If you're reading this post you may be wondering how to even start a blog and I have to say there are great tutorials out there on the internet for that  But when it comes to growing your blog, that's a whole different story.  You may have a blog to go with your shop or store or you may have a blog that helps boost your income.  Maybe you even have a blog that's just for fun.  No matter what reason you have for starting a blog, every blogger can benefit from growing their blog.  Maybe it means more sales, more traffic, or more clicks on your affiliate links; but no matter what the benefits are, you have to put in the work.

The following tips are great for bloggers just starting out but also a great refresher for those of us that may be feeling stale with our traffic and our post content. These tips are ones that I have tried and succeeded with and even some that I need to work better at.  I've collected this advice over the last 8 years of blogging from conferences, other bloggers, and my own experience of seeing what does and doesn't work.

Fulfill the Need of Your Reader

In order to put content out that attracts readers you need to put yourself in their shoes.  What needs do they have that you can fulfill?  Maybe they just need a laugh, maybe they need fashion advice, or maybe they need to buy some beauty products that you just so happen to hand make.  You need to market yourself and your blog so that it serves a purpose.  For me as an advice blogger I try to solve common problems that people have whether it has to do with money, getting organized, or staying fit and healthy.  You don't buy a book just because you saw it on the shelf, right? You generally have an interest in the topic, so just remember that when you create blog posts.

Work with Other Bloggers

Working with other bloggers in collaborations is a great way to get their readers to become your readers as well. Sometimes I link to a random blog post from another blog I enjoy reading.  I've also teamed up with other bloggers for giveaways and I always interact with them on social media.  A very important way to get yourself noticed is by visiting other blogs and leaving GENUINE comments on their posts.  Now, when I say genuine I mean more than just "Great Post" because trust me as a blogger, I hate that and I totally know when you're commenting just to get more traffic.  Read my post, process it, and make a genuine comment or add your 2 cents but don't be generic.  When other people see that they aren't going to want to check you out.  At the end of your comment make sure you link to your own blog.  This is how other people may stumble upon your blog from another one.  Also, reach out and find your blogging bestie.  For years now I've been meeting up with Monica of Jersey Girl, Texan Heart to spend time together and we've actually become best friends. She was even at my wedding reception!  

Run Good Giveaways

Giveaways are a great way to boost your traffic on your blog and on social media.  You can ask readers to subscribe to your newsletter, follow your social media sites, and even leave a genuine blog comment on your post in order to gain entries.   One of the keys to a good giveaway is a decent prize.  I know that some of you may work with a company that wants to run a giveaway and that's great but sometimes the prizes are LAME! I will confess that even I used to run lame giveaways.  Winning a coffee mug is just boring and most people would rather spend the money on it than waste the time trying to enter and win.  That doesn't mean you can't giveaway the mug from the company that is working with you but try adding something else like maybe a $10 gift card to Starbucks.  Make the prize worthwhile for those entering.  Everyone has a busy life and people won't want to waste their time if it's not going to be worth it.

Make Your Blog Attractive

This is a very important aspect of blogging.  Choose a nice clean layout and a simple background.  And make sure you have an attractive logo and/or header. This is where you may need to invest a little bit of money to have a graphic designer help you out but trust me it's worth it.  If you have low traffic it's either because your content is boring or your blog is "ugly". Sorry, but it's the truth.  Take a good look at your blog.  Then go look at other blogs that seem to be doing well.  Who has a nicer layout and cleaner look when you visit the blog?  When you visit a blog there shouldn't be any pop ups or broken images that don't load.  Clean your blog up.  Don't have a ton of things going on in your sidebar.  Keep it nice and uniform. I've worked really hard to get this right over the years so if you need some inspiration, take a look at mine.

Respond to Comments

When someone comments on a blog post, make sure you respond in a very timely manner.  Don't just give a generic thank you but instead thank them for visiting and respond to their comment acknowledging that you're paying attention to what they are saying.  This is a great way to make readers feel appreciated. 

Attend Conferences and Trainings

I've attended a few blog conferences and the benefits are endless.  Not only do you learn a lot but you meet new people and you have more confidence as a blogger.  If there are no conferences around you then just look for online trainings for growing your blog or even polishing up on your social media skills.  You can write the expenses off at tax time and the money you invest will be well worth it with the information you get out of the training.  And if you don't have the money for that then find posts from other bloggers about how to do better.  Just last month I did a post about how to grow your Instagram. 

Create a Work Zone and Get Organized

Make sure you have a little area of your home that you can get some quiet and focus on writing your blog posts. This will help you get in the zone and avoid distractions.  I have a little office area with no TV or music and that's where I go.  Sometimes if it's nice out I'll sit on the porch and do some blogging on my laptop.  You also need a way to stay organized as a blogger so consider getting a planner book where you can brainstorm ideas and schedule when your blog posts will go out. 

So if you polish up on some of these skills, and keep this in mind as you blog in the future you should see some improvements in your traffic and readership.

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Tips to Grow Your Instagram

If you're a blogger, there is a 99% chance you use Instagram to help promote your blog.  And if you're just a social media influencer than there's probably still a really good chance that Instagram is one of the platforms you use.  Each month I'm going to try and give some tips on different platforms whether it's a blog or a social media channel.  This month I wanted to focus on Instagram since I took advice from other people that seems to be working and I hope it will work for you. 

Some of these tips are things that I figured out on my own and some are advice from other people but just keep in mind that something that works for me or someone else may not work for you.  No matter what advice you receive, do what works best for you and what brings you the results you want. 

|Link Your Blog|

Obviously if you are a blogger and you use Instagram you NEED to link your blog to your bio.   Then when you are writing a caption under a photo referring to a new post on the blog you can simply say "See link in bio".  If I don't see a link in your bio, I'm probably not going to try to find your blog.   The other thing you can do if you have an easy short blog address is put it in parentheses in the caption.  Sometimes I'll say "visit AskAwayBlog.com for the post!" and since it's a simple and catchy URL people have told me they actually do go and type it into their browser right away.

|Sell Yourself in Your Bio|

The bio is where you get to quickly tell people that come across your IG, who you are, what you post about, and why they should follow you.   I always type my bio up in the Notepad App on my iPhone because it's easier for me to format and add hard returns.  Another blogger, Lindsay from Lindsay's Sweet World did  (right here) actually gave great tips that I used and it worked for me but what really sold me was the Instagram bio.  So for mine I put that I own 4 Chihuahuas (since they are in LOTS of photos on all of my social media channels) and that I'm a blogger.  Then I put home décor, fashion, and food since that's what you'll find photos of on my IG.  Then per Lindsay's advice I put a way to contact me because before I assumed if a brand wanted to work with me they'd just message me or go to my blog and look for a contact link.  But then I realized that it really IS much easier if the email address is already written out for you.  You can check out what my bio looks like by finding me on IG - EllenR886.

|Bright + Crisp Photos|

When I stumble upon someone's IG I take a quick look at how their photos look.  If they are dark and blurry it will actually frustrate me to see those in my feed so I won't follow them.   Make sure your photos are bright and taken with good lighting.  Some of the Instagram filters are nice but I personally think a lot of them darken the photos so all I usually do is go in to edit my photo I just uploaded and select Adjust, Brightness, and then make it go up.  If you are taking pictures of products, use a white background or a faux fur blanket.  White backgrounds look nice and attractive. 

|Good Captions|

Captions are like blog posts, you need to give information in them (or give entertainment depending on your niche) but then ask some sort of question to get feedback.  So for instance if I upload a photo of my newly organized closet since I'm an advice blogger I might make a caption that says something like "Just organized my closet again and used these awesome dividers to separate my shoes.  It saves space and looks nice.  What do you use to organize your shoes?"  People usually do respond. 

|Paid Advertising|

It's nearly impossible these days to grow your social media presence without doing some paid advertising through the platform.  I actually did promote a few posts through Instagram and I liked the feedback and clicks that I got.  When you promote a post you actually can choose to have an option that takes people to your site.  You can't do that without promoting it. Also, in order to promote you will need a business profile and if you're a blogger trying to make money or any kind of social media influencer - you should probably consider switching to business.  Plus, you can write your advertising fees off as a tax expense. 

|Interact With Your Visitors|

When someone comments on a post make sure you like their comment or reply to it.  It makes people more likely to return because they know you're a real person that reads all their comments.  Ask questions back like "how did your method of organizing work? Do you have pics?" and don't be afraid to visit their page and follow them. 

|Reach Out to Others|

At least 2-3 times a week you should peruse your feed and like photos and leave REAL comments.  I get really frustrated when people leave the generic one word comment like "Cool" or "nice" or "<3".  So when I can't think of anything to say about their photo I just say something about myself.  If they have a photo of themselves wearing leopard print, I might comment and say "I love leopard print! I have several scarves and bags with that print".  It's a great way to get a little convo going.  Also, if you see someone follow you, follow them back!   And look for people to follow. Sometimes I go check the feed of the people I follow to see the posts they like, and that's how I found a bunch of new people to follow.

|Make Time|

So how are you supposed to do all of these things in your already busy daily life?  Well trust me, I get it because I have a full time job and a house full of furry children.  I don't have time to sit around and play on my phone.  So I do it any chance I get.  If you're a human being that has to use the rest room, you have time then.  I'll check my IG comments and feed while I'm walking to the rest room.  I also do it during commercial breaks when I'm watching TV, while I'm waiting in line at the grocery store, and when I'm in a doctor's office waiting room.  You just have to make the time and make it part of your routine.  If you get into work half an hour early, spend a few minutes of that time checking your IG.

It's an exhausting thing to keep ANY social media site exciting but it's what you have to do if you want to gain followers and keep your Instagram interesting you need to put in the effort.

What tips do you need to work on or what have you already tried and seen great results from?  

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10 Reasons Your Blog Traffic Isn't Growing + How to Fix

Do you gain new readers everyday? Does your traffic grow on a weekly/monthly basis?  

You see...

THIS is what healthy blog growth looks like. It grows every month.  EVERY month. 

And do you know why?  Because I improve my blog in multiple ways every month.  If you put the time and effort into your blog (moreso the effort) you WILL reap the benefits and you will be able to make more money off your blog.

Interesting Content=New Traffic = Good Stats= Impressive to Brands = More Opportunities to Work with Brands. 

Simple as that. 

So if your blog stats don't look like that, below is a list of reasons that may be why and what you can do about them!

1. Boring Content
Are you posting content that you would want to read on someone elses blog?   Do you even read your own posts?     If you don't post interesting content or fun articles (5 Fashion Faux Pas You May Already Have Done) then chances are there's nothing appealing to new readers, or even current ones.

How to fix this: Think of things you would want to read or that you know excites your readers and then try to make it more fun to read.  Instead of posting about online shopping site deals, post about why everyone NEEDS each deal you include.  



2. Crappy Reviews
No one cares about the product you are reviewing unless you make it interesting.   STOP using pictures from the product's website and TAKE YOUR OWN!   

Don't ever ever ever copy and paste things from a press release email or the website itself... that's super boring and not good for your SEO so make sure you write about it yourself.  Trust me, we can all tell when someone copies and pastes information right into their blog post.  

And stop reviewing items that have nothing to do with your site.  We don't care about a shoe horn for your new pair of shoes if your blog is about DIY crafts.

How to fix this: Easy, stop doing everything I said above, and start putting your all into every review.  As you write a review pretend that you will get paid $1,000 if you make a good one.   

3. Unappealing Blog Design + Layout
Keep it simple and clean.  Pick a SOLID COLOR BACKGROUND (no graphics puhlease!) or a simple pattern and make sure it's a basic color (no neon please!). 

Does your site have tons of ads all over it and is some of your widget items off center?  

How to fix this: Keep it uniform.  Keep it 2-3 columns MAX and make sure everything fits and is spaced correctly.  Don't load your blog sidebar with ads.  No one will click them and it won't be appealing to your readers.  Be very selective.

4. No Problem is Solved for Readers
People like to read articles about solutions to problems. Can a specific problem be resolved by reading your blog post?  If not, then rethink how you write things or what you include.  

No one cares if you saw a really cool desk organizer at Target.  But what we do care about is if you post about how it keeps your desk clutter free, since most of us deal with cluttered desks everyday.   See what I mean?

How to fix this: Next time you think of a topic, play Jeopardy with yourself and figure out what question the product or topic resolves.

5.  You don't use social media effectively
It's okay to use your Twitter and Facebook for giveaway entries and tweeting and promoting your posts but make sure you also post interesting NON LINK statuses.   Ask a question that engages readers like "Which pair of shoes should I get, these or these?" or post a really cool quote that people can share/retweet.  

How to fix this: Make sure you interact with other people and respond to their statuses.  Also interact with brands so you get on their radar.  Also, when big names tweet you back, their followers may see it and decide to follow you!


6. You don't comment on other blogs
I know it may seem like a lot of effort, but reading and leaving a comment on other blogs is great for your traffic.  It gets that blogger and their readers to see what you said and possibly check out your page.

How to fix this: Find other blogs in your niche and comment on their posts GENUINELY (not Hi, great post).  Also leave a link to your blog at the bottome of your comment.  

7. You post too often
Try to limit your posts to no more than 3 a day.  It overwhelms readers if they always feel like they are behind on your blog.   Make an editorial calendar and stick to the schedule.  Also combine topics into fewer posts.   You can mention your favorite beauty products in one big post instead of individual ones.

How to fix this: Make a month's layout for an editorial calendar and start writing in your post ideas.   You'll see how much more sane you stay when you are on a schedule.


8. You don't post enough
If you don't post enough then people won't want to come to your page on a regular basis.  Sometimes if I check a blog multiple times in a week and there are no new posts, I lose interest, easy as that.

How to fix this: Try to post regular featuers like a weekly fitness post on Monday, a weekly giveaway on Wednesday, and a review every Thursday and Friday. 

9. Your post titles are lame
A post title sells your article especially on social media.  Ever notice the articles you tend to click on and read? They are probably lists (5 ways to be happier) or solutions to a problem (how to get out of an exercise slump).

How to fix this: After you write a post, THEN think of a title.   Try to make it a numbered list so the title can reflect that, or try to think of what the title should say in order to entice anyone and everyone to click it (Wait till you see what I did this weekend...).

10. You don't invest in your blog  
Sorry, but if you won't spend $50 on a layout or $20 on business cards, you'll never get that much back from your blog.   I make more than I spend on my blog so I speak from experience when I say stop being cheap.  Invest in your blog.  It's an amazing tool to help you grow.

How to fix this:  Don't cheap out on blog design layout, a logo, business cards, or attending events.


Which of these reasons applies to you and how will you fix it?
 

10 Ways to Create GREAT Content on Your Blog

At iRetreat 2014 I learned a lot about blog layout and good solid content so I wanted to share 10 ways to create better content!


1. Add Personality
Whether you are reviewing a product or giving advice, add your own personal touch.  Since I have an advice blog, I like to give a one-liner with advice at the end of my blog post regarding whatever the topic of the post was.

2. Be Honest and Value Integrity
This is important especially with review blogs.  If there's a product or service that doesn't align with you or your blog readers, don't be fake and act like it's the most amazing product ever.  In fact, think twice before agreeing to review it.

3. Spell Check
Grammer and spelling are HUGE when it comes to blogging.   It helps to write a post and then read it out loud to yourself so you can really get an idea of how it sounds and looks to readers.

4. Be Creative with Sponsored Content
Sponsored content doesn't have to be all about the product, in fact you can weave a story into it.  For example, if you are reviewing a pair of athletic shoes, tell the story about how you locked yourself out of your house after your run and had to wait for someone to come save you!  

5. Connect With Your Readers
Tell a story when writing any blog post.  You want your readers to be able to easily follow your story and feel entertained instead of just reading a bunch of words.

6. Use Visuals
Photos tell a story more so than words so make sure you use lots of photos.  Use everyday objects like fabric and papers as a background and don't be afraid to get creative.  For my budget posts, I took some photos of cash and a piggy bank and I use that at the top of the post. Mel Lockuff of MamaBuzz even suggested adding fun text to the photos.

7. Use Mainstream Media for Inspiration
I use magazines and newspapers to make note of current trends or events that give me content to write about.  Sometimes I even have a specific article I can link to so that my readers can see the article for themselves and then read my take.  Jennifer Desrochers of Momma D and Da Boyz even highlighted this in her session at iRetreat 2014.

8. Creativity Loves Constraint
Joyce Shulman of Macaroni Kid made mention that it's okay to procrastinate when trying to come up with content because if you give yourself a short deadline it forces you to be creative.

9. Reconsider Your Options
She also mentioned that you don't always have to write a blog post.  Be creative and solve a problem for your readers.  If they are wondering how to get on a budget, write a post about how YOU got on a budget.

10. Put Yourself in the Reader's Shoes
If you find your post boring, then it's a good chance that your readers will too.  You may have to rewrite posts and come up with new content from time to time but that's okay because in the end it will be worth it!

How to Present a Professional Pitch

Some Marketing and PR gurus from Rite Aid, Hershey Entertainment, and Julie G from Julie G Beauty

At iRetreat 2014 I learned a lot about pitches.   It was great to get PR professional's advice as well as successful bloggers.

As a blogger, pitching companies and brands is an everyday occurance.  But, how do you know if you're pitching them properly? Well here's some advice on how to properly pitch a company.

Find a SPECIFIC Contact
Instead of just emailing a general contact address, search the internet for names of PR people that represent the company.  You're more likely to get a response this way.

Be Genuine
When reaching out to a brand, don't force it.  Be genuine and find common ground with the company. 

Focus on Demographics
A lot of bloggers think they need to explain all of the topics they cover on their blog when pitching, but it's even more important to focus on your demographics.  Companies always want to know their reach through a blogger so make sure you let them know who your audience is and why their brand is a good fit for your audience.

PROOFREAD!
Make sure your grammar is correct in an email and make SURE you check your spelling.  Your pitch email should contain a short introduction to who you are, where you're from, and what your blog is called as well as the audience you have and your site stats.

Have a Clean Blog
When brands visit your blog for the first time, they look for a neat and clean appearance, minimum ads, and a good social reach. 

Impress Them With Photos
Make sure your photo quality is professional so when a brand looks at your past work, they are impressed.  Pictures tell more than words can so make sure your photos pop on your page.

Don't Be A Grifter
Bloggers get a bad reputation for being greedy and a lot of companies assume that the reason you are contacting them is because you going to ask for free stuff.  Instead of immediately asking for a product to review, inform them of how you can benefit each other.  An example would be explaining how you can share promotions with your readers and possibly get a shout out on social media from the brand.

Follow Up
After you work with a PR person from a company, give them a follow up email perhaps showing them a social media share you did of the post.  Also, give them some stats like how many people commented on the post or how many people entered the giveaway.  This gives them great info to report back to THEIR boss.

Know What Companies Look For
According to the panel at iRetreat 2014, companies look for the number of Retweets or Likes a social media post gets, how many hits the post got or how many comments, and if you are being influential.  Did people respond to your tweet about the company and show an interest in learning more about them?  Good! That's an example of being influential.


Hopefully these tips help you write the perfect pitch!

8 Tips for Writing Better Blog Content from iRetreat2014

One of my favorite sessions during iRetreat2014 was Creating A Content Strategy for Audience Growth & Engagement.  It was presented by Joel Bullock from the blog The Coaster Critic.   I love Joel! He was a great presenter and he is a lot like me with the way he works.  Here are 8 excellent tips I took away from his session.


1. Write about topics that benefit your readers.
When you can't think of what to write about, think of what knowledge you can share to readers or what problems you can solve for them.  You are the hero/heroine so save the day for your readers.  

2. There are different ways to present information to grow your traffic.
How To posts are easy to read and tend to attract readers.   Shopping guides and lists are also a great way to prsent information.  

3. If you are out of ideas, then go get some!
Survey your readers for topics they want you to write about.  Ask your family or friends and even look at google trends.

4. Do your research to get new topics.
You can read magazines and news articles on hot button issues and integrate those as a topic for your posts.  Link to a news article and then expand on it with your own opinion.

5. Ask your readers to help YOU solve a dilemma.
If you really want to get your readers engaged, ask them a question.   Should I buy this handbag or the other one?   This is a great way to get comments on a blog post as well.

6. Comparison posts are a big hit.
People love comparing things in life so why not compare two products that are very similar and then ask your readers what they think.

7. Engage your readers.
Touch on content that might be controversial, but do so carefully.   You can be opinionated but also share the stage to get your readers takes. 

8. Strategize a way to write your content.
Writer's block is the worst, so when you do get motivated, make sure you let it all out.  Joel tried this (and I do this regularly) by sitting down and writing a BUNCH of great posts.   Then he scheduled them to post and he got to sit back and relax for several weeks as everything published itself.  If you create the content all at once, you can enjoy your free time more.  

I hope these helped get your creative juices flowing!

  

What It's Like to Be a Blogger

The more and more into blogging I've become I've noticed so many things that only other bloggers can relate to.  So I decided to make a post about some of those things!

Here's a look at what it's like to be a blogger.

You get the urge to blog at the most inconvenient times.

Before buying something you think "Wait, can I get this through my blog?"

Everyone and their mom wants you to blog about their stuff (for free apparently).  "Hey you're a blogger, why don't you write about this."

Everyday is Christmas when it comes to packages in the mail.

You feel the need to defend the term "blogger."

You get frustrated with lame and generic pitches.

At any given moment your phone has notifications for your email, texts, Instagram, Facebook, personal Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.

Selfies are totally acceptable.

You can't go anywhere without seeing an opportunity to network.

You fill the need to explain how much work it actually is (a part time job at least!) for you as a blogger.

Spam comments are all too familiar "Hey this is a great post here is a link to my website: Largeandincharge.com"!

A simple outfit photo is exhausting.

Crap, when's the last time I updated my media kit?

Another blogging conference? Sign me up!

In mid conversation with a friend you realize "This would be a great blog post topic!"

You may never know who left that rude insulting anonymous comment on your blog, and it's gonna piss you off for a few weeks!

When you discover another blogger in your area you're ecstatic.

You justify large purchases with " It's okay, I need this for some blog photos".

Your point and shoot will never be good enough it seems so keep saving for that DSLR!

Neighbors and passerbys are ALWAYS around when you're posing awkwardly for OOTD photos. (I wonder if they think I'm vain?)

Did I miss anything?????

10 Tips on Blog Design from iRetreat2014

I had a wonderful time at iRetreat2014 and one of my favorite things I took away were some amazing tips on blog design and layout.  I decided to make them into a list and share them.

Some of these I already do and some of these I still need to work on but I can tell you that if your blog's traffic isn't growing and people don't seem impressed, maybe you should take a long hard look at what your blog really looks like to others.

1. Put badges on the BOTTOM of your blog instead of the sidebar.

Dan Morris spelled it out quite clearly when he said that your sidebar should look clean and organized so any blog badges or awards that you currently display there should be moved to the bottom of your page in the footer.

2. Make sure your site is mobile friendly.
Since a lot of traffic comes from people on their iPad or phone, you want to make sure your page looks nice that way.  Mel Lockoff did a great job explaining this!

3. Make sure your blog design has a smooth flow.
Are there two many columns that if confuses people when they come to your page? Try to keep it down to 2 or 3. 

Is it easy to navigate the home page of your blog?   Will it take people less than a minute to find what they are looking for (Contact Me, About, etc.)?  

 
If not, you should look at some blogs you enjoy and see how theirs flows.

4. Keep your header small and simple.
Since your header will appear before the fold, you want to make sure it doesn't take up half the page or else people may not feel like scrolling down to get to your content.

Also, make sure you keep it professional by getting it designed by someone or using PicMonkey.  An unprofessional header is a turn off when I visit blogs.   Trust me, you won't regret investing some money in a professional one.

And always remember, less is more!

5. Keep your categories organized and simple.
Instead of having different category buttons for, say closet organization and bedroom organization, just put them in one category of ORGANIZATION.

It should be easy to find the category your reader ones to browse.    And only make category buttons for topics you can commit to blogging about.

6. Make sure your have the important pages on your blog.
Important pages include: About Me, Contact, Disclosure, Press, Advertising, etc.

7. Have an attractive About Me page.
On your About Me page you want to give a  brief bio about yourself that gives your name, location, personality, and some experience.  I just revamped mine if you'd like to take a look.  Make sure you are clear and concise and don't ramble.

Also, make sure you include photos to help tell your story. 

Including a contact email and your social media links on this page is also a great idea.

8. Give information on your Advertising page and include a Disclosure Page.
If you want brands to work with you , make sure you list what services you offer not only to brands but to other bloggers.  

Make sure you reference that a Media Kit is available by emailing you at your specific address.

Keep the details of your services offered simple and leave the details for in your Media Kit. 

Try to imagine what YOU would want to see if you were a PR person visiting your blog for a possible collaboration. 

You can also list some past work you've done as well as any press exposure you've received or guest posts on other blogs.

If you review any kind of products or run any giveaways make sure you have a disclosure page.  You can get a disclosure policy at http://disclosurepolicy.org/.

9. Have an attractive sidebar.
Your blogs sidebar should contain a short bio with a photo, social media links, and a subscribe/follow box.   You can also have a search bar, a list of popular posts, and your advertisers.

Always cut out clutter.

10. Yes, you need a footer.
If people do get to the bottom of your blog, where do you want them to go when they get there?   Include your contact info, your category buttons, social links, and any groups or networks you belong to. 

5 Keys to a Good Blog Giveaway

As a blogger, I'd like to think I know a fair amount of EFFECTIVE tips that I've learned over the past few years. After putting certain tips from other bloggers into action I literally watched my traffic grow every single day.  To me, that says that the tips I'm about to share with you WILL work IF you follow them!

So here are 5 keys to a good blog giveaway.

1. Use Rafflecopter or some other widget.
When you leave instructions for a giveaway that are part of the blog post it is overwhelming to readers and already looks like way too much work.  

Using an embeddable widget is a fantastic idea and the basic version of Rafflecopter is free. I LOVE RAFFLECOPTER! Please consider using it. There are so many benefits and it's much easier to choose a winner.

2. For the love of blogging...USE CLICKABLE LINKS!
WAY too often I find entries in Rafflecopter on a blogger's giveaway that look like this:
Follow on Instagram:
www.instagram.com/ellenr886 

They SHOULD instead look like this:

And here is how you should enter them in so that they turn into a link.  

The link title goes in brackets [like this] and immediately after the brackets you put your link in parantheses.
This makes it SO much easier for people to actually complete the entry plus there's a greater chance people will do THAT entry.   So do yourself and your sponsors a favor and PLEASE link everything!!!

3. Prize value should be over $20!
I'm sorry but anything under $20 really isn't worth the effort to most readers.  I know this because I've asked around.  Think about it... until you go to spend the $20 voucher on a website, you can really only get a $10-15 item if you want shipping to be covered by the voucher as well.

4. Disable blog comment approvals.
I hate when it asks me to type in "ksjdfals juiwe8932"  Half the time it's hard for me to see and decipher the captcha and I'm not a robot!

I don't use any kind of captcha check for my blog and you know what? I have maybe 1 spam comment a month get through.  All the rest go into my spam section. Please do yourself a favor and make it easier for readers to leave a comment as part of an entry.

5. Contact your winner directly.
I can't stress enough how professional it is to contact a winner directly by email.   These are some other ways I've seen it done and a reason why each isn't fair to the contestants.

Tweeting them with a time limit to claim prize - Not everyone can be on their Twitter at a moments notice (I've seen 5 minute deadlines!)

Posting that they won in a blog - I'm sorry but as loyal as I am to the blogs I follow, some days I can't check their blog, sometimes for a week because I'm so busy.

Announcing on Facebook - Um, hello, have you noticed yet how Facebook basically hides your page feed from A LOT of your followers?!  People have lives and if stuff isn't in their feed they normally don't see it because they don't visit someone's Facebook page everyday.

It takes 2 minutes to email a winner and not only is it the best thing for the reader but it looks extremely professional on your end!




REMEMBER: It's not just the reader that benefits from a giveaway, it's you and your blog if you can gain a follower from it!


I hope these tips help you! If you can think of any others please leave them below!