5 Mistakes To Avoid As A New Blogger

Although I lovelovelove producing style and fashion content I also love encouraging other bloggers, and sharing my advice! There’s something so rewarding about teaching others from your own mistakes. Ha. The blogging world can be a bit overwhelming at first, and there’s really no way to know it all! There were so many mistakes I made at the beginning, and I wanted to share those with you all today. I always want to be genuine with you guys, and share the not so glamorous parts of my life.

By no means did I figure out this blogging thing right when I launched, and heck even now I don’t know it all, a year later. It’s so important to share the wealth, and inspire community over competition! I really hope you can learn from my mistakes that I made when I was first starting out. If you enjoy this post share the love with your friends.

1. Trying to be like everyone else

This is something that the blogger world as a whole struggles with. The blogging industry has become so saturated, that it seems like everyone and their mom has a blog. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in your own thoughts and try to compare yourself to everyone around you. As a new blogger, it’s so important to keep your own identity present and find the unique thing about you and your brand.

Constantly trying to be like anyone else will only lead you into an endless game of low self-worth. Everyone’s blogging story is different, and that’s okay. You might grow extremely fast, or extremely slow. Either way, if you’re putting in your best work than you have to keep confident about your brand!

At the beginning I really struggled with Instagram numbers, and wondering why I wasn’t growing constantly. It is tough, but don’t compare your success to anyone else. There’s always going to be someone bigger, or better than you. You have to know who you are, and focus on why your started your blog.

2. Focusing on the numbers

I could say this 100 times, but maybe it takes 101 to finally sink in. Numbers are not everything when it comes to social media. Stop refreshing your Instagram bio every 10 seconds to see if you’ve gained (or lost) followers. It’s a game with no end… trust me. If you focus solely on the numbers you’re going to end up hating everything that revolves around blogging. There will always be someone with more Instagram followers than you, more re-tweets and more blog traffic. That’s okay! There’s always a way to grow, and reaching a certain milestone is only going to help you feel better in the moment.

Once I hit 1K I was so excited, then realized well now I need to hit 10K. It’s an ongoing cycle if numbers are your biggest concern.

I just was reading somewhere that brands actually take into count following size after everything else when looking for bloggers to work with. Engagement is key, so focus on being social on your social media! Only have 800 followers on Instagram? That’s okay, you’re still building your readership each day! Everyone has to start somewhere.

Related: How To Get Paid As A Small Blogger

3. Not promoting your blog

If you want people to find your blog you have to be promoting, promoting and more promoting! Use every social media account you have. They will become your best friends. It took me way too long to fully post about The Blonder Life, and even longer to tell people in person.

Even if you just started out and only have a few posts up don’t count yourself out. You’re still a blogger, and still have something to offer people!

Related: Where To Promote Your Blog Posts

Join a few relevant Facebook groups that focus on blog promotion. Post your first blog post – I promise the blogging world is an encouraging one! It will help with growing your brand, and expanding your audience. There’s no such thing as over promoting.

Encourage your family, and friends to share your posts too. At the very beginning, you will be learning what strategies work for your blog traffic you so take all the help you can get. Don’t be embarrassed about sharing, the people who truly support you won’t mind it!

4. Not investing in your brand

Right from the beginning, I think it’s important to decide how much time and effort you’re willing to put into your blog. It’s totally fine to only want your blog to be a fun hobby, but decide that from the beginning and stick to it. If you’re wanting to grow your blog into a personal brand, then you’ll want to be serious about it from the get-go. I know it’s kind of hard to decide that while you’re just starting out but I think having the mindset of hobby or job goes a long way.

Decide how much time you have to devote to your blog, and create a schedule! Set aside that designated time to write content, take photos, schedule social media, send out e-mails, etc.
Invest your time wisely!

In addition to your time, investing financially will be a factor. If you’re wanting to take the plunge into blogging full time at some point, you’re going to find yourself spending money on your blog. Whether it’s paying photographers, hosting fees, photography props… you name it, it can get pricey! Blogging is not the cheapest hobby.

With so many courses out there, it’s important to find what you’re struggling with and learn from an expert. Not to say that the only way to grow your blog will be to throw money at courses, but I do think some are extremely beneficial. I’ve enrolled in a few free courses, and just enrolled in Boss Pitch, and am a true advocate that learning from other bloggers is a great way to learn!

I also offer 1:1 blog consultations : Packages/Pricing || FAQ || Booking || Testimonials

5. Doing no research

During the first few months of launching your blog is when you should be spending the most time on Pinterest and Google. I swear, Pinterest is a bloggers best friend. If you’re not understanding something, or just need someone else’s opinion Pinterest has it all! I cannot tell you how many times I refer to Pinterest weekly.

There are so many things you probably forgot about at the beginning of your blog (ie. e-mail list) and you’ll want all the help you can get! It can get a bit overwhelming, so try to focus on a few strategies each week. I recommend making a full board dedicated to blogging tips, that way you have all of your resources in one easy to find place!

P.S. If you’re enjoying my blogging tip posts, then you’re not going to want to miss what I’m announcing Monday! I have been working on a secret project for what seems like years, and next week I’m finally sharing it with all of you!

Join my e-mail list to get the big announcement hit your inbox Monday morning!

P.P.S. There are still some amazing sales going on for Memorial Weekend and I rounded up my favorites for you here! You will not want to pass up all of these amazing deals!