Every year thousands of people decide to start a blog…thinking it’s easy to build or easy money for that matter.
Many of these bloggers are women – however the number of gentlemen starting to blog are growing. And we like that.
No lady is ever going to complain about seeing men with swag!
It’s important to look at the long game – a lot of work needs to go into starting your blog and you won’t get instant results! A start-up usually takes 24 to 36 months to launch properly. Establish your niche and get to market – you are essentially building a brand.
It’s important to look at the long game – a lot of work needs to go into starting your blog and you won’t get instant results! A start-up usually takes 24 to 36 months to launch properly. Establish your niche and get to market – you are essentially building a brand.
To start with you are a one-man band; you are your own boss as well your own assistant. There are moments where you experience frustration – I certainly did. Countless emails to brands I like in the hope of obtaining a collaboration, often without a reply. But perseverance is they key!
Starting a blog is no easy task. Here are some pointers:
S for Storytelling. Here are some big number for you: Instagram has 700 million monthly active users, 400 million daily users, and 250 million daily Insta Stories. How will you tell you story? Content will forever be king. Your text needs to be rich and poignant – nobody cares that you had a salmon bagel for lunch – unless, of course, you are a food blogger and you have a gorgeous picture of said bagel! Your writing needs to have purpose.
ou don’t have to write like Shakespeare but it is worth learning how to express yourself clearly with prose. It’s always worth signing up to creative writing class – there is no shortage of them online. This is a website I would recommend: Think Creative Collective
Visuals are universal and they come in many different formats. Don’t be afraid to explore them. Aside from photography, you can use videos, graphs, sketches etc. Storytelling is very effective when you can convey the narrative through both text and visuals. Here are some examples of influencers who have perfected the aesthetics of fashion and photography with creative writing: peonylim, sincerelyjules, oliviapalermo, songofstyle.
I for Influencer. The word blogger is SOOO 2000! Consumers have come to realise that not only do bloggers review items and products, but their opinions now influence people’s perception and create trends. However there is a difference between Influencers and ‘Instagrammers’; if you are simply posting beautiful images online without writing up a blog in conjunction, you can count yourself an Instagrammer. Of course, instagrammers can be hugely successful, such as Kim K and Kendall, with brands lining up to sponsor you. I am simply highlighting the difference in definition between the narrative driven influencers and the visual-only instagrammers.
M for Mentor. I know I couldn’t do without her. Someone by your side to criticise your work is essential. Don’t pick your best friend, they won’t be objective enough (at least from my experience!) Pick someone with expertise in your field. My mentor has a nickname – Yoda – and I trust her opinions entirely. When I started, I would waste time defendin
g my opinion if it was completely adverse to hers but in hindsight she was always justified. Nowadays, I totally trust her! My aunt Natasha is a journalist and fashion stylist in Paris. She is my Mentor, she is my Yoda. I’ve earned the nickname baby Yoda… and for those of you wondering – yes- I’m a Star Wars fan!
S for Sponsorship. Everyone wants to make big bucks… and pronto!! The reality is that with so many new influencers around, it’s difficult for brands to determine who’s going to give them the best value. I quote Yoda’s wise words: “you have to give in order to receive”. Explanation: You cannot seriously expect a brand to pay for a post when you are new to the blog scene. To begin, find some objects that you like and write about why you like them, using plenty of hashtags relating to the product. You may want to do this for a while to build up content and followers. You can then move on to gift exchange – write to the company and tell them why you love their product and that you would like to write about it. Often you can negotiate to keep the item as payment. If they like what you do and see value in your work, they may come back to you, in which case you can request a fee to do so.
F for Forward thinking. Be the smart cookie you are. Think forward, be ahead of your game. Have you ever heard a girl ask for a dress with a design from last session…. that’s a Categoric No. Same concept applies here. One word comes to mind: Innovate in order to stand out.
C for Consistency. Nothing beats quality and consistency of work. Think about it this way; you are an athlete and your goal is to obtain an Olympic Gold Medal. Two factors are of importance here: being number 1 and maintaining that top spot. So once you have that successful relationship with a brand or product – keep up that good work and persevere! According to Omni Core Agency some instagram influencers are charging up to $100,000 for a sponsored post. #Goals!