I don't do a whole lot of super written out posts here (mainly because I'm not that great of a writer), but this is a subject matter I felt would be beneficial to share. Bare in mind, I am still fairly new to blogging and all of the following is merely based on observation (and a little from a Design degree). So here it goes....
How to attract your audience and spread your creativity more efficiently in the LifeStyle blogging world...
Always be aware of what attracts new readers. Know your audience. Yes, you may have readers that come back everyday and will look at whatever you post regardless of what it is, but a good portion of people coming to your page are new viewers. What normally attracts you to a new blog? Become aware of what pages you linger on and which you immediately X out of.
Dependent on the design, people are usually attracted to clean. If your blog has the appearance of order, structure, color coordination and an attractive banner, you will get a scroll down and maybe a new follower. Be sure to choose colors for your design that fit the overall tone of your blog. Choose complementary colors whenever possible. There's a reason they are called "complementary colors" and it's because our eye is drawn to those pairings. Our eyes unknowingly enjoy complementing colors. Be aware of this when you begin designing your blog layout.
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A small peek into my ever growing camera collection
Scrutinize your content. People love to see daily life and your cell phone pics from time to time, but new readers will want more than this. I know that when I get on a blog for the first time and the first three posts are poor quality cell phone shots with a story about their day, I usually click off. Nothing personal at all, but I don't know them and I am looking for an interesting subject matter or post when I get on a new blog. Something that catches my eye! Once I'm an avid follower, I WANT to see those personal posts from time to time. Just try to keep a healthy balance between posts such as these. :)
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My tiny toy collection
Pictures really do matter. Even if you don't have a fancy-schmancy camera, you can still follow basic principles for attractive images. Having attractive high quality images is truly important to grabbing new readers attention. Want to learn a few basics about getting attractive images even with a cheaper camera? Stay tuned for next week as I go through some basic steps to improving your images! I can guarantee that new viewers will begin popping up more as your photographs of life, food, fashion, etc. begin to improve!
People don't like to read long masses of text in general. ESPECIALLY new readers. Just as in postings of your everyday life, take into consideration how often or when you are creating posts that include long and full text. If the headline is grabbing, you may receive a lot of reads, but in general, this will not catch the eye of new readers. Want to write to get people to read? Include a photograph that relates to the topic at hand. Or maybe several photographs. Make sure you break up your paragraphs with either pictures or big spaces in between. This gives people the illusion of reading less. It will also make people interested to see what is written about said photograph. Another little hint I learned in Typography class, italicized type is easier and more pleasing to read when set apart.
People will be more likely to read it if it's in italics.
Also, people will want to read smaller type when set apart because it makes you feel like you are reading less...
Original content. This is so key as the lifestyle-blogging world is ever growing! What are you going to do that stands out? What can you post that stands out? Though I love Inspiration posts, Wishlists Wednesdays or Things I Love Thursdays, etc. etc. etc., those posts in general display little to no original content. They are fun and I would strongly suggest some kind of themed post like this to draw people's attention to things you love or recognize from all over the interwebs, however, this info can be found on a dozen or more other blogs. If your blog is heavily focused on "your finds on pinterest" or "wishlists" with images that are not your own, people will get bored. They want to know that when they get on your blog, there will be info they won't see anywhere else. Images they won't see anywhere else. DIYs they won't see anywhere else, etc.
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My favorite shoes
Don't oversaturate your blog with other content (this being a very similar but different point from the last). I have found that so many blogs I have followed became over populated with "other people's" content. Whether it be guest posts, interviews, giveaways or flat out advertisement, at a point, it becomes a turn off to me. Now don't get me wrong, I love the occasional giveaway or guest post/interview (obviously), but it's so disappointing to see truly genuine, talented bloggers boggle down their own blogs with frequent unoriginal content and show less and less of themselves there. Your blog needs to have original content, your own words, and your own pictures. This is YOUR blog and they go to your page to see YOU and not everyone else. It's something I feel pretty strongly about and something I am noticing more and more of in the lifestyle blogging world. Limit yourself here. Instead of doing 3 sponsor interviews in a week, try 1. Instead of 2 giveaways back to back in a week, try doing it twice a month. Remember, this blog is a space for you! Share what you want, but remember that people come to the blog for you and no one else!
The most important thing I've noticed is to try not to compare your blog to everyone else's blogs. Make yourself constantly aware of what you love when you check out other blogs and then try to apply the same principle to your own. But if you start comparing actual content and simply follow the trends, then your blog will blend with the rest and be nothing significant to stand out.
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Self Portrait
So, in other words, I am still a baby blogger ( 9 months on Typepad now ), but I have noticed a lot in those 9 months. I hope that you don't take anything I say TOO seriously. I know there are always exceptions to all my points and if you want your blog to be something different than these points, AWESOME! In essence, the thing I've noticed the most is: Post what you love, make it look and sound appealing, always keep things exciting and don't just blend with the trends.
Hope some of this was helpful and if you have anything to insert or disagree with, just leave me a comment :) I'm all ears and still wanting desperately to learn more and more!
