Advice for fashion and
lifestyle bloggers
I’m no expert blogger with a large following, but looking at
(and editing) past blog posts has revealed a lot to me in the form of growth,
social media skills and a better camera. Yes, a good quality, high resolution
camera can really make or break your blog. Learning from my previous faux pas
and experience then, I have compiled a list of factors I deem crucial for a
better blogging experience.
Pictures:
As fashion and lifestyle bloggers we communicate in pictures
and if these pictures are not immaculately edited, let alone, our own original
work, we stand to lose some of our audience. What I am saying here is that
steer clear of pictures taken from the internet (unless you are making
particular reference to it), as that makes you seem lazy or look like you are
plagiarising another blogger’s work.
When it comes to editing, do not edit so much that the
digital version of a white top in real life now looks beige. Editing is for
enhancing not transforming. If you take well lit pictures, there is no need to
do so much filtering anyway.
Consistency:
If you want to keep your followers interested do not have
extra long gaps between your posts. If you post once a week, make sure you keep
at it every week (I'm still struggling with this because varsity). Furthermore, be consistent in your content – if you promise
your followers that you will post shoes on Friday, make sure that you do so on
said day. With consistency always bear in mind that it is better to post fewer
high quality posts rather than several average posts.
Monitor traffic:
Some bloggers say they do not find it necessary to monitor
how much traffic each blog post generated, as it either puts too much pressure
on them or discourages them. However, if you have not quite established yourself
as a blogger, monitoring your traffic will help you suss out what kind of
content interests people and you can therefore build on that and produce more
of that or improve on what didn’t quite excite people.
Don’t try too hard:
It is always easy to tell when someone is not being
themselves online because they are busy trying too hard to be this person they
think they ought to be online. Don’t be that person. Write in a tone that you
are comfortable with and wear clothes you are comfortable in.
Don’t use it as a substitute for Instagram:
Sometimes as bloggers we take great pictures, but that
are not necessarily in line with what our blog is about. This is where
Instagram comes in – rather post these pictures on your Insta account and then
you may hashtag your blog in the post if you wish. Use your Instagram account
as an extension of your blog, where you may post pictures of what you wore that
day (followed by your blog name as a hashtag) rather than posting what you wore
that day (OOTD) on your blog when you don’t actually have an OOTD feature on
your blog. This is why I only do this once in a while on my blog.
Tone:
I touched on this in the “don’t try too hard” subheading –
it is often best to use a conversational tone, as online audiences prefer
something that is quick and easy to read. Do not be condescending in your tone
– it is very easy to pick that up in any writer’s work. If you are using
jargon, do explain it in layman’s terms as well. If you are writing a longer
piece and you want to be formal, maintain that formality throughout the post.
Mentioning brands is not bragging:
In our style posts we like to mention where we bought what
we are wearing and that is totally okay. Feel free to even @ the brand when you
share the post on social media, but this should not be misconstrued as a means
of bragging – it is a means of giving credit where it is due and sharing
information with fellow stylistas who may want to purchase the same item.
Editing editing editing:
Remember how in high school they used to constantly
encourage us to check our tests and exams thoroughly before declaring ourselves
finished? Well that is a habit you should carry through from your social media
posts to your blog posts. An online blooper is not easy to recover from, especially
when you are trying to establish yourself as a brand. Check spelling. Check
grammar. Check that the right caption is under the right picture and ensure
that you have cropped your picture in such a way that nothing unsavoury is
visible. I type extremely fast, so typos often creep up on me and I used to
only realise this after I had published the post, so I cannot stress enough how
important editing yourself is.
Avoid using bad puns for your post titles:
There is nothing worse than a bad, misleading pun for a post
title. It is always better to get to the point with the title and use as little
words as possible, much like you would see in a magazine.
Know your strengths:
This one is self-explanatory. If you are a better
photographer than you are a writer, make the focus of your blog the pictures
you take and vice versa. Do not try to be a master of everything or try to
cover issues you are not that clued up on. I hate to quote from a High School Musical song or was it Hairspray? anyway, point is when it
comes to blogging “stick to the things you knooow!”
Emotional stability?
You are probably wondering how emotional stability is
relevant here, but unless your blog is of a more personal nature, then you have
to be emotionally stable. David Tlale said not too long ago that “you have to
be emotionally stable or else it shows in the way you dress.” I agree with him
and I apply this to blogging as well – if you are not having the greatest
day/week, rather avoid posting because it will show in your work.
All the best. Keep blogging.
