Reader and blogger COCOA & CHATS tells us all about her fab blog, what inspired her and how she came to write it!
C&C SAYS:
I've wanted to start my own blog for the longest time now. I've been inspired by influential vloggers such as Zoella, Tanya Burr, The Anna Edit etc for about three years now. Then recently I found out that all these amazing people started their journey from their own blogs! It's crazy to think how far the media has come from people writing about their favourite lipsticks to vlogging their everyday lives. As I am embarking on my GCSE journey I wanted to document all the things that I get up to during this time and that's when it hit me - why not start a blog?
So on a cloudy day during half term I wrote my first ever blog post! I've been blogging for about a month now and it's been a crazy journey already! I have made new digital friends and learnt so many new skills and tricks! I wanted to share my own tips that really helped me out when starting my very first blog!
1) Choose your blogging software - choosing the software you actually write your blog posts on is super important. I chose blogger because it is free and after doing a bit of research I found out it was also the best for newbies because it is the easiest to use but there are others out there too. It is just about finding what works for you!
2) Choose a name that represents you - I personally think that choosing your blog name is the hardest part of it all because this is what people will remember your blog as and it also forms the main name in your blog URL. To choose mine I just thought about what my blog represented. I love chocolate, hence the name cocoa... and I wanted my blog to be a place where people can come to chat with me and other people in order to make new friends - hence the name chats. Bam - put it together and you are left with Cocoa&chats!
3) Choose the vibe - It is important to think about what you will write about on your blog as this can really help in choosing colours, fonts and backgrounds. For example if you are food crazy there is a background choice on blogger of different foods! You need to make sure your blog is clear and easy to read. It needs to engage your reader so make it colourful and interesting!
4) Steady your blog posts. Be consistent - it is easy to get carried away when you first start your blog. I remember wanting to write five posts on the first day! But having a schedule can really be good as it means you don't get too addicted to your blog but it also means that your readers know when they can expect a new post - for example you might state that you publish a post every Wednesday and Saturday. I have found that spacing out your blog posts really helps your creative mind as it means you are giving yourself a bit of space to think of new ideas.
5) Publicise your blog as much as possible - I think everyone thinks their blog will hit it off like Zoella within an hour of your first post, but in reality this won't happen! I remember sitting there hitting the refresh button over and over hoping someone would miraculously find my blog but of course they didn't! I find going on to the comments section of blogs that you love and leaving a link to your blog can really help to start it off. I love connecting with other bloggers who have a small audience and that way we can support each other. Being patient is key!
6) Make accounts on other social media platforms - again this is a great way of helping more people to find your blog. I have a Pinterest and Bloglovin account which is linked on my blog that way my readers can easily find me on other platforms. It is important that you link these platforms on your blog. You could also make an Instagram, Twitter or Youtube account!
7) Be unique - people will read your blog because they find it interesting. There is no point in copying someone else's style or posts because people won't engage with that. Be yourself and write about what you want because no matter what your interests are there will be someone out there in the world who loves that too!
8) REMEMBER - blogging is not about gaining a massive audience. I blog because I love to connect with people. If you are doing it for the follows you will soon find yourself falling out of love with your blog. I love it when even one person comments because it means that I can reply back to them and that starts a friendship!
Just be happy and do what makes you feel comfortable because if you are positive then this will show through your writing! I hope these have been helpful tips for anyone out there who wants to join the world of blogging. And if you are thinking of doing so - you should! It's amazing!
thank you for reading! Oh and one last thing- please check out my blog at http://cocoachats.blogspot.com/
You can find a link to my Pinterest and Bloglovin account on there too!
Be sure to click the blue FOLLOW button on the right of my blog to get notified every time I publish a post!
CATHY SAYS:
I love these tips for budding bloggers! Cocoa&chats may be new, but it's also awesome... do check it out and give it a follow! Have YOU ever thought of starting your own blog? COMMENT BELOW to tell us more!
I've wanted to start my own blog for the longest time now. I've been inspired by influential vloggers such as Zoella, Tanya Burr, The Anna Edit etc for about three years now. Then recently I found out that all these amazing people started their journey from their own blogs! It's crazy to think how far the media has come from people writing about their favourite lipsticks to vlogging their everyday lives. As I am embarking on my GCSE journey I wanted to document all the things that I get up to during this time and that's when it hit me - why not start a blog?
So on a cloudy day during half term I wrote my first ever blog post! I've been blogging for about a month now and it's been a crazy journey already! I have made new digital friends and learnt so many new skills and tricks! I wanted to share my own tips that really helped me out when starting my very first blog!
1) Choose your blogging software - choosing the software you actually write your blog posts on is super important. I chose blogger because it is free and after doing a bit of research I found out it was also the best for newbies because it is the easiest to use but there are others out there too. It is just about finding what works for you!
2) Choose a name that represents you - I personally think that choosing your blog name is the hardest part of it all because this is what people will remember your blog as and it also forms the main name in your blog URL. To choose mine I just thought about what my blog represented. I love chocolate, hence the name cocoa... and I wanted my blog to be a place where people can come to chat with me and other people in order to make new friends - hence the name chats. Bam - put it together and you are left with Cocoa&chats!
3) Choose the vibe - It is important to think about what you will write about on your blog as this can really help in choosing colours, fonts and backgrounds. For example if you are food crazy there is a background choice on blogger of different foods! You need to make sure your blog is clear and easy to read. It needs to engage your reader so make it colourful and interesting!
4) Steady your blog posts. Be consistent - it is easy to get carried away when you first start your blog. I remember wanting to write five posts on the first day! But having a schedule can really be good as it means you don't get too addicted to your blog but it also means that your readers know when they can expect a new post - for example you might state that you publish a post every Wednesday and Saturday. I have found that spacing out your blog posts really helps your creative mind as it means you are giving yourself a bit of space to think of new ideas.
5) Publicise your blog as much as possible - I think everyone thinks their blog will hit it off like Zoella within an hour of your first post, but in reality this won't happen! I remember sitting there hitting the refresh button over and over hoping someone would miraculously find my blog but of course they didn't! I find going on to the comments section of blogs that you love and leaving a link to your blog can really help to start it off. I love connecting with other bloggers who have a small audience and that way we can support each other. Being patient is key!
7) Be unique - people will read your blog because they find it interesting. There is no point in copying someone else's style or posts because people won't engage with that. Be yourself and write about what you want because no matter what your interests are there will be someone out there in the world who loves that too!
8) REMEMBER - blogging is not about gaining a massive audience. I blog because I love to connect with people. If you are doing it for the follows you will soon find yourself falling out of love with your blog. I love it when even one person comments because it means that I can reply back to them and that starts a friendship!
Just be happy and do what makes you feel comfortable because if you are positive then this will show through your writing! I hope these have been helpful tips for anyone out there who wants to join the world of blogging. And if you are thinking of doing so - you should! It's amazing!
thank you for reading! Oh and one last thing- please check out my blog at http://cocoachats.blogspot.com/
You can find a link to my Pinterest and Bloglovin account on there too!
Be sure to click the blue FOLLOW button on the right of my blog to get notified every time I publish a post!
CATHY SAYS:
I love these tips for budding bloggers! Cocoa&chats may be new, but it's also awesome... do check it out and give it a follow! Have YOU ever thought of starting your own blog? COMMENT BELOW to tell us more!
thanks so much cathy for this post!
ReplyDeleteyour support means a lot!
xxx
https://cocoachats.blogspot.com/
Great post!
ReplyDelete