Beauty blog school is back in session. Now you know how to start a blog, but what next?
Where do you start and what should you do first?
Here’s a quick list to get you started. I didn’t actually do points one and two right at the beginning though I wish I did. Point four still keeps me going today.
The first five things to do when you start a blog
1. Set up your social media accounts
You don’t need to be on every social media platform, but it helps to get online now and reserve your name for later.
Hair Romance is on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Vine (remember that one?). When I started blogging some of these didn’t exist, but as each new social network opens I would hop on and grab my name.
Try and keep your name consistent across every platform. This helps readers find you and makes it easy for them to tag you across different networks. Sites like NameChk are really helpful for seeing which names are available.
2. Install Google analytics on your blog
Find out where your readers are coming from and which is your most popular post with Google Analytics.
It’s the industry standard for statistics and it’s free.
I don’t want you to get caught up in the numbers now, but installing Google Analytics early will give you more data to check as you go on.
3. Find your ideal reader
Why are you writing your blog? Who are you going to help?
Working out the why and who will help you define your ideal reader. Once you have a clear picture of who needs to read your blog, you can work out how to find them. Where do they hang out online, what other blogs do they like to read? What social networks are they on? Answering these questions will help you focus on what to write and where to share it online.
4. Brainstorm your blog ideas
When I decided to start Hair Romance, I got a notebook out and started writing down ideas for blog posts. I knew if I could write down 50 ideas then I would have enough to keep going. 50 ideas sounds like a lot, and it is, but they’re just ideas.
Brainstorm the topics you want to write about and get into the detail on each one. You’ll be surprised how far you can go. There will be times you get stuck but keep pushing through.
Not every idea will be good or make it as a blog post, but you’ll uncover some gems. Plus the list will give you a lot of inspiration for what to write about now and in the future.
5. Start writing!
This is the most important point. What’s a blog without blog posts?
Planning your ideas and working out who you can help with your blog will make writing so much easier.
Everyone has a different technique for writing. Personally, I never considered myself a writer. I came from a photography background so I’m very visual. I like to work on the images first and then the words follow.
For me, my blog is like a conversation so I try to write as I speak (but with less umms and ahhs). Sometimes I record blog posts and type them up later. With practice (over 1000 blog posts and 5 books) I now find writing much easier.
Whatever your style, set aside time just for writing new posts and ignore all other distractions. Refer back to your brainstorm list for post ideas and also listen to your readers. You give me the best ideas for content with your questions.
So tell me, what’s the first thing you did when you set up your blog?
PS. Want to start your blog on the right foot? Come along to the next Little Blog Big workshop!
I use a free WordPress blog and would love to install Google Analytics but it seems that you have to have a business plan in order to install GA on your blog. Is this the case or am I missing something?! Thanks!
Hi Deanne, you just need a google account or gmail address to set up an analytics account. The free basic version is all I use and there is more info available than I know what to do with. During set up you’ll need to verify that you own your domain and there are instructions to explain it. Good luck! x
Thanks for the tips! My blog is new and I’m just starting to get the hang of it. I have a super long list of blog ideas for me to go back to. I keep it in my Google Docs so that I can add to it wherever I am.
I’m also trying to figure out the best posting schedule for myself. I’d like to get a bit ahead of my posting with my writing so I can have backup posts if necessary.
Don’t worry Laura, almost every blogger I know wishes they were further ahead in their blogging schedule. It’s an endless struggle x
Love this! I’m new to the blogging world, and this was very helpful. Great tips! Sometimes i get stuck on what to write about next, but maybe making a list would be helpful.
Thanks Melissa! I’m planning a post about what to write about too. You never know when ideas come so I always keep notes on my phone or jot them in my notebook xx
I highly recommend making a list. I use Google Docs so I always have it on hand.
Thanks Laura! Google docs are great as they auto back up and you can access them anywhere x
Some great tips. This is my second website under this name as the first didn’t end up working after 5 months of blogging and I decided to just start a fresh and not pull over old content as I wanted to try and up my game. Take better pictures create better ideas and be more committed to my blog.
Thanks Jasmine! Its hard to decide whether to start fresh or try and change direction. Don’t try and compare your start to someone else’s middle. To remind yourself, just go back through the archives of any blog and see what their first few posts were like! Mine are terrible but I’ve left them there to remind me of how far I’ve come xx
I first made sure that my blog looked clean and professional, and ensured that it was exactly what I wanted to share on the internet, regardless of how many readers I had, in terms of both content and privacy.
What I found really helpful, since my blog is hosted on tumblr, I created a second version of my blog, with all the same settings so that I could test themes and write the code for my blog without messing up my real blog. This really helps, I hope it helps others too!
I should also mention that the test blog was password protected so only I could access it!
That’s a great tip Talia! I also use Nail Romance as a test site before making any major changes on Hair Romance. It’s really smart to have a dummy test site. On wordpress I also use a plugin called Under Consruction to create a landing page while you build your site x
This was so helpful! I recently built a blog and have been trying to follow all of the tips online. I love writing and sharing, I am mostly having issues with finding readers and viewers. That is where I am hung up at this point in the process. It starts to feel discouraging, because you all (successful bloggers) make it sound so easy. 😉 thanks for the tips, I always enjoy your blog!
Thanks Jillian! I’m writing my next few posts and finding readers is top of my list. It’s definitely not easy, and it takes work but it’s worth it 🙂 I think defining your ideal reader is key to finding readers. Be super specific about who your blog is for and it makes it much easier to write the content she is looking for, and get her to keep coming back. Good luck xx
Oh Great! I am so excited to read more of your blog-tips posts. What a wonderful idea, defining the reader. But how do you find that ideal reader, and encourage them to click on your links? For instance, I have a number of followers for my blog facebook page, but those follows don’t equal clicks. Same with twitter and pinterest. I would love to hear more of your suggestions.
Thanks again!.
lovely post! Great tips. I agree that physically writing down topics and ideal readers is so incredibly helpful!
xo Colleen || http://leathervslace.com
Thanks Colleen! It really helps me stay on track and know why I want to blog xx