Blogging Tips Archives - Olivia Lucie Blake

Where Does Your Blogging Inspiration Come From?

When I first started blogging my inspiration came from here, there and everywhere. I had a beauty focused blog, so it was pretty easy to find makeup inspiration all over social media. Now I find it alot harder to find inspiration for my posts. I think it’s because I worry about what I post and overthink it way too much. Which I know alot of bloggers do!

For this weeks open discussion Saturday I want to know where you find your inspiration. How do you come up with blog post ideas and how do you choose what you want to share with the world? As always I’ll share where my inspiration comes from then I want to hear from you!

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Blogging Tips

How to Look Like a Pro When You’re a New Blogger

Featuredby Olivia54 Comments

At one point we were all a new blogger, struggling to navigate the site we just signed up to and trying to figure out what to even write about. We have all been there, and it really can be a struggle sometimes. Before I was a blogger I’d come across so many beautiful and professional looking sites whilst trying to find one of my favourite cookie recipes. I’d be in awe of the sleek designs and professional imagery I saw. I wondered how much time and effort was put into creating and maintaining a site like that.

We assume that people who have professional looking sites are long standing bloggers and have been in the business for a while, but thats not always true. I have blogging friends who have beautiful looking sites who just posted their first blog a month ago. It’s really all down to the time and effort the individual puts into their website.

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Blogging Tips

Should You Stay Within Your Niche as a Blogger?

Featuredby Olivia133 Comments

Should you stay in your niche as a blogger? This is a question I have often asked myself, but more so now I have other bloggers ask me. Niche is a hot topic it seems like currently in the blogging world. Is it okay to step out of your blogging niche? Should I just stick to the topics I blog about? These are the questions I see all over the blogging space.

Blogging is full of many queries and questions and I feel like there is always something new to learn. I also feel like I am constantly changing and advancing my strategy, which is a lesson on how fast new things appear and how fast things become irrelevant. I thought today for open discussion Saturday I’d share my thoughts, and share the results I have had from moving out of my niche into what I do currently.

Remember this is open discussion Saturday, so as always I want to hear your thoughts and your own experiences of this too. So once you have read the post, leave a comment!

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Blogging Tips

The Real Cost of Running a Blog

Featuredby Olivia116 Comments

Running a blog comes at a cost, whether thats financial, physical or mental. There is a cost. It’s alot of work, and I don’t think alot of people realise how hard it can be. When you run a blog alot of things go through your mind. I’m sure many other bloggers can relate to this. I have so many drafted posts that I’ve never published because I think they’re not good enough. I’ve trashed perfectly fine posts too because I felt like my audience won’t enjoy them. Sometimes it’s a battle with self, and nothing more.

It takes alot of courage to start a blog, and there are many people out there who hide this from their friends and families because they worry about their reactions. I thought today we could talk about the real cost of running a blog, and everything that comes with it. The good, the bad and the ugly. In hopes that this will give my readers a-bit of an open door into the reality of blogging.

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Blogging Tips

4 Things Bloggers Need To Stop Worrying About

Featuredby Olivia72 Comments

It’s a natural thing to worry about things that you care about. My mom always told me that nerves and worry were always a good thing, because it means you care. But there is a fine line between worrying and over worrying/becoming obsessive. As a blogger there are many things that run through our minds at all times. Will they read my content, will I get comments and follows, will people like me? Those are just some of the questions I have asked myself in the past. I understand its hard to not think about those things, you are putting your work out there! It can be scary because its the unknown.

Today I thought I’d outline four things that we as bloggers need to care less about. In hopes this helps a struggling blogger out there who is finding themselves worrying about their blog alot. We have all been there, and some of us might be right there with you now.

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Blogging Tips

How I Gained 2k Blog Followers in 4 Months

Featuredby Olivia204 Comments

Running a blog is hard work, but with hard work comes results. I gained 2k blog followers in 4 months, and today I’m going to share my strategy on how I achieved it. I truly did not expect to gain 2k followers in 4 months, I had no idea this would happen. But I was thinking back to when I came back to blogging in July of this year (2020) and how I would have really appreciated a post like this. As some sort of motivation and guidance.

If you are here because you think I’m going to give you some secret code that gives you those followers overnight, you are looking in the wrong place. This happened from hard work and dedication and nothing more. It wont happen overnight and it didn’t for me. The tips I share are the things I did to make this happen. It’s up to you to put in the hard work to see the results.

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Blogging Tips

Let’s Talk About Why We Blog

Featuredby Olivia202 Comments

One thing you’ve probably noticed I do every now and then on my blog is creating conversation style posts, which is why you see posts such as my ‘Today I am Thankful For‘ post a few weeks ago.

It’s such a great thing to have conversations with people online, it’s not only great to make friends and connections but its great to talk to people you normally wouldn’t be able to. I have made so many blogger friends who live thousands and thousands of miles away from me, and none of that would have been possible without my blog & technology of course.

We all blog for various different reasons, some for hobbies, some for money, some just because. I thought for this weeks topic conversation we could all discuss our reasons why we blog. I’m sure all of our reasons vary and I cant wait to see what the responses are. I’ll start out by talking about why I blog and then in the comments I’d love to see your responses, no matter what it is.

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Blogging Tips

Benefits I’ve Seen From Using Instagram For Blogging

Featuredby Olivia75 Comments

I know alot of people don’t like Instagram much, and I know why. Just like many other social media platforms, they have changed their algorithm, and it’s made it even harder for creators for their work to be seen. I started my blog instagram page in September, previous to starting it I was using my own personal Instagram. It didn’t take me long to realise this was a bad idea. I think for me it’s important to have some sort of separation from personal and blog, which is the main reason why I started the separate account.

A lot of people don’t realise the work that goes into running a blog full time, there’s so much more to it than just writing and posting content. Theres the interaction side of it, and making sure that you are supporting other people as much as they are supporting you. Theres the upkeep, making sure that all of the links are working on your site, and making sure you are staying ontop of post ideas and emails and sticking to your blogging schedule. I could go on and on.

Since starting my Instagram account I have personally seen many benefits of having the account for my blog, and today I’ll be going through those benefits today.

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Blogging Tips

How I Balance Blogging Around a Full Schedule

Featuredby Olivia66 Comments

It can be so hard balancing the things that come with life, some things we choose to do and some things we have to do. When I restarted my blog this year I didn’t realise that it would be like a full time job and I already have a full time job. I know some fellow blogging friends of mine have families and kids they have to look after too, so I cant even image running a blog and having to juggle all of that.

I often get asked how I post so much and how I manage to balance everything to stay afloat. So this is why this post is here! I want to share what I personally do to keep onto of my blog whilst having a full time job and other commitments. It’s not easy, but I hope these tips can help to take some weight off of your shoulders.

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Blogging Tips

Blogging Q&A: You Ask, I Answer

Featuredby Olivia55 Comments

I would never consider myself established or a subject matter expert on blogging, but I do get DM’s and questions about blogging, especially from newbies. As many of you already know my blogging story, I wont bore you with a repeat. But I would have found it so helpful if a fellow blogger at the time had an open discussion with their readers and answered as many blogging questions as they could. So I thought I’d give it a try today.

As I have already said, I’m by no means an expert at this. But I really want to help new and or established bloggers, with any helpful advice I can give.

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