WHAT I'VE LEARNT IN TWO YEARS OF BLOGGING.

Saturday 3 December 2016

I think this has to be the first 'blog' related post I've ever done, probably because I'm not exactly an expert on being the perfect blogger. I have however come a long way from posting about what I was getting up to in DisneyWorld, complete with typos, slang and really lame jokes. Not that all of that has stopped, but looking back my writing has changed so much over the space of these two years and sometimes I cringe at the way I wrote back then. I've had the opportunity to work with some great brands this year and met some great people, and thought it was about time I shared a post about what I've learnt about being a blogger these last two years! 


1. SUCCESS DOESN'T HAPPEN OVER NIGHT

I think I was writing for 7 months before any brand approached me asking me to collaborate on a post. To be completely honest it was kind of a new concept to me, I knew people like Zoella and co get sponsored (and paid) loads for their videos on Youtube, but I didn't know it was a thing in the blogging world. Now that I've established a decent following and know my way around Twitter, I find more brands are approaching me and vice versa. My goal for the next few years is to be able to combine my passion for travelling and writing and be able to do that for work!

2. IT'S A PART TIME JOB 

Bloggers get so much sh*t about not having a real job, or sometimes I feel guilty when I'm spending an afternoon writing up a blog post, taking photos, scheduling posts etc. instead of working on my university assignment, but the matter of the fact is that this little hobby of mine provides some sort of income, so why shouldn't I treat it like any other job? I still don't own a fancy camera or have a S/O to take candid photos of me, so I do need to work on that to give my blog that authenticity. 

3. IT'S IMPORTANT TO STAY GROUNDED

I find it crazy when I here of mediocre bloggers who are demanding £100s of pounds for a post on top of getting free products. I understand writing and planning a post might take a couple of hours of work, but it's one thing making a business deal and not taking the piss. I appreciate anytime anyone has approached me about working together, and if it's not a good fit for my blog i'll decline politely. Same goes for replying to comments, tweets etc. I hate when people purposely ignore your tweets/questions because they think they're suddenly the Kylie Jenner of Wordpress. 

4. PEOPLE WILL JUDGE 

I could probably split this up into two points because (4.1) you also have to be pretty annoying. I'd hate to be that person that's constantly popping up on your Facebook feed or Twitter timeline, but you need to put yourself out there to be recognised! I pride myself on being very real on most of my posts, and sometimes I have the tendency to overshare which might not be everyones cup of tea, but it's me. In our society, doing anything out of the norm puts yourself on a pedestal for ridicule but you've just gotta keep doing your thing and #fckthehaters. 

5. MY FRIENDS ARE VERY PATIENT PEOPLE

I love those select few friends who I don't even have to link my posts to because they're constantly on it. Special shoutout to Stacey who's the real MVP when it comes to commenting, liking and sharing my posts! (Not like she'll be reading this today because she's currently in labour ahhh!!!) This is also the case when it comes to eating out and having to take photos or going on holiday and asking them to take 10 photos of me looking "natural" for the blog. You'll all be rewarded in due time! 

6. YOU CAN INSPIRE PEOPLE 

I'm no Joan of Arc, but I love when people I know (or don't know!) approach me telling me they love reading my blog, or have found a particular post inspiring/brightened their day. It's great to see so many people I know wanting to start a blog now and it would be great to be able to collaborate with more bloggers. 

7. YOU LOOK AT SOCIAL MEDIA DIFFERENTLY

I wouldn't say I have a particular Instagram theme, I really admire people who manage to find the time/effort to make all their photos look all white and sparkly and go together. I can't help if one day I want to take a mirror selfie and want to take a photo of my juicy burger the next. I've unfollowed so many celebrities on Instagram now (especially reality tv stars) because I was sick of seeing the same  tea #ad posts all over my timeline. I know part of the agreement with brands is to promote their product on your social media channels, but you can be genuine about it and not make it look fake and forced. 

8. YOU NEED MONEY TO BE A 'SUCCESSFUL' BLOGGER 

This is probably debatable, but I'm sure I'd have 100s more readers if I was showing you guys my thoughts on all the Kylie lip kits, my weekend trip to Dubai and my experience partying in LA with One Direction. I guess the bigger your following gets, the more this stuff pretty much comes for 'free', so lets say to establish yourself you need to start of with some sort of dollah in your pocket, unless you're just really good at telling it like it is and have a very interesting life. 

9. IT CAN BE A VERY REWARDING HOBBY

There are so many bloggers I admire to be like who are constantly jetting off across the globe for their blog, and are being showered with gifts from some of my favourite brands #benefitgoals. These are people who have been writing for around 5 years and have worked hard to be where they're at. There are also people who have managed to take their blogs and turn them into a full-time job, wouldn't that be great? I'd love to be my own boss and now have to wake up at 7am every day. Some of my friends always hint they'd like to start a blog just to get all the 'freebies' but the 'freebies' all come through a combination of these points! 

10. STAY TRUE TO YOURSELF

Finally, I've learnt to keep my blog genuine and to keep writing about stuff that I genuinely like. I'm not going to write about cat accessories when the closest thing to a pet I have is my stuffed Marie toy  (with a very long fluffy tail) from The Aristocats. I'm going to keep expressing myself on here in the same way I do on my social media channels and in person, and I'd like to think I'm not just conforming into being a 'my life is fabulous blogger'. The goal one day is to be able to write for the likes of Rolling Stone, Buzzfeed, Vice (or even Cosmo) so I can actually write about stuff that might be frowned upon on here in the 'blogging community' - watch this space! 

I hope you guys have enjoyed this post and it hasn't come across as too much of a rant. If you're a blogger yourself I'd love to know what you guys have learnt! 

♡ GS ♡

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