Tips and Tricks for Starting a Blog: How I Hustled for HonestlyKate

Tips and Tricks for Starting a Blog: How I Hustled for HonestlyKate

Recently, I’ve been receiving many questions about how I started my blog, so I thought I’d share with you a few pieces of advice in case you’re curious about starting your own. But before I begin, I want to relay that it’s imperative to be extremely committed and passionate about what you want your blog to stand for. You will experience defeat, that’s a no brainer. But you will also experience growth, and if you stick to it and follow your gut, you may even build your own business out of blogging like I did.

FIND YOUR NICHE

1. For starters, it’s important that you find your niche. I truly believe no industry is too saturated. Everyone is their own unique person who can bring something new to the table, but it’s important to be able to identify what your angle is. I love the saying, “don’t be everything for everyone, just be something for someone,” and in my opinion — make that someone yourself. Find out what brings you meaning, and learn how to share that with your audience. It takes a lot of tweaking and a lot of time, but you can do it.

   NETWORK AND LISTEN

2. My second piece of advice is to get feedback from people you trust. Go to as many events and on as many coffee dates as possible so you can pick peoples brains and hear what they have to say. There will always be people who will come before you, and there will always be people who will come after you. It’s important to listen to the lessons the people who have been there before have learned so you can help those that follow. I think people get really ashamed to ask questions and think they can do everything on their own, but that’s just not possible. Build your sphere of trusted influences and help each other grow!

BE PERSISTENT

3. Another key element to growing a blog is to keep consistent when it comes to reaching out to brands that you’re interested in collaborating with. Brands will say no, and sometimes they won’t even respond, but keep reaching out. And don’t think you’re being annoying. Persistence is not annoying, persistence means you are passionate. Just because somebody says no today doesn’t mean they won’t change their minds a few months down the line. Don’t let “no” defeat you, keep fighting.

CREATE CONTENT

4. Fourth, content strategy is key. Identify key content pillars you are interested in posting about and stick with them. Just make sure they move you. Content is so important because it allows us to express who we are and what we believe in. Your content strategy can evolve and change — that’s part of being relevant and having a good business model, just make sure you really believe in what you’re posting about. Having in-depth written content that goes beyond what others write and is authentic to your voice is what will set you apart. Also, always be consistent and plan ahead. Commit to a regular publishing schedule — eventually, it will become second nature and just part of your daily routine.

LEAVE YOUR EGO AT THE DOOR

5. My fifth piece of advice is to never be afraid to ask your friends or other businesses to promote you. Think of it this way: you’re running a business, and leveraging your network is a vital part of growing that business. I actually used to leave my business cards in restaurant checks in hopes the restaurant or the server would follow my blog. There’s no shame in the hustle!

STAY TRUE TO YOU

6. Lastly, be sure to document as much as possible while still setting boundaries. It’s easy to get caught up in “needing” to post the perfect picture, but a lot of the time it’s more important for your audience to get a sense of who you really are and what your personality is like. So don’t be afraid to share behind the scenes outtakes of your photoshoots, or moments when you’re being silly at home. Just make sure you set boundaries and take breaks from social media whenever you need to, because being healthy in the way you grow your business is key for its sustainability.

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