Alrighty! Now that we’ve got the best part of HLS covered, we can move on to the nitty gritty, blogging-related details of the actual conference itself. While I can’t deny that my main motivation for attending was definitely getting a chance to meet some of my favourite bloggers, I was also really looking forward to picking up some new blogging tips, and that’s what the majority of Saturday was all about…
We had a pretty packed schedule, and I ended the day with those four highlighted sessions under my belt. Each one was full of some pretty good info, which I dutifully took down so I could share with you guys…
You can thank me in cookies. Or cereal. Or coffee. Or almond butter 😉
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Blogs in Transition: Embracing Your Blog
Tips on how to find your blogging voice and develop a consistent blogging schedule.
How to Find Your Blogger Voice
- Write a mission statement. This is your voice and personality – your “brand.” It’s basically who you’re going to be and the image you’re going to give across. Be consistent and stay true to it.
- Be authentic. Don’t try to be who people expect you to be. Don’t try to be perfect.
- Write the way you speak. Treat blogging like you’re having a conversation with a friend.
- Coin your own phrases, terms, and slogans (eg. WIAW, MIMM, Thinking Out Loud). Over time, people begin to associate these phrases with you, making you easier to identify.
- Make your design an accurate reflection of you. Use colours, images, themes, etc. that you enjoy.
How to Develop A Consistent Blogging Schedule
- Be realistic about what you can achieve. You don’t HAVE to blog every single day. It’s better to have fewer, better quality posts than put out lackluster content just for the sake of posting.
- Spend some time each month brainstorming. Depending on what time of the year it is, you can pick a theme to focus on and base a lot of your posts around that.
- Create an editorial calendar. Pencil in what topics you’re going to post about ahead of time so that you’re not left scrambling to come up with content. Keep it flexible.
- Plan ahead! If you have a busy week/month coming up, devote some time over the weekend to come up with a posting schedule. Reach out for guest posts if you need to.
Focus on Your Design
- Create a header in PicMonkey. A nice header makes your blog look more appealing and professional. It’s free and easy to do [Tutorial].
- Have social media buttons. Make sure it’s easy for people to follow you with buttons for Facebook, Twitter, RSS, and Instagram in your sidebar.
- Add/update pages. Research your top posts — see what people are most interested in.
- Update your sidebar. This can be done with recent tweets, posts, recipes, etc. Keep things current.
- Add badges to your sidebar. This helps people see what you’re up to (eg. Sweat Pink, Fitfluential, upcoming races, etc.).
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From Blog to Job: Using Your Blog to Elevate Your Career
Just because blogging isn’t your job doesn’t mean it can’t help you find one.
- A blog is a great way to get your foot in the door and put your name out there.
- Use your blog as a portfolio — make it good quality because you never know who’s going to stumble upon it.
- Use your blog to explore what you’re passionate about.
- Include your blog on your resume. It shows your personality and what you’re passionate about.
- Great news for smaller blogs! Companies are interested in how fast you’re growing, not necessarily how big of a following you already have.
- Quality counts! Many brands prefer someone who is a better, more passionate writer than people who have a huge following.
- Don’t be afraid to submit your writing/recipes to companies and magazines. You have nothing to lose and might get lucky!
- Find mentors. Talk to other bloggers and ask for advice. Don’t be afraid to reach out to bigger bloggers with your questions.
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The Organized Blogger
Tips, tricks, and tools for staying organized in blogging.
Organization and Content Creation
- Have a plan. Create an editorial calendar (monthly/weekly)
- Plan out what your posts are going to concentrate on (theme) – this gives you focus makes it easier to come up with content.
- Be flexible. Stay within your theme 50-80% of the time and keep things fresh.
- Tools for content creating:
- Blogger friendships. Bounce ideas off one another.
- Windows Live Writer (PC) and Mars Edit (Mac).
Tips on Blogging More Productively
- Use your time wisely! Set aside a certain amount of time to complete a task and devote that entire time slot to working on it. A great tool for tracking your time is Online-Stopwatch.com.
- Limit multitasking. Keep your work focused.
- Track your time online. Limit online distractions by monitoring what sites you spend the most time on. A site like Rescue Time can do this for you.
- Create short-term and long-term goals. Reward yourself when you achieve them.
- Listen to the right music. Focus@will is a site that will play good ambient music for you.
Community Involvement
- Be an active part of the blogging community. Never underestimate the power of collaboration and connection.
- Become a person known for sharing valuable content via Twitter, Feedly, Buffer, Facebook, etc.
- Use the time you have available to you. Be invested on the go — Tweet while walking. Hop on Instagram while waiting in line. Make the most of the time you have.
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Blogger and The Brand
How to build quality relationships with brands.
What Every Brand Wishes Bloggers Knew:
- Brands prefer working with bloggers who have already tried their products/services.
- Be concise. Tell a brand what you would like from the outset.
- Reach out with your own ideas. Don’t just wait for them to pitch an idea to you.
- Brag a bit. Include your stats and any other successes with blogging – be tenacious! Don’t give up!!
- Budgets are limited so be open to other ways brands can add value to you besides payment.
Ground Rules for Both Sides:
- Determine if your values align before making any outreach (ie. Don’t reach out to a vegan product if you are not a vegan).
- Be each others’ fans. Follow each other on Twitter, like each other on Facebook, comment on posts, and participate in conversations.
- Make it easy to say ‘yes’. Both sides should be detailed and clear in the initial pitch phase and keep it uncomplicated for everyone.
- Keep communication open and honest. Be clear from the state about both parties’ goals for the project to make sure everyone feels like they benefit from the relationship.
Tips for Bloggers Working With Brands:
- Just say no. Not every brand is the right fit for your blog and it’s okay to say “no” in order to say “yes” to the right opportunities.
- Be proactive and reach out to the brands you admire and really want to work with.
- Disclose! Understand FTC guidelines to protect yourself and your blog.
- Go above and beyond with a little extra – a post, tweet, etc.
- Don’t try to do it all. Keep your deliverables simple and stick to what you are good at.
- Show your value. When approaching brands, be sure to explain in detail how the partnership is beneficial to both parties. Bloggers add:
- Targeted Awareness
- Credibility
- Compelling Content
- SEO
- Candid and Helpful Feedback
- Be honest! Even if it’s a bad review, you build credibility by being honest with your readers.
- If you don’t like a product, tell the brand beforehand and they might find a better fit for you.
- Ask for something different to review. Brands like to receive positive feedback.
- Remember YOUR worth. Reviews take time and effort. Don’t spend time on things that are not worth it to you.
Tips on Approaching Brands:
- Just ask! You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
- Be picky! Approach companies you admire and want to work with.
- It’s okay if they say no. Sometimes it takes persistence to make a connection.
- Don’t put out too many requests at one time. There’s nothing worse than a string of posts that are nothing but product reviews.
- Media kits are not always required from the outset. Only give numbers if a company asks.
- Say thank you! Being polite and professional encourages a lasting relationship.
. – . – . – .
Yowza. So that post was a monster, but like I said… there was a lot of good into to share. There are just so many little tips and tricks to blogging, that you could probably study it forever and constantly have something new to learn. Daunting, but exciting at the same time.
Happy Tuesday, friendly faces! 😀
Bloggers: What’s one area of blogging that you need to work on? Consistency? Productivity? Organization? Outreach? Design? Productivity is definitely my downfall… I need to start using my time more wisely and stop trying to multitask so much.
Do you consider multitasking to be beneficial or detrimental to productivity?
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Thanks for this great post, I really enjoyed reading.
I personally need to work on everything as a blogger, because it is not easy. I did love your blog it was really good.
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Thank you SO much for posting all of this! I was really really curious as to what they had to day about outreach and productivity…the two things I think I need to focus on most! I used to think I was an excellent multitasker but the simple truth is, that is NOT the saw when it comes to the Internet! I am SO easily distracted! Heck, sometimes it takes me an hour to read your link love posts because I keep clicking through to other links! Focus Heather…FOCUS!!!
Wow! This is so much good advice, all concisely packed together! I do need to come up with a real mission statement for my blog!
Thanks for sharing such a thorough review for those of us who couldn’t make it!
For me, its definitely getting the blogging going and started. Starting this journey probably wasn’t the best idea at the start of a 20-credit semester but I’m hoping to regain some normalcy after my last day at my second job and find time to blog more! Being at HLS definitely inspired me!
This was so helpful!! Thank you for sharing this with us 🙂
Thanks for sharing all this info. I really appreciate it. It’s a lot to take in, but it’s really helpful. I probably need to work more on scheduling the topics of my posts. So often, I write spur of the moment and planning ahead would be a huge relief.
As fas as multi-tasking goes, it can be great at times and a complete hindrance at other times. If I want to talk on the phone and fold laundry, then it’s fabulous. If I need to write a blog post, and then I find myself checking Instagram, email, whatever is cooking on the stove, the cats, oh look a squirrel…then not so good.
That happens to me when I’m trying to write a post all.the.time. I’ll be writing, reading, commenting, Tweeting, browsing the web. Gah! Horrible…
Ya wanna hear some irony? I’m going to tell you anyway. I’m pushy like that. It’s part of my package, er I meant charm. 🙂
The internet was down at my house this a.m. which is when I do the majority of my blog writing (much like you). After putzing and grumbling for a bit, I ended up just opening up notepad and writing with no distractions. It’s probably the best writing I’ve done in awhile too. Too bad it’s a guest post for someone else’s blog. Ha.
Wowza is right you gave a lot of good info there on a lot of things I’m still trying to work through as a new(ish) blogger! Thank you so much for sharing all of this info 🙂
Thanks so much for all these tips they are fab and much needed for new bloggers like me – thanks for sharing the knowledge learnt 🙂
I shall definitely be working on many of these over the next few months as my blog hopefully continues to grow!
x
Thanks so much for sharing from someone who couldn’t attend! This is fantastic tips – particularly about working with brands!
Holy information! You must have been mentally drained by the end of that day.
I’m AWFUL with consistency. I feel like if I don’t have pictures to share, then I don’t have a post to type. So I guess consistency with posting AND picture taking!
God I love you. I am thrilled you went so I can have these notes. Man, I bet all of your friends in college and high school would always ask to borrow your notes! LOL! I bookmarked this page – will be reviewing it again TOMORROW! 😀
😆 They did, actually… but they repaid me with Starbucks, so I made out like a bandit 😉
Thanks for sharing all of that great info! Hmm… I probably need to work on ALL of those categories! I really need to work on using my time more wisely too.
I cannot say thank you enough for this post! (Side note – I feel like the sessions at HLS were *so* much more meaningful and informative this year compared to last. I learned quite a bit last year, but I felt that many of the sessions didn’t really apply to general masses. end tangent)
My biggest problem is consistency (and commitment…). I always say I’m going to blog regularly, do one post, then fall of the face of the internet earth for weeks. Oops. I’m not in any kind of regular routine in life right now, but I really want to commit to blogging regularly.
So I was totally going to do a post on this, but now I realize I don’t need to. I’m just going to post a link to this post haha! Seriously though, awesome recap of the sessions. I found most of them really helpful! And they made me realize a have a lot of things I need to work on as a blogger: planning, photography, organization, social media etc. Eek!
There always seems to be a never-ending amount of things to work on! No matter how many new things I think I’ve finally grasped, something else always turns up. But my outreach and approach to social media could definitely use some more work.
Wow this is such an informative post, I am so glad you shared it! I haven’t been able to devote as much time or energy into my blog over the past year and a half but these are all really great tips for when I do get the time back!
Love this, such great blogging tips.
Good post! Thanks!
So true about it doesn’t hurt to ask a company if you can review a product. I’ve been doing this here and there the past few months and I’ve only had one or two turn downs! Companies are usually excited about bloggers reviewing their product. Its awesome!
You are amazing for writing this all up- THANK YOU! This is so informative, and as a relative new blogger, I can definitely take all of it on board! I’m still trying to work on all facets of blogging, and regarding multitasking- I find it happens naturally- I do one thing for the blog, remember another thing, have to tweet something (damn the person who got me onto it ;))-it can be overwhelming, but its a learning process- and a positive one!
Love all the tips! Thank you for sharing!
i need to focus more on organization! these are great tips. Thanks for sharing all what you learned. It definitely helps!
Fun! Are you going to make blogging your profession?
Nope! Part of my career, definitely, but I don’t plan on making it my sole focus… Not in the foreseeable future anyways.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I needed so many of these tips. I just wish I could have been there learning alongside you girls!
Great post! Thanks for the extensive notes!
I need to work on consistency, for sure. And definitely organization. I write/edit for work, do freelance editing/proofing, and want to work more on my novel, in addition to blogging. I need to make a plan!
The older I get, the more I realize multitasking is not all that it’s cracked up to be. I think focus is essential! Now I just need to figure out how to get more of it! 😉
Right?! I used to think that multitasking was the best way to be productive, but the more I do it, the more I realize that it’s more disruptive to productivity than anything else. I need to figure out some sort of schedule and focus on doing ONE thing in a designated time slot… as I sit here trying to write a post, edit pictures, and reply to comments 😆 Oh fails…
Haha, old habits are hard to break! But at least we’re aware of it. 😀
I’m recovering from surgery right now and I’m amazed at how hard it is even to concentrate to work on my freelance project. I can barely read… watching TV seems to be the most I have attention for. All that energy is being spent on healing!
Oh dang! I hope you heal up quickly! <3
But I know what you mean about struggling with the most basic things when your body doesn't have the energy... that's me when I'm either tired or hungry 😕
Wowza, great post! These are excellent tips! I would LOVE to one day hit up a blogging conference..looks like you learned A TON! Two things: I need to be better about my blogging calendar and 2) My blog is actually how I got my current job..it pays to put yourself out there and teach yourself a few things!
Thanks for all these tips! I’m terrible at planning ahead. Most of my posts are thought up the night before or the day of. I would save myself so much time if I had some game plan of what I wanted to write about ahead of time!
You obviously took in the tips from the organized blogger session much more quickly than I did seeing as this post is much more eloquent and organized than mine, with my session notes crammed in it between cocktails and cupcakes. 😉 So basically I agree with everything Sam said, I will send people your way that don’t want to get a migraine reading my rambles…
😆 This post was long enough as it is… I couldn’t even imagine cramming more in, which is why I cut all the other stuff out…