Blogging isn't a business for me, and I'm (finally) okay with that

I've been struggling with the world of blogging for a few months now, and it really boils down to one thing: I stopped writing because I was passionate and got into this mindset of 'wow I want to be the next Hannah Gale' (no shade to her, because she is my QUEEN). And I mean, it's great to have goals, but I spent a whole lot of time thinking about my blog as a business: focusing on the numbers (and nothing else), looking for ways to make money, and trying to work out best how to market it. 

How using spreadsheets changed the way I blog

I bloody love spreadsheets. I'm not sure if it's the thrill of being able to do maths quickly on them (it's a bit of a rollercoaster tbh) or the fact that it makes me feel somewhat organised in life, but me and Excel have a bit of a fancy love affair going on. Soz word, but you're a bit too much of a basic bitch nowadays. 

What to do when you run out of blog post ideas

I think we all go through periods where thinking up new content gets trickier than normal. Whether you're not happy with your current content, and don't know what direction to take new posts in, or if you've just got a case of blogger's block, it happens to us all. 

3 bloggers whose content I'm loving right now

This year I really want to get back into reading more blogs. I mean, I'm pretty sure I say this every time I write one of these posts, BUT THIS TIME I'M GOING TO REALLY DO IT, OKAY? (Possibly). Having said that, I wasn't *exactly* brill at it in January, but in the last week or so I've totally binged out on reading a whole tonne of posts from new people I've followed recently, and bloggers that I've been following and loving for yonks.
First up is Aimee from Aimee Raindrop Writes. This girl is one of my fave internet turned IRL pals and heading out for coffee and a catch up is one of my highlights every month or so! Aimee's blog has started to get a bit more personal recently, and she's touched on a really important topic in her post about what happens when pregnancy hopes don't go to plan. I had a big ol read of pretty much everything she's posted in the last month recently, and I came away geared up to buy so many new books.  
Next is Shannon from That Daring Darling. Not only is she a librarian(! - literally the dream), but her recent bookish tag post is everything I've ever wanted in a tag. Which reminds me that I really want to do it soon. It's an A-Z book tag that covers so much and I absolutely devoured the post. I had to follow Shannon after reading it, and now I can't wait for more bookish posts. 
And finally we have Kerstin from Miss Getaway. Her post on why we should stop judging people in 2018 is my favourite post I've read so far this year. It was a much-needed reminder to me that I really am too quick to judge at times, and that I need to rein it in and lift people up instead. This is another blogger whose content I'm really excited to keep up with for the rest of the year. 
Whose blogs have you been loving recently?
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4 bloggers whose content I've been loving this month

I've been feeling a little 'meh' about writing a blog post over the last few days because I've dipped into an anxiety-ridden rut. So, I figured there's no better way to get back into the swing of things than to catch up on a tonne of blogs, both old favourites and new ones I've found, to take a look at what I've been loving over the last month or so.

8 quick and easy ways to support other bloggers

There's been so much hate and nastiness in the online blogging community recently; it feels as though I can't log on to twitter without seeing a series of subtweets about a blogger's recent post or Youtube video. So, today I thought I'd share the love a bit with this post on some really quick and easy ways to support your fellow bloggers. Let's spread the love, not the hate!
1.) If you love a post of theirs, send out a tweet about it. Let them know that you're reading their work and share it with your followers.
2.) Pin their images. I get so much inspo from other bloggers' images, so I pin them to beauty boards, photography boards or straight up blogging inspiration boards. 
3.) Like their Instagram posts. IG sucks at the moment in my opinion. Everyone's engagement is down and it's basically impossible to gain a reasonable number of followers anymore. Scroll through your timeline for a few minutes and give a lil double tap to all the bloggers you love.
4.) If you find a blogger you love, follow them on their social media pages as well as bloglovin. There's SO many blogs that I read that I only recently noticed I wasn't even following on Twitter. If you love them, help them boost their growth.
5.) Support #AD or #Spon posts. Just a quick RT or a two minute read of a post can help boost engagement so they can feel fab about the post they've written.
6.) #Follow Fridays. I suck at doing this, but I always feel so happy and supported when someone does it to me, so I'm determined to do it more often.
7.) Do a monthly roundup of all the bloggers and posts you've been loving. It will make someone's day, and I love both reading them and making them to find new bloggers to follow.
8.) Leave a comment on their post. I know it's a little 'old school' in the blogging world, but everyone breaks out into a smile when they get a nice, thoughtful comment on a post.
What else would you add to the list? Follow me on Bloglovin | Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | Facebook

Am I Falling Out of Love With Blogging?

 

I'm a quitter. I have been all my life. There was the month in which I learned guitar, my dabbling in Ancient Greek (what a cool kid), those few months in which I was obsessed with the idea of doing gymnastics and about ten thousand other hobbies that I took up and dropped with a few days, weeks or months. But for some reason, blogging has stuck with me. It's the only hobby that I've kept up and continued for over a year because I bloody love it. Or did, I'm not so sure anymore.
I've been avoiding writing this post for a few weeks because writing it down kinda meant admitting it (does anyone else get this?), but I like to be open on here, and hiding away from how I feel is just going to make my content distanced and impersonal.
In the past few days I've actually begun to feel like I'm getting my mojo back a little bit, but this month has been full of ups and downs in my blogging experience. I seem to have gotten a zillion emails offering cool brand collaborations, only for them to include follow links, no payment, and sometimes even no product. Some were really random, filled with things you guys would never be interested in, or the usual obscure infographics. I even got offered a box of fucking teabags in exchange for an entire blog post and SM posts, because the PR company had 'no budget' for their campaign. I've heard the words 'no budget' so many times this month that it seems unreal. And the worst part? As much as I tell myself it shouldn't happen, I know a newer blogger to the scene would jump at the chance of a freebie or two, so the PR person would still get their campaign sorted, just without me.
I found myself thinking about whether you guys would like to read a post on teabags (albeit special matcha green tea ones, oooh) before considering whether I'd actually enjoy writing it. And I think for me that's where things have gone a little wrong. I considered the fact that it'd bring in low page views before the fact that I'd be doing a good two hours of free work for a PR company. 
My obsession with numbers at the moment has been extreme. Slow growth is a failure, or at least that's what I've been telling myself. And it's even worse when, with a cheeky little purchase, someone gains three times as many followers in ten minutes as I've gained in the last year. But I don't want to have to look back and think that I've bought my way up, and I like genuinely engaging with you guys. I don't want to tweet to a load of bots and have no one actually care about what I'm saying. 
I'm not going to say that when I started blogging things in general were a lot simpler. They weren't, but I was oblivious to a lot of the complexities. Now even when I'm not writing, I'm scheduling content months in advance, thinking of witty tweets to pop onto Buffer to go out during the day, and wondering why I'm wasting my energy doing anything that isn't blogging-related. It shouldn't be like that. I feel a little bit like I'm back at uni again: everyone seems to be doing more and getting further ahead, whilst I'm left trailing behind. 
At the beginning of March I was faced with a dilemma: what do I do with my blog whilst on holiday for most of April? Do I write a post every single day in March so that I have content prepared, ready to publish? Or do I wing it and try to write on holiday? It took me a good fortnight to even consider not publishing new content whilst I'm away, but that's what I've decided to do now. My blogging schedule for Florida is officially cleared. I'll be on Instagram and twitter whenever I feel like it (obvs) and I'm sure I'll think of a buttload of new content whilst I'm out there, but the important thing is that there will be no pressure. I can spend my time chilling by the pool, not hunched over my laptop, forcing content that won't come because I'd rather be somewhere else. I know by the end of the break I'll be itching to get writing again, but that's what it should all be about, right? 
So, goodbye for now - I'll see you soon with posts that feel a bit more me!
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3 Bloggers Whose Content I'm Loving This Month

This is now the third installment in my little 'share the love' series (you can check out the last one here). This month, things have been pretty darn hectic. I've been doing a zillion shifts to save for going to Florida in a fortnight, eeeek. So, I haven't had too much time to read a whole load of blog posts, but, amongst the ones I did read, these beauties shone out so much!
First up is Samantha Jayne, whose blog is titled under the same name. It's rare that I save two of a blogger's posts on Bloglovin' to come back to within the same month, but I've just been loving her beauty content. My absolute favourite read of hers this month was a post all about some scrummy-sounding bubble baths from Treacle Moon. I've seen this brand a zillion times and always glossed over them, BUT I didn't know that they did warm cookie dough scented goodies. I mean, what could be better?!
Next up is Gwennan from Twenty Something Meltdown. Apart from being one of the nicest bloggers I've ever spoken to, and a damn good illustrator (check out her Etsy shop here), she's also one of my favourite lifestyle bloggers at the moment. I've read so many posts on bullet journals before, and all of them have made me think 'that's not for me'. They've been too arty, or too sterile and I haven't seen anyone go through all of the content that might even seem a little tedious. But, Gwennan's post on her 2017 bullet journal made me fall in love with the idea of having one. I'm taking a fortnight off of everything when I go on holiday and I'm SO tempted to use this time to really get into bullet journalling. Safe to say I've bookmarked her post for reference.
And finally we have Fii, aka Little Miss Fii. Recently I've been obsessed with the idea of visiting South Korea. Partly because I found out you can ski there - how cool is that? Fii's recently moved over there, and so all of her posts are giving me some serious wanderlust at the moment. My absolute favourite so far has to be her post on visiting a meerkat cafe. I mean, I didn't even know they existed, but now I NEED to go to one. How cute would it be to sip on some green tea and watch the meerkats play? This is 100% on my bucket list now.
Which bloggers have you been loving this month?
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What is a 'DA' and how can I improve mine?

There are so many aspects of blogging that are useful to keep up to date with now. It feels like so long ago that it was sufficient to write something, throw in a quick snap and be done. There's Google Analytics to think about (vom), tweet scheduling, media kits, and what we're here to talk about today: DAs. I personally love this side of blogging, but I know most people hate it, so let's get down to business.

What does 'DA' mean?

39 Spring Blog Post Ideas

Spring is finally here (sort of), so I'm kick starting the season with a big ol' blogging brainstorm. Let's go!

5 Bloggers Whose Content I'm loving this month

Last month I did a lil round-up of 3 bloggers whose content I had fallen head over heels for in January. I enjoyed spreading this piece of love so much that I'm thinking it *might* become a regular feature here on Nourish ME. For now, at least, it's back for the second month in a row.

How to host a Twitter giveaway

I feel like the days of doing a cheeky ol' Rafflecopter on the blog and asking people to follow you on every single platform and put in all of their details are dying a little bit. Now, Twitter and Insta giveaways are taking over. You just have to click a couple of buttons and BOOM, no fuss, no fiddling, you've entered. I for one find them so much simpler and more tempting to get involved in.

How to revolutionise your blog using spreadsheets

I've read more 'how to improve your blog' posts than I care to admit. Most are full of the same old tripe: 'good photos', 'make interesting content'. These make me so angry; why am I wasting my time on this bull again? Having said that, I do tend to get lazy or forget them half the time, but let's gloss over that. Every so often, I come across a tip that completely changes the way I blog for the better. The advice to use spreadsheets to help with blog planning? That's probably the best example I have.

10 Crucial Blogging Tips I learnt in 2016

The world of blogging has changed so much since I started my lil' blog two years ago. Microblogging has started to be a thing that people adopt over 'traditional' blogging; the photography most bloggers put out there is insane and there's a few more expectations placed on the average blogger.
This time last year was the start of six months out of work for me for my mental health. Fighting my anxiety, trying not to relapse with self harm and still continue a normal daily life just got a whole lot too much. Thankfully I had a strong support system to help me out mentally and financially; without them I don't know what I would have done. 
I used some of the time I had to work on doing a buttload of research into how to improve my blog. At that time I was churning out random spur of the moment posts that I usually had to force myself to think of. My blogging was irregular, my photography was pretty awful, despite having a nice camera, and I wasn't interacting with other bloggers at all. Pinterest, 'how to blog' style posts and inspirational flatlays became my new best friends, and eventually I learnt some things which now I just wish I had spent the time looking into a year earlier. 
1.) Don't force content. If you're not interested in a post you're writing, then why the hell would your audience be? If you're stuck for inspo then take a week off, or a month off, or however long you need. Wait for your mojo to come back to you.
2.) Spreadsheets are your best friend. I'm thinking of doing a whole post on this one because it absolutely revolutionized the way I organise my blog. I have each month laid out, I fill in blog post ideas when they come to me, I can colour code things according to theme. It makes me feel pretty darn professional.
3.) Get your butt onto Pinterest, and make your blog post images pinnable! Pinterest is something that I've only got into this past year, but it's been so helpful. I've got a whole board on blog post ideas posts people have written, one for general blog aids and a whole load of pretty ones for general photography inspo. I always try to pin posts I've enjoyed reading, and it's so frustrating when you want to share that post via Pinterest and the blogger hasn't made their blog pin friendly! It's an extra platform to drive traffic to your blog from, and if you're lucky it can be really easy for a post to go viral on there. Check out my beginner's guide to using Pinterest if you're stuck. 
4.) A media kit is always useful to have on the back burner. Earlier this year a brand asked me for my media kit ... I didn't have one. Cue hours of panicked searches on 'how to make a good media kit' and 'what is a media kit?'. Even if you don't want to have it made public on your blog, it's just handy to have in case anyone asks for it. I've actually written a post on how to make one here. 
5.) Make your social media platforms recognisably linked to your blog. This was a hard one to word, and I'm sorry. What I mean in essence is to have a coherent 'branding' across them all, though I hate using that word. Having a similar handle or username on the different platforms that resonates with the name of your blog makes it much easier for other bloggers to remember who you are and connect with you on various types of social media. You could even extend this to do things like sharing your Instagram posts on Twitter and Facebook. That way you direct traffic between your social media accounts and you may gain a larger following/more views.
6.) Twitter chats are fab. My personal favourites are the #fblchat and #thegirlgang chat. These are usually filled with lots of positivity and inspiration. You can get to know a whole load of other bloggers through this, and it makes the whole process of sitting behind your laptop and writing feel a lot less lonely. There are a whole tonne of these chats out there, and you could probably sit in them all evening every evening, so it's best to give them all a whirl and see which ones you want to stick to.
7.) Get your own domain name. In case you don't know how to do this one (I didn't), then I've got a step by step guide on how to do it in this post. You know all of those Moz updates that people tweet about every month or so? You basically need a domain name to get involved in that. The Moz update shows how good your domain authority is. A lot of brands will only use bloggers in collaborations once they have their own domain, and some even insist on using bloggers with a certain domain or higher. I'm not saying you should just do this for the collabs, as it can also be a chance for a rebrand. I was a bit sick of my old blog address (http://nourishmeclean.blogspot.co.uk) because it just didn't fit with my brand anymore. Originally Nourish ME was all about clean eating and having a healthy diet, but as I moved away from that, the 'clean' part just seemed a bit odd. So, when I got my own domain it became www.nourishmeblog.co.uk.
8.) Update your old posts. Posts from a year or two or even longer ago can be pretty cringe. Rubbish photos, a tendency not to proofread and an incoherent format are all things that can be solved fairly easily. A little photo re-edit, some new wording, and maybe even a new title can make old content feel brand new. This is especially useful if you've run out of inspiration and don't want to make new content. 
9.) Try new things with photography. There's a massive line between being inspired by someone and simply stealing their style. If I'm stuck for Instagram or blog photo ideas, I tend to have a look at a few of my favourite bloggers' accounts to see what kind of props people are using at the moment, the kind of backgrounds that are popular, and to investigate how people are using diffferent types of lighting. If you've never tried a flatlay before, then why not give that a go? Or go out and take some landscape style photos. At the moment I'm working on building up flatlays to make them bigger and more detailed.
10.) Blog for yourself, not other people. This is an odd one I'll admit, but oh-so true. Your readers are important, obvs, but it'll become noticeable if the content you're making is something you're not interested in. Be passionate, be bold, and remember that you're the content creator here.
What blogging tips did you learn over the last year?
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25 Winter Blog Post Ideas

1.) Outerwear wishlist
2.) Embracing Hygge
3.) What to do on a cosy night in
4.) Favourite Christmas films
5.) Small interior accents to make your home winter-ready
6.) Hot chocolate recipe
7.) Mental health during the darker months
8.) How to get up in the mornings when it's dark
9.) Favourite homemade soup recipe
10.) 10 DIYs for Christmas
11.) What Christmas means to you
12.) Trying out new teas
13.) Top 5 favourite jumpers for the colder months
14.) Is Christmas too commercial?
15.) Favourite winter candles
16.) Winter reading list
17.) Ways to keep warm without turning the heating up
18.) Staying safe on the roads during adverse weather conditions
19.) Making gingerbread
20.) Dealing with the post-Christmas blues
21.) The perfect pair of heeled boots for Winter
22.) Budgeting for Christmas
23.) 10 outdoor activities you can still do during Winter
24.) Your Christmas eve routine
25.) Wintery FOTD
I tried to include a good range of general Winter posts as well as Christmassy ones, as I know that not everyone likes to celebrate it as much as me, hehe. I hope this helps with any blogger's block you might have at the moment!
What would you add to the list?
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25 Autumn Blog Post Ideas

1.) A smoky, coppery makeup look
2.) How your Instagram theme changes with the seasons
3.) Daily Autumn skincare regime
4.) An ASOS/Primark Autumn and Winter wear haul
5.) OOTD with chunky knits and ankle boots (of course)
6.) 10 favourite things to do in Autumn
7.) 10 things to do on a rainy day
8.) Tips on keeping your mood up when everything gets a bit gloomy
9.) A perfect Friday night in
10.) A LUSH Halloween/Christmas collection haul
11.) Starting/going back to uni/school/college: your experience
12.) A comfort food recipe, e.g. stew, pie, etc.
13.) A Bake Off inspired bake
14.) Current Netflix/TV favourites
15.) What to pack for an Autumn/Winter holiday
16.) Halloween house tour
17.) Pumpkin carving ideas
18.) A photo collection of nature's seasonal changes as we go into Autumn
19.) Updated hair care routine
20.) How to avoid lip and face chapping as the weather gets colder
21.) Autumn accessories. Think cute mittens, bobble hats and whatever you fancy!
22.) Top 5 Autumn lipsticks
23.) A Halloween makeup look/outfit
24.) Home style: how to update your decor for the colder months
25.) How to keep up with an exercise routine when the weather is rubbish
I really hope you found this post useful! What would you add? Follow me on Bloglovin | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Youtube

Things to consider before approaching an illustrator/web designer about blog redesign

I don't know about you, but I think about tweaking my blog design at least once a week ... or day. I got it redesigned way back in June 2015, so everything on here is pretty ancient. BUT, I do intend on getting things updated, and changed to exactly how I want them before the end of 2016. I just need to justify the expenditure first. God dammit.
So, this got me thinking all about what I learnt when I first got my blog redesigned, and it was totally different to what I was expecting. I was 95% clueless as to how these kind of things work when I first approached an illustrator and I am SO grateful that she held my hand all the way through and took baby steps whilst I was basically being an indecisive dick.
This is why I'm chatting to you all today: in an attempt to get rid of indecisive first timers, or old timers, and to remind me not to be a dick when I get my next redesign. There are things that you should definitely consider before approaching an illustrator or web designer, as if you go to them empty handed (and brained) you'll be wasting a whole tonne of both your time and theirs.
First up, think of how you actually want your blog to look. I know this sounds silly, and pretty darn obvious, but it can be a little overwhelming to think of it all in one go. So, start off with little things and build up. A colour scheme is always handy, and fairly easy to choose. If you don't really know where you want to go with that, whack on Paint (the old hero) and go through swatching colours on their colour wheel on a document. 
Once you've got a vague (or precise!) idea on a colour scheme, next up it might be nice to think what kind of style you would like. Illustrators will usually work with you on headers, logos and watermarks, whereas web designers can change everything for you. I went with a web designer and got everything sorted in one hit, including my header, buttons, logo, pages tabs, profile image, colouring, etc etc. It was pretty darn pricey to do though. 
With your header, it's nice to think about what kind of style you would like: are you looking for something floral? Or seasonal (those Autumn leaves though, damnn)? Or girly? Or bold? Start there and work until you get a more finite idea of what you want. For example, I worked out that I wanted a mandala, a blue and yellow design and girly, flowing writing. I then went from there with the web designer, but it took me far too long to get there!
An independent illustrator/blogger that some of you may know called Gemma Ellis was kind enough to let me interview her for this post to hear what things are like from the other end. You can find her blog here - please go and check it out! Here are her thoughts on illustrating a blog design:

What kind of services can an independent illustrator offer to a blogger?
It depends on the skills of said illustrator as they vary widely, but they can usually offer you a personalised blog header design, signature & watermark/logo. If they are also a web designer they'll likely be able to do all your coding and create buttons for you too, but generally these are two different professions.

What do you think someone should consider before approaching an illustrator about a redesign?
- Have a good idea of what you want! It's so frustrating for as a creative to get hired to do something and then be messed around by a client constantly changing how they want something to look. It's not fair on us when we spend a lot of time and effort on a design for you, for you to then turn around and say it's not what you wanted. Whilst we are the creatives, everyone likes different styles and an illustrator isn't psychic and knows exactly what you like, so you have to try and explain it to us in detail or show examples so that we get a good idea of what route to do down. It really helps!

Why should someone go with an independent illustrator over a big company?
- You're more likely to get something a little more unique and with more thought put into it. Big companies will more than likely have a lot of work coming in and you'll just be another client to add to the list. Independent illustrators usually have less work coming in which means they have more time to spend and will pay more attention to detail. Having more time also means that they'll be able to spend the time making various alterations for you until the design is how you want it.

Are there any tips you could give to someone who wants to redesign but doesn't actually know what they want?
- Look for inspo. Pinterest, Etsy and blogs you read and love (only to get inspiration!) Find a style you like the look of or want something similar to. That way when you approach an illustrator, you can leave it up to them but give them sort of an idea of how you want yours to look so they're not totally clueless and you end up with something you hate. When you're working with an illustrator or designer, especially online, it's all about those visuals.

Where is the best place for someone to find your work?
- Usually my portfolio website. I don't actually have any of my blog header designs uploaded yet but I'm going to get some up soon

Thank you so much Gemma for answering a lot of the questions I had and I'm sure other bloggers do too! You can find Gemma's twitter here if you have any questions about her work.

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10 Ways to Improve Your Blog Today

I'm always looking for something I can do to tweak my blog so that it becomes more appealing to readers, contains better content and eventually will start making a little profit (all about that side hustle). Over the past month or two I've been doing this almost daily, and I'm finally starting to see the results I've been wanting for months and months. With blogging I definitely think that 'you get what you give' in terms of giving time and getting results. But, there are some things that you could kick start today to up your blogging game in ways that you might not even have considered. Here's my guide to 10 things you can do, or start doing, today to finally see the results you've been wishing and dreaming for.

Get your own domain

I've actually only recently just done this - no longer is Nourish ME living at http://nourishmeclean.blogspot.com, but instead it has moved to www.nourishmeblog.co.uk. There are a whole host of benefits to this, but the main one is that brands and PRs will take you a lot more seriously if you have your own domain. Some brands won't even agree to a collaboration, let alone any payment if you don't have this. 

Another benefit is that you can rename your webpage without having to make an entirely new website. I was pretty sick of my blog being called 'nourishmeclean' in the URL - originally Nourish ME was all about clean eating and creating healthy recipes, but as it's evolved to what it is today this name seems a little odd and really irrelevant. I'm now a LOT happier with 'nourishmeblog' as I feel like it summarises my blog a little better. I bought mine from GoDaddy for 0.99p for owning the domain for one year. There are other packages you can buy that offer you more protection - in the end I think I paid about £8 for the year. 

Make sure your blog design fits your brand

This is going to be the most expensive thing on this list by FAR, but it really is important. Have you ever clicked on a blog and decided that you just can't deal with the overload of colour or poorly organised layout and left without following? I definitely have. I'm a bit rubbish with anything beyond seriously basic html, so my blog was designed by Jen from Magic Feather Designs. She was really sweet and did everything exactly as I wanted to almost a year ago, and has been really helpful as I consider updating it at the moment. I wanted bright, fresh colours to match my theme of enhancing your mental and physical wellness, which is why I went for the blue and yellow. 

Optimise the size of your images

The irony of this is that this is the first blog post in about six months that I haven't done this with (her's me choosing pinterest over blogger - #sorrynotsorry). On blogger the optimum picture size is about 650 pixels wide. This allows your photos to remain as wide as each other and your text, meaning that the whole blog post appears to be coherent and well organised when you first view it. However, each social media platform has its own optimum image size, so it's best to have at least a few height varieties, or keep separate photos that aren't on the post for promoting your blog post on social media. Canva is my go-to for making photos specifically for social media, as they have templates for pretty much any social media platform you might want to post to. 

Have a blog brand focused social media account on all main platforms

Sorry for the massive jumble of words here! What I basically mean is ensure you have a Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest account and a Facebook page that is not something personal that you use to rant on (been there, done that), but something that is focused on your brand. I recently went through a mini social media rebrand by making sure all of my accounts have the words 'Nourish ME' at least somewhere in the handle or name and I've noticed a much better response in terms of following since I've sorted this. By doing this you make sure that your followers know what brand you're affiliated with immediately, so they're more likely to follow you. This also allows you to tweak the content you share on each platform so that it is brand focused, but not sterile or pointless. For example, my twitter is my most personal social media; because I write so many tweets daily I post links to blog posts three or four times a day on there and this doesn't overwhelm my followers. On my Facebook page however I only post something if I've written a new blog post, or if I want to share relevant posts from other users on Facebook. My instagram is different again. I post once or twice a day, but use this more for general life updates, with the odd picture for a blogpost. And finally we have Pinterest (aka my new love), which I make sure I pop on at least once a day to gain some foodie inspiration and make sure I'm putting my blog posts out there.

Enhance the quality of your images

If you're a veteran blogger, then this is pretty much blogging 101 - a picture is, after all, worth 1000 words. BUT, I know that for well over a year I considered a semi alright picture with no attention to the background or editing something that was appropriate for my blog and would draw readers in. Now almost all of my photos are taken on my camera (a Canon 1200D). I'm not suggesting you need expensive equipment, but definitely use the highest quality piece you have. Another really important thing to do is to make sure you have an appropriate background. A lot of blogger opt for white, marble or single toned backgrounds; this ensures that your readers are drawn to the real content of your image, and aren't distracted by a background. Once you've actually got the picture, editing really is important. I use PicMonkey to improve the brightness and contrast of pictures, crop out anything unwanted from the background and add text when relevant. 

Make your blog post titles appealing and SEO friendly

This is one that up until recently I've been seriously guilty of not doing, and since I've started focusing on improving my blog post titles I've noticed that they've been getting waaaay more hits. Statistics show that there are certain title templates that really work for drawing in readers. Ones containing numbers (like my 10 things we can all learn from Disney's Zootropolis) and ones starting with 'how to' or 'ways to' are statistically proven to draw many more readers in than titles without these attributes. Obviously you wouldn't want to do this all the time, but for example, '75 blog post ideas for when you're low on inspiration' is a much more appealing title than 'Ideas for blog posts when you have no inspiration' - I know which one I would click on. Also, using straightforward titles may seem boring, but helps you greatly in terms of SEO. If you're reviewing something let your readers know, and don't write a prosaic title that has little to do with the actual content. 

Have a media kit set up and available to view on your site

I've got a whole blog post dedicated to making your own media kit. A lot of brands and PRs will ask for one if you want to collaborate with them, plus it means that readers can have a brief perusal of your stats and see what your blog's about all in one place. 

Start being social on social media

This sounds really obvious, but since I've started interacting with other bloggers, particularly on twitter (blogger chats are fab for helping you out with this), I've learnt so many things and met some really lovely bloggers. If you don't interact with anyone, follow other bloggers or check out their blogs why should you expect them to do that for you?

Get organised with spreadsheets

Jess from The Indigo Hours has an amazing post on this here which is what inspired me to start using excel spreadsheets in the first place. My spreadsheet currently has pages for April, May and June blog posts (yes I am now that organised), monthly stats and a record of any brand collaborations I am planning on undertaking. I love being able to just pop a new blog post idea down when it comes to mind, and colour coding the posts on themes (fashion, lifestyle, food, etc) means I can make sure that I don't write too many similar posts in a row. 

Update old posts

This is next the next big project on my blogging to-do list, and soon I'm probably going to start updating at least 5 a week. You know earlier I mentioned my awful photography skills and not brilliant content? Well those posts are still sitting around waiting for people to read them. I'm (eventually) going to revisit them all, alter the images, improve the content, possibly change the post title and ensure that none of my links are broken. So, when people go rooting around on my blog, or I want to talk about an old post, this can happen without me dying a little inside.

What would you add to the list? I hope this was helpful!

Coconut Lane | Blog Prop Heaven

Is anyone else endlessly on the hunt for more blog props for Instagram and blog posts? Because seriously every time I head into Next, H & M, New Look and the such-likes I now instantly make a beeline for the home ware section rather than the clothes ... whoops.
This meant I was SUPER excited for my first ever Coconut Lane order. I'm not going to lie, I am a stationary hoarder - give me a pretty notebook, list pad, sticky note pad, motivational quote, just about anything, and I'm basically in love. BUT, I am really picky when it comes down to looks - seriously why would I want boring or just plain rank stationary? *Insert gif of someone shaking their head in disgust*. 
Motivational quotes are basically my one true love at the moment, and this Beyonce Wall Art made me smile as soon as I spotted it - who doesn't want to be more like this world-famous beautiful, inspirational lady? I sure do. The 4Ps Wall Art similarly basically encapsulates what I want to be doing all day everyday. For ages I've been on the hunt for some pretty studs for my ears. I'm super sensitive to certain metals (ugh) and I always lose them if the back is even slightly loose, so I've been really impressed with these cute elephant earrings so far! So many people have commented on them and I'm totally in love.
Finally, I picked up two phone cases. I was really late to the iPhone party and since December I've been on the hunt to find the perfect phone case. This pineapple case is possibly the best thing I've ever bought my sister - I love how bold the design is! But the mermaid case is staying firmly by my side. My desire for mermaid hair and general love for Arial means this is basically just the next step to achieving my dream of mermaid-dom.
If you've made it this far through my rambling you really deserve to know that you can all get 20% off all of Coconut Lane's products with the code 'Nourishme20'. I do earn a small commission if you use the code as well, so if you want to get some money off and help a blogger out give it a whirl!
What are your favourite blog props at the moment?