Heya Emily has been up and running for a good 6 months now, and so far I've loved the whole process of it. I had written a blog over 2014 & 2015, but it was super inconsistent and I was never completely happy with its niche and how I was approaching it. In 2016 I swapped it out for Heya Emily, and my perspective and knowledge on blogging has changed a lot.
I T ' S T I M E C O N S U M I N G
Writing a blog on the school holidays is easy, you have time to kill so you might as well get out your camera and start writing. Once year 12 kicked in, there was a lot less time to actually work on making the blog better, so I had to make the time myself. I usually get posts together early on Saturdays before I go to work, and it's all just about making the time if you enjoy doing it. This post probably took me a solid hour to photograph, edit, write, proofread and hit publish.
Y O U ' L L F I N D W H A T Y O U W A N T T O W R I T E A B O U T
... and you'll also find something a larger audience would want to read. I think that personal/lifestyle with a bit of beauty talk works pretty well in terms of getting a good audience for me. (because those are two things I love writing about) There are other things I also love but I would find hard to write about on here (I don't think politics or classic plays are mutual interests with you guys). So as a new blogger, I'd suggest creating a niche before you branch out into other topics.
S O C I A L M E D I A R E A C H
There's a good chance that you came to this post through Facebook, Bloglovin' or Twitter. In terms of getting yourself out there, social networks are a great place to start. Advertise each post as you publish it so that people can see what you've been working on. I have social media for my blog on most platforms and they're good for getting it out there.
H T M L I S H A R D
In February I almost crashed my site trying to fix a small bit of HTML (which is the coding behind your blog to make it work). My header was in the centre of the screen, my post pictures were tiny and I was pretty much ready to give up. However after a lot little fixing it was all sorted. After that, I bought an etsy template and a custom header to make my blog a bit prettier. The whole thing ended up costing $16 including installation, thanks, Fearne! Anyway, what I'm trying to say is HTML is hard, and I'd recommend getting someone to do it for you if you're not an IT genius, it saves so much hassle.
L E A R N T O D E F I N E Y O U R G O A L S
This is the number one thing I focussed on when making Heya Emily; what do I want to get from this blog? My answer will differ to yours, but I suggest having things to focus on. A couple of things you may want to make your blogging goals are:
- Get a conversation going between you and your viewers
- Take better photographs
- Get better time management
- Become a part of the blogging community
Have something to work towards is great for me because I find that motivation makes me work just that little bit harder.
If you're thinking of starting a blog I highly recommend it, because it's just a pretty great time getting to write about whatever you like. If you have a new blog, comment your links! I'd love to get to know some new faces around here.
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