Everything you need to know on how to start a blog!
I reached out to you guys on my Instagram stories and Facebook to ask if you had any questions on how to start a blog. I got quite a few questions so I wanted to write a blog post with all the information. Last year, I wrote a similar post, but I wanted to put all the questions in one place. Here’s my most frequently asked questions on how to start a blog and/or grow on social media.
Q: How did you get started blogging?
A: This is actually a really funny story! Shortly after Taz and I got married, he bought me my domain name. Kayla Smith is pretty common believe it or not so I had to pick a website soon or else I’m sure another one of the 500,000 Kayla Smiths would take it haha. He bought the hosting from BlueHost for a sweet deal, got my theme from Theme Forest and my website was born. BlueHost is hands down the best hosting service I’ve seen. If I ever run across an issue, they fix it instantly. Right now, their hosting is half off for their birthday! If you want to start a website, but you don’t know where to start, begin by getting hosting from them!
I love fashion and I knew that’s what I wanted to focus on. I follow other influencers that post very expensive items frequently and I want to be a resource of finding cute, modest clothing for a decent price. (Anything $50 and more is expensive to me FYI 🙂 ) Next month, I will hit my two year anniversary of blogging and I can’t believe it!
Q: What do you do for work and what pushed you into the career you are in now?
A: I merged these two questions together, because I can’t answer one without the other. I originally graduated in broadcast journalism, because I’ve always wanted to work in the news. I had an internship with a news station up in Salt Lake City and realized I don’t do well in a high stress work environment.
Now, I am in Digital Marketing and Communications. I can still use my journalist skills writing for work and for my blog. My job helps me stay on top of social media trends since I get to be online all day long so I’m never behind on what’s going on in the world of marketing. It was a hard transition for me in the beginning, but I think I’m beginning to thrive after being with my company for a year. Content creation is my favorite part of it all and I am working hand in hand with my assistant and the creative team to produce amazing content!
Q: How do you edit pictures and get more polished pictures?
A: I combined these two as well. Thankfully, I’m married to an extremely talented photographer! However, you don’t need to know how to use fancy camera equipment in order to have nice pictures. I snap a ton of pictures on my iPhone and they turn out amazing too! Sometimes, nice cameras can make pictures look awful if you don’t know how to use them which is why my phone is safe for me haha. I’m learning some things about angles and posing from watching YouTube videos and consulting my Pinterest feed. My best advice is to find a “look” you are going for. That way people are going to be more drawn to your pictures. The best editing apps if you don’t know how to edit pictures is VSCO or even in the Instagram app. If you’re willing to learn, download the Lightroom app for free on your phone and it can make a world of difference if you watch videos on how to use it. If you would be interested in a video from me about this, tell me in the comments!
Q: When are the best times to post?
A: The best way to figure this out is to get a business account on Instagram. If you are private, becoming public immediately! At the top of your profile, there is a graph and in there you can see your analytics for your audience and the times they are online the most. Everyone’s is different so go there and find out when yours is. You can also download the app WhenToPost and it should tell you the best three times to post that day. Each day is different for me so keep that in mind to look at before posting on social media.
Q: What do you keep in mind when composing your posts?
A: I have my own style so I definitely keep that in mind before composing different posts I have. What does my audience respond to the most? Does my picture match what the caption is saying? I can’t stand it when someone’s caption is completely unrelated to the picture they posted. I’m still learning on how to compose my posts and I get a lot of inspiration from Instagram and Pinterest everyday. Try to keep in mind what story you want to convey to your audience aka “why are you doing this?”
Q: How do you gain more followers on Instagram?
A: This is the golden question, right? People ask this question the most often and I feel like I’m trying to figure that all out for myself. I spend more time on Instagram than I care to admit. I’ve grown slowly, but surely and here’s my opinion: be yourself and actually CARE about what you are doing. Are you only willing to do the things that make you money? Are you talking about the things you are passionate about? There’s nothing wrong with wanting to make a buck once you get to a certain point, but if you don’t enjoy what you are doing, there’s no point to continue talking about something you don’t love. Once you find your passion, create amazing content and push it frequently. I post daily and interact with similar accounts to mine, because the people I’ve met in this space are AMAZING. Those two things are how I’ve been able to grow.
That is all my questions for how to start a blog and grow on social media. I hope I answered them fully, but if you need more clarification, don’t hesitate to reach out! If you have any other questions/suggestions, feel free to leave those in the comments and I’ll be sure to get back to you.
XOXO Kayla
