Hey Everyone!
I’ve had a few personal messages of late from wonderful people just starting blogging. Just like many of you, they wonder what it’s like to be a beauty blogger and if I have any tips to start them off. So, I created this post to help everyone who wants to blog beauty, blog it well.
First off, it’s not as glamorous as most people think it is. They have this perception that beauty bloggers are vainpots with makeup stashes as tall as Mt. Everest. While the latter may be true for some of us, most of us work hard for what we do. If we do get invited to try something out say at a spa, we aren’t relaxing away and enjoying the moment, most of us will be thinking of what to say in our post the entire time and snapping awkward pictures of our facial here and there. We may get sponsored many products, but we also have to try them out before the PR companies come nudging back. However, it’s our love for all things beauty and the followers who read us that keep us coming back.
I’m sounding like I speak for everyone. Well, take it that this is what happens in my beauty blogging world, but it may not apply to all beauty bloggers.
Here are my top ten tips to beauty blogging:
Tip #1. Stay True to Your Values, Honesty Included
I always have a set of values I carry and keep in mind everywhere I go. And I very much believe in them too. Honesty, Integrity, and being true to oneself. Carry your values into your posts especially when reviewing products. Your blog will help many people and let’s hope that the information you’re publishing out there is true and that you have tried the products before you post up the review. As time passes and you become more popular, always keep your values in mind and don’t be afraid to say no. Your followers will thank you for it.
Tip #2. Don’t be afraid to be opinionated!
Blogging is all about publishing an opinion for all to see. And the beauty of it is that it’s your opinion. The reason why people read your blog is that you have an honest opinion and they want to know of it. If you feel strongly about something, don’t be afraid to say it. So what if the company comes back to you and emails you that they saw what you said, So? If that’s what you really feel, you shouldn’t be afraid to say it loud and proud.
Tip #3. Take Nice Pictures
Let’s face it. When we first land on a new blog, we scan the pictures first. Well, at least I do. Blogging, especially beauty blogging, faces an audience that is increasingly image loving. They love good pictures. Thus, having a great camera, great lighting and some kind of editing software to give it a boost really helps your blog. Take time to do your pictures. I spend a good 30 minutes or so doing pictures for a post to make sure that each picture tells a little story of what I want to say – whether it be a swatch, a tutorial or a point proven. Then I go on and edit the pictures (the lighting etc.) I don’t photoshop my pictures unless it’s really unwanted blemishes that are just painful to look at, and upload one by one to watermark them. It’s all worth it in the end though when you hit the “Create Post” button. It all looks so very rewarding.
Tip #4. Blogging is built on people with personalities. If you lack the personal touch, it will be hard for you to make it online.
I tweeted this last month because it came to me that your audience doesn’t just want to know you as a blogger, some sort of post generating machine, they want to know you as a real person that they can relate to and be friends with. That makes things easier. Just be yourself. Everyone has a type of personality and you can probably hear mine from my words. Have a twitter (http://www.twitter.com/roseannetangrs) and post what you do during the day, about the guy at the library everyday who you think is cute (*clears throat ;)), upload pictures of your food, I don’t know! It’s not very hard to be yourself. I’ve made so many friends with you, my followers, over my entire journey and I’m very thankful for that. Thank you.
TIp #5. Make friends & have name card
Sometimes the best thing about beauty blogging is being able to make friends with other beauty bloggers. When you’re with your everyday friends, it’s hard to ramble about makeup without them scratching their heads and changing the subject. When I’m out with the beauty bloggers, we can talk about make-up and just catch up on our lives. It’s so wonderful to make new friends this way and beautiful that everyone is so supportive of each other. This is actually one of the reasons why I can’t wait sometimes to go back to Singapore because I really do miss them!
I always say that you should keep a name card handy. You never know who you’re going to meet who’s going to ask you about what you do so it’s good to be prepared. On your name-card, besides the necessary graphics, add all your online links as well as your email address. I add my phone number but that’s a personal preference.
Tip #6. Thank Your Followers
I understand now that when Taylor Swift goes up to receive her award, she tells everyone that “I love you all so much, thank you so much for everything, you all mean so much to me,”. Well, not in those exact words and in no way am I equal to Taylor Swift. I’m probably a gruelling worm next to her. *Bows*. But, really. What is your blog without the people who read you. Be able to thank them when you can whether it be just words or in the form of personal letters when you send something or even lots of giveaways. You girls and guys really mean so much to me.
Tip #7. It’s your blog, be original. Don’t make it look like PR companies own you. Do what you want to do.
Sometimes people get caught up with all the events, get caught up with all the things that companies send over to them. When I go back to Singapore, my workload doubles. I get more sponsorships but with more sponsorships, I make sure I make and create an equal amount of original content. I rarely or never post a sponsored post upon a sponsored post. It makes my blog look cheap and makes it look like and advertisement so I make sure I achieve a balance. I love my blog more when it has my original content in it because it breathes “me”.
Tip #8. Hang in There – Long Term Rewards
When you first start blogging as with anyone, you’ll have no readers. When you first start anything, you’ll have no readers. So, just don’t care about that and keep blogging your content. Soon, people will find you and start reading you but sometimes you might give up in the beginning because you feel that it’s sort of pointless. You’re probably doing it for the wrong reason then. Blogging should be done if you enjoy the activity of posting up things, not the fact that you want people to read you. Not the fact that you want to get “famous”. You get it? Blogging, the activity itself, is enjoyable to me. Even if no one read my blog, I’d still be doing it. That’s when you know you’re a true blogger.
Tip #9. Utilize Social Media
Facebook, Twitter, YouTube are all avenues to connect to your readers even more than you ever can on your blog. A Facebook page is such a good tool to get to know your readers on a more personal level, address their concerns immediately and ask them what they want to see on your blog. You can also help more people on your Facebook page because you can upload beauty tips, mini reviews, looks of the day or just short snippits of beauty news, encouraging inspirational quotes. Anything really, it’s great! Of course, twitter helps you connect to your readers on a personal level. I guess they are interested in my very emotional rants. Haha.
Tip #10. Just close your eyes and imagine a beauty blog that you would love to read and then make it happen!
I do this all the time. My blog is a blog I love to read and it’s not to sound narcissistic or anything like that, it’s just that I’ve made it become my vision of what I think a good beauty blog should be like. I read my posts over and over again, not to proofread but because I like it. Why blog something that you wouldn’t personally like to read? Each post I put up on here means quality, not quantity and a lot of thought and effort goes into each post. Make your blog layout look visually appealing, make it balanced. Sometimes I see blogs with pictures not even centred, or way too big. It makes the blog hard to read. It’s only natural that I’m proud of them! I hope you’ll be proud of your future or existing beauty blog as well.
And there we have it!
Here are some “FAQ”s that I asked you on my facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/roseannetangrs):
I use a Canon S95 for my pictures and Picasa Editing (downloadable free from google) and then Picnic online to watermark my pictures individually. Good quality camera + good lighting = good pictures. My lighting comes from a very bright white light desk lamp that does very well :)
I have to say that you can’t really intentionally get bigger in the blogging world. It really just happens all of a sudden. I never blogged or YouTube-d to get popular or bigger. I did it because I loved doing it. I post pretty much every other day when I can. Not sure if I can keep on doing it during exam season though. I really should be studying even right now but I make time for it because my blog is important to me.
Nope! Just Picasa from google that you can download for free. I don’t really “photoshop my pictures”. I may remove a pimple or two because it’s not necessary for an eye tutorial to do a bit of clean-up but really nothing at all drastic.
Well nothing that’s different from domestic giveaways :) I do pay for all the international shipping fees to ship the parcel overseas. It can get expensive, yes. But I don’t see any other way! :(
You can’t really get people to read your blog. They sort of find you and if you have quality content, they’ll keep reading it. :)
Make your blog have “you” in it. My blog is what I love reading as a beauty blog personally and it’s very much “me”. Since everyone is different, you’ll have different beauty blogs. I also I guess really show everyone how to apply the product and a more step by step approach that makes me a bit different. I do put also effort into my writing even if writing pretty much comes natural to me. I love it!
Haha. I don’t know if this is relevant to this but you can check out my contouring post here: http://roseannebeauty.onsugar.com/How-Contour-Highlight-Apply-Blush-12582442
Well I just ask myself if I would read it and if I would, then there we have it. I also ask people on my facebook page sometimes to see what they want to read about.
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I hope you enjoyed this post!
Are you a beauty blogger and what are your beauty blogging tips?
Love,
Roseanne