Lately, I’ve been receiving emails and messages from other bloggers asking for tips and advice on how to expand their blog, how to get more subscribers, how to take photos, etc. I thought I’d answer these questions and more in a series of blog posts. If you have further questions, please don’t hesitate to ask me. I love to read and answer questions (and comments!).
When I first started blogging almost a year ago, I was looking for a way to relieve stress and to distract me from my personal and professional life. I had just finished my degree in dental hygiene and took my licensing exam. Unfortunately, because my patient had not qualified for me to work on, and I lost time looking for a second patient, I didn’t pass the exam and had to wait another year before the exam returned to my area. I was disappointed and devastated by the set back and needed something to distract me.
Around that time, I browsed so many food blogs, admired tons of mouthwatering photos, and had just begun playing around with recipes. I wasn’t completely new to the blogging scene, but I thought that I’d start a brand new blog dedicated to recipes.
When I first started back in November 2013 (just two weeks until one year!), I actually used Blogger because I was more familiar with it. I’ve played around with blogs before, but it was never anything that lasted long because I was always busy with school. I even had one post on Blogger for Cooking with a Wallflower, but that recipe never made it onto this site. At least, not yet. Go ahead, click on the link, and I think you’ll see why. =)
My friend, Emily, from Emily’s Daily, suggested that I try WordPress. So I did. After playing around with both sites, I decided that WordPress was a better fit for me. I liked that I had more control over how the site looked. It really depends on your preference. Some people like working with Blogger more than WordPress. I recommend trying both to see what you like.
Those first few months, I didn’t get many views. Then again, I wasn’t really consistent on posting either. I was just excited to get 5 views a day, then 12.
Soo much has changed since then.
As I created more content, more recipes, I began to receive more views and subscribers.
Some months you’ll do better than others. Some days you’ll have a post that goes viral as I did in May, and then there are other days when barely anyone views your post.
What really works is consistency. Make sure to post every few days to keep your readers interested. If you post, let’s say, every three months, your readers won’t know if you’ve quit or if you’re ever going to update, and you may potentially lose a reader.
I like to post every other day. That’s just my preference. Here’s a little peek at my schedule. I can only cook and take photos twice a week: Wednesdays and Thursdays. So I do what I can to make the best of the time I have. I like to store my photos on my laptop and write my posts the day before or the day of when the post goes live. They’re rarely ever scheduled far in advance unless I’m on vacation. I like pressing the publish button too much.
Everyone is different. What works for me might not work for you.
Writing posts isn’t as easy as people might think. Non-bloggers don’t realize how much work it takes to create content, to take photos, to write, to edit. Lots of steps, tons of dedication. But if this is what you’re passionate about, go for it! It’s a slow process. You’re not going to gain viewers overnight. But in the end, if this is what you’re passionate about, it’s worth the time and effort.
In the next couple weeks, I’ll be posting more to this series. Stay tuned!
You’ll get to see how I changed my technique and went from the first two images to the last image in less than a year using the same camera. You can click on the image for an enlarged view.
If you have questions, please feel free to message me. I’ll be happy to answer them to the best of my abilities and include them in my posts. Or if there’s something you want me to address first, let me know.
I love how you’re so open and transparent. Thanks for sharing this Andrea!
You’re welcome! I just wanted to share with people why I blog and how I went about doing it =)
thanks so much for taking the time to share and encourage us newbies in the blogging world – really appreciate your advice. cheers 🙂
You’re welcome! I hope you’ll stop by to check out future posts of this series! Have a great weekend!
This is some of the best advice I have come across. Thanks so much for sharing, Andrea. Thank you also for checking out my blog! I have been enjoying reading yours as well!
Thank you! I hope you’ll find the rest of the series useful.
super helpful!!!! thanks!
You’re welcome, Diana! There’s going to be more soon.
Hey Andrea, I’m back with a question. How did you get exposure on your blog?
The best answer I can give you to visit other blogs and like and comment on their posts. If you reach out to other people, they’ll start to come to your blog to see what you’re doing. It takes a lot of effort, but it works. I hope that helps! Have a great weekend! =)
Thanks so much for this post! I am a new blogger, and I found this super helpful and positive! 🙂
Thanks, Jackie! There’s going to be more soon =)
Thank you for the blogging tips. Looking forward to future posts!
Thanks, Rosanna!
Pretty new to the blogging world, and looking forward to seeing more posts on this topic (and trying some delicious recipes!). Do you have thoughts on the role of Twitter and related platforms, what role they play?
I think it really depends on what you’re looking for from the social media platform. I feel Twitter is a great platform for chatting. It’ll definitely get you noticed if you’re using the proper hashtags. Include photos if you’re trying to promote a blog post.
Facebook has been controversial. A lot of bloggers don’t like that they have to pay to promote their posts if they want to be seen. However, I know that many people use Facebook so even though Facebook posts might not reach all your audience, it’s still worth it to use to promote your posts on your own. I never pay for promotion. And if you can find Facebook groups to share your posts you’ll definitely get subscribers that way.
Since I’m a food blog, I prefer Pinterest and Instagram because they’re photo based social media platforms. With instagram, be sure to use the proper hashtags too. That way people who are interested in the topic you’re writing about will be able to find your photos.
In general social media is a way for you to interact with your followers. It’s a lot more difficult to strike up a conversation with someone through your blog so sometimes it’s better to have a social media page to post questions and get people’s responses. It’s also a great way for people to get to know you.
I hope this is sort of what you’re looking for. If not, please don’t hesitate to ask.
Thank you! I’ve been trying to decide whether to create a Twitter account or something else, because I feel like it’s best to layer in one thing at a time, so I can be sure to keep up with it! Sounds like I need to at least get on and get familiar with effective hashtag use. And thank you for the advice about photos! Look forward to seeing more of your posts!
I think Twitter and Instagram are great places to start =)
Great Blog! I’m finding it difficult to blog often due to my work schedule and being so tired when I get home, errands, family, etc. Been blogging for a few years but only seriously the past year or so. I also tend to think I am pretty boring so finding other topics other than my cooking, has been a challenge. Thanks for being my blog friend!!
You’re welcome! My blog is pretty much just recipes. I do sometimes write about my life just to give people a peek. My life is boring too =)
Thank you for sharing! I love your blog. Looking forward to future posts!
Thank you!