BloggingBlogging 101: Having a Standout Blog October 28, 2015 I’ve been thinking about this series forever, so it’s hard to believe that it’s coming to a close! There’s been a wealth of information on all things professional blogging and I’ve learned a ton from these other fabulous ladies. If you missed any previous posts, you can catch up by clicking below: For today’s fourth and final topic on Blogging 101, we’re talking about how to have a standout blog. I know that title may seem like it could fit some above, but this week, we really wanted to address qualities that make your blog get better and better and standout. Each blog is completely unique so for all five of us, this will probably look different. For me, there are a few key pieces to this that I’m currently focused on. I know I’ve touched on this one, but it’s crucial to this topic. Know your style. Know what makes you unique and share that in every single post. As I said in my Developing your Brand post, this was huge in choosing everything about my new blog before it launched. But it really is an everyday part of blogging for me. I’m always evaluating and re-evaluating what fits the brand and my style. I really seek to hone my content accordingly. My goal is for each piece of content that I put out there to have elements of my style woven in regardless of what the subject matter is. While I’ve gotten this down with decorating my home and sharing that, I’m really focusing now on bringing my personal style into all moments that I share on the blog, not just the home décor shots. I’ve found that for me, this has mattered more than anything else. The majority of my readers have said they’re here for my specific style: eclectic mixes with unique pattern and color pairings. I want to make sure that they’re getting bits of that every time I post and on all of my social channels. Having amazing style is great, but if you don’t focus on some of the “logistics” as I like to call them, your great content won’t resonate as well with readers. This is going to look different for every single one of us because you should have a unique voice. I’ve found that it is so important to find a writing style. For some bloggers, especially in certain niches, their style or voice is very to-the-point, no extras. They’re telling you how to do something and that’s it. I think that’s fine if that’s their goal. For me, I’ve always been about the story. My background was in writing long before design and I love a good story. I love reading one and I love telling one. This blog is as much about the words as it is the pictures, in my mind. That may be surprising because with a blog about style, you’d think the main focus was the pictures. And it is to an extent – those are important. But to me, style is personal. It’s woven into the very core of who we are. I can’t share that just through pictures. Really telling a story and writing inspiring content is something I’m passionate about and it’s a big focus of mine right now to work it into more of my posts, not just those dedicated to story-telling. This was an intentional decision that I made as I started my blog and that has been re-affirmed as I’ve honed it over the years. Many of you have responded not only to my style, but to how I tell my story. Think about your goals and your gifts. Go back to that mission statement we talked about in week 1 and really hone what kind of writing style fits that. What comes the most naturally is probably your answer! Are you like me and the issue is ALWAYS cutting down a post verses beefing it up? Do you love sharing the background, the why, the meaning? Make sure those goals are getting across in your writing. For me, this writing focus has really become a vehicle for my style to “be heard,” so to speak. I really don’t think my blog would be where it is with just the pictures. I once heard someone say that bloggers these days have to be professional photographers. While I’m definitely not that, I do see their point. If you can’t take really good pictures to showcase your content, it’s just not going to go as far. While your readers who love you may overlook those dark, blurry photos, you aren’t going to gain any new readers that way. One of my main goals in this third year of The White Buffalo is to really focus on my photography and take it up a notch. As I said, I’m no professional, but I have really focused in this area and have come along way. This is a photo that I took and shared on the blog back in my very early days (pre-White Buffalo). I knew nothing about photography. And can we just not talk about the fact that I’m standing in front of the mirror while snapping the photo?? While my style has evolved and changed, this really was a beautiful house, but that’s really lost in many of the photos I have of it. Let’s contrast that with one I took of our last dining room. Now, I look at this last photo and see the things I want to work on. But I have to take a step back and recognize that progress! So how did I go to the photo above to the latter with no classes or any kind of training? Well, like I said, I still have a lot to learn, but here are some quick tips. TURN OFF THE LIGHTS One of the main rules I learned was whenever you are photographing your home, turn off all lights. They make the space look too warm and they sort of create an unnatural glow. My one exception for this are Christmas lights! When I first heard this advice, I was dumbfounded because how in the world was everyone getting such bright pictures?! BRING IN THE NATURAL LIGHT I recognize many spaces are really limited with this, but the more natural light the better. Open windows, open the front door. Make sure you find the right time of day when that space is the sunniest. That’s usually morning for me, but based off of the sun, there’s always one or two that’s brighter in the afternoon. USE A GOOD CAMERA The “bad” photo above was taken with a really old automatic digital camera. There’s only so much you can do with that. I started using a DSLR and my pictures were immediately better, even before I learned about settings. I’m currently using a Canon Rebel T3i. USE AN EXTERNAL FLASH Learning about external flashes changed my life. This thing can brighten up the darkest of spaces and it’s really reasonably priced compared to others. I use a Neewer Flash. You’ll notice that the flash part itself can be turned to face a lot of different directions. I prefer to shoot it straight up to cast light even over the room rather than straight at what you’re photographing. That usually comes off harshly lit to me. LEARN TO SHOOT IN MANUAL MODE All of the things above really made a difference in my photos, but the big change came when I learned to shoot in manual mode. I know that I’m just barely scratching the surface on this one and I have a ton to learn, but I know enough to really get the light and noise down in my photos by adjusting my shutter speed, aperture, and iOS. I know a lot of bloggers shoot in raw and say that gets the best photos, but I’m not there yet. EDIT YOUR PHOTOS I’ve gotten to the point now with shooting in manual mode that I don’t always have to lighten photos, but before I learned that, I was editing my old digital camera photos and it made such a difference! It was still a far cry from where mine are today, but if you can lighten them up with a editing software of some sort, you’ll really see a difference. I use Photoshop, but there are a lot of great options out there. While all of these things have helped me to be a stronger blogger and I think they’ve helped me to stand out, I really credit my success so far to one idea. Having a standout blog literally means standing out above the rest. The only way to do that is by doing your thing. You’re 100% unique. There’s no one else like you in the world. So if you’re really searching deep in that creative soul of yours and doing your thing, you will stand out above the crowd. Don’t look side to side and do her thing. Do yours. While it sometimes takes me a little trial and error to figure out which direction I need to go with this, I do my best to be uniquely me and not be swayed by what the blogging masses are doing and I think that’s really helped me to be different. It’s really easy to have an idea and think, “No one else is doing that.” Well, that probably means it’s exactly what you should do! Thank y’all so much for following along with this series. I hope you’ve gotten some questions answered and have learned some helpful information! There’s no way that we can cover everything in this series, so please comment or e-mail with questions! I love starting conversations and learning from each other. Make sure you check out the other amazing posts today: withHEART Bliss at Home Sarah M. Dorsey Emily A. Clark
Sage @ Plaster & Disaster says October 28, 2015 at 8:39 pm Love this, and love the series! Your posts have been so full of great content so far, thank you! And I love your photo comparison. I actually did a post recently on how much blogging photography has changed and found some awesome photo comparisons from a few big name blogs — it’s so interesting to see how the whole industry has evolved alongside our individual talents! (feel free to check it out: http://www.plasteranddisaster.com/blogging-photography-my-how-youve-changed/) Thanks again for your awesome posts as part of this series! Reply
Lindsay says November 4, 2015 at 10:17 am Yes, it is, Sage! That’s a really cool post. It is crazy how blogs now have to be like a full-service magazine to succeed! It can be exhausting for sure, but I’m trying to let go of some of that pressure and just do what I love even if it means less growth. Reply
Sage @ Plaster & Disaster says November 5, 2015 at 8:13 am Thanks Lindsay, I’m glad you enjoyed the post! We were just blown away as we started to do the comparisons and thought: the industry should be talking about this! Even if we all keep pushing ourselves to be better and grow creatively, it’s a helpful reminder about how much the expectations have changed. Love your blog, so glad I came across it! Reply
Coco says October 29, 2015 at 5:38 am This series was totally awesome! I literally looked forward to Wednesdays just to see what you guys were going to say. Thanks so much for putting this all together and sharing your heart. It’s been so helpful, CoCo Reply
Lindsay says November 4, 2015 at 10:16 am Coco, that is awesome! I’m so glad that this series helped some people 🙂 Reply
Annie says October 29, 2015 at 7:52 am I have loved this series so much! Thank you so much for sharing all of your tips. Your posts have been both informative and inspiring! I have been following along all month but only got the time to comment on all of my favorites today! Thank you for sharing! Annie- All Things Big And Small Reply
Nancy says October 30, 2015 at 5:49 pm Thanks for pointing out that the writing & the story is important! I follow many blogs and I’m always disappointed with posts that are just a series of pictures grabbed from the web showing examples of a trend or style. Pictures are nice, but I come to blogs to learn what the writer thinks, likes and doesn’t like. Give me some context and I’ll keep coming back! Reply
Lindsay says November 4, 2015 at 10:15 am Nancy, I love hearing that! For me, the blog is as much or even more about writing than the pictures! Reply
Megan says November 2, 2015 at 2:26 pm I came over to check out the latest BSHT and then saw this series and got hooked. It was so good! So encouraging and great tips on being true to yourself. Thanks for sharing so much. You can really see your style shine thru all of your posts. I love the depth you share. Now I need to get focused!! Reply
Lindsay says November 4, 2015 at 10:13 am Thank you so much, Megan! I can’t tell you how much your words mean to me! I needed to hear that today 🙂 Glad you’re here! Reply
Jenn & Vicki @ 2 Bees in a Pod says November 4, 2015 at 5:44 pm This series has been so great and helpful! I did have a quick question for you on your photographs. Did you teach yourself or is there a resource you would recommend to help take better photos? I know that’s one area of our blog we’re really trying to focus on and I would love what you suggest. Thank you! Reply
Lindsay says November 5, 2015 at 8:59 am Great question! I just googled and then would try things out on the camera and see what different settings did to a shot. What I’ve learned is pretty basic Manual stuff that tons of resources will have info on! I know a lot of people recommend the Shoot Fly Shoot class and I’ve considered taking it! Reply
Aubrey Ballard says November 5, 2015 at 8:39 pm Lindsay- I know I’ve said this before, but thank you so much for participating in this series. You add so much, and your advice is very practical and doable. Also, the bit about the camera- that really hit home for me. I’ve been struggling with my 3-year old digital camera, and have been wanting to by an DSL for a long time, so hearing you say that about images is confirmation! Thanks again, talented lady! http://www.thedandyliar.com Reply
Lindsay says November 6, 2015 at 12:17 pm I am so glad, Aubrey!!! The best part about this job is encouraging and learning from each other 🙂 Reply
Tammy Rhodes says November 6, 2015 at 1:46 pm I really love this blogging series and adore your home! Just wondering if there was a particular editing program you like to use for your photos? Thanks so much! Reply
Lindsay says November 8, 2015 at 10:08 pm Tammy, I use and love Photoshop!! I know a lot of bloggers use and love it too, but also have heard others are good. PicMonkey, Lighroom, Elements…I haven’t tried any of them, but know bloggers who use it 🙂 Reply
Shawna Agajanian says November 24, 2015 at 12:49 am Fantastic series! I have learned so much from it. I love your style of writing and telling a story. I noticed throughout the series the different ways each of you wrote about the same topic. I originally started following the series because I follow another blogger that was a part of it but I kept coming back each week to read your posts… I have been trying to figure out what I want to do when I grow up (just turned 30 this year) and I have been thinking about blogging as a way to let my creativity flow. You have such great advice and really got me thinking about how I can convey my style and what my brand would be… Now I just need the time…… Reply
Lindsay says November 29, 2015 at 10:07 pm Shawna, I am so happy to hear that! I love it…though it does take a ton of time. But it’s a great way for me to use my creativity! Reply