Blogging Tips: A Guide On Making Your Blog Successful - Celebrating 6 Years of What Lexie Loves

Hey hey hey! Yesterday was a very special day for What Lexie Loves, because it was my blog's 6th birthday. This is absolutely craaaazy for me, and I cannot believe how long it's been since I started What Lexie Loves. So to celebrate the blogiversary, I wanted to make a little list of blogging tips that I have learnt. Now, I'm not some blogging expert, but I like to think that I have learnt a thing or two over the last 6 years.

1. Having friends within the blogging community is so valuable.

You have to be so careful when making friends online, particularly if you're a child. However, if you go about it carefully, do not underestimate how valuable having blogger friends is. Firstly, it genuinely makes it more enjoyable. I have made some amazing friends, and although most have now quit blogging, they are people I truly treasure. Huge shoutout to Noor who was a close friend of mine for the longest time, and who I really do miss on this platform. Also, having your own personal cheerleader to read all your posts, share them and give you advice is really beneficial. Finally, guest posting on someone else's blog is a great way to gain genuine new readers.

2. Writing 'tongue-in-cheek' is a good thing, not a bad thing.

A lot of bloggers write really formally, as if it's an essay for school. Now if this is your writing style, go for it, but don't be afraid to make your blog more chatty and informal. Some of my favourite blogs are the ones where the writing feels more natural, so in my opinion, writing tongue-in-cheek is a positive thing.

3. Grammar is important.

That being said, I think grammar is important - particularly if you want to monetize your blog one day. We all make the odd spelling error on our blogs, and there's nothing wrong with that. However, in my experience, any blog that has consistent spelling errors, and is missing punctuation, is a blog I don't want to read. Of course everyone's different and it's your blog, so write it how you want, but my advice is please do check your posts and remember the importance of good grammar.

4. Hustle. Hustle. Hustle.

A lot of bloggers will talk about companies emailing them and sending them free stuff out of the blue. Now as your blog grows, this will happen, but don't be afraid to hustle yourself. My best opportunities have come out of emailing companies myself, instead of waiting for them to approach me. I'm not going to list every blogging opportunity I have had, but I will be blunt with you all and say that I have had two all-expenses paid stays at luxury hotels, and I emailed them. There is nothing wrong with recognizing your worth as a blogger, and writing a pitch to a business - 9 times out of 10 you'll get shot down, but it's all worth it in the end.

5. Social media takes time but can be your best friend if used well.

Having social media accounts for your blog can be so beneficial to growing your following. I have an Instagram which I love to work on, and most other bloggers I know also run Instagram accounts. These do help grow a following, but they take a lot of time for it to be worthwhile. From my experience I actually believe Twitter is the most beneficial social media. I rarely use Twitter these days, but when I do, I often find that lots of people will click through to my blog. Take part in Twitter chats that accounts such as @BloggerLS run weekly - these are fab ways to find new bloggers. Twitter is also great for finding brands to work with. Go on Twitter and scroll through the hashtags #prrequest #bloggerrequest and #bloggersrequired - you'll find loads of businesses who are looking for bloggers who can promote their products.

Those are my 5 top tips for bloggers. Once again, I'm not trying to say I am the queen of blogging or anything, I just wanted to share a few things that I've learnt. If you are a new blogger and want any more advice, feel free to drop me an email at whatlexieloves@gmail.com, or leave a comment below! Cannot believe I've been committed to What Lexie Loves for 6 years - thank you to all of you for supporting WLL, this blog truly has changed my life and I couldn't be more grateful.


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