My One Year Blogging Anniversary♥

On Friday 10th April 2015, my blog will be one year old! I posted my first ever post a year ago that day, and that post is still up actually! Over the past year, I've learnt things about blogging, which I thought I'd share with you, whether you're a blogger, an aspiring blogger or just a regular reader of my blog. In no means am I an expert blogger, this is just what I find is best for my blog. I've also got a little Q&A at the bottom! This post is a little different, but enjoy!

1. Be Unique.

This is definitely the most important part of blogging. I'm a beauty blogger, and there's millions upon millions of other beauty blogs out there, so for mine to be noticed, I have to have unique content. Whether that's unique with photos, blog layout etc, it's best to be different for people to find your blog interesting. Are you telling me someone's wanting to read 10 blog posts reviewing the exact same products and basically saying the same thing?

2. Blog about what you want.

Every single time that a make-up brand brings out a new product, there's a guarantee that a huge majority of beauty bloggers will review that. Don't feel pressured to review it as well! Of course you can review it whenever you want, but don't blog about it just because everyone else is. Blog about it in your own time. If you're wanting to blog about a make-up item which everyone raved about years ago, go for it! Chances are there's new people out there looking for reviews on it! It's your blog - blog what you want!

3. Don't be afraid to show off your content.

Now talking from personal experience, I was nervous to what everyone would think. I didn't really tell anyone about my blog, which is silly, because my blog wouldn't have grown this much if nobody knew! I promote and share my blog on all my social media (which is always linked at the bottom of my posts.) People are usually glad to find new blogs to read, well I know I am. By sharing your blog, you're a) increasing views and b) helping people find your blog. It's a win win situation for everyone!

4. It's not all about the number.

By saying number, I mean amount of views each post gets and total number of pageviews. I think this is a point which people get worried over. Blogging is NOT all about the numbers you receive. Of course it's nice to see your blog grow, which it does over time. trust me. For me, blogging is something I do because I enjoy it, and I love sharing the products I love with people to help them find new products. I've had my blog for almost a year, and I have over 13,000 page views. It takes time to grow your blog!

5. Enjoy what you do!

This is probably the most important part of blogging. Whether you blog about beauty, fashion, food etc, enjoy what you do. It's like the quote, "Do what you love and love what you do". If you don't enjoy blogging, then why do it?

Instagram Question & Answer

@bearbeauty00 

 What made you want to start blogging?

I started blogging simply because I wanted to share products I love with other beauty lovers!

@_bekka_b00

Who is your favourite blogger?

Oh that's so hard! I've lately found some amazing new blogs which I love. A few of my favourite blogs are : Raspberrykiss, Shy Nature, Magpie Jasmine, FashStyleLiv and The Perks Of Mollie Quirk.

@wallfl0wers

What blogs inspire you?

Basically all the blogs I mentioned above! All the blogs I read inspire me, but three of them are definitely : The Sunday Girl, Fleur De Force and GabriellaLovesxo.

@uni._.rns

How did you design your blog?

All I did was choose a layout design from blogger and then changed the settings around to what I liked and chose a pink background! Simple really!

@heyzono

What's your favourite thing about blogging? (For example, helping people make good make-up choices or taking photos or having an excuse to buy new things).

Definitely knowing that people like my content, especially when they leave me comments - I love comments! I think that having the excuse to buy new make-up as well, although I've been quite good and haven't bought any in ages! I also like giving recommendations to people who are looking for new products. Another thing is collaborating. I've done a few collabs with some fabulous bloggers and it's so fun!

@xits_mollyx

What has been the hardest thing about blogging for you personally?

I think sharing my blog to people. I was worried of what people would think, as are many bloggers at first. But now, I look back and think, why was I so scared? There's nothing wrong with having a blog. It's something I love doing, so there isn't any point about being nervous! I have the most amazing people who support me for having a blog and I'm so grateful. I often have people ask me about my blog in confidence, and even tell me they're thinking of buying a product which I reviewed, it's a good feeling knowing I've gave them a good impression on the product!

Emma❤

What's the most satisfying thing about blogging for you personally?

Like I said above, probably helping people find new products to try!

Would you ever consider YouTube if enough people requested you to do so?

Oh, I don't know! I like the whole aspect of sitting down and typing, otherwise if I was to film, I'd most likely get tongue-tied!

Where do you see your blog in 5 years time?

I'd like to still be blogging! If I am, I hope my blog has grown lots!

@floralblogger

What do you use to take photos?

The camera I use is the Olympus VG-170!

How did you gain followers and views?

I share my blog on all my social media, read other people's blogs and comment, and I follow people and they sometimes follow back.

@bumblebeezoe

Any tips for new bloggers?

I'd pretty much just say all the steps I said above; be unique, blog about what you want, don't be afraid to share your content, it's not all about the number and enjoy doing it! For me, I would also say have a schedule. You can dedicate one day for a post to go up, like me, or post one a week, but let your readers know you blog once/twice a week. By informing your readers on your ideas, people will check back each week/that day to see if there's a new post.

A question a lot of people often ask - working with brands. It's definitely something which takes time to gradually happen. I first got the opportunity to work with the lovely Lee Stafford back in January. Since then, I've worked with a few brands. I think you should have your blog for almost a year before considering doing it. Brands are interested in how many pageviews you have, so it's a good idea to have quite a high number. I was the one to contact the brand myself, since there's so many blogs, they might not look through them all. People often think it's not a good idea, but I've worked with brands by contacting them myself. However, please, do not just email the brand in the hope of "free items". They're doing it for you to share their products on the blog. The brand have to earn trust in you!

This is just from my own personal experience. Each and every blogger is different and has experienced something different. I've only blogged for a year, but my blog has grown so much - over 13,000 pageviews, 100 bloglovin followers, 1900+ Instagram followers and 200+ twitter followers. Thank you all so much! 

I hope this post has given you an insight into blogging. If you're interested, then I think you should go for it!

Do you have a blog? Or are you thinking about starting one? Leave me a comment, as well as your link so I can check out your blog!