Top Four Tips For New Bloggers

Hello, and welcome. Yesterday was my five year blogging anniversary. Woo hoo!! So I thought I’d celebrate this monumental goal by sharing my top four tips. These are all things I wish I’d known at the start. But don’t let any of these tips overwhelm you; the most important step in becoming a blogger is to start. Many bloggers, myself included, have learnt through trial and error.

Tip number one: Know your audience.

Once you’ve decided what your content is going to be, include a brief bio on your About Page, outlining who you are, and what content your covering. Whether its about lifestyle, a travel journal, or writing, you’ll gain loyal readers by being consistent.

Tip number two: Write great content.

This is the most important tip. Once you’ve defined what your blog is going to be about, start crafting content that’s informative, helpful and engaging. And don’t forget to edit your post! Blogging should be written as if your having a chat with a friend… in your voice. Don’t be afraid to inject your personality into each post, readers will connect with your style and return for more. Finding your blogging voice takes time; it took me a year. So just relax, have fun, and I’m sure that energy will be picked up through your posts.

Tip number three: Include quality images.

Readers tend to scan posts, only stopping if something catches their eye. That’s why images are important, they grab views attention. Don’t forget to use images that are royalty-free, meaning the owner of the image won’t expect a fee.

My three favourite sites are: Unsplash, Pixabay and Pexels. On top of that, I create my header images in Canva: The app is super easy to use, and allows me to add text to my images. It offers a variety of templates, and some free images too.

Tip number four: The layout.

Remember, white space is your friend. Many readers will be viewing posts via their smart phones. Less is more: reams of text will be overwhelming, to readers, so keep your posts punchy and precise. Divide the page between images, text and headers. This allows readers to scan, to find the most relevant information and looks aesthetically pleasing.

So there you have it, my top tips to get you started on your blogging journey. To all my fellow bloggers, do you have a tip worth sharing? You’re tip might teach me something new, so please share it with me. Or are you a relatively new blogger? Come say hi, so I can checkout your blog. You know I love hearing from you.

Thanks for stopping by, until next time, Much Love.

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© Author Lorraine Ambers and http://www.lorraineambers.com, 2020.

Blogging, Social Media and Marketing.

Welcome, my wonderful readers, follower bloggers and writers. How we use social media is changing, how we market ourselves and our books is changing. In an industry that’s fast moving and constantly evolving it’s easy to get stuck. What used to work no longer brings results. In this post, I’ll share what works.

I’m back after taking a short hiatus from most of social media while me and my husband moved business premises. Our welding and fabrication unit is now located in the best of rural Wales, surrounded by beautiful countryside. It’s been a yearlong project and we’re both relieved and grateful to finally be set up and running. Phew.

I’ve had plenty of time while decorating to consider my approach to being a blogger and a writer. Media like Facebook has become a place that holds little engagement for me, whereas, Instagram and Twitter has become an interactive, positive place. But as the algorithms get updated, we must get savvy too. I love to watch YouTube clips to get the lowdown on what’s new and how to implement them.

photo credit: Social Media Marketing Mix via photopin (license)

Thankfully, my community of writers and bloggers has always been a supportive, caring place. The rules for blogging have remained the same; write great content, use amazing images, and most importantly – reach out to your fellow bloggers by reading their posts and commenting. Easy peezy.

If you’re considering becoming a blogger, know that you’re in good company. Having a website, a place where you can be authentic and creative, is a fantastic way to develop your brand and become established. Any content that you create on WordPress can be shared to a wide range of your social media accounts, making it a smart approach to marketing.

Finally, a step that I’m about to embark upon, is to learn how to market books. In the last three years that I’ve been blogging, I haven’t had to consider this yet, because I’m still in the query trenches with my manuscript. But one day, hopefully soon, I’ll have a published novel ready to market. And starting to implement a marketing strategy at that point will be too late. So fellow writers who are in the same boat as me, drafting, editing and querying, lets test out the waters and read posts, books and take marketing workshops so that we’re ready to go.

How do you cope with the ever changing demands of marketing? Please share your experience, you know I love hearing from you.

Thanks for stopping by, until next time, Much Love.

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© Author Lorraine Ambers and http://www.lorraineambers.com, 2019.

Top 3 Blogging tips

It’s my 2 year anniversary this week. Yay!!!

I’m so grateful to all my followers and readers. I’m truly humbled by this fantastic community. You’re all supportive, encouraging and willing to connect. And that’s a big deal for me. I adore being an author, spending hours at a time immersed in my imagination, but it’s vital for my sanity to know that you guys are just a few clicks away.

Here are my top 3 blogging tips that have helped on my journey so far…

1. Consistency. Be realistic with how often you can post. It’s all well and good having the intention of posting 3 times a week, but if life gets in the way blogging will be the first thing to slip. So be honest about how much time you can dedicate. I knew that after family and work commitments my writing came next. That’s why I choose to post once a week and its been maintainable. It’s also been rewarding, beyond my wildest dreams. I’ve made some great friends like Ari Meghlen. Her blog is full of writing, blogging and platform building tips. Check her out.

2. Connect.  This is a two-way network. So reach out to fellow bloggers. Read their posts and leave a comment, its more personal than simply liking a post. Although I love it when anyone clicks on the little star.

This week I’ve found two new beta readers K.M. Allen and Uninspired writers.  Ladies, welcome to my realm. Take a look at their fantasic blogs full of writing tips.

3. Schedule posts. This tip is for me too. I really need to take my own advice. Organise post in advance. That way when something unexpected crops up, you’re covered. It’s easy to do: Open post settings. Under Status, click on the arrow next to Publish Immediately and a calendar opens up. Then you can set a date and time. When you’re happy with your choice hit the blue Schedule button and you’re all set.

Alternatively, why not re-blog one of your fellow bloggers posts. It’s a great way to stay consistent with your blog and helps to build connections with your bloggers.

Do you have any great tips to share? Let me know in the comments, you know I love to hear from you. Till next time, Much Love. Xx

 

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© Author Lorraine Ambers and http://www.lorraineambers.com, 2018.