1,000 Followers Celebration (+ Blogging Advice)

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Hey guys! I’m completely blown away that we’ve reached 1,000 followers on this blog. It’s absolutely unbelievable to me! Let my start off this post by saying that yes, I will be doing a giveaway, but it’s taking me longer than I originally expected to find everything and put it together. I didn’t want to postpone celebrating this for too long though, so I’ll be giving some of my best blogging tips & tricks and we’ll do a little celebrating as well.

As I said a minute ago, thank you guys so much for 1,000 followers. When I first started this blog I remember imagining being a “real” blogger, one who had comments, and who could take pretty pictures. I never expected that I could be “that” blogger. Why am I telling you this? Because you can be “that” “real” blogger too. There was really nothing special that happened to me, I just kept writing blog posts, and kept improving. šŸ™‚

To celebrate 1,000 followers (and because it’s something I’ve been wanting to start doing for a while now) I’m hoping to kind of refocus this blog a little bit. Rather than just random “fun” posts I’m hoping to start creating more actually helpful, meaningful posts over the next few months. I think that there is a huge need in our world today for more Christian lifestyle tips, inspiration, etc. What do you guys think?

And now for some blogging tips:

Create Good Quality Content. This is something I’m definitely still learning. I want the content I’m putting out to be actually helpful and useful to my readers, and I’m still really figuring out what content you guys like reading, what problems you have, etc.

Accept Constructive Criticism. I hate being fluffed, in life, in blogging, in photography, etc. I would so much rather have someone tell me the hard truth about something, than tell me how perfect and wonderful something is. I think that this is such an important mindset to have if you are going to become a successful blogger. Another thing to keep in mind is that if the person giving you the advice or the criticism isn’t following with what you want then you don’t (unless they are people in legitimate places of authority) have to do what they say. For example if a non-Christian was giving you advice on how to live your Christian life, than it probably wouldn’t be a great idea to listen to their advice.

Keep It Cohesive. In design, in fashion, in writing, in blog design, you have to be cohesive. Here are some places where I see bloggers stumbling with cohesiveness: 1) Changing their blogging voice with every post. 2) No color scheme with their blog design. 3) Posting a photography post on a blog about book reviews. Just remember, if you are writing or designing for everyone you are writing / designing for noone.

Be Kind And Polite. With so many of our connections being online now, it’s sometimes easier to say something that could be hurtful than if you were looking that person in the eye. If you think a comment, post, or email could be even slightly rude than don’t send it. It’s much better to be safe than sorry. Another thing that is sort of rude to do online is to ask someone to follow your blog. It’s very hard to say “no” to that. I personally only follow and comment on blogs that I’m interested in reading. In short, “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.”

Be Consistent. So I often I see bloggers that will post 3 posts in one day, than won’t post for months. This isn’t to say that you need to have a super strict blogging schedule or something, just try to be as consistent as possible when posting.

Keep Your Design Clean. Let me start this point out by saying that a cluttered blog design is very unattractive. I like to choose a limited color scheme, with one bright color, and two neutral colors. Make sure the colors are cohesive and flow well together. I’m also a huge fan of white backgrounds, I think it just looks so much more clean.

Have A Persona That You’re Writing To. I know this sounds a bit technical, but it’s super helpful for me. I imagine this person, who is basically the ideal person for reading my blog, and I write for this person. Usually this isn’t a real person, but I suppose it could be.

Stay Original. Please, please don’t copy other people’s posts. I know that when someone starts something amazing than it’s tempting to do the same thing, but the truth is we all have wonderful ideas and dreams. It can seem so much easier just to copy someone elses idea, rather than to create your own. The thing is, when you copy, not only the blogger who originally wrote the post is frustrated, but you also are making yourself look like someone who’s just going around and stealing other people’s ideas, rather than creating your own.

Credit The Owner. Here’s a simple rule: If you didn’t make it, it’s not yours, unless you have permission to use it. There are many free font and photo websites, and bloggers who give away graphics, and you do have permission to use those. But you can’t just google “watercolor flower photo” and use it on your blog. You also can’t use the “free” photos / graphics on Microsoft products, because they’re just from google / bing.

Be Authentic. There is just something about authenticity. It’s unmistakable. When you see a blogger that loves what they do, you can tell. You can tell by the way they respond to your comments, the way they put thought and effort into their posts. This is the most important tip. If you don’t love blogging than don’t do it. Don’t be so worried about having everything perfect that you don’t enjoy blogging anymore. Don’t get so caught up in the logistics that you don’t have fun.

Thank you again so much for 1,000 followers, I’m so excited for you guys to see the giveaway! (hopefully in the next post)

šŸ’™ Hannah

51 thoughts on “1,000 Followers Celebration (+ Blogging Advice)”

  1. CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!! šŸ˜€ 1,000 followers! :O That is so awesome!! I think more Christian lifestyle posts would be great! šŸ˜€ All of that advice is awesome! I love white backgrounds too! Congrats again! šŸ˜€

    -Laura ā¤ šŸ˜€

    Liked by 7 people

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  3. HOORAY, congratulations, Hannah! I’ve so enjoyed watching your blog grow and your content improve. šŸ™‚ I hope you have many more successful years of blogging!

    -Clara ā¤

    Liked by 5 people

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  5. Wow, Hannah!! That’s amazing! I have been following your blog for about a year and I get excited when I get the notification that says “The Striped Plaid”! I look forward to reading more posts of yours!

    -Alivia

    Liked by 4 people

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  6. AHHHHH, congratulations on 1,000 followers, Hannah! That is AMAZING and I’m so, so happy for you! I’ve really enjoyed watching this blog grow and your posts get better and better. I can’t wait for the giveaway, but until then… those blogging tips were excellent and unique. *thumbs up*

    Liked by 6 people

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  15. CšŸŽ‰OšŸŽ‰NšŸŽ‰GšŸŽ‰RšŸŽ‰AšŸŽ‰TšŸŽ‰UšŸŽ‰LšŸŽ‰AšŸŽ‰TšŸŽ‰IšŸŽ‰OšŸŽ‰NšŸŽ‰S! You really deserve this šŸ˜Š Thanks for the blogging advice too!

    Liked by 4 people

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  18. Congratulations, Hannah! This is so awesome. Keep up the good work! And keep growing!!! šŸ˜šŸŽ‰šŸŽŠšŸŽ‰šŸŽŠšŸŽ‰šŸŽ‰šŸŽˆšŸŽˆšŸ˜

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  20. I would absolutely love Christian lifestyle posts, that would be amazing! You have a beautiful way of encouraging others and I can’t wait to see what you come up with.

    Great tips! One of my rules for my blog is I do not usually post comments that simply say to follow them. There are a few occasions, they will comment on the content and then at the bottom ask. It used to REALLY bother me, and sometimes still does, but I’m working on not letting it bother me. Some people really know no better as the world we live in pressed numbers all the time sadly!

    I love the creativeness of others and sometimes see something that I, too, am like, “Ohhh, what a great idea!” But something that has helped me is seeing if there are other options to go about the topic. Usually, a little brainstorming goes a long way and at the end of it people have no idea what originally inspired your idea. Thanks for encouraging others to share their own uniqueness and not others.

    Congrats girl!!!

    Liked by 4 people

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    2. ā¤ ā¤ I actually took some tips from this and applied it to my new blog makeover. The post comes out Monday, but I tag you as you inspired picking a grey background. Thanks!!!

      Liked by 1 person

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  23. I’m new to your blog, thank you for the tips and congrats! I’m working on getting up there, I’ve only been at it for 2 and a half weeks but someday I want to be a great blogger! Have a great day! šŸ˜€

    Liked by 4 people

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