Whether you are an expert on frugal living or you have an affinity for coming up with healthy recipes, you may be looking to share your expertise with the masses. Since most people are online nowadays, launching and maintaining a lifestyle blog is an efficient avenue for promoting your insight to a vast audience. Starting a lifestyle blog is also a creative way to hone your craft and meet others who share your hobby. If you’re ready to start your own lifestyle blog, here are the main fundamentals to keep in mind.
Be Flexible and Open to Change
Through my journey with my lifestyle & beauty blog, Beauty Brite, I have found that it is so pertinent to not be rigid and stuck in your ways. The blogging industry is always evolving, so you must be ready to adapt to any changes that come up. These changes can be new blogging technologies, layout trends, and more. In addition, rather than having a firm schedule of posts you want to create, be open to switching up your content in light of newsworthy events, industry innovations, etc. Keep an open mind and make sure to ask, listen, and pay attention to what other bloggers are doing!
Find Your Tribe
One of the most rewarding aspects of blogging is building a network of other like-minded bloggers that share your interests. Find and connect with bloggers who have similar views and hobbies as you do. I, myself, have a small tribe of friends that I not only confide in, but also I ask them for advice and suggestions. These other bloggers I’ve met are happy to share their tried-and-true tips on blogging and much more.
Create a Blog About One of Your Hobbies
Many people start a new blog with the hopes of immediately earning a profit. Their only focus is making money right off the bat, which is not the right mindset to have when getting into blogging. This is because if you don’t make money right away, you can get discouraged from continuing to consistently post. Rather than do this, I suggest writing about topics that you really love writing about. Do you love fashion or fitness? Use blogging as a way to share your knowledge on a certain subject and help others. Also be honest about your experiences, as honestly translates into higher credibility.
In addition to Beauty Brite, I also maintain another blog all about houseplants, called Houseplant Addicts. I started this blog after managing a handful of successful Houseplant Addicts Facebook Groups and realizing I wanted a blog to go along with them. I love maintaining this blog, as it allows me to share my love of houseplants, growing techniques, and other industry insights with all of our members. Our Facebook group members have found this blog to be very resourceful.
Know Your Audience
A number of new bloggers don’t designate whom they are trying to reach when they start their websites. I didn’t fully define who my readers were when I first started, so I wrote as if I had a huge audience. I then realized I was writing to the regular consumer, just like me, and I also wrote to the moms who were looking for solutions to everyday problems and wanted more information on products. That said, write as if you are talking to others in your immediate circle who share similar experiences and lifestyles as you. You will then know how to better gear the tone of your posts.
Research, Research, Research
Spend time studying and finding out what other high-profile bloggers are doing. When I first began my blog, Beauty Brite, my original intention was to share homemade beauty recipes and products I purchased on my own. After spending time looking up other similar lifestyle blogs, I discovered that other bloggers were reviewing products! This really piqued my interest and from there, I started pitching companies and PR firms with the hopes of working with them. It proved successful, and I now have a network of PR folk and company reps that I regularly connect with to cover their latest offerings.
Go the Self-Hosted Route
Sure, hosting your blog on a free blogging platform can be cost-effective, but it is not sustainable in the long run. This is because your blog that you worked so hard on maintaining and growing can be deleted without notice. On the other hand, when you are self-hosting, you have full control over your blog and you own your own content. Thus, you don’t have to worry about losing the posts you spent countless hours writing.
Try self-hosting with WordPress, as it is easy to learn and offers so many ways to customize your blog. You can select from many exciting layouts, and it is very self-explanatory to add new pages and content. Loved by many bloggers, WordPress also offers a fantastic selection of widgets to help you further customize your website and make it even more engaging. You can add interactive content like social media feeds!
Promote Your Blog
Now that you have grown an aesthetically pleasing and informative blog, promote it as much as possible! Share all of your blog posts on your social media channels and create social media profiles for your blog. Look up and connect with other bloggers who share your passion and outlook and introduce yourself on their social media channels or in comments on their posts. Make sure to also submit all of your blog posts to content discovery platforms like Mix.com, which will get new people to discover your blog.
To Wrap It All Up
Starting a lifestyle blog is such a fulfilling endeavor for those who want to share their unique perspective on a certain topic. Those wanting to start a blog should write as a passion, not just to make money, and they should also be open to any changes that come their way. Aspiring bloggers should also find a tribe of other supportive bloggers who can share inspiration and helpful tips. Make sure to know your audience, research what other bloggers are doing, go self-hosted, and promote your blog as much as possible. All of these tips will help ensure success on your blogging journey.
