{ Red Thermal Peplum Top | Ripped Jeans | Nail Color | Lip Color “Life Of The Party” | BRACELETS: David Yurman Cable Bracelets here, here, and here and Pave Bangle | RINGS: David Yurman Ring here and here | Lightening Bolt Necklace and Hamsa Necklace Similar Here | WATCH: Michele Deco Watch | Marble Laptop Case | Couch Similar Here | Throw Pillow Similar Here }
We have been getting a lot of questions about tips on starting a blog, and just various questions about blogging in general, so we thought we would share some tips with y’all (not that we are experts AT ALL), haha. We have been blogging full time since September 2015, so about a year and a half. We have definitely learned what has worked for us, and what doesn’t work as well. 
Sidetone: this thermal top is so fun and love that it has buttons and a cute peplum hem!
Just to give y’all some background, we were not always fashion bloggers, obviously. We both graduated with degrees in Management Information Systems from The University of Texas at Austin, and worked at Ernst & Young for a year out of college. After that, we both left our jobs to pursue personal training, and something more creative. Eventually, we kind of fell into blogging, and have now turned it into our careers. We absolutely LOVE what we do, but that is not to say that it is still a job, and you will always have your good and bad days, like anything else!
So, here are our tips/advice for starting a blog, or improving your current one:
Be Consistent:
This goes with posting on social media (Instagram, snapchat, etc), and your blog. If you are not consistent, and readers don’t know what to expect or when you will be sharing content, they will drop off, and find someone who will. Yes, it can be a pain to constantly be thinking about the next post, but you have to be ready to keep feeding content to your audience. As y’all may be able to tell, we are CONSTANTLY on our phones, and will post between 4-5 times a day on Instagram, alone.
Stay Focused:
It can be very easy to go from posting your latest meal, or that cute quote you saw on Pinterest, but if you’re trying to share outfits or fashion inspiration, you need to stay focused on that topic. It can be very confusing to your readers if you jump around from topic to topic. With that being said, if you are a lifestyle blogger like we are, it is totally awesome if you find a way to incorporate food with your outfit, or travel with your outfits, etc. There are definitely bloggers that have a very cohesive feed and a color scheme to their Instagram feed, and some that don’t. We think you should do whatever works for you, but just remember to stay focused!
Edit Your Photos:
This is a MAJOR one. We are not talking about going in and photoshopping your face or making your arms or waist look smaller, haha (call me an idiot, but I didn’t know there was an actual app that you could do that with until the other day!) Having clear, bright photos is super important. We get asked all of the time what camera we use. Most of the time, we use our iPhone camera or our Cannon 60D with the 50mm 1.8 lens. Nobody wants to see a dark image on your feed. We never post the raw image just because a picture can always look brighter, even if it is taken in good, natural lighting. Our favorite apps are Lightroom and Snapseed.
Focus On What Works Best for You:
We are sure we are not the only ones that are constantly comparing ourselves to other people in the industry. Of course, it is only natural to do. However, it is important to realize that someone else’s content may not do well on your Instagram or blog, or visa versa. We both know, for example, that most of the time, headless shots (sounds SO silly) or mirror pictures receive the best engagement. It probably has to do with being relatable, or maybe y’all just don’t want to see our face;) No, just kidding, but it makes sense! We do take pictures with our nicer camera, but those are mainly for the blog pictures.
Think Outside Of The Box:
Like in any creative industry, it is super easy (and convenient) to just steal someone’s ideas or creativity, BUT, it is important to give credit to them, or to just put your own twist on it. We are sure you all are probably tired of seeing the same types of “poses” or outfits all over social media, but to be honest, it is just human nature. Of course, if we see something that looks super similar to something one of us posted a few days before, it is hard to not become annoyed about it, but it is definitely a form of flattery. Our recommendation is to save something you love the look of, and brainstorm ways to make your take on it different than the original. It also never hurts to give credit to whatever or whomever inspired you!:)
Be Engaged With Your Readers:
This one is probably the one we think you should spend the most time on. If you’re not engaged and listening to your readers, or responding to them, they will not value your opinion, or feel that connection to you. Does it take a TON of time? Absolutely. But, we think it is super critical. I am totally one of those people late at night (hello 1 or 2am) responding to comments or email in my bed when I should be asleep, or promised myself I would finally go to bed early;) It is not even about the money or “making a sale”, it is just my personality to want to help others, or feel like I got everything done I needed to. We both may not be able to respond to ever single comment, but we do our best to respond to questions via Instagram, snapchat, email, etc. We also will frequently ask our readers if they like that post or if they have anything content related they want to see!
We hope those tips were helpful. As always, please email us with any questions you may have about anything. We will also be sharing another post soon on the myths of blogging, which we are really excited to share! 
