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This week marks three months since the official launch of Live Well Play Together. In some ways, it feels crazy to me that it’s already been three months. In other ways, it feels impossible that it has ONLY been three months. It’s been a whirlwind over here if I’m honest. I have learned so much already, but still feel like such a newbie.
First, a Little Background
I had a separate blog that was mostly for fun prior to launching Live Well Play Together, but this is my first real attempt at blogging in which I am working intentionally to grow the blog and the Live Well Play Together community. In an ideal world, I would love to share monthly goals and updates with you all, but in order to give myself some grace and give you some consistency, I’d like to share these on a quarterly basis. Three months feels like a good time frame to try new things and accomplish goals. It also seems like a good amount of time to reflect and take notes on things that are working or not working.
Today, I want to share some of the important lessons I think I’ve learned in the first quarter with Live Well Play Together. I hope this will be helpful to you if you are a new blogger, or are interested in starting a blog of your own.
10 Tips for New Bloggers
Figure out Your Why
First things first. Figure out why you are blogging or want to start a blog. Why are you spending so much time blogging? What do you want to get out of it? What do you hope others get from it? For me, Live Well Play Together is a place to share my journey through motherhood as I seek to live well and in community with others. I want to encourage readers to look for and find beauty in the mundane (and sometimes messy). I hope to do that by sharing snippets of things that I’m learning as a mom. As such, I share a little bit of everything from my life – tips, ideas, faith, fashion, food, DIY projects, etc. I try to keep my “why” in mind every time I write a new post.
[ctt template=”2″ link=”d56l8″ via=”no” ]First things first. Figure out WHY you are blogging. Plus other great tips for new bloggers via @livewellplaytog https://wp.me/p8z3ZI-mc[/ctt]Stay on Task
Whew. I need to read this one on a regular basis. There are so many things to do to start and maintain a blog. It’s easy to get distracted and think that you need to do it all, all the time. I’ve learned that I have to choose what my top priorities are for any given day and focus on that. I actually repeat to myself sometimes, “stay on task”. It’s helpful to focus on one thing at a time, wrap it up, and move to the next. Some examples of this for me:
- Writing post outlines
- Drafting posts
- Editing photos
- Responding to comments
- Checking and responding to email
- Scheduling social media
- Studying (yes, studying. I still have so much to learn.)
I’ve found that by choosing a specific task to focus on when I sit down, I can move more easily through my to-do list.
Write Great Content
This one should go without saying. But, I think it is important to say it anyway. It’s important to write great content so that people have a reason to come to your blog and a reason to stay. Content should be well written, clear, and helpful. Now, what TYPE of content you write may vary. You might choose to do more lists, or articles. Maybe your blog is more of a journal or collection of stories. Whatever style you choose, it’s important that it is useful to the reader. Content should provide useful information to the audience. What does your audience have to benefit from reading your post? What will make them want to share it?
Alternatively, what makes you read the blogs that you read? Why do you return to certain blogs and not others?
Be Consistent
Next, make sure that you are consistent. Create a posting schedule that works for you. This is different for every blogger. Your schedule should be something that you can maintain and commit to. Posting on the same day and/or the same time will give your readers an idea of what to expect. Of course, you’ll want traffic to your blog everyday, but consistently posting quality content will allow regular readers to know what to expect when they come to your blog. For example, I post here twice a week – on Wednesdays and Fridays. I originally wanted to do three times per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, but I was having a hard time committing to getting posts completed over the weekends to go out on Monday morning so I moved to a consistent twice a week schedule that I can commit to for now.
Create Pinnable Images
When I started this blog, I was well aware of the importance of good, high quality images. In my mind, those were “pinnable” images. Now, I realize that an image that is considered “pinnable”, that is optimized for Pinterest, is vertical and 735 x 1102 px (see below). Many group boards require that your images be vertical in order to share. Fortunately, you can easily resize photos and even get some pretty awesome templates for images by using sites like PicMonkey and Canva. I use both sites for images on the blog. To be honest, I think that any vertical image that is at least as long as 1102 px works well on Pinterest, but 735 x 1102 is the standard norm for the site. You also want to be sure that your image is clear and catchy, but not too busy. Finally, just add your site name. It’s important for branding and will help people recognize your site.
Add alt Tags to Your Images
Speaking of sharing your posts on Pinterest, be sure to add alt tags to all the images on your blog. Not only will this help with SEO, but it is what Pinterest will pull as the description for your photo when others share it. You don’t want to waste the opportunity to add a great description. Make sure your descriptions are catchy and contain keywords for your post. The better description your pins have, the more likely there are to be shared.
[ctt template=”2″ link=”N2rad” via=”no” ]Don\’t waste an opportunity to add great descriptions to your photos! Tips for new bloggers via @livewellplaytog https://wp.me/p8z3ZI-mc[/ctt]Schedule Your Social Media
I’m working on this one. Social media is huge for bloggers. After all, blogging is social by definition, so it makes since that one of the key ways to build community and traffic for your blog is to build your social media following. But who in the world has time to be on all the social accounts all the time? While social media is important, it can also be a HUGE time suck. Instead of manually posting content and updates to your feeds all the time, I recommend getting a scheduling tool that allows you to schedule your posts in advance. I have not fully mastered this yet, but it is one of my goals and big areas for improvement. I currently use Buffer for Twitter and Facebook. I use Tailwind for Pinterest, which I have really enjoyed.
Be Authentic
Aside from finding your why, this is one of the most important tips I can give to any blogger. Just be yourself. Authenticity is so important. You want to earn your readers’ trust and you can do that by being real with them. Of course, not everyone will love your style. That’s fine. But, readers will quickly spot if you are being fake or dishonest and you’ll be the one to suffer. Find your voice and use it. Embrace what makes you unique and go with it. Be honest and transparent. This doesn’t mean that you have to share every detail of your life with your readers. I am really careful about what I share from our family, for example. What it does mean though, is that for those things you choose to share, share them honestly and transparently.
[ctt template=”2″ link=”kUnor” via=”no” ]Embrace what makes you unique and go with it! 10 Tips for New Bloggers via @livewellplaytog https://wp.me/p8z3ZI-mc[/ctt]Get in Community
I can’t get away from a post like this without talking about community. After all, the tagline of my blog is “because life is better when we do it together.” Blogging, like most things in life, is best done in community. It’s important to network with other bloggers in your niche (or not). This can be in the form of blogging networks, commenting on other blogs, joining link ups, participating in Facebook blogging groups, or simply reaching out to other bloggers with feedback and/or questions.
Since launching Live Well Play Together, I have joined a local blogging network, and actively participate in several Facebook groups, and link ups. I’ve found this to be really helpful in growing my blog and learning from other great bloggers. Connecting with other bloggers is also fun. Everyone has a different perspective and experience so others can be a support system and a helpful resource for you.
One resource that has been really helpful to me in thinking about this is Herchel’s ebook: Let’s Collab!: Find the Blogging Tribe that will Skyrocket Your Business. One of my goals for the blog is to really find my tribe here. I have made lots of connections over the last three months and I am excited to start to really focus on finding my people.
Don’t Obsess Over Your Numbers, too much
It is so easy to obsess over your numbers. After all, there are so many numbers to watch. Page views, followers, comments, bounce rate, visitors, subscribers, and so on and so on. I think numbers are important. They can be a helpful metric to see how you are doing and indicate areas for improvement. But, don’t lose track of your purpose for blogging and your focus on creating great content for the sake of tracking your numbers. What’s more important, I think is to be genuine and connect with others. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve clicked “refresh” hoping to see numbers increasing when I first started the blog. It’s exciting to watch something your working on grow, but if you aren’t careful, this can become a huge distraction. In that same vein, pick one metric to focus on at a time. Get that metric where you want it to be and then move on to the next. It’s difficult to do all things at once.
Do you have additional tips to share? Let me know in the comments or shoot me an email!
If you like this post, I would love if you would be willing to share it with others using the share buttons below.
Thanks for sharing these tips, Mary Leigh! It’s great to hear advice from someone who’s in her growth spurt right now. It’s definitely encouraging! I just started blogging for real (-ish) two months ago and really appreciate this post!
Absolutely! I have really enjoyed it. There really is so much to learn, but it’s worth it if you enjoy it! Please always feel free to reach out if you have any questions!
Thank you so much for sharing this! I am new to blogging and these tips were so helpful!
You are so welcome! I’m glad you found them useful!
These are all great tips! Having a schedule is so important, especially if you also work outside of the home.
Thank you! I totally agree!
These tips are fantastic! Thank you so much these really helped me!
Thanks, Afton! I’m glad they were helpful!
Great tips! I knew that alt tags helped with SEO, but I had no idea they affect Pinterest! That’s good to know!
Thanks! I really think they are helpful. The alt tag is what Pinterest will pull as the description of your pin when someone else pins it from your site!
I’ve been blogging awhile now but these tips are great reminders! Love your blog!
Thanks so much, Missy! I really appreciate your kind words!
All amazing tips! I had problems with the “Don’t worry about your numbers”.
xo, Lee
Thanks so much, Lee! It is also a reminder for me. Don’t get me wrong. I think numbers matter – just that they are a piece of the puzzle. It can be easy to let tracking numbers distract you from other tasks – like actual writing and promotion, which matter a lot as well.
This post was so helpful! There were quite a few tips that I can see myself applying. Being a baby blogger can be a bit overwhelming and it’s great to have articles such as this to help apply.
Oh, thanks so much; I’m glad you found it to be helpful! Please feel free to let me know if you have any questions!
I love how you’re writing these tips from personal experience and know that these are all true. You’re not just here for the page views, but you’re genuinely about writing good content. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much, Kate! I appreciate it. I do care a lot about the quality of content that goes up on the blog. I also care about numbers, but I don’t think they are the crown. <3
These are all great tips, but I love the advice to figure out your why and to be authentic! Where new bloggers figure this out that’s how their voice as a writer shines! Also, social media scheduling is a lifesaver. I’m usually doing blog stuff at odd hours, and I’m pretty sure nobody wants to see my posts at 2am, so scheduling is so necessary for me!
Thank you, Liz! Authenticity is so important to me. Whether you are a hobby blogger, aspiring blogger, or full time blogger, it is important to be real and to be able to gain the trust of your readers. It is really great to find your voice and be able to really write in a way that feels like “you”. I have got to get better about scheduling social media!
Love this! As a brand new blogger I think focusing on “why” im blogging is so important. Thank you!
Thank you so much! You’ve got a beautiful blog. I’m glad you found these tips helpful!
These are some great tips for new bloggers. I love your blogger origin story!
xoxo
Angelica
http://www.thestrongsuit.co
Thank you so much! I have had a blog for a while, but I’m excited about this site as I feel really passionately about it and am really loving to learn how best to grow the site and the community of readers around it. So much to learn!
I love these tips girl! Finding a good community has honestly helped me most because I can see how other ladies are implementing some of the other tips you talked about
– xo, Azanique | http://www.lotsofsass.com
Yes! I have loved meeting other bloggers in my niche and also in the geographic area as well. We all have something we can learn from one another!
Thanks so much for sharing your experiences and tips on blogging with us at #Overthemoon. I have shared on social media. Have a great week and see you at next week’s link up! Sue from Sizzling Towards Sixty & Beyond
http://www.sizzlingtowardssixty.com.au
Thank you very much! Over the Moon is a really great party – I appreciate you sharing!
What a really useful post with some great tips! Thanks for linking up to the #bestandworst and please do pop over today and link up!
Thank you so much, Helen! I am always glad to be linking up with #Bestandworst!
That’s all reassuring, thanks.
I’m just over two weeks in, and apart from some hiccups in captioning my pics, I think I’m where I ‘d planned. Great tip on the vertical images too; must remember that when I’m getting snap happy! Once I’ve tidied up the existing posts, I’ll focus on more pinning going forward.
Love your clear writing style, and I’m looking forward to exploring more of your blog.
Thanks so much, I appreciate you stopping by and do hope you’ll be back. 🙂 I am working over the next few months as well to better utilize Pinterest!
Thank you, Mary Leigh — I had not heard of alt tags for pinterest — so I’m off to learn about those!
Catherine
They are so important to make sure your photos are described how you intend when someone pins them from your site!
I have only started blogging a couple of weeks ago, I found your post really useful, especially the part about setting the picture Pinterest-friendly. Thanks for sharing your tips 🙂
Thank you so much! I really believe it is so important to have at least one image on each post that is able to be shared well via Pinterest! It really makes sharing easier!
Great post! I am not a new blogger (I’ve been blogging for seven years) but I am certainly a struggling one- sometimes it’s just so hard to build a following! I hope these tips will help!
-Lunaria L Moon
onlyfunthingsblog.org
Thank you, Lunaria! I’m glad that you found this post helpful. I agree that it can be hard to find your following, but once you do – no matter how big or small they may be, love them well! Best wishes to you in your blogging journey!
I am new to blogging, and this list is great! I am thinking about putting it up somewhere so I can always see it.
Thanks so much, Cynthia! I wish you all the best with your blogging journey – I’m glad that you found this helpful!
Thank you so much for this list! I’ve been blogging for almost 5 months now and this list mirrors my own experience. I’m looking forward to seeing your recaps each quarter!
Oh, I’m glad you liked it! I am excited for the recaps! Now to get to writing them, right?!
Thank you! I have been blogging for 2 months and your tips are very helpful!
Thanks so much; I’m glad it is helpful!
Great post Mary Leigh. My first blog post was actually called ‘Why’ (https://www.enrichmentality.com/why/) 🙂
I think it’s super important to work out your ‘Why’. So many blogs get so sidetracked with making money, they seem like little more than a string of sponsored posts without any central message. Nothing (as a reader) turns me off more.
Thanks for your great tips! My blog’s almost a year old now, but I’m always looking for ways to improve it!
Thanks so much! It is so important, I think. I’m going to check out your post now!
Terrific post. My first blog post was actually called ‘Why’! 🙂 (https://www.enrichmentality.com/why/)
I think working out your ‘Why’ is super important. Many blogs get so sidetracked with making money they just seem like a collection of sponsored posts with no central message. Thanks for your great tips Mary Leigh!
Great post! The social media thing is still hard for me. I do well with Facebook, but it’s hard to do all of them and still work a full time job! You’re blog is awesome ML!
Thank you so much! You are rocking Facebook! That is one of my least frequently updated! I loved your stitch fix review this week!
This is super helpful. I especially like the tip about images. I work in email marketing and our templates require horizontal images so I didn’t realize it was different for blogging!
Isn’t is crazy how everything requires something different? I actually really like horizontal images, too, but they don’t do as well on Pinterest, so I think it’s important to have at least one solid vertical image in each post.
I am currently in my third month of blogging and I really appreciate you writing this post so much! I’m still getting the hang of social media but slowly getting there! Good job on creating so much awesome content in such a short space of time! #bestandworst
Thanks so much! I really appreciate it!
Love this post so much, Mary Leigh, especially your thoughts on scheduling posts. It has given me permission to cut myself some slack and reminded me to focus on what’s most important. Thanks for sharing!
Scheduling is so helpful! It does allow you to almost set it and forget it. That’s an exaggeration of course, but it definitely increases efficiency!
This is great! Wish I had this advice when I started. Pinterest still confuses me. LOL.
Thanks! I have really found these tips to be helpful. Pinterest is on my list for the summer!
Excellent article. Thank you so much for concise and relevant information.
Thanks so much, Marla!
I’m quickly learning having a schedule is imperative to a successful blog. There is always so much to do that you can easily get over whelmed if you don’t break it down.
I totally agree!
I’m quickly learning that a schedule is imperative. It is so easy to get overwhelmed with blogging because there is always things you could be doing. Sometimes I would be in the middle of a task and remember something else I should be doing and will just drop straight to that instead of finishing what I started. Such a learning in progress.
I totally agree! It is really easy to get distracted! I have found that it is really important to stay on task and to make the most of each little moment of working time.
Great tips. It has taken me forever to figure out Pinterest and begin to network more. So much I wish I had known!
Thank you! I am working to learn more about utilizing Pinterest and networking with other bloggers. I really enjoy connecting with other bloggers and supporting one another!
Great tips – especially the consistency. Which doesn’t mean ALL the time (my trap!) but on a regular basis 🙂
Thanks! It’s something that I’ve been working really hard on over here!
Excellent! Very helpful for new bloggers like us
Thank you so much; I’m glad you found it helpful!
Congratulations! I’m almost to my 3 month too. This is my 2nd blog, but first time trying to change my life with it. Thank you for the tips!
Thank you! Best wishes for your blog! It’s looking good!
These are great tips, lady! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much! I appreciate you stopping by!
Thanks for the tips! I am also a new blogger. I find it very difficult to stay focused and probably spend way too much time on social media!
It can be hard to stay on task when there are so many “things” to do. I sometimes try to focus on just one thing some days, which is really helpful since the bulk of my blogging happens during naptime. 🙂
This was a great post;) You touched on many important points. It’s good to be reminded of these things. Thank you!
Thank you, Lucy! I appreciate you stopping by!
This is such a great post! And I seriously cannot believe you’ve only had this blog for three months because it is seriously awesome! I definitely have to work to stay on task. And what are alt images. Teach me. 🙂
Thanks so much, Trista! I appreciate it so much. I love your blog! Send me an email about alt tags. I’ll be happy to send more info! (livewellplaytogetehr@gmail.com)
Hand clap! This was a great read! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, girl! I appreciate it so much!
As a fellow blogger, this is a really great resource! I have such a hard time not getting frustrated. I’ve all but put my laptop up for the summer, but I really need to be more consistent!
Thanks so much! I appreciate your kind words. I don’t think there is anything wrong with taking a little break – especially over the summer! I certainly think consistency is important – but doesn’t have to mean all the time. It’s ok to have a reduced load sometimes!
AH what a great post! We can use all the help we can get when we’re first starting out (and, frankly, when we’ve been at it for years!). Here’s my tips post: http://biggreenpen.com/2014/08/03/tips-for-new-bloggers/
Thanks, Paula! I appreciate it. Thanks for sharing your post as well! It’s also full of great tips!
such great tips! im not a new blogger but knowing these are key 🙂
Thanks so much, Cait! I really appreciate it!