Coffee Date: The Real Life of Blogging

Welcome to Coffee Date! A new Yes, Plz series that will be like a lil’ coffee date with each and every one of you. For the first ever coffee date I’d thought we chit chat about a very requested topic.. blogging!  

I love getting post requests, in all honesty sometimes it’s hard to fill my editorial calendar! There are a lot of things I love sharing with y’all but there are also a lot of days in the month. Not complaining at all, I love blogging and that’s why I’m always so happy when y’all ask for tips/advice/guidance on starting your own blog! 

Seriously, this little corner of the internet, my Yes, Please family and every brand + individual I’ve ever met has been life changing. When I think about everything I’ve been lucky enough to do, everyone I’ve been fortunate enough to help, just everything that has come along with this site, I honestly cry. Tears, every time. 

but

It’s hard work. Blogging is very time consuming. When blogging isn’t your full time job (and it most likely won’t be for the first few years or ever), you spend most if not all of your free time behind the screen — camera screen, computer screen, iPhone screen. Not to say it’s not worth it, because it SO is but you have to have your whole heart in it and I do. There’s days I think about my blog and my heart literally aches for it to grow and reach more people and be better, I would trade everything in my house to keep blogging (if that was ever a circumstance ha!). So this brings me to my first tip.. 

It’s a commitment.  Prepare to spend late nights, early mornings and weekends shooting, writing, emailing, instagramming, etc. etc. etc. Also be prepared to not reap rewards right away. It was over a year before I saw my first paid sponsorship, so don’t go into this expecting to become an overnight millionaire. Start blogging because you really have something you want to share not just to receive free clothes and Instagram likes. 

Not only is it a commitment, but it’s harder than ever and getting harder. The industry is saturated with bloggers, buying followers and likes (never do this) and changing Instagram algorithms. So here’s my advice on how to stand out and make a presence..

Pick a Niche, Be Yourself, Stay True to What You Know. This is something I’m guilty of, I tried to be too broad and appeal to everyone. Now that I have narrowed down my niche, I feel like I can do what I’m meant to do here in the blog-sphere. Once you know what you’re blogging about and why you’re blogging, stay true to it. Don’t just copy what someone else is doing, be yourself and stay true to what you know. Be natural and you will attract a natural audience and never cheat the system with bought followers. 

It gets lonely sometimes, most likely no one else in your real world knows anything about your digital world. Sure they’ll be polite and listen to you talk about the ‘best time to post‘ or crazy pr emails but they don’t really know. Join a blog community, get to know some of the other cutie bloggers you follow on Instagram, make friends! The other bloggers aren’t your competition, work together and be strong in your community. 

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Don’t drive them nuts, this is a pet peeve of mine in all aspects of life but it drives me crazy when someone asks me an in-depth question that they’ve clearly spent no time researching. 

Google is your BFF. Lots of blog questions (and life questions) can be answered with a simple Google search. Don’t be lazy, ask Google before asking others. 

**EDIT: I realized, I didn’t want y’all to think I’m not here to help because I LOVE hearing from you guys or answering any questions, but sometimes it takes me a minute to answer emails/messages, so if it’s something simple you can most likely Google it quicker than I can help! 

One of the worst parts is writer’s block, don’t worry it happens to everyone. My favorite way to beat writer’s block is to head outdoors. I take a break and walk the dogs, I go for a run down by river or call a friend and hang out on the back porch. Getting my mind off what it should be on is the perfect way to get it back on track.

My favorite way to start the day is with a run, there’s no better way to get my creative juices flowing and ready to write a great post for y’all. 😉

When it all comes down to it, it’s your blog and you make the rules. The best way to learn is by trial and error. Looking back at old posts, old emails, etc. and seeing what I said/wore/took pictures at and I cringe but that’s all part of the journey. Hopefully, with your support, I’ll keep growing and keep getting better so I can serve you better. I can never in a million years thank you for reading along, it means more than you’ll ever know. I hope this helps some, there is no secret formula to blogging but supporting each other is a huge help! You can read previous blogging tips I’ve shared here.

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to follow along in the fun over on Instagram (@YesPleaseDaily).

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