5 Mistakes New Bloggers Make
If you read one thing today I hope you take 10 minutes to read this post about 10 mistakes new bloggers make! Leah and I started blogging back in 2018 with a lot of love for fashion and little to no knowledge about Instagram, creating a website, or photography! In just over a year we’ve been able to grow our Instagram to over 25,000 followers, work with some of our dream brands, and reach over 100k page views on our Pinterest. But it hasn’t always been (and still isn’t) a walk in the park. We’ve made a lot of mistakes over the past year and learned as we grew bit by bit.
Today we’re sharing 5 mistakes new bloggers make and even seasoned bloggers in hopes that we can save you time, money, and help kick start your blog success! We’re both teachers and are so passionate about sharing what we’ve learned and educating fellow bloggers! Check out these 5 common mistakes below!
5 Mistakes New Bloggers Make: Not Networking
Think about WHY you started blogging in the first place. We’re guessing it wasn’t to keep your knowledge to yourself! The whole point of blogging is to share knowledge, meet new people, and network. Network network network baby! Find other bloggers with a similar niche and ones you find inspirational.
Converse with those bloggers and pick their brains for tips! Try looking for bloggers living in the same area and meet face to face! Finding other bloggers to befriend not only helps you to grow your knowledge but can also help grow your following! Don’t look at other bloggers as competition: THERE IS ROOM FOR ALL OF US IN THE BLOGGER COMMUNITY! We can all help each other grow and learn from one another!
Give a shout out to your favorite bloggers on Instagram Stories and comment on their posts! SHARE THE LOVE! You never know what brands may stumble across your comment on another bloggers page and want to work with you next! At the very least you will gain some amazing blogger friends!
5 Mistakes New Bloggers Make: Joining Tons of Engagement Pods/Buying Likes
TRUE STORY: The first week we launched our Instagram, another account messaged us and offered to do a shout out for our account for $25. Being new and naive we said yes and magically gained about 800 foreign followers over night. Some of you may think “Wow I would love to gain 800 followers overnight!” BUT HERE’S THE TRUTH: None of them bought our clothes, they never liked our pictures, and they all unfollowed after about 2 weeks. THEY WERE FAKE!
NO AMOUNT OF FAKE FOLLOWERS OR LIKES WILL HELP YOU GROW IN THE LONG RUN. We can’t say this enough. We’ve all played the comparison game and looked at other accounts with 50k+ followers wondering “Will I ever get there???” The truth is so many of those bloggers work for years to get to that point! Don’t expect success overnight. That’s not real life and that’s not how to succeed. Be real and honest.
The blogging world is very skewed right now. There are lots of accounts that buy likes and seemingly have engagement through the roof. Brands then begin to think all bloggers should have 7%-10% engagement which is just not realistic for most accounts! If we were all honest about our growth, likes, comments, and engagement we would ALL be in a better place because brands would have more realistic expectations. We highly encourage new and seasoned bloggers to be honest and genuine with their audiences.
5 Mistakes New Bloggers Make: Putting All Your Eggs in One Basket
Remember that the term “blogger” doesn’t just refer to a blog space. There’s Instagram, Pinterest, Youtube and so many other social platforms that can help you grow. In fact, by cross promoting yourself on multiple platforms you can grow in more than one area!
As much as we love Instagram, you never know when a social media platform could go away forever! (We all remember what happened to Vine.) The only space you own is your blog so take pride in that space and expand to more than one form of social media to kickstart your success!
5 Mistakes New Bloggers Make: Post and Ghost
Whether your posting on your blog or other social platforms, take time to engage with your content! This includes responding to comments on pictures and posts, liking other’s pictures and videos, and creating a presence! Don’t post and ghost (aka click publish and then don’t check on your content for the next 24 hours)
On many platforms, the first hour a post or picture goes live is one of the most important to determine its overall success. Help boost your content and spend some time engaging with others!
5 Mistakes New Bloggers Make: Getting Burn Out By Not Knowing Your Limits
We’ve seen quite a few bloggers get a serious case of burn out within the first 6 months of blogging. BLOGGING IS A LOT OF WORK! We’ll be the first to admit that it takes a lot of time and every to grow and see even a small amount of success. The most important thing is to know your limits! Don’t tell yourself that you’re going to post 2 pictures a day and spend 3 hours engaging on social media if you have a jam packed schedule. Doing this will only make you feel defeated as you physically can’t devote enough time to make your goals possible!
Start with small goals: try posting 3 times a week to start and see how manageable that is for your schedule. If you then want to take on more and have time to devote to your blog then more power to you! Starting small and reaching attainable goals will empower you to continue what you started! Blogging requires you to be strategic with your time and energy so you get the most out of your efforts.
We hope you’ll be able to learn from these tips and that they will help kick start your blog! Remember it’s never to late to go for your dreams! Please leave your comments below and feel free to email us or DM us on Instagram with any questions!
