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I started my blog in 2015, and after many name changes, format changes and posts it has become what I am sharing today. I’ve learned a lot along the way and would like to share it all with you! I created a comprehensive guide on how to start your own blog, being super transparent and real on how to actually make a blog.
This is the first post in my INdustry series, where I am going to be sharing everything about blogging and social media. The industry is usually very closed off and hidden, so I want to make it more INclusive and something anyone can be INvolved IN. Get it? I think I’m clever lol.
1. Decide what your blog is going to be about
The first thing you need to think about is what your blog is going to be about. It took me a very long time to narrow down exactly what I wanted to focus on. In the beginning, my posts were kind of all over the place, even though I still kind of post whatever I want lol, but it is really important to focus on just a couple of topics. Start by making a list of everything you are interested in, everything you love to read about and see on social. You can narrow it down from there by choosing which topics are your priorities and which go together best.
2. Buy your domain name and make the site
I decided to make a WordPress site, which is free and super easy to do! All you have to do is follow their steps and then buy your domain name. You can get a free domain name, but it will have .wordpress.com at the end of it. Your domain name is a smart investment to make, and it is only $20 a year so it is relatively inexpensive. Domain names get taken literally every second, so if you see one you like, snag it! They do expire after a year, so even if you aren’t 100% sure, buy it! Once the year is up you can re-evaluate.
3. Design your Brand
Once you have a name and idea for what you want your blog to be about, the next step is about building your brand. You need to decide the colors you want, the fonts you want, the backgrounds, the entire visual experience you want your followers and readers to have. You want all of your social media to have the same look. Another thing you need to do is take some photos of yourself to use as your profile photos, or create a logo if you don’t want to be the face of your brand, although I would recommend against that. People always like to see that a real person is behind the social media accounts and blogs they follow. Create some graphics or take some photos to include in your first couple of social posts and blog posts. Before you launch anything, I would recommend you have 5 blog posts or 7 Instagram posts first so you have things to post and can post consistently. I use the *free* website Canva, which has a variety of templates and makes graphic design really easy. I do use Adobe Illustrator for more advanced edits and to create my moodboards, but honestly, Canva is just as good. It’s my secret weapon which I am sharing with you… You’re welcome.
4. Create social accounts… ALL of them
Once you decide on a name for your site, make sure to create an email account, Instagram, Facebook page, Twitter, Tumblr and Pinterest that all have the same, or similar, name. This is something I regret not doing sooner because a lot of the accounts that would match my blog name are already taken. It is important to have cohesiveness across all platforms. When I think of a new business idea, the first thing I do is create social media and email accounts for it.
5. Post, post, post
The key to growing your site is to post consistently. The great thing about WordPress is they have a very easy user interface to create posts. And they allow you to schedule your posts so you can write a bunch in one day and technology will post them for you! Another key to posting consistently is starting monthly posts, like my monthly mood boards and my #TrendTuesday posts. These are posts you can pre-plan super easy to make time to brainstorm other ideas.
6. Switch to a self hosted site
Once you have more of a handle on what you want your blog to be about and have gained a little traction, the next step is to make it self hosted. What that means is you have more control over the look of your site and ownership of it. It is very easy to switch as there are so many services that will do it for you. I use BlueHost and can’t say enough about how great they are. This allows you to find a theme that you like better, instead of being confined to the themes WordPress has. I found a theme on pipdig, which I love and allows me to customize it in any way I want. That is how I am able to have my Instagram feed along the top and bottom of my site, something I knew I wanted but was not able to do on my free WordPress site.
7. Get brand’s attention
One of my next posts in this series I am going to go in depth on how to grow your blog. To touch on it really quickly, the best way to grow your following and readership is to talk about your favorite brands. When posting on social media, be sure to tag all the brands you talk about or show in your post, and even tag brands that are similar. This makes your post more visible on social, and can even get the brand’s attention. Another way to do this is to use hashtags including the brands name, and be sure to look up any brand specific hashtags they have. For example, Marshalls hashtag is #MarshallsSurprise. Using the specific hashtags will let them see you much quicker!
My biggest piece of advice to starting a blog is just that, to START! The way that I figured everything out was by doing things, making the mistakes, and fixing things when I messed up. Even if you go into it feeling super knowledgeable, you are for sure going to run into speed bumps. The earlier you start, the sooner you will become an expert!
Tell me your blog name/ social media handles below! I would love to hear your stories!
xoxo Gabriela
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