When I started bree west a little less than a year ago it was a total spur of the moment decision. I was bored at work one day and frustrated because I had no creative outlet, I was talking to a friend and she suggested I start a blog, lord knows I have plenty to say, so I figured I’d give it a shot! I have always loved to write and I figured that this would be a perfect escape from my day job. Luckily it has been that and more! I’ve connected with some amazing bloggers from all over the city and the country and started to build an amazing community! bree west has become a second full time job and I love every minute I put into it.
With that said, it doesn’t come without it’s frustrations, this past week I’ve had a hard time writing, I’ve been traveling and frankly just exhausted. It makes it hard to sit down for a few hours at a time to write and build the blog! This morning The DC Ladies gave an amazing prompt for their #TDCLBlogtober14 series, 5 Blogging Tips for New Bloggers. Working on my five tips helped me get out of the rut that I was kind of stuck in!
Here are the 5 blogging tips I wish I had known when I first started, I’m
1. wordpress.org is the actual best thing ever. I started with wordpress.com which was great, but once I started getting really serious I realized it just wasn’t going to cut it for me. I switched to wordpress.org but wish I had started here in the first place. It’s been kind of annoying to deal with learning a new system and figuring out how to transfer my hosting info and all that. So worth it in the long run though!
2. Always have a cache of 5 posts or so that you can schedule on days you don’t have time to write and develop 10 solid posts before you even go live with your blog! I wish I had developed about 10 really quality posts before I went live with bree west. That way I would have time to develop new content without worrying about writing those first two weeks. Instead I felt like I was constantly falling behind. It’s part of the reason I took a bit of a hiatus in the winter, I was feeling overwhelmed
3. Pick a posting schedule and develop an editorial calendar and stick to it! Something I’m definitely still struggling with but I wish I had started a long time ago. Consistency is key, if you aren’t posting consistently then it will be harder to build a community. Pick a schedule that works for you and remember we aren’t perfect so if you miss a day here and there it isn’t the end of the world. Also develop a loose editorial calendar with topics you’re going to write about each day, it will help for those day’s you’ve got crazy writers block!
4. Be authentic in your writing. The best complement I have received since I started this was that I have a really authentic voice in my writing . I don’t think it was like that when I first started but I’ve worked really hard to make my writing sound like I’m talking to you face to face.
5. Love your blog and what you’re writing about. The minute you stop loving your little corner of the internet you need to step away and reevaluate! If you’re blogging for money or fame it’s not going to work, you need to really love what you’re writing about so that on those nights when you’re too exhausted to sit up straight, let alone write, you have the motivation to share with your community a quality post that you’re proud of!
What are some blogging tips you wish you had known before you started?
