Eight Steps for Creating Your Own Blog
I received an email today asking me for advice on creating a blog. My response, below:
You know how much I beat the drum of “Create Your Own Blog!” while talking to fellow writers. It’s important to do it right, however, otherwise you run the risk of adding to the deafening cacophony of noise. I’m, of course, primarily a beauty blogger, so my advice won’t hold true for creating, say, a political blog, but if you’re interested in blogging well about beauty and/or fashion, here are the basics for creating a kick-ass, must-read blog:
1) Pick a catchy, memorable title and buy an easy to remember URL. (I like Wordpress and use OneAndOne.com for my hosting.) Avoid being ThisIsMyNavalGazingBlog.blogspot.com and instead choose a name that either conveys the message to your readers about what you’ll be blogging about or sticks in their heads. There are so many blogs writing about the exact same thing you do it’ll make your head spin. Originality wins major points.
2) Cultivate a distinctive voice. Readers should be able to pick out your voice and think to themselves, “That’s so her!” At the end of the day, a blog is about writing. Write thoughtfully, write wittily, write angrily, write drunk, if you so choose. But above all, write well.
3) Approach your blog as your job. For the next several months, if you want it to succeed, it will be your primary hobby. When I started in 2005, I spent 2 weeks blogging 4 hours a night after work. (That was for my Nick and Jessica Breakup Watch blog, which I actually started before Jolie in NYC. I quickly amassed a wealth of information on their then-seemingly-perfect marriage and made a name for my blog inside of a month.)
4) Blog at least once per day. If you can blog 3 – 4 times per day, that’s even better. Posting frequently is critical to building followers. I am convinced that procrastination, information and porn fuel the internet. Since you’re probably not thinking of becoming a porn impresario, you can be a source of procrastination (so much to read!) and information (so much to learn!) for those who come to your site.
5) Start a Twitter feed. Begin commenting with other bloggers who are in the same field as you. You seem to be interested in fashion and beauty. Follow other big-name fashion and beauty Tweeps, and see who they’re @ replying to. Start following those people, as well, and build an interesting network of Twitter connections that will help guide you and enrich your own tweets. Choose those you follow carefully; I follow the 25 cent rule. Would I still follow this person if I were forced to pay 25 cents for doing so? If yes, then they add something to my network. If no, it’ll just be white-noise. (Some beauty recommendations: @makeupbag @beauty_addict @spoiledpretty @glambr @JenerationPR @AATP @LianneFarbes @BellaSugar @ShannonNelson @AlisonBrodPR @Temptalia @AMomInRed. And me! I’m @nadinejolie).
6) After you feel comfortable with Twitter, re-tweet interesting posts and become known as an expert in your field by focusing solely on one angle. I re-tweet notable or timely beauty posts from friends that my followers might not be aware of, and also post links using bit.ly to my followers about stories from industry sources like WWD that I think they might find interesting. Avoid posting each and every one of your blog posts on Twitter. If people want to read your blog, they’ll read your blog. Too many blog feed posts feel like spam. Choose wisely.
7) Keep blog posts short. (A post like this is, of course, an exception…but in general, the sheer wall of text would make my head spin!) Wordiness is fabulous on a political site. On a beauty site…not so much. If you have a longer post with lots of text or many photos, use the “read more” link to bottom-load the post after the jump. Keep the main page of your site clean. Piggybacking off of point number 4, more posts with fewer text is a good rule-of-thumb; it’ll keep readers jumping from one post to another. Just make sure you have something to say. A post with a photo that says, for example, “I like her hair” doesn’t really add value to anybody.
8 ) Avoid becoming a “Me, too!” blog. There are millions of blogs out there, and most of them don’t say anything unique; they’re exercises in naval-gazing. Think of your blog as your personal magazine. It’s your (oof, I hate to use this clichéd word…) brand. Blogs have become a form of online resumé for prospective employers. You’re saying: “This is what I’m interested in, and this is how I write. You’d be foolish not to hire me!” Think of your blog from an outsider perspective: what makes it unique? What makes it different from the other blogs out there? Why would somebody come to your blog when there are millions of others to choose from?
I’m excited for you! As a writer, creating a new blog is an excellent choice considering that magazines and the publishing industry are foundering. I personally don’t think that traditional media–books, magazines, newspapers–will vanish in our lifetime, but they are undergoing major crises, and the lack of available jobs shouldn’t stop you from showing the world who you are and what you are capable of. Write it up…and have fun!
Xo, Nadine
Tags: blogging tips, how to create your own blog
11 Responses to “Eight Steps for Creating Your Own Blog”
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June 17th, 2009 at 11:43 am
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH. i dont know how to make a distinctive voice. i just do what i love. check it out?
June 17th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
Doing what you love is important: passion is crucial! Implementing some of the tips above will simply strengthen your blog.
June 17th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
Thanks for the tips Nadine! Maintaining a blog does take a lot of time, but I love it. I never thought I would love writing until my last class in college, which was a writing class requirement. Having a blog with a focus allows me to practice not just writing, but overall communication skills. That’s something I don’t get to use often in my day job, but it’s such a critical skill to have.
Now back to think of more ways to write, “this is so bleghhhh”
June 17th, 2009 at 7:01 pm
Those are very helpful tips. I have fledgling blog of my own that I’m trying to build up. And right now, it’s my only outlet to write about what I love. However, I need to work on posting more often. I just find that when I do write a post, it takes me about an hour even if it’s a short one. I think it’s because I spend too much time trying to fix the font, spacing and what not. I think I’m going to check out Wordpress, which I’ve heard is very user-friendly.
Also, what are some good ways to gain more readership for your blog if you’re relatively new to the blogging scene?
June 19th, 2009 at 10:09 am
Great post, Jolie! I’m going to post it on my tweet @mymakeupblog
June 19th, 2009 at 11:25 pm
Great post and great tips. Thanks!
June 30th, 2009 at 8:05 pm
Hey! Thanks for the tips. I just started my own blog and your right it’s a lot of work! But I’m really passionate about what I’m writing (wellness/nutrition) Check it out : )
http://peacelovenutrition.wordpress.com/
November 2nd, 2009 at 6:24 pm
Hi there! I just discovered your blog and I am so excited! Thank you so much for these tips. I recently started blogging and your advice is very useful. Following your suggestins, I just created my twitter account – @brunetteandpink – never thought I would do it!
November 7th, 2009 at 11:18 pm
This is amazing advice! I started my own beauty and food blog, Beauty and the Feast, and I feel like every night I’m exploding with ideas but I’m realizing just HOW much work it is to keep up with all the information out there (while TRYING to stay original), so kudos to you! I think your blog is great, and I’m loving all the tips!
November 8th, 2009 at 6:56 pm
I just found your blog today and I’m loving it. I have my own little blog, but your tips will really help me focus on making it better. I too, seem to have trouble making my own distinctive voice and finding an angle that hasn’t already been covered. I really don’t want to be a “Me Too!” blog. I’m just trying to share what I love and what I’m learning as I learn it. I’ve been thinking of setting up a Twitter account, so I guess that is next on my list. Thanks for all the great tips.
November 9th, 2009 at 12:35 pm
Thank you for the tips! We’re using many of them over at Painted Ladies, which is a new-er beauty blog out there.
I totally agree with you on the procrastination point!