October 2018 made it 6 years of blogging on Fashion and Style Police. I still remember how it all started. My blogging journey started 6 years ago in our old flat. I was tired of reading other blogs and decided to just to set up mine. Plus it was a course requirement for me to have a blog I was taking in course in Fashion and Style with London College of Style (LCS), and having a blog was one of the things required to pass the course.
All that is ancient history. My dreams of becoming a fashion stylist never happened for many reasons, but I discovered my calling instead – Writing. I haven’t stopped ever since.
Fashion and Style Police has surpassed my imagination. I never thought it could all the doors of opportunities it has opened so far. Earning a full-time income from it was not really the plan. But it happened and I am forever grateful. It has been a lot of work and I just didn’t get to the position I am now in overnight.
Here is my advice to anyone thinking of earning some blog. They are my best 6 tips, one for each year –
Don’t quit your day job or other side gigs
Blogging takes a lot of work and effort. It may take you years to grow your blog to the point of being paid to write about a brand. So don’t quit your day job or other side gigs just yet. Keep doing whatever you are doing and work on your blog by the side. When you start earning a steady full-time income for about 6 months and you have enough to quit your day job, then you can take the leap of faith.
You can also decide to keep working while you blog in the evenings and weekends. It is possible to work full-time and blog regularly. I know a couple of bloggers who do this successfully, so it is worth considering this option as well. It is easier to do this if you don’t have a family. Having kids and a full-time job and blog may be too much.
Don’t work for free
I have never worked for free and I won’t dream of asking anyone to work for free. You should be receiving a monetary compensation as well as products if required. Working for free for brands is something you should not do if you plan to be taken seriously. They will always ask, especially with the new bloggers. I still get daily emails from businesses trying to get me to do stuff for me, which I just ignore. Having said that, you can decide to support charities and brands you are passionate about. But just say alert so you don’t get taken advantage of. I am sure you will feel some kind of way if you find that a certain brand you gave free advertisement to, paid another blogger for the same job you did.
Get your pricing right
You should decide on the lowest minimum amount you are willing to accept from a brand and stick to it. Setting your prices too low or accepting any offer you get is not advisable. Deciding on the lowest amount you can receive is something you have to figure out yourself.
Post regular quality content
Post regularly and stick to a posting schedule if possible. That way your readers know when to expect a post. You should also ensure you post quality content. Better to publish nothing than to publish a crappy post. A quality post is well written and either entertains or educates your readers. If your readers don’t get anything out of your posts they would stop reading.
Focus on your photography
Try as much as possible to take decent photos. It makes your blog pretty and keeps your readers glued to your every word. Having great photos also gets the attention of brands which means paid collaborations and product samples would come your way. Photography is everything. It sits next to quality content if not before.
Read other blogs but don’t get obsessed
You should find blogs you like reading and give them a follow. Commenting regularly on the blogs would introduce you to a new audience and get the attention of the blogger which may come in handy. It is also important to see what other blogs are writing about and how they operate. That is free blogging education right there but don’t get obsessed with the blogs and neglect your own blog. That defeats the purpose. Also, no matter how tempting it is, do not copy. It pays to be original. Your blog content would thank you for it.
Good luck with it all and enjoy your blogging journey.
