You will not believe how many times I have sat down to write this
piece and failed. I have several drafts of blogging 101 but they were mostly
researched points with a bit of me thrown in.
Today I will be sharing Tiwi's Tips on why
a) I think we should all be fashion bloggers ( a bit of
exaggeration for you)
b) what it takes to be a fashion blogger
Now seriously if you have a great sense of style or something’s to
say about fashion. Why haven't you started a blog? Blogging in the last 5 or so
years has become a big thing. There are millions of people out there who want
to be seen / share their passion for fashion. A blog is like your fashion CV.
If you are seriously interested in fashion in any capacity then it kind of
blows if you don't have a CV to really back up your passion.
1)
The first thing you need to start a blog
is ... Confidence. Pretty obvious ( you are probably thinking) However when I
say confidence I mean you have to be confident that whatever you are going to
share will find a reader or someone who will like it. You have to be confident
in your abilities to start. You need to have
confidence in your knowledge and originality because there will be a lot
of things out there that make you question yourself. When you start your blog
you will notice that there are many blogs out there. Some you will admire some
will baffle you as to why they exist but as with anything in life there will be
people who are better than you and you will need to keep believing in your
abilities and what you are about or you will fade into oblivion or becoming a copy of someone else.
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2)
Originality: You need to have an idea about what you want
to say. You want to try and communicate exactly who you are through the work
you put out there. Your originality is
your selling point. It will be that thing that makes you different and stand
out and believe me people know when you are being original or just copying
someone else out there.
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3) Time: This is something I used to skimp on and I will tell you now. In order to be a person that blogs about interesting , engaging content you will need to dedicate some of your precious time and energy into your blog. Having a blog takes a lot out of you. You have to be committed to it if you want to grow ( in audience and knowledge). Readers can tell when you have taken time to work on a post. You pour more of yourself into something you invest your time in.
4)
If you are blogging about fashion ,
especially your personal style then yes you will need money to invest in your
wardrobe. I am just saying. You will need a variety of clothing to come up with
interesting outfits. This doesn't mean you will have to spend thousands. You
might just have to shop around. Only buy things that are truly your style. There is no point buying what everyone else is buying and styling it exactly like them. You can wait for sales , shop online. There are so many options out there but yes you will need money to buy stuff unless you already have an extensive wardrobe then hey you're all sorted.
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5) You have to have a developing vision for
your blog. This point goes hand in hand with the point on originality. Ask yourself this question. What do I want my
blog to say? What is my message or my angle? However you must be opening to
growing and trying new things. For instance when I started blogging I just
wanted to share my personal style. It has since evolved to include a lot about
vintage, my hair and my love for lipstick. My vision about what I want to say
is constantly evolving but it always includes my original idea which is my
personal style and sharing my ideas about fashion.
6)
Research: I can’t stress how much you need
to research. Depending on what aspect of fashion you want to discuss on your
blog you need to know your stuff and keep up to date with what is
happening. You can do this by reading
other fashion blogs, Tumblr, twitter and fashion magazines are your friend.
Also reading fashion books will help you build your knowledge. The more you put
into learning about fashion the more inspired you will be and the more your originality will grow. Research is also important when it comes to learning the technical side of blogging for instance making a header, editing pictures, editing your theme in html and so much more. YouTube and Google are your
friend when it comes to learning these things. No one will come and give you the information ( unless you are lucky and you know very nice people who don't mind doing it for you).
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7)
You will need to make an investment at
some point in buying your blog name and making it an actual website and also changing
the theme of your blog. When you use @blogpost.com or @wordpress.com all your
work belongs to WordPress or blogger. They can decide to remove your blog at
any given time. They basically own the rights to your content and your blog. So
it is well worth investing in a domain name. Yes I know what you’re thinking.
Hey Tiwi you haven’t done that yourself. Well I have bought my own domain
name I just haven’t got round to
changing my BlogSpot to a .co.uk. Another thing to consider is that someone
else may buy the right to use the name you want to use … Eventually you will have to up your theme game. Add social media buttons, make it look pleasing to the eye. It's hard I won't lie but it all it takes is patience and a willingness to learn.
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8)
Camera. You will need a decent camera to
take good quality pictures. This doesn't necessarily mean you need to buy a
DSLR but you will need a camera that takes decent pictures. Your pictures will
be what people see and if they aren't good quality people will lose interest.
You have to look at your blog and ask yourself if this wasn't mine would I be
interested in it. Your pictures are the first thing that people see when they go in your blog. The pictures capture them and then they read what you have to say. I would
say that if you want to take your craft seriously and move onto the next level
you might have to consider investing in a DSLR. I’m just saying.
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9)
Social Media.Yes chile you will have
to familiarize yourself with all social media platforms. That is how you will
get your blog out there. It is where you will mold your image and your voice. Get on
that twitter, Instagram, make a Facebook page, get on Tumblr and Pinterest.
These platforms will also help you meet other like minded people and will help
you have regular interactions with your audience. Social media is your
marketing tool and your networking avenue. Stufy it , learn it and use it well.
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Well lovelies that is all auntie Tiwi has for you today. I hope
someone finds this useful. I know I enjoy writing these long posts filled with
loads of Tiwi tidbits. Let us all flourish and blog.
Love and Light
Tiwi x
