Bloggers' Top Tips

Fancy setting up your own blog? Read our handy guide and get your blogging career off to a flying start

Fancy setting up your own blog? Read our handy guide and get your blogging career off to a flying start

Blog for success

We've all heard of the bloggers making a fortune sharing everything from their wedding to their wardobe - so how can you set up your own successful blog and get your words out there? Natasha Courtenay-Smith has been asking the experts and the bloggers in the know to bring you her top tips.

Post...regularly!

It s important to keep your readers happy and make sure they keep coming back to the site. So whilst you might not feel like blogging much during those hot summer weekends, it's worth it to keep up the momentum!

Post...regularly!

It s important to keep your readers happy and make sure they keep coming back to the site. So whilst you might not feel like blogging much during those hot summer weekends, it's worth it to keep up the momentum!

Write what you love

Write about something that makes you happy. If you re not passionate about what you re blogging about, it won t succeed. You have to want to write about your subject every single day.

Find your 'me' time

Find your 'most creative time' for updating your blog. For some people that's first thing in the morning while other bloggers swear by the night owl approach. Work out when you're at your writing best and schedule in time to focus on your blog.

Reinvent yourself

Keep reinventing yourself. You have to constantly evolve to capture the public s mood or you ll lag behind.

SATC syndrome

...but be wary of letting your blog take over your life. Laptop in the bedroom might work for Carrie Bradshaw in SATC but a real life Mr Big may not be quite so understanding about having to share the bed with your blog.

Learn from the pros

If you're serious about being online for a living, experience working for a web start-up company. In order to build a brand from nothing, you really need to understand how it all works.

Stay true

Stay true to your instincts and your brand. Blogging about health? Keep on top of all the latest news and views. If you're a beauty or a fashion blogger, make sure you're up to speed with what's going on in the industry.

Build your readership

Don t be disheartened if you only have a handful of readers at first. As your site gains popularity, traffic will increase.

Money matters

Think commercially. Lots of people can write brilliantly but can t grasp how to make money out of it. If you're one of the savvy ones who can, make the most of it!

The next step

Think big and don t be afraid to take risks. Sometimes giving up the day job is scary but it can really pay off.

Visual identity

Create a visible brand for your blog. Fork out for a professional graphic designer to design your website so it looks as glossy and professional as possible.

Social media

Spend some time promoting your blog publish the link on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter and interact on related forums and websites.

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