In what seems to be a bit of a coincidence, I recently received a slew of emails with questions relating to blogging. The predominant theme that stood out was “How do you get a successful and popular blog?” and I must confess that I was stumped.
You see, when I started out back in 2007 it was not with the intention of becoming a successful or popular beauty blog. Back in the day, there was no such thing. People laughed at you for wasting your time blogging, and they would say “You write about beauty products? Why? Who would want to read it when there are magazines with prettier pictures?” But I stuck with it anyway because I was having fun and enjoying writing for fun instead of for work and well, as we are all now aware, things have moved on. About 2 years after I started blogging, it exploded with a cosmic bang and here we are.
But I know there are some of you who may be wondering the same thing as those who have written in, and I thought I’d share some tips to get you started. I hope they are helpful and if you blog, I’d love for you to share anything that I might have missed out on 🙂 If you’re an avid blog reader, do share too what you enjoy seeing in the blogs you read and we can all aim to improve 🙂 (please settle in for a read – its long 😛 )
1. Blog because you love it
I cannot stress this enough. As with everything you set out to do, do it because you love it. Talk about nail polish, because its something you do well and enjoy. Are you good at nail art? Show everyone your talent. Swoon over a blush, because it makes you look alive and chirpy. But above all, love what you do because you are doing what you love. It will show and people who read it will see it and come back. Those who are just writing or blogging for the sake of being part of the (now very crowded) bandwagon will similarly send that message across and really, when there is no passion, there is nothing.
2. Choose a simple fuss free blog theme
There are a billion blog themes out there. I swear there are. But know what your focus is on i.e. your content. If you are good at graphic design (and I’m utterly jealous of you, if you are!), design something pretty for your header, but leave things minimal where it matters – the content box. Don’t crowd it with a fussy background or fancy buttons that will distract more than attract. Its a delicate balance and I will not presume to tell you how to design your blog (because its YOUR blog) and I will never tell you mine’s the best because its always a work in progress. But in the main, I think beauty blogs with large plain (not necessarily white) content boxes work the best to show off your photos and pictures and text to best advantage.
3. Use photos or pictures
People are visual creatures and you could be the best writer in the universe, but people wouldn’t read a block of plain text on the internet. Admit it, you don’t either (I don’t) 😛 So, use photos and pictures to give emphasis and break up the text and monotony. If you like taking pictures, do so. Remember, practice makes perfect and you do not need a swanky DSLR to take good photos, just a good eye. Otherwise, there are lots of stock product photos you can use. Just remember not to steal photos and you’ll be good.
4. Be honest
Be honest not only to your readers who are getting more and more savvy these days, but to yourself. Why are you doing this? Is it because you really want to or because you see others getting recognised and want a piece of the pie? This comes back to Point #1 above, and will be the deciding factor if you manage to hang on or not. Did you receive a product or service from a brand or company for you to try? Say so. No one will think any less of you if you did, and that honesty will stand you in good stead as you go along. Did you dislike a product that everyone else loved? Say so. Its honesty that readers are looking for in a product review, not a press release going rah rah rah! The world of PR and beauty blogs and bloggers isn’t a very large one and news travels. But if you are honest, you’ll never be caught out.
5. Check your spelling and grammar
Confession. My pet peeve is reading a blog riddled with broken grammar and misspelling. I’m prepared to overlook a small error. I don’t boast of being perfect myself and some of you may have picked up my errors from time to time. But before you hit the Publish or Post button, check your spelling and grammar. This applies to every language you blog in, not just English although I personally can only read English… but whatever hehe… spell check! 😀
6. Have an outside interest
No, I’m serious. If you’re going to sit at the computer all day cracking your head thinking of your next blog post, its going to be quite a lonely boring existence. Have other hobbies or an outside interest. Go out, travel, eat, live, laugh and love and then share all of that in your blog within reason. It not only makes you more interesting, it breaks the monotony and makes your blog more interesting.
7. Make friends – Use social media and comment on blogs
I’ve talked about social media and blog comments before and I stress this again. When I started out blogging, it was a howling wilderness peopled by few in the beauty blog niche so, when you do spot one on your radar, it stood out like a beacon in the dark. These days, toss a stone and you’d hit at least 2 blogs professing to be beauty blogs. Not to say its a bad thing, but it makes it harder to be noticed. So aren’t you glad you have social media now? 🙂 I found my fast blogging friends from the days of the blogging wilderness. I found my new friends on Twitter. Its easy these days to see if you will or can get along with people because face it, we can’t get along with everyone right? Commenting on other blogs too may bring you visibility but don’t go peppering blogs with your blog links – everyone hates it because there is a proper place for it i.e. in the URL box of the comment form. Social Media is a powerful tool to get you and your blog noticed but if you spam, yeah you get canned.
8. Text Size and Colour Matters
This is something you may not think about, but please do. I’ve come across some blogs that are or maybe interesting, but I can’t focus long enough to read because their text size is miniscule and in a light grey font on a white background. Gah! Or maybe even colourful font in varying sizes. Gah! 😯
9. Avoid excessive bashing and swear words
So you dislike a product. Well, see Point #4 above and say so. But you can say so nicely and not have to resort to “OMG This product was such a failure! The cream was thick and oily, and the whole brand sucks! I don’t know why they even bothered to sell this…” you get the idea. Or how do you feel when you read something like this “This cream was such an f**king useless piece of f**king crap. I don’t know which f**king fool will buy it because it is absolute s**t” I don’t know about you, but I switch off after the first line and click away. I come to read blogs to learn something or find out what people think and just like when I watch movies, if there is excessive swearing, I just switch away. The internet makes it easy to hit the X button.
In fact, you could have 20 good posts but when I come on one rant that is incomprehensibly peppered with swear words, I strike the blog off my radar. Its a personal thing. If you think about it, there is a whole English vocabulary out there at your disposal. You can find ways to say something doesn’t work or that you dislike, without having to resort to the most popular 4 letter swear words all the time. Some take the snarky sarcastic but funny route, others just tell you as it is, but keep it short. Learn to find a balance but know that you do not have to like everything all the time. Granted, its your blog and you can write and say what you want, but know also that the general public may not like nor enjoy it and there goes all your hard work.
10. You don’t have to go broke buying lots of stuff
This is an interesting point and comes back to Point #1 and #4. Why are you here? Are you blogging about beauty because you have already got so many blushes, you need a cabinet just for them? Or are you blogging because you enjoy playing with makeup and want to share your makeup looks with the world and perhaps even land you a plum job as a makeup artist, if that’s your dream? Or are you here because “I want freebies”?
If you are the former two, you will already have a ton of things to talk about, and chances are, you already spend a lot of time and money on your interest and hobby. You wouldn’t think people are interested in something as basic as a shower gel, but you just never know! Or perhaps you are just wondering aloud if a product may be causing your skin problems – it could be the next big thing. I wondered aloud once if the shampoo I was using was causing my acne and till today, I get people commenting on it because they just made the connection too.
If you are the latter, then well, I’m going to have to pump you by the hand and wish you lots of luck. If you do get what you wish for, congratulations. But its a tough going world because blogging is very very lonely and abjectly boring if you have no one to share your passion with, for bloggers do know when someone’s going at it just for the “free stuff” and word does get around about bloggers who spoil it for everyone.
11. Be yourself
Don’t try to be someone you are not. Don’t try to copy another person’s style because you aren’t that person and it will just stress you out. Blog like you’re talking to your best friend and sharing a piece of happy or unhappy news or results with them. I’d say blog like you’re talking to your sister, but you probably don’t really want to know how I talk to my sister and the stuff we talk about 😛 So blog as yourself and enjoy yourself blogging because its fun! 🙂
12. Success doesn’t come overnight
To those who have been reading for the past 5 years, goodness, I take my hats (yes plural because I wear many!) off to you. I know who you are and I love all of you 😀 To those who maybe new to the MWS community, yes, its coming on nigh 5 years. While I agree that I enjoy a certain measure of success now, it did not come overnight. I was plodding along for at least 2 years before there was even a glimmer of interest and even then, it was primarily from overseas, because blogs were gaining momentum there and not locally. So the local scene is still quite new and everyone has a fair share of the pie and I must say that it may even be easier to get a leg up these days early on, rather than having to wait 5 years the way I did 🙂 If I were in it for the popularity, money or success, I’d have given up a long time ago, but I was in it and I lasted because I enjoyed it, which brings us back to Point #1! 😀
Everything said, I’d like for us all to be friends and blogging buddies and not competitors because the former is helpful and supportive, and the latter is destructive because I’m not sure what we’re competing for and what the prize is – anyone? 😉 Maybe if I did know what is at stake, I could amp things up and do something about it 😛
Thank you for reading my thesis if you survived this far 😛 If you have a new blog or are thinking to start one, I hope this gave you some food for thought on how best to proceed. I will be sharing more simple blogging tips from time to time if anyone’s interested or if you have a burning question please feel free to drop me a line on email, on Twitter or even in a comment here 🙂 You may also enjoy Tine’s Bloggie Wednesdays – which I admire because I could never keep up a weekly blogging column for talking too much 😛
If you have more tips you’d like to share for new bloggers, or if you are a reader and want to share what draws you to certain blogs, please do because I could always learn something too – we never stop learning for once we do… we die 😛
Paris B
Simple Blogging Tips are some simple tips I have for fellow bloggers, based on my own experiences. I’m no ‘guru’ but I hope they will help you. You may read up on previous Simple Blogging Tips here.
Thanks for the excellent tips! I’ve been following your blog for ages, but never actually commented. I confess I added an About page to mine when I read your last blogging tips post! My blog seems to be a constant work in progress as I add pages… It’s nice to keep it as a hobby/interest rather than something with a deadline that I absolutely need to perfect though!
I’m so happy that you have found some tips helpful, Ev 😀 I always think its all such trite stuff that no one would think helpful so its great to know it helped you with the about page. Happy blogging! 😀
Huge thumbs up for writing this entry PB. I’m guilty of some grammar and spelling mistakes, especially since I usually type faster than I think. I think you’ve covered the most important points about wanting to be a blogger, and I cannot agree more with blogging because you love blogging, not because you want to get free stuff or compete with others. I also think that supporting other bloggers (leaving comments, sharing their posts) and celebrating their successes are very important. Anyway that’s all I wanted to say – keep up the inspirational work and have a great Friday 🙂
Thanks Dom and we all type faster than we think hence the need to re-read and spell check before hitting Publish. You have a point too about supporting each other. We’re all in this together – might as well row the same boat instead of fighting over who gets to be captain 🙂
Great writeup! I couldnt agree more with you, especially for point #10! People are not stupid – we all can tell when somebody is blogging to score freebies from PR companies! 😛
That being said, your blog is immensely successful and i’m sure lots of bloggers are inspired by you (mua being one of them)! Keep up the great work! 😀
Thanks Jenn and you’re absolutely right. We all know when people aren’t in it for the fun or love or even because they want to share, but because they want something out of it and that really spoils it for the rest of us. I’m happy to inspire and absolutely humbled 😀
what can i say? i couldn’t agree more 😉 I think interest is the really factor that keep things going, best thing is, there is no pressure! I may slack off for a while sometimes, but will definitely be on the track again after a while 😀
Yes I agree about interest! If not for the interest, I think those of us who started a while ago would have already disappeared off the face of the earth!
I love love love this post! Nowadays blogs and bloggers are not what they used to be. I used to enjoy reading blogs where people write from the heart. Nowadays though, most blogs are written with not much honesty only to gain popularity. Nevertheless, people get to the point they intended to using whatever methods they believe in but in the end, I truly like what you said about competing… for what and what’s the prize. Well, thank you for sharing this. It’s great.
Thank you Juan – I don’t get the competitiveness either but maybe people do see the prize and we’re too blind not to? 😛 But yes the number of bloggers who blog because they enjoy it are getting fewer and futher in between. These days, if its not for money its for freebies 🙁
This was so great to read, I agree that I get put off by very busy layouts and varying font colours. I also dislike excessive swearing too but I love reading a well rounded review that can find positives and negatives without resorting to insults. I get drawn into blogs with nice easy to navigate layouts, good quality photographs and a good writing style that can draw me in and when I created my blog I just based it around the blog layouts that I find easy to use because they are simple, white and clean.
Glad you enjoyed this Megan 🙂 I enjoy reading the same sort of blogs you like, so I try to aspire to something that I would gravitate to – I think its hardest to read a blog that has colourful font. I never quite understood the need for it…
Awesome post! Here I am reading through the entire thing when I’m supposed to be working…. :p
It’s highly annoying when bloggers blog for the sake of freebies. Or worse, when they demand for freebies! Gives the rest of us a bad name 🙁 Not fun when somebody irks at the term “beauty blogger”.
Thanks Connie (and I hope you didn’t get into trouble for it 😛 ) I must agree with you about it being off putting when someone looks askance at us, thinking we just want a freebie. The brands get put off, and legit bloggers get just as riled up about it!
So true! Thank you so much for this post 🙂 My blog has a colorful background but I really love it so I’m not really troubled if it can be distracting to some… Because I’m sure there are also readers who love it as much as I do! Hahaha!
You’re welcome Lily and its the content box I mean about it being busy. You’re content box is clean and white so the busy background doesn’t detract. I’ve seen some blogs where you can barely make out the text because they have such a busy background in their content box. Imagine your background but where you’d put your content and yeah, that’s pretty much a headache waiting to happen LOL!
as a blog reader, spelling & grammar scores #1 in my list of how i choose a blog to follow. next comes point #9 in your list. just as there are many ways to say something verbally, so too are there that many ways to write about it. it just reflects the sort of person you truly are 🙂
having said that, kudos on such a wonderful write-up (reading your tips always makes me realise why i’m a blog reader, not a blog writer. LOL!) and may you continue to have many more successful years to come.
Thank you so much Shah! 😀 I love hearing what readers are looking for too because it really does help us bloggers improve 😀 And that swearing bit, I just had to mention because I just came across a blog recently that was for the most part well written up till a recent post when it was all swearing (at another blogger) and I just didn’t see the point. You’re right – it just tells us what sort of person you are i.e. not very nice 😛
Okay, where’s the like button for this? Never mind. +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 😛
Love it, and agree with every single point. You gotta love it to do it for so long. I was looking at my very old posts from 2007, and was thinking of your old theme “Champagne Tastes on a Beer Budget”…man, we sure have come a long way since then. Back when we had no freebies (my first two were SkinMD and Gloves on a Bottle, remember those? :P), we talked about every little beauty thing under the sun. I remember stumbling upon Xin’s blog and really liking it because she reviewed things you don’t normally see magazines reviewing – sanitary napkins. Fell in love 😛
It’s so easy to start blogging when brands readily send you product (at least, in Australia, it is), but what happens when that stops? I always believe there’s no such thing as a free meal, and products coming in just means more obligation. Takes away the fun in blogging sometimes.
Especially agree that we have to have other interests besides blogging. If I’m always worrying about my next post, what to write, when to take photos, miss outings with friends and family to attend events, etc, then how’s that different from your day job, eh? Boring lah.
Okay, this concludes my essay of a comment. Sekian terima kasih 😛
OMG! Yes you just reminded me of those days back in 2007 when we were just toddling around not sure what we’re doing but having a hell of a time doing it 😀 I remember SkinMD and Gloves in a Bottle all too well. So giddy to be contacted right? 😀 I also remember stumbling on Xin’s blog and thinking that her content was very interesting and different from the norm. Look how far we have come 🙂 *hugs*
I wanna give you a big hug!!! And not just because of these great tips and valid points, but because your personality really came through and I can see how much thought went into this. I know it’s cliché, but I love that you tell it like it is (but in a friendly way) and march to the beat of your own drum.
I didn’t realize you’ve been blogging for 5 years. That’s AMAZING! I guess I’m one of your fairly new readers but I quickly saw why you’ve kept it up and why others eagerly digest your daily musings, too. 😀
*hugs* Thank you Peach 🙂 I guess some of this was just waiting to be said and I figured, why not now? 🙂 It’ll be 5 years soon and its sort of scary just thinking about it 😛
Thanks for the post!!
Ya know, I actually started blogging because I was starting to amass a sizeable collection of cosmetics, and was learning to put them on through FOTDs, heheh!! Who knew that it would be such a large part of my life!!
We just never know how it’ll turn out right? And what fun it can be. Glad you found your niche!
A fantastic post, Paris! I must admit that I often can not keep reading a whole post from start to end when it’s a long and wordy one, but you always manage to keep me sticking with reading to the very end – Paris, I love (and am very envious of) your writing style!
Yes! “Blog because it is your passion!” is in my eyes the most important base. Even though I am very short of time these days, I never even thought a minute about letting my blog go. Of course, frequent posting is a very important factor to build a readership, but blogging just for the sake of having blogged about something is not satisfaction either, is it? :/
Sorry for my rambling! :p
*blush* Thank you so much Jess 😀 You may not blog often, but you stay in touch on Twitter with everyone which is really good! We all have a life outside of blogging and we should live it, because its what helps us grow and in turn, helps our blogs grow too 😀
Simply love this post! 😀
Alas, when it comes to bad experiences, I have probably fallen off the bandwagon and cussed my way through a review or two (or three). Nowadays I *try* to give a 24-hr cool-down before hitting the ‘publish’ button, hopefully by then I’d have calmed down enough to tone it down a bit. Ironically though, it’s the rants that seem to generate the most comments >.<
Actually, I think you rant not cuss like a sailor and that’s fine because some things deserve a good rant at (like your horrible manicure session) I try to take the 24 hour approach these days too but sometimes, when something has to be said, it has to be said. Just without the 4 letter words 😉
Oh, I would like to add a tip as well. One thing I’ve learnt is that you don’t need to be afraid to step into the community that’s been formed. I discovered that during the MWS Awards party that everyone here is really warm and they would listen to what you say, heehee~
Thanks for making this newcomer welcome here ^.^
Aww, I’m glad you managed to learn this quickly on 😀 Yes, jump in there and get your feet wet and you just never know who might jump in with you for a splashing good time! 😀
I was tickled by no. 9. Hahaha! Imagine someone swearing like a sailor over a beauty product!
hehe… it happens! Well most of the time over a retailer or a service but I’ve seen people go at it over an eyeliner and that really boggles the mind!
I nodded 12 times because of your 10+2 tips!!! 🙂 This is very helpful and I will definitely LINK this post whenever I get emails asking me “How LUCKY I was to score freebies!”
I can’t stress it more than you did but everyone should definitely blog because they LOVE to and talk about the topic you’re interested the most!
I hope your head didn’t fall off from nodding Nikki! 😀 We should do what we want because we love it not because others are doing it or because we can benefit. A benefit is a side perk. Its our personal satisfaction that will be the major driving force!
thanks for the tips! useful for new blogger 🙂
Glad you found them useful 😀
Hi Paris! Thank you for this lovely post!! I started blogging because I’ve amassed quite a substantial amount of beauty products thanks to certain *ahem* enablers! Blogging has also expanded my network of friends and I’ve learnt so much from everyone in the beauty blogging world! =)
Haha making enabling friends is most detrimental to the wallet (but ultimately so satisfying!) Its great to know you’ve found your niche too and isn’t the beauty blogging world (mostly) a nice friendly place? 😉
lovely post, Tine 🙂 you are so right about somethings and I would especially stress on success doesn’t come overnight!!! I have been blogging since two years and now I have seen a marked improvement in lots of things and when I go back, so many perspectives have changed. And, I haven’t been reading your been reading your blog since 5 years but I love it and hopefully I shall keep on reading it till you write 🙂
sorry Paris!!! I always get confused between your blogs as templates are so same!!! But, yes, I found her posts to be equally amazing and helpful.
Btw, if you can concede to my request, I have situation. my reader’s have requested some product reviews but frankly, the products are a little too expensive and anyways, I am not interested in using them. So, can you do a post on how to tackle such situations because I don’t wanna be rude but I am simply caught up. i donno if you even understood what I mean.
LOL I was a little confused myself when I read your last comment, Swati but indeed! Looking back sometimes, I cringe at the stuff I wrote back then or thought or just how I phrased things. I think I’ve grown a lot since I started and its great to know that you have too 🙂
As for your question, I think its a good one I’ll try to post a public answer to some time. But just quickly to answer you now, I’ve gotten similar requests too and I usually tell them that I can’t review the product if I have not tried it, or if I’m not interested in it, or if its just too expensive to buy just to try for now. But if I do try it in the future, I will share my thoughts on my blog. Its the best we can do, because we don’t have bottomless wallets after all!