5 Lessons I've Learned From Blogging

I've been blogging for just under 3 years now, and I have learned so much from the blogging community, through reading other blogs and just figuring some things out for myself. I thought I would compile all the things I have learned from my blogging journey.

1) Do you really need that?

So I am probably the best enabler for my friends to get them to buy certain products. However, when I recommend something, it's usually because they are having trouble with a certain product or they aren't happy with their current routine, so my advice is usually tailor-made towards them. The world of blogging however, is full of things that is advertised as things you can't live without, and honestly I think it's best if you take blog posts with a pinch of salt. I believe that blogs are honest, however I normally refer to them if I am having an issue or I want to see what's new on the market. I've bought so much stuff due to reading blogs, and the majority of them weren't really game changers.

2) Time management and organisation

If any of you guys have job interviews and you have a blog then it's good to mention it even if it's small blog like mine. I usually forget to do this, because I don't see blogging as a job, I see it as a hobby. What it has done for me is made me more time-efficient. If I know I have to get a blog post up in the next few days, I will then try to work out when I will take my photographs, and when I can get the time to sit down and write so that my posts are up on time, and have a certain quality to them. Employers love this, because it shows that I have genuine and original interests, because lets be honest, as much as I love to say that I enjoy reading in my spare time, it's one that a lot of people say.

3) Photography

This is still one of my weakest things, however it's a working progress, and I feel like photography is something that most people struggle with because there are a lot of factors to consider, such as background, lighting, props and camera. I've found that I really like flat-lays, and I like to keep my photo's as simple as possible, with as less props as possible because my photo's have a tendency to look messy very fast. I also feel like I've mastered Instagram photos more than I have mastered photo's on my blog which is strange but true!

4) Being happy with your blog

So I think being jealous of other peoples blogs or followers is common in the blogging community, and I totally understand why people do it. I was one of them, I was desperate to do as well as others have done, especially because I felt like I had been blogging for a longer period than others. However, I have learnt to just focus on my own content, and look towards other blogs for inspiration, and funnily enough, once I had start doing that, I started to get more followers. It's also important to keep remembering why you are blogging too, it is competitive, but if like me, you are just blogging to talk about things you love and give advice, then I feel like the content comes from a more honest place.

5) Advertising
For about a year of my blogging journey, I didn't advertise any of my posts. I think I was embarrassed to show people how much I loved make-up, because lets be honest, it's not the deepest topic. However, once I did eventually start, I found that my friends found my posts helpful and started to ask me for advice. Twitter was a life-saver in terms of advertisement as you can constantly put your content out there and with the help of hashtags and RT pages without overly annoying people.

I would love to know what any of you guys have learned from blogging, if you do blog, and perhaps what you like to look for when reading blogs? Be sure to follow me on Bloglovin to stay up to date with my posts!