Signedashlyn is two! It’s crazy and hard to believe that I started this blog two whole years ago. Last year, I did a post called “What I Learned in 1 Year of Blogging,” and that post did really well. If you haven’t read that post yet, you can read it here. I thought that it would be really fun to write another version of that blog and see what new things I have learned in this past year. A lot of what I wrote last year still very much holds true, but I wanted to add some more things that I have learned recently. I’ll add a quick disclaimer here and say that I am by no means an expert, still very much a beginner and still learning new things every day. There is really no right or wrong way to blog because it’s all up to you and what you want your blog to be. I hope this helps anyone who wants to start a blog of their own, or gives you a little more insight into the blogging world.

What I’ve Learned from Two Years of Blogging

1) Narrow it down

I’ve heard time and time again about choosing a niche when starting a blog. Time and time again I have not really taken that advice and just wrote about whatever I wanted to. Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with just writing for fun and posting whatever you want on your blog. That being said, if you want to be a blogger, and you want more people to read your blog, you have to start off with one very specific idea and then broaden from there once you start getting a steady stream of readers. I really wanted to narrow my blog down to just a travel blog (which is still a pretty broad idea but it’s a good place to start,) but that can be really hard in my position, which is a college student who is still trying to figure out what I want to do with my life. So, I have been trying to focus the blog towards people who are maybe in that same position as me, and it has really helped me to narrow things down. One really great example of someone who did a really good job of picking a niche and then expanding on that one idea is Anna Sitar (@annaxsitar). If you don’t know who this is, it is the girl who used to make all the Starbucks videos. She started off pretty much just making Starbucks videos and once she started gaining followers, she expanded to other things. Now, she has 10 million TikTok followers and 838K on Instagram. She is a great example of narrowing it down and expanding later.

2) Take advantage of all social medias

If you want your blog to grow, you have to have more than just the blog. Make an Instagram account, a TikTok, maybe even a Youtube. I personally think Instagram and TikTok are really great ones to use. Having other platforms is so important because you can promote different content on all your platforms. This is going to help you to grow.

3) Proofread, proofread and then proofread again

I am still working on this myself, but make sure to reread your work before you post it. The worst feeling is when you are reading through your blog once it is live and you catch a mistake. One tip I have for this is to type up your post on a word document first, print it out and then edit it with a pen. I learned this tip from an editor at my internship. We often miss typos when we are reading off a screen. Printing your work out and reading it that way will help you catch more of your errors. Another tip is to have someone read through your blog for you before you upload it. This could be anyone. A friend, a sibling, a boyfriend or girlfriend, a parent. The more eyes that see your work, the better.

4) Be interactive

This is so important and honestly one of my favorite parts of blogging. I personally find that the most interaction takes place on Instagram. There are so many bloggers out there that put out amazing blogs, amazing photos, great videos and overall just incredible content. If you love someone’s content, let them know! Comment on their Instagram post, share their video on your Instagram story, show them some support! It is so important for bloggers to support one another. I love when I get positive feedback on a photo I took, or when someone DM’s me asking a question or when people share my work on their stories. We can all learn so much from each other, so interact with other bloggers and let them know if you love their work!

5) Consistency is key, but consistency is hard

This is probably one of the most important things to remember and the hardest thing for me. When you are first starting out and trying to establish yourself, you have to be extremely consistent, and you have to keep that consistency going. Simply put, if you are not consistent on your social media platforms and your blog, people are going to stop following. It is vital to post on Instagram as much as you can and get blog posts up however often you set for yourself. This is extremely hard to do sometimes because, we are just so busy and can’t seem to find time to just sit down and write. But, if blogging is important to you, try to make it a priority and set realistic goals for yourself that you can reach. I am still very much working on this myself.

6) Don’t put up work you aren’t proud of

Even though it is important to be consistent and get your content out there, it is also super important to take your time and make sure you are putting up work that you are proud of. It shows when you rush through something, so make sure it is well thought out.

7) Practice your craft, practice new skills, keep improving

I think this is something that I have really learned this past year. You can always learn more, no matter how advanced you may be. On the other side of that, there are always new skills to be learned. With the communications/writing industry, there is so much to learn. There’s the writing side of things, there’s marketing, videography and photography, editing and so much more. Try everything and figure out what you like to do. Once you figure that out, learn as much as you possibly can. Today, there are so many resources out there to learn about different aspects of this industry with YouTube videos and things like that. Take advantage of all the free resources out there and keep learning. It will only benefit you in the long run.

8) Be confident

There’s not too much to say for this one. Be confident in what you do and who you are because you are amazing!

If you love to write and you want to start a blog, there is no better time than now. The reason I started mine in the first place was because my career advisor at school told me that it would be a good idea to start one since I didn’t have a whole lot of writing experience for my portfolio. Over the years in school, I started writing for a ton of different organizations and for internships and didn’t necessarily need the blog anymore. I kept it because I can write about whatever I choose to and it’s always been a fun thing for me to do. So whatever your reason for starting one may be, just go for it!

I hope you liked this blog and maybe even learned something from it! I have some really fun stuff coming up soon that I can’t wait to share with you. Lot’s of travel content is coming your way!

Signed,

Ashlyn