Shirt: c/o Chicnova; Dress worn as skirt: Forever 21 (similar); Shoes: Asos c/o Chippmunk; Necklace: Lola James
Every once in a while, a stray email pops up in my inbox from someone I don't know asking me a few questions about my blog. Without a doubt, each one is asking the million dollar question: how do I grow my blog? And if you read between the lines, it's: how do I get free stuff? Fast.
You can google this topic and a million articles pop up. Every blogger has written about the subject before, because it's been on everyone's mind (vocalized or not). There's nothing more depressing in the blogging world than watching your GFC widget stay at the same number for a week or two or three (well maybe getting your twitter hacked...). It's hard to watch others receive campaigns and products and be able to quit their jobs to blog full time while you're seemingly stuck. But I don't think most of the responses I've read to this question have been much help. They sound the same: pay someone to design your blog/place advertisements, be original and have a voice that no one else does, make your blog visually appealing. Blah blah blah. Sure, those are great tips. But it's not the whole story.
What they're not saying is that you have to LOVE blogging. All caps love it. It's like a relationship. If you feel wishy washy about your significant other, it's not going to last. You're going to fight, lose interest, quit. Then find a new one. And carry on and on until it finally works. If you feel wishy washy about blogging, you're going to lapse, quit. Then find a new hobby. And carry on until it finally works. Because it's not easy to blog. It's not always fun, in fact sometimes it downright sucks and is stressful. It's really hard work (like a relationship) and you have your ups and downs and fights with Blogger's editing functions. And you threaten to quit and plan and restructure and redesign and eventually fall asleep happy together again.
It seems so easy when you first start. The domain name is cheap. The host is free. You have a point-and-shoot or DSLR. You have clothes and you like them. Bam. Done. But if you only like that camera and those clothes and blogging one day a week, you're going to lose an attentive fan base. If you decide one day that taking the photos is not as easy as Polyvore, you're going to lose interest pretty quickly. It's just not as interesting to see clothes laid flat than clothes on a living breathing shape. If you decide that finding other blogs and remaining loyal to them is too much work, they're going to decide that keeping up with you is too much work as well.
There are exceptions to these rules if you're a) a celebrity, b) so beautiful that people are googling your name just to find more photos of you, c) so crafty that you're the next Martha Stewart, or d) can bake such beautiful cakes that someone will wait weeks for your next post. But I'm guessing that if you're reading my blog on blogging, you're none of the above... so you're going to have to love it or leave it. And until you realize that this is a long-term commitment you're so excited to make - you can't have a successful, well-loved blog and you're probably not going to get a lot of free stuff. ;)
Linking up with WIWW.