent phone that has better camera quality (for example, an iPhone X or something like that).

I think this also depends on what the goal of your blog is – if you’re just taking daily outfit shots, then maybe a phone would work. If you’re trying to be more creative or focus on lifestyle or travel, I definitely wouldn’t attempt that without a good DSLR. Either way, as Instagram and blogging becomes more competitive by the day, I personally think it’s a good idea to invest in a solid camera that will give you eye-catching quality to attract more of an audience.

The GOOD news is that DSLR’s become more affordable by the day. I don’t think that you need a crazy expensive camera or even the fanciest lenses. You can get some good base level cameras for only a few hundred dollars. Before you purchase a camera, make sure to look at sample photos from other users (you can often see these in Amazon reviews) to get an idea of the range of quality you’ll be getting. While the body is important, a lot of the image quality is often determined by the lens. I would encourage you to stay away from a 50mm lens and opt to go with something more in the 18-35mm range. I have so many friends who have the 50mm lens and are constantly frustrated because of how close up the shots always are – in order to get a full body shot, you have to stand WAYYY back. I have a 28mm 1.8 lens and I love it – it lets me get more perspective and capture the setting around me in photos (instead of just being a portrait shot of me lol!)

Here are the cameras I use for my photos:

• Nikon D800 – I absolutely LOVE my Nikon. I’ve had this for several years and still in love with it. I also use this professionally for quite a few of my shoots including weddings, fashion shoots, engagements, etc.
  • Nikon 28mm lens – primary blogging lens. If you just bought a camera with only a 28 mm lens, you’d be set for blogging)
  • Nikon 50mm lens (use on occasion)
  • Nikon 85mm lens (use more for other types of shoots – the bokeh on this lens is BEAUTIFUL)

• Sony A7iii – I’ve never done much with Sony, but recently purchased this camera on a whim to try something new and I’m OBSESSED. It is one of their more recent mirrorless cameras and I cannot get over the quality and color of the photos. If you want to spend a little bit more, but still go for a nice mid-range camera this one is great also!
  • Sigma 35mm 1.4 art lens (runs around $850 but absolutely stunning with the 1.4 fstop)

• My Other Cameras
  • GoPro Hero 6 – not great in low light, but I love it for taking with me on the go. It’s small, waterproof and takes 4k video. Again, the photos are great, just not good in low light.
  • Sony G7X Mark II – This is a great little camera for quick photos and I love it for my daily vlogs. It also has a flip screen so that you can see yourself if you’re shooting in selfie mode.

• Cheaper DSLRs
  • Nikon D5300
  • Nikon D7200
  • Canon Rebel T6

Although I have never shot on these, I did want to mention briefly because I have friends who have each of these and say that they like them. Although I can’t personally recommend these, there are definitely inexpensive options if you want nice photos but don’t want to spend as much as I spent on my cameras. Ask around and do some research to find a good camera that works for your budget and needs!

Lightroom

There are plenty of editing apps out there, but most bloggers and photographers (including myself) swear by Lightroom. I personally pay for the Lightroom CC subscription my computer (about $10/month for both Lightroom and Photoshop), but Adobe offers the free app that is a GREAT option for editing your photos! Having a consistent feed is like a “resume” of sorts to prospective followers. If they visit your page and see a beautiful collection of cohesive and attractive photos, they are much more likely to follow you and take interest in your future content! There is no right or wrong look – this is where you get to be creative and express your unique style. Some people choose to go for a more white and clean look while others may appreciate a darker or moodier vibe. I personally love bright and colorful, yet natural tones because I think that’s most descriptive of who I am and my brand voice!

If you’re unfamiliar with Lightroom, don’t worry – there are TONS of Lightroom presets out there, free and paid! All you have to do is apply the preset to your photo and BAM, just fine tune it to each specific photo! If you’re interested in The Emily Edition presets, I do have them available for sale! Click here to check ‘em out! If you end up using them, don’t forget to use the hashtag #EmilyPresets so I can see what ya make!

2. Determine Your Direction (but don’t stress about it)

I spent YEARS (I’m not even kidding, sadly) throwing around the idea of starting a blog, but I felt like I couldn’t perfect my niche audience, brand or voice. I had some general ideas of what I wanted to do, but I could never fully nail down the exact direction for it, so I didn’t start it at all.

DON’T MAKE THIS MISTAKE!!!

You will never be fully “ready.” You will never have perfect content starting out. You will never have the EXACT direction of your blog or the perfect solution for appealing to your audience. It is my true belief that this will COME as you GO. Just start it and allow your blog to evolve as you go. Learning is in DOING and perfecting is only achieved by TRYING. I cannot stress this enough – you will not have a perfect strategy before you start out, but the good news is that blogging is incredibly forgiving. Try something out and if it doesn’t work, you know to do something differently next time. Have a general idea of where you want to go and allow that to be refined as you go along.

My photos and content aren’t really anything like they were when I first started a year ago, and I’m confident that a year from now it won’t look what it looks like now! It’s a process, a journey and an evolution – don’t expect it to be perfect right from the get-go!

Another thing I want to address here: a lot of advice out there will push HARD that you need to have one small focus to appeal to a specific dedicated audience. While I don’t think this is necessarily bad advice (I mean, hey if you only like mid-century modern home décor, I’m sure there’s an whole audience just for that), if the thought of narrowing it down to something overwhelms you, then don’t!

When I first started, I got so discouraged with the idea that I could only have a page about fashion or only about travel or only about food. What if I wanted to do a little of everything? What I realized is that I’m a multi-faceted person, I have many interests and I would feel limited if I could only do one. Some days I want to write inspirational life content…the next day I want to share about a great new online boutique I found…and perhaps the next I want to share about photography tips. Remember, this blog is about what YOU want and what kind of content brings you joy to create. If that’s mainly fashion, then focus on THAT. If you’ve got a little variety of things that you wanna speak on, then DO THAT! People will appreciate your unique combination, whatever it is as long as you are authentic about it!

3. Engage

While you can just post and then walk away, I think that social media is highly based on the concept of being…well, social! Find ways to connect with other people. Comment on their photos and tell them that they’re doing a good job, shoot an occasional DM to someone you admire to let them know they’re killin’ it! I personally try to respond to most of the comments that I get on my photos and check out their pages as well if I’m able to! Respond to your DM’s and e-mails. Sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming, but respond to one at a time whenever you have a spare moment and it will become a part of your everyday routine!

The more you engage with others, the more they will begin to take notice of you and your content. Commenting on other accounts can also help your exposure and encourage others to follow you as well!

4. Post Regularly

People often reach out to me asking about how I reached nearly 17k followers in my first year of blogging. I started from zero followers. To be honest, I don’t think there’s any easy answer or step-by-step solution. I DO know for a fact that consistency is probably the biggest tip that I would give for maximizing your following, engagement and overall impact. I try to post 4-6 times per week – again, this also comes down to what I’m feeling like. If I’m stressed out on a particular day and don’t want to post, I don’t. Be kind to yourself and realize that the sky isn’t going to fall if you don’t get your content out.

What I will say is that the more you post and the more constant you are, the more people will begin to recognize you and connect with your content. Think about people in your real life – the friends who you are the closest with, you probably see the most, right? If you never see someone, you kinda eventually disconnect from them. I think the same concept applies in this case as well. If 4-6 times a week is too much, how about 2-3 times per week? Don’t stress yourself out over this, but do what you can manage – remember that it’s better to have fewer, more high quality posts than to have a ton of sub-par content that clutters up people’s feeds! Quality over quantity always!

It helps to have an app to plan these out – there are plenty on the market. I use The Preview App, but honestly anything where you can preview how your feed looks ahead of time would be helpful!

5. Utilize Instagram Stories

And this leads me into my next point – utilize all the feature of Instagram to engage with your audience and share your unique point of view. Instagram stories are a great way to do this! This is something I’m definitely continuing to grow in, but I find that as I share more things on my stories, I’ve been able to build better relationships with other people who interact with my account! However, remember the principle of quality over quantity – don’t slap content up on your stories for the mere sake of putting out more content. Think about what your followers might enjoy hearing or seeing – it could be anything from a little Q&A, a grocery haul, sharing some of your favorite recent sales – whatever makes you uniquely YOU! Think about what will provide value to them or give them a little insight that they might want into who you are. I always run my content through this filter: Is this encouraging, positive/fun, interesting or helpful? If the answer is “no” to any of those questions then don’t post it!

6. Focus on Quality

There is an overwhelming amount of content being shared every day on various platforms – so much so that it can often become a challenge to weed through it all. Instead of throwing out piles of content, really think through what you are posting and try to think about if it aligns with your “brand.” Is it cohesive with your feed? Is it interesting?

Creating content that is visually appealing often takes time and planning. I recognize that this definitely varies depending on what specifically you blog about/what you are trying to achieve as well! However, personally, I spend a lot of time looking for inspiration on Pinterest, thinking of creative props, researching shoot locations and putting together outfits. Especially if I’m doing a campaign for a brand, I want it to be something that I’m proud of and that they are also proud to re-share…so in those cases even MORE time goes into it!

Plan ahead for your shoots – think about what props you can use that will add visual interest. I often find that even simple things like hair ribbons, handbags, hats etc. can take picture from good to great! Look up different ideas for poses that don’t involve just standing in front of the camera – while that’s fine for some, think of ways that you can mix it up and keep things interesting and creative! I know I keep mentioning props, but they can also help a ton with this – holding a cupcake, a bouquet of flowers or a book can make it so much more natural than if I’m just standing there wondering what to do with my hands!

7. Don’t Waste Your Time on Engagement Groups/Pods

If there’s another huge mistake that I can share with you, it’s engagement groups are NOT worth it! When I started, I was involved in two groups and found that they SUCKED away my time. While some people claim that you are attempting to “cheat” the algorithm, my main problem was that the people in these groups were often pushy and gave no mercy when it came to you having a life outside of the app. If I somehow missed someone’s photo, they would call me out and make a big deal of it (I mean, honestly…who is really going through all their likes to see if one person missed it?!). I found these groups to be very obsessive and draining.

And GUESS WHAT…when I got out of those two groups, I discovered that my engagement actually WENT UP! Wow, such a waste of time for absolutely nothing haha! I also love the feeling knowing that my engagement is 100% natural and people who are commenting because they actually like my content, not just because they “have to” so I’ll comment back.

8. Embrace the Community

I cannot tell you how much I have LOVED the opportunity to meet so many incredible people through blogging and Instagram. While I don’t have time to meet up with everyone who asks, I try to make time to build those connections and friendships. My other blogger friends have become some of my best buds because we have a lot of the same visions and goals which is fun! Get to know other creatives and be inspired and learn from them – I promise you won’t regret it! Encourage others, reach out to others – tell people what you appreciate or admire about their work! Be a POSITIVE FORCE!

9. Understand that it takes TIME and HARD WORK

I think there is a common misconception that “blogging is easy” and bloggers just “get a ton of free stuff.” I think it’s important to realize that nothing is ever truly free! While blogging is fun, it is also hard work and if you want to be successful, you have to be willing to put in the time and effort required to make it happen! I currently work a 9-5 job on top of my blogging and every night after I’ve worked a long day, I come home and work on my blog late into the evenings. This includes responding to emails, hashing out brand deals, sending in content for approval, creating and sending invoices, logging financials, and working on my website. That doesn’t even include photo editing, posting and engaging, creative planning or writing blog posts!

If you want to take your blog to the next level, be prepared for those components and actively find ways to manage your time and stay organized. I’m not an organized person by nature, but I have had to learn to become so in order to stay on top of all of my projects and partnerships! If you’re just starting your blog and you’re not to this point yet (but you want to be), treat your blog like the fun creative outlet that it is, but also be willing to put in the time and energy to look at it with a business mindset!

10. HAVE FUN

Don’t worry about the algorithm or stress how many followers you gain or lose. Just remember why you started it and have fun! If you truly love what you’re doing, it will be evident to your followers! I see so many bloggers who are always posting on their stories how discouraged they are about the algorithm. I’m not suggesting that you can’t be discouraged, but instead of constantly whining about it on social media, how about using your voice to share inspiration or positivity? Just a thought!

If your blog is starting to feel like a chore or something that is a discouragement, I would highly encourage you to re-evaluate WHY you’re doing it. If it’s for popularity or money, you’re eventually going to grow to hate it or become discouraged if it doesn’t meet your expectations. Instagram and blogging are becoming increasingly competitive and I’m convinced that you have to be doing it because you LOVE it! Then, any income or success is just a bonus!

Okay, phew! I know that was a TON, but hopefully helps to provide some insight that I have learned in the past year. Just remember that your blog is your creative outlet and should always be an expression of YOU! Appreciate what others are doing and who they are, but don’t try to copy or be someone that you’re not. People want to see the real and authentic YOU – and as long as you are pursuing that, you truly can’t go wrong! <3