It hit me the other day that in March 2011, I was sat in front of my laptop and writing up my first ever blog post on this blog. Yep, March 2011. These past 8 years have just flown by and gone are the days where I took crap selfies on an equally crap phone, and said things like ‘zomg’ and ‘yesh’ (ew, how embarrassing). And I never thought I’d still be blogging about gyaru!
But the blogging world has changed a lot in those years, too, where more people are doing it as a full-time job (something I never dreamed would happen) and it’s getting a bit more crowded, but in a good way! I recently asked over my insta what you wanted to know about gyaru blogging, and have put them all below. Enjoy!
Where do I start?
First you got to pick your platform (blogger, wordpress, squarespace etc) and then write a whole bunch of things that you want to write about. There’s no limit to the amount of things you want to explore in your beginner stages, so don’t try to pigeonhole yourself into a niche if you’re not set on one yet. Then just start writing! The more you write the easier it would get, and soon you can schedule those posts like a boss. I’ve explained this in a lot more detail on my blog post on how to start your jfashion blog.
How do you stop feeling discouraged because there’s so many other blogs out there?
It can be difficult at times, especially now that the blogging community is so big and people are actually making a living out of it, but then there’s no one quite like me who will write with the same words and the same voice. Sure, there could be blog posts of the same topics, and even the same opinions, but the way it’s written or portrayed could be totally different. The easiest way to explain it is to compare the blogging industry to music; there are thousands of singers out there singing love songs, but each song is completely different.
Do you feel nostalgia for any old blog platforms (livejournal, blogspot etc) or dead blogs?
Most definitely. I really miss the ‘good old days’ where people just blogged for the hell of it and didn’t have to worry about scheduling photoshoots or finding the perfect backdrop… Back then I just took a lot of selfies and outfit shots in a full-length mirror! There was just something so beautiful in how simple and sporadic it was.
How do you stay motivated?
Through lots of blood and tears – just kidding! But honestly I find that the more I write, the easier it becomes. It’s like that quote from Maya Angelou, “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have”. That’s not to say that I’m constantly writing, though! I take a couple of weeks off from blogging every now and then when I feel like my creative juices are running out.
How much do you focus on SEO?
I didn’t really know much about SEO until late last year so I’m still trying to get the hang of it! I use Yoast (which is a WordPress plugin) that tells me if my SEO is good, but even then I write my whole blog post before I actually look at that. One of the most important things I’ve learnt is that it’s good to write ‘natural’ posts rather than trying to fill it with jargon SEO keywords because it wouldn’t make sense otherwise… And as long as my content relates to my title, and my images all have alt tags/titles, then that’s all that matters!
Why did you start blogging?
I started blogging as a way of documenting my journey into my gyaru life; I collected tutorials, put together wishlists, and experimented a hell of a lot back then. While I still do share the occasional tutorial I find that I’m not experimenting as much as I used to because I’ve settled down into ‘my look’, but it’s nice to flick back at super old blog posts to see it took me to this stage.
What motivates you to blog when people only read clickbait titles & misconstrue posts?
I blog from the heart, and as long as I write what makes me happy than that’s all that matters. It does get disheartening when stuff like that get as many views but I’d rather that than write things purely to grab people’s attention. Plus at least you know your readers won’t be disappointed when they land on your blog as they know exactly what to expect (unlike those silly clickbait articles which only proves to be a waste of time).
I’ve just started writing blogs, how do I get people to notice it?
Share the hell out of it on social media! I think my blog would die a desolate death if I wasn’t constantly sharing it on Twitter, FB, and insta all of the time. Another thing I’d recommend is to join a few blogger groups on Facebook as they often have a blog share thread where you can drop a link to your latest post before visiting other people’s post. Remember – blogging is a huge community, so be share to share the love and drop comments on other blogs if you want some of that lovin’ in return!
How do you know what content to put out? I have narrowed down my audience, but how do I keep my reader interested?
It sounds vague, but I’ve always believed that we, as bloggers, are free to post whatever we want as long as we are true to ourselves and writing about the things we enjoy. People can spot ’empty content’ from a mile away so always write things that you are passionate about. If you know your audience then it’s easy – just ask them what kind of content they want to see from you! You can do this either through polls, putting together a little survey, or even more ‘secretly’ by analysing your stats and seeing what content has more engagement.
Do you have any tips to stay inspired when creating posts?
I was going to tie this in with the motivation question but I thought it needed a separate answer as it’s going to be a long one. Firstly, I read a lot of other people’s blogs as it’s good to see different points of views. Second, I love reading books for some thought-provoking content before finally… Well, just living life! I am most inspired when I am having a lot of fun outside of blogging; whether that’s going out with my friends or going on a day trip with my hubby.
If you can change one thing about the industry, what would it be?
To reduce the amount of stigma us bloggers get from the ‘outside world’. The amount of times that I’ve seen us being called freeloaders is so frustrating! Another blogger pet peeve of mine is seeing bloggers doing sponsorships when they’re not actually interested in the product/service, they just want the free stuff… Or blogging just so that they can get free stuff.
How often should I post?
As often as you want! There’s no rule to how often you post, as long as you try and do a post at least once a week to show that your blog is active.
How do you gain more viewers besides posting on social media?
Comment and engage with other bloggers, but do it in an authentic manner rather than just dumping your links all over their page. There’s nothing more than I hate than receiving comments like “Great dress! Check out my blog post!” when I’m actually wearing a skirt.
What’s your big blogging goal?
To go on a paid blogging trip to Japan and live my gyaru life! Honestly that is my dream. Either that or I’d love to win an award in the UK blog awards, or just be known as “that gyaru blogger, Lizzie Bee”!
That’s all for today, cuties! If you have any more questions then drop a comment below and I’ll add it to this post.
What is your top blogging tip?
Love,
Lizzie xx
