Some of you have been asking questions on how I grow my blog, so I thought I’d share some tips I learned that worked for me. Cos’ I get it guys. I get how it is to be really excited about blogging and the frustration that comes with it when you want to reach more people with your work but it isn’t happening or when brands you want to work with haven’t noticed you yet. Happens to me a lot.

I started my blog to help myself fight depression and anxiety (details here). I was isolated from life so you could just imagine how almost clueless I was about the “blogosphere”. At first it felt like no one is ever going to be interested in what I have to say but then I became online-friends with a few bloggers on blogspot, then on Instagram… and so on. We supported each other. My blog grew from having one reader (myself, big fan lol!) into having you right here right now reading this (hello, thanks for listening!).

It also took years before I had the chance to work with brands I love. One of the most memorable ones was with Maybelline. I love Maybelline… some of the first makeup I used were from Maybelline. So to be a part of the #MaybellineSquadPH was special to me. It’s like an affirmation that I did something right with my blog. And today i’m going to write about a few of those right things I did to #MakeitHappen. I hope these answer your questions and help you with your blog as well.

There are tons of ways to promote your blog; the more good content you share online the more potential readers you attract, giveaways are effective in getting new followers with the same interest, but the most important one (and most rewarding) is to make friends. Reply to your readers’ comments, messages, and, if you can, try to get to know them. Comment on other bloggers’ photos you can relate to. I understand how time consuming and even impossible it could be when you’re busy but try to do it as much as you can. People respond to bloggers they know and can relate to.

Post beautiful photos and write ups consistently. Make your blog useful, be a source of information or inspiration.  People like blogs that add value to them whether its knowledge, encouragement, pegs, and even sympathy. I wanted to cheer people up through my blog but since my jokes are corny and I don’t want you to unfollow me, I post outfit pegs, and beauty reviews instead! Follow a blog theme to keep things organized, easy to look at, and remember. If the content you promote is good, people will recognise your work, it might take some time but I promise you, what you reap you will eventually sow. Just be patient and faithful with your work.

Make sure that every piece of content, review, photo, blog layout, caption that you publish is excellent. I know it’s such a cliche answer but think about this, if you were a PR in search for bloggers to help you promote a lipstick line, what are the things you’d look for? Besides the bloggers’ influence online, you’ll need passionate beauty bloggers who can take good photos of the lipsticks (and its swatches), someone who can do makeup well, someone who always writes informative content, and so on. Your photos and blog is like a cover of your book / portfolio. Get yourself involved in the community by attending public blogger events, joining contests, and online campaign hashtags.

Once you’ve worked with brands, maintain a good working relationship with them. Publish content as timely as you can, always link and tag them in your posts, and use hashtags to promote more. Ask questions if you’re unsure of things. Like, should you write a full blog review on the product? Do they want it shared on social media only? When do you need it posted? Don’t be afraid to negotiate with the terms of the partnership if you need to but be kind to the PRs. They’re very busy so you want to keep your conversations light and easy. At the end of every project, thank them and mention that if they need bloggers to review more products in the future to please contact you.

It’s okay to contact brands when your blog is  ready. Your blog’s “readiness” is determined by a lot of things but one of the most important factors is your followers. Both in quantity and quality. Does it have enough followers, views, and engagement on your social media? I’ve only contacted a few brands for collaboration. Not all of them replied and not all proposals (from both sides) were successful. But I’ve also gotten some good partnerships from it, so it’s worth the risk of getting rejected. Just don’t spam them and have a good online presence they can check. In case you’re wondering how many followers you need before you can contact other brands, it’s different for each brand. I started doing collaborations when I had about 1200 Instagram followers (my main social media). The first time I contacted and successfully worked with a brand was a lot later than that but I have blogger friends who contacted and collaborated with brands when they had about 1000 followers on their social media.

There are a lot of ways to stand out. For me the most effective way is to keep your blogs integrity. Stay true to yourself and you’ll naturally share original, beautiful, and unique content. It’s okay to draw inspiration from other people but always add your personal touch to it and make it your own. Stay true to your readers so you can earn their trust. There are a lot of bloggers I follow, but the ones that stand out the most for me are those that I can relate to and I trust.

Hope these help! Any tips you’d like to share with me?

Come join our #MaybellinePH gift set giveaway! Just fill in the rafflecopter below. One lucky winner will get a Maybelline gift set that includes the bestselling Maybelline Fit Me concealer and some more Maybelline makeup. It’s open to PH residents only and it’ll run until July 27, 2017. I’ll announce tag the winner on Instagram a few days after the giveaway ends. Good luck and thanks for joining!

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