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Designing My Den, One DIY at a Time!

Things I Learned in my First Year of Blogging

THINGS I LEARNED IN MY FIRST YEAR OF BLOGGING

Hi friends,

On July 3rd, 2014, I hit “publish’ on my first blog post. It wasn’t too exciting, just an update on my life and why I was starting a blog. But it was out there for the world to see, and I’ve never looked back.

Blogging has been one of the greatest things I’ve ever decided to do. Part of me wished I had known some of these things when I started, but I’ve loved the journey that I’ve taken to get to me to this point. I wanted to put together a little round up of what I’ve learned in my first year and some resources that I love!

TIPS & ADVICE

1. Be brave. It took me probably an hour and a half to work up the courage to hit “publish” on that first blog post. And even the few after that. I was putting myself out there and was completely vulnerable. What if people hated it? But what if they loved it? What if no one reads it? But what if it’s exactly what they need to read? If you want to start a blog, Youtube channel, etc., just do it! I promise it will be 100% worth it.

2. It takes time. There is sooooo much more to blogging than I originally thought. And I feel that family and friends still think that I just whip something up on the spot. That is not the case! Now, I will preface, sometimes inspiration hits me and I can knock out a post / project in barely any time. However, normally I have to sit down, plan out my posts / projects, and try to have them done far in advance. What helps me is having a planner (or multiple planners, lol) and I write out when I’m going to post and write a list of what I need to do. This can be anything from what I need to buy for a DIY project, what I need to research, what photos I’ll need to edit, etc. If you want a planner that’s solely dedicated to all things blog related, check out Tiny Sidekick’s Printable Planner or By Regina’s Epic Blog Planner. I’ve been looking at both of these because I can never have too many planners or be too prepared. ;)

3. Consistency is key. As you probably know, I didn’t consistently start posting until February of this year. I had great ideas in this brain of mine, but it just took me a little longer to figure out a schedule to get those ideas out into the interwebs. But if you want people to read your blog or watch your videos, they need to know when you’re going to post new content!

4. Have a back-up plan. And have a back up of your back up. Life gets in the way sometimes. It happens. You may have a great post planned but either it didn’t turn out how you wanted or things came up and it didn’t get finished. Either way, you don’t have a something to post like you planned. TURN TO YOUR BACK-UPS! I try to have at least 10 ideas on hand if something didn’t turn out how I had planned.

5. There is no one alive who is youer than you. Be yourself! We all have our favorite bloggers and at times we think to ourselves “I want to be just like them!” There’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, it’s awesome! It’s great to have someone to look up to in the blogging world and be inspired by. But the reason you probably like them so much, is because they’re them. They’re doing their thing. They may be super successful, but chances are they started out exactly where you’re starting from. Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle. You do you and be the best you, you can be. People are going to be drawn to you because you’re yourself, not a copy of another blogger. :)

6. Do what you love. Finding a niche is different per person. You can start out blogging and know fo’ sho’ what you want to blog about. That’s awesome. You can start out blogging and have no idea what you want to blog about. That’s awesome too. Personally, I love when bloggers post about a couple different things. When I started out, this was going to be strictly interior design and house renovation projects. That’s it. And then I posted a recipe and figured out that I really loved that. And I posted something about beauty and figured out that I really loved that. So I realized that being diverse was really cool and that I’d reach a larger audience that way, but I’m still blogging about the things that I love. And hopefully about things that you love. <3

7. Blogging buddies are the best. For. Reals. Networking and reaching out to other bloggers is soooo important. The blogging community is super duper supportive and nice and wonderful and a bunch of other great adjectives to describe these lovely people. I’ve met so many awesome people through blogging that I never would’ve met otherwise.

8. Keep learning. There are tutorials for EVERYTHING out there! Curious about plugins? Google it. Confused about SEO? Google it. Want to take better photos? Google it. As you grow and change, so will your blog. And that’s awesome! What you post is just going to keep getting better and better. :)

RESOURCES

 1. Pinterest, Instagram, & Twitter. Your social media is soooo important! I get the majority of my traffic from Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. I have a Facebook fan page and most bloggers do,  but (even though mine’s pretty new) I haven’t seen the same amount of traffic that I’ve seen from any of the others. I know I have to be so much better about my social media and when I post so I’m actually in the process of creating a social media planner that will help me and I’ll share it with you guys as a free printable when it’s done! Also, if you’d like to follow me, that’d be super cool too. ;)

2. PicMonkey. This website is great to help you create graphics for your post. If you don’t have Photoshop and have no interest in purchasing Photoshop, this will definitely be good for you. It’s completely free with upgrades that you can choose to purchase, if you’d like. I’ve never found the need to buy a “Royale” membership, everything that I use is in the free features.

3. Canva. Just like PicMonkey is a Photoshop alternative, Canva is an Illustrator and InDesign alternative. It’s a free and super easy to use graphic design program. Like PicMonkey, it has features that you can upgrade to and purchase, but I’ve never needed to. Honestly, I use this program wayyyy more for my graphics than anything else. Love. It.

4. Link Parties. Link parties are a blogger’s best friend. Seriously. It’s a great way to meet and interact with other bloggers and get your posts out there to a wider audience. Whatever traffic I haven’t gotten from social media, I’ve gotten from people popping over from a link party. Most bloggers will have a list of where they link up and some may even host a link party! Earlier this year I started co-hosting the Merry Monday party and it has been AWESOME!

5. The Adobe Creative Suite. “Chelc, you just said that PicMonkey and Canva were alternatives for the Creative Suite!” And they are. But I won’t lie to you (because we’re besties), there are things in the Creative Suite that you’re not going to find anywhere else. It may be something you need to save up for, in which case PicMonkey and Canva can be used until then. Personally I just think that it’s a great investment. Because I’m a designer and I have a day job doing that, I use it for that ALOT. But I definitely find myself reaching for it when I’m creating room inspirations or creating videos for my YouTube channel. Adobe Premiere is life.

6. Headline Analyzer. This is actually new to me but it’s awesome so I decided to include it! One of my blogging buddies, Erlene over at My Pinterventures, told me about this website to analyze your post headlines. Just paste it in and it will give you a rating and tips on what type of words you should add or take away to make an even better impact. If your headline gets a rating above 70, then it’s awesome! Just as an example, this post’s headline received a rating of 74.

7. Laptop, Phone, Camera, etc. If you’re going to blog, you’re going to need some equipment. It’s just how it is. Do you need the newest version of every single thing? Absolutely not! When I started out I was using my 2 year old laptop, my iPhone 4s, and a point and shoot camera. Now, I am still using my old laptop (saving up for a new one but this one works perfectly fine), still using my iPhone 4s (keeping this phone for the rest of my life because Verizon is a peach), but I did invest in a Canon Rebel T5i. Was this necessary? No. Was it a great investment? Yes. I had been wanting a better quality camera even before I started blogging and had been saving up for it for quite a while. Some people think that to be a great blogger you need the best of the best and that’s absolutely not true. I’d definitely wait a while and save up before you purchase a really expensive piece of equipment. Figure out if this is what you love to do and you can get the equipment as you and your blog grow. Or if you have all the money in the world you can buy it now. You do you, friend! :)

8. Blogging e-Books & e-Courses. As I mentioned up in my advice portion, there are tutorials for EVERYTHING out there. But besides that, there are also great blogging books, e-books, and e-courses out there for you. I’ve read a couple e-books out there, but there are a few courses out there that I’m really interested in taking. Abby over at Just a Girl and Her Blog has this AMAZING e-book called Building a Framework that I am just dying to read. In it she goes over how she made her blog into a 6-figure income in just 2 years! That’s incredible! Basically I just want her to be my mentor and friend. Abby, can we be friends? :) Hilary Rushford from Dean Street Society has a great Instagram class that I’m also dying to take. I’ve joined a couple of her webinars on this topic and a few others and she’s just lovely. But if you don’t have the money for these things that’s ok. There are a ton of articles and posts like this one out there in the interwebs where other bloggers will share their tips and tricks for free.

I hope this post was helpful for any newbie bloggers out there or even some seasoned bloggers who may not have thought of these things before. If you’re a blogger, what are some tips and tricks that you’ve found helpful? Just like my 8th piece of advice says, I love learning new things!

<3 Chelc

Comments

    • Thanks so much, Liz! I definitely have those days. I just need to remind myself that I’m not writing this for other people’s approval, I’m writing this for myself. And if others like it, that’s awesome!

      XO, Chelc

  4. Congrats on your first year blogging. It has taken me two years to learn about Canva. I haven’t used PicMonkey, .. yet. I also got a new camera for my blog after almost a year. It has been a journey, but well worth it. Thanks for sharing.
    Mary Hill recently posted…Hello Monday :Books,Goals & MusicMy Profile

    • Thank you so much, Mary! PicMonkey’s great, I use it all the time!

      XO, Chelc

  6. Thanks for all the great tips. I just started my blog, and I’m sure I will reread this in times of need! And congrats on your first year, that’s huge! :D

  7. This is a very on point article! I have been blogging for almost a year, though I didn’t tell anyone about it until about 6 months ago. :) I found myself nodding to each one of your points. I want to do Abby’s course, too!

    I think my biggest lesson has been just go ahead and do it because you are never going to have it perfect (especially if you are starting with a zero-blog-knowledge base and going totally DIY!). I wrote for several months before making my blog “public,” but I have learned so much more in the months since then than I ever did writing in “private.” Also, I really don’t like the look of my blog, but the first look was even worse. :) There is a whole new look/layout/approach in the works, and I am excited to relaunch, but in the meantime, my blog is what it is. If I had waited until I was happy with the look, I would STILL be private! And consistency!! That is my biggest killer! Seriously working on that one, and having articles written in advance ready to go!

    I found you at #WednesdayShowcaseParty today, and it is my first time visiting! Really like your blog and just followed your social media! Since you get lots of traffic from Pinterest, you may be interested in joining a linkup I co-host; it’s called The Pinterest Game where you share your pins for a chance to be randomly chosen to be featured; quick and easy! :) http://www.theartofwhynot.com/this-and-that/the-pinterest-game-7a/
    Wendy recently posted…Empty Nest 101: Lessons From the Freshman YearMy Profile

    • You’re too sweet, Wendy! Thanks for all the follows! I will definitely check out your link up!

      XO, Chelc

  9. Such a great list! I wish I read this five months ago when I started a blog. It’s definitely a learning curve! If I were to sit down and write down my thoughts on what I learned since I started it would look exactly like yours! So, I should probably not write it and just recommend your post to my friends. Cheers!
    Eva @ Kidminds recently posted…Airplane Books and ActivitiesMy Profile

    • You’re absolutely right, it is a learning curve. Trial and error is definitely part of the process. I’d love it if you’d recommend it! Cheers to you, friend!

      XO, Chelc

  10. I’m excited to see I already have tried many of these, because it makes me feel like I’m on the right track. I always love finding new resources, too! Right now I’m using Canva, and it’s a means to an end, but I don’t really love it. May have to try Pic Monkey out to see if it’s a better fit.
    Steph recently posted…7 Ways to Prepare for a Tremendous MassageMy Profile

    • It’s really about what type of product you’re trying to create. Like I said, Canva is more of a dupe for illustrator and PicMonkey is more like Photoshop. But I love PicMonkey so definitely try it out!

      XO, Chelc

  12. Abby’s the reason I started my blog! She is awesome. I lucked out so bad! Entered the giveaway for BuildingFrame and won!!!! I never win anything! Thanks so much for the tips. You gave me a few sites I’ve never heard of, Canva and can’t wait to use the Headline Analyzer! Visiting from Hit Me With Your Best Shot!
    Kristine :)
    Kristine Hart recently posted…Journey To A Waste Free HomeMy Profile

  14. Great tips and info…I’m a beginner and I learn something new everyday. I absolutely LOVE it and the blogging community is great.

  16. Thanks for your post – it was very helpful for me. I’m definitely saving it on Pinterest. I just finished my first month using the Epic Blog planner and I love it so far. I haven’t used anything else (newbie blogger here) but it’s really helped me get organized. Thanks for sharing the Headliner – haven’t heard of that yet and I’ll have to check it out!
    Chelsea @ The Johnsons Plus Dog recently posted…How to Start Your Wedding Guest ListMy Profile

    • I’m so glad, Chelsea! I’m definitely excited to start using the blog planner. Everything Regina does is awesome so I’m sure this will be no exception!

      XO, Chelc

    • I LOVE finding out new things about blogging! It’s amazing that there’s so much knowledge out there!

      XO, Chelc

  21. Congrats on your first year of blogging! All of these are great tips! The two that stick out the most are to be yourself, and the blogging community is amazing! Great post!
    Enjoy your weekend!
    Christine recently posted…Weekend NotesMy Profile

  25. I love this post! I love your statement about “nobody can be youer than you.” What a great statement. I have never heard it put that way before.

    You are just a little be ahead of me with the yearly thing. And, it is encourage to see someone keep going and love what they do. I often wonder if someones reads my stuff, or not. Validation comes when they comment on your post. Those are your true readers.

    Keep of the good work. Talk to you later.
    Rob McDonald recently posted…4 Of My Social Media NetworksMy Profile

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