How to get started in blogging

If you have a few blog followers you may, like me, get an immense number of emails, facebook messages, tweets and perhaps esp vibes from people wanting to start their own blog and be really successful. 

I think some people judge whether a blog is successful on how many thousand followers someone has, how many giveaways, and whether or not they have paying advertisers. A lot of people then think, hold on a minute - How did they get to this point? How can I make money? How can I get free beauty products?

From my point of view the truth is that there is more than one different way to get to the end point of being a successful blogger, and some of your most favourite blogs (and all of mine) aren't created because the person started off wanting to 'have a successful blog' they are just about a girl talking and sharing information about products. I started mine as I was in awe of lollipop26 and wanted to be just like her lmao! Laura is so nice, and clearly I am a sheep, you'd think I was 14 not 24 when I started writing as that does sound really sad reading it back doesn't it, but hey it's true.

Personally I didn't have girl mates to chat about hair tips or makeup products, and the cat just doesn't seem interested ;P I have a few more now but they have all been made via blogging or Beauty Retreat.

I am presuming that a lot of people ask me how to get a blog or how to get stuff free because they have asked others they aren't willing to spill the beans on how they did it?

My Advice

If you’re going to start writing a blog you can't just expect people to find you after just writing one post and not doing any networking or making friends.  You can't just cross your fingers and hope it all goes ok.  You need to have a plan, perhaps you are a 50 something blogger who has a small child and wants to share tips, perhaps you are amazing at different hairstyles and want to share your knowledge with others.  Just think of you unique selling point and stick to it - preferably don't nick someone else's as if they are more established than you, then what's the point. I guess my USP is that I do not claim to be good at anything I just love makeup and skincare and want to share the good, bad and ugly with straight up reviews and if I can impart some tips along the way, so much the better. Or to sum it up: Beauty - no bullshit.

When you start your blog you have no presence, no readership, no audience and no hits. To change that you need to get amongst it! Join twitter, make friends, follow other blogs and comment on them. My advice is DO NOT do the 'follow me and I'll follow you' or leave your blog link as a comment people find this highly annoying, I find it quite rude and generally delete most comments like that. I don't spam you so don't spam me!

Instead try to actually read others blogs and see what works for them, take that information and apply it to your blog. As you learn and interact more, your blog will grow more.

By the time I had been blogging for about 9 months I had been given a few opportunities to attend nice PR events and review free products and my advice on these is as follows from what I have experienced:

If someone offers you something free to review - 

1. Ask when they need the review by, sometimes they want it that week - personally I haven't even had time to use it let alone review it in a week!
2. Ask if they want you to post your honest feelings or if they would rather just be given feedback by email if your review is negative - some people can't take the heat and in all fairness PR companies don't want their product slagged off as the client will have their guts for garters normally.
3. Don't send PR companies emails with big lists of things you want to get free, PR companies have girls working for them, often pr's go to the same events and chat, do you want them to all know you for being 'the blagger'? I have heard people talking about a blagger before at a pr event so remember be nice! People talk ;P

If you go to a pr event

1. Be nice!
2. Meet other bloggers and if you are crap at names like me, still try not to call them by their blog name, write it down if you have to.
3. Don't expect other people to know who you are - you're not JLO!
4. Try and make friends with pr people that you deal with, that way if you have to say to them 'look this product stinks/is crap/turned me orange' at least they know you aren't being funny, it's truly just the honest feelings on a product.

And have fun! As tiring as writing a blog post is sometimes for me with a full-time job and a part time job, I do love it. Hope this helps someone x