If you’re keen to be the next big thing in the world of blogging, there are some golden rules you need to follow. There are more than a million blogs out there on the World Wide Web, and only a handful hit the big time. If you want everybody to be talking about your blog, here’s some advice you may find useful.

Adopt a focus

If you’re new to blogging, think carefully about the main focus of your blog. What interests you? What are your passions? What makes you laugh or cry? There are blogs out there that cover almost every subject imaginable, and some are much more niche than others. Consider what you want to write about, and what kinds of issues you want to discuss with your readers. It’s always best to design a blog that reflects you in some way. We’re all more comfortable talking and writing about things that inspire us and subjects with which we are familiar. It’s good to try new things, but don’t lose sight of what’s important to you.

Work on the aesthetics

It doesn’t matter how brilliant your content is. If the page looks boring, dated or busy, you’re likely to lose readers before they’ve even clapped eyes on your ingenious guides, your fashion features or your words of wisdom. Aesthetics are essential. Think about the kinds of blogs you like to read, and what styles and themes you appreciate as a follower. Match the style of the blog to the content. If you’re running a business blog, you don’t want your content to be backed by bright floral wallpaper or adorned with exotic pineapple or flamingo prints. Likewise, if you’re covering fashion, you don’t want something too formal or clinical.

Once you’ve got a general theme in mind, pay attention to the layout. It can be very off-putting for a reader to be confronted with huge chunks of text, so try and include subheadings and break up text with images, infographics or video clips. Make sure you use high-quality images. You can get some great editing and enhancement apps, which will ensure your blog looks the part.

Spread the word

To be big in blogging, you need to have a following. Once your blog is up and running, it’s time to spread the word, and let people know where they can reach you, read your material, and interact with you and other friends and followers. Social media is a blogger’s best friend, as it enables you to connect with vast numbers of people at the touch of a button. Work with other bloggers, and form partnerships, which enable you to include backlinks in return for links on other blogs. Link your blog to your Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram accounts, and keep them updated. Don’t bombard your followers with information, but don’t be a stranger. Find the right balance to keep people interested and engaged.

Avoid technical hitches

Technical hitches are a blogger’s worst nightmare. When you’re trying to make it in this competitive world, even a minor glitch can set you back. Make sure you have a reliable Internet connection and consider paying for the fastest download speeds. If you’re not sure whether to stick with your current provider or change, this link may prove useful. We live in a world where the web affords us 24-hour access to information and boundaryless communication platforms, so make sure you can stay up to date when you’re out and about. You can set up alerts to keep track of activity on your blog on your phone, for example.

Use feedback

As a blogger, it pays to be sociable, so make sure you respond to comments and feedback and encourage open chat and debate. Make sure you’re contactable, and you have a strong presence online. If people are taking the time to read what you’ve written and respond, you should take their comments on board. Feedback can also be really useful to help you determine the direction in which you want to go. See which subjects and topics get people talking, and attract the most interest, and continue in this vein.

Don’t be afraid to be different

If you read a lot of blogs, you’ll notice that may of them cover the same range of topics. If you’re keen to stand out from the crowd, don’t be afraid to approach different subjects or go from a different angle. It’s always good to be original.

The post 6 Things YOU Should Do To Become a Successful Blogger appeared first on Sarah Scoop.

For many of us in the midst of our blogging career, we can get to a point where we may need to supplement our income with extra work. You could get a job working at your local coffee house, or you could start to use your blogging skills and work with other businesses or brands on a freelance basis. If you are used to blogging about topics like fashion or media, turning your skills to a subject you may not have prior knowledge in can seem like a big stretch, but there are many great reasons to work with established businesses on cleaning up their copy or helping their social media campaign.

Here are some ways to help break into that area of work.

Use Your Blog As Your Calling Card

If you create output on a regular basis, you could start to diversify your content to show prospective businesses that you can cover a wide range of subjects. Businesses will ask for examples of your work so you can direct them to your blog and there is a library of examples for them to see. How you present yourself online will help companies to make a decision if you can create the right sort of content for their products, website, or social media output.  

You Could Get A Qualification In Your Spare Time

For many companies, you may need to demonstrate some prior knowledge of their services or products, or you may need a qualification of some sort. If you are working with companies that want you to write educational content on a certain subject, it is very likely that you will need to have an academic background in that subject. But for many businesses, they will require a good working knowledge of business processes. Luckily there are online courses, so you don’t have to physically turn up to class, and colleges like UAB provide courses that last up to two years. That way, you don’t have to spend too long obtaining a degree, and it is something you can do alongside your current blogging role.

There Are Many Freelance Roles Available For You To Build Up Your Experience

Freelancer websites are in abundance now, so if you are looking to build up your professional portfolio, you can apply for work through sites like Freelancer, or PPH. As the roles are on a freelance basis, it is a great way to get an extra income, and there are no permanent ties to the role. Freelancing is such a common way to work now that loads of people are doing it, so beware, you may have a lot of competition. This is doubly true if the assignment is to write 500 words on popular topics. This is why so many go for the content writing assignments for business websites because there is a lot less competition and the pay is generally as good, if not better! This is why your blog can set you off onto the freelancer path, and if your blog is just a hobby, it can definitely be an entryway to getting an extra income.

The post 3 Ways to Use Your Blog To Further Your Career appeared first on Sarah Scoop.

It is a big undertaking, but it’s an essential process that we all need to undertake if we are working to promote a product, idea, or just ourselves. Finding your writer’s voice is something that can potentially take a long time to figure out, especially if you are running a business with many different strands, or you are blogging as a career choice. In many ways it boils down to a simple statement, write about what you know, yet so few people take this advice when they are setting off on their writer’s journey. Why is this so important?

Writing about what you know is the overriding factor in every piece of content you create. It is what makes the best art, the most engaging copy, the most shareable content. Looking at a piece of writing, if so many people can engage with something because it speaks to them, it is going to be shared, and it is going to generate traffic, and therefore revenue. But before you think that you may as well just write about anything and everything, the reason you write about what you know is because it speaks the one thing that no amount of generic blogs or articles will do, the truth. This is why the most popular comedians are selling out arenas with jokes about their kids; it is something that a lot of people can identify with. And it is a difficult process to undertake when creating your own content, whether it is for your blog, your webpage, or your business.

The technicalities of blogging are covered in this guide, but the task of finding your voice is not just one that will make your blog infinitely shareable. A thing like using the right platform is one simple trick to getting your content read, and the more widely used the platform, the likelier it is to be read by more people. But each piece of advice on creating content always comes back to the same thing, making sure that your content is great. There are many tools to make sure that your website hits the top of each search engine by putting in common search terms, but this may give you the wrong idea about putting a load of search terms in each item of content. This is not only lazy, but it also is a sure-fire way to put people off reading your content ever again, and as a result, not buy your products or not use your services, etc.

But don’t worry if you get it wrong first time, there are many large businesses that have restructured their entire marketing plan because their branding was wrong and so the content didn’t cater for the right people. You can spend millions on a marketing plan to find the right voice for your business or blog, but simplicity is the most important thing. Finding your voice is the goal, but you need to assess yourself to get there. Passions, feelings, thoughts, emotions. It is you that is the product, so learn to get to know your product so you can market it in the right way.

The post How to Find Your Own Voice While Blogging appeared first on Sarah Scoop.

Many bloggers take a less than perfect approach when it comes to creating their articles. They might not realize it, but those people are doing themselves an injustice. If they simply worked a little harder, their work would improve tenfold. As would the number of people clicking links and reading their posts. With that in mind, I’m going to offer some tips and suggestions today that all bloggers should read.

If you’re just started out, now is the best time to pay attention. You won’t have fallen into any bad habits yet, and so you can get used to implementing these strategies from day one. When all’s said and done, blogging is fun, and it can also create income. So, it makes sense to produce the best content possible.

• Find a unique viewpoint

In a world where millions of people make comments every day on social media, it’s often difficult to find a unique perspective. However, it’s not impossible, and you should strive for that goal every time you write. The stance doesn’t even have to reflect your beliefs or opinions. You just need to say something nobody else has said. You should avoid anything offensive or overly controversial because that could damage your reputation. Instead, you just need to think outside of the box. Human beings are responsive to new ideas and suggestions. So, whenever you finish writing a blog post, you just need to ask yourself if you’re rehashing something another writer published in the past.

• Illustrate your articles

It’s often wise to use striking imagery within your articles to keep readers engaged and entertained. You could purchase a decent camera and try to take them yourself. However, most people would agree that’s a time-consuming task. That is especially true when you can purchase the rights for stock photos online. In most instances, you won’t have to spend a lot of money to add professional photography to your posts. With a bit of luck, you should notice an improved response compared to articles that don’t contain beautiful imagery.

• Ask questions that require interaction

Lastly, you should aim to engage your audience as much as possible. The best way of doing that is to ask questions that require them to post answers or opinions. Make sure you incorporate social media comments under every article you publish. That way, people can leave you a comment without having to enter any login information. Their comment should also appear in the news feeds of their friends. That might encourage even more people to click your links and read your blog. You get the idea, right?

Now you know how to craft the perfect article, we hope you succeed at your blogging venture. At the end of the day, millions of people visit blogs every day. So, you just need to steal a small share of that market. You can then place adverts on your website using Google Adsense, and start to profit from the venture. Who knows? This time next year you might blog for a living.

The post Blogging 101: How To Write The Perfect Blog Post appeared first on Sarah Scoop.

So you’ve taken over a little corner of the internet with a blog that you are, in all honesty, incredibly proud of. When you first started out you thought that blogging would simply be a hobby, something to do in your spare time. Now, however, that’s all changed. You’ve seen the potential that blogging has to be more than a hobby and it’s got you wondering whether your blog has the potential to turn into more than something that you do in your spare time – could it become a small business? The question is, how do you know if your blog (and you) have got what it takes to make blogging more than a hobby?

Photo source

Your blog is well-designed & runs seamlessly

If your blog is going to be more than a hobby, it’s vital that you ensure it is as professional as possible. Because your blog will become your business’s hub, which means that it’s the place where people form their first impressions about what you offer as a business, it’s important that it looks professional – you need to ensure that your blog looks the part. If it isn’t as well-designed as it could be and has glitches, you need to change that. Contact a reputable website designer, and work with them to improve your blog’s design to make it look more professional. It also may be worth changing the website hosting that you have in place, to ensure that your site runs more smoothly and doesn’t freeze or crash. Remember, first impressions are everything in business.

You have a good following

Does your blog already have a good following and reach? If it does, this is a sign that your site has the potential to be more than just a hobby. If your following is still small(ish) don’t worry, that doesn’t mean you can’t turn your blog into a business, it just might be worth working on building up your following first and increasing your reach.

You utilize social media

Social media is one of the key marketing platforms in today’s technology-focused world. So if you want to transform your blog into more than just a hobby, it’s vital that you are already utilizing social media and using it to market your blog and your skills. What’s important is that you are clued up when it comes to social media marketing as well as content marketing, as if you want to make your blog more than a hobby, knowing how to promote yourself online is crucial.

You’ve worked with brands in the past

The chances are if you are a blogger, you’ve worked with brands in the past. The reason that this is important is because a big part of making your blog a successful business is linked to collaborating with brands on reviews, sponsored posts, and other opportunities. You need to understand how brands work with bloggers, what bloggers they like to work with, and how you can make your blog more desirable to them. If you haven’t already worked with brands don’t worry, what you want to do is do some research into it. To learn more about working with brands, the best thing to do is approach a couple of brands via email and ask what types of bloggers they work with and how so that you can get an idea of what to expect from collaborations.

A lot of bloggers dream of turning their blogs into more than just a hobby, the problem is that they don’t know what it takes to do that. Hopefully, the advice above has given you a useful insight into what it takes to make your blog more of a business than a hobby.

The post 4 Signs Your Blog Has the Potential To Be More Than A Hobby appeared first on Sarah Scoop.

The sheer number of things that the internet has changed forever is honestly staggering when you really look at it. The way that people do business, the way people shop, even the way that people talk to each other have all been altered in ways that, even a couple of decades ago, no one could possibly have imagined. The media has certainly changed a lot as well because of this. Where you once had TV and movies as the only methods of entertainment out there, the internet, and in particular video sharing sites like Youtube, have created a whole new culture of media and content.

With the rise of Youtube came the rise of the video blogger, or vlogger for short. Vloggers do something very different from TV and films in that they are often amateurs working alone and instead of creating fictional narratives and stories in the way TV shows do, the narratives are based on their lives and their personalities. There are plenty of different varieties of vloggers, but most of them have built their brand around themselves as a person. For a lot of people, this seems like an incredibly tempting idea, but they have no real idea where to start. The whole thing seems so complicated and difficult that a lot of people resign themselves to never actually doing it. However, it’s actually a lot simpler and easier than you might think, you just need to follow a few simple pieces of advice. In order to help you make your mark online, here are some of the secrets to vlogging success.

Know your brand

This one might actually be a little more complicated than it seems. In its simplest form, your brand is you. You are the face on the screen and often the only person involved in the content creation process. However, that’s not quite the end of things. As much as one of the best things about vlogging is the personal, realistic quality that it has, it’s not actually real life. Your brand is you, but it’s a slightly different version of you. One that’s more friendly, more exciting, and more presentable. Make sure that you think about the kind of image that you really want to project. When you understand that then you need to focus on it as much as possible, that way you never have to worry about creating something that doesn’t fit with the style of your channel as a whole.

Have the right equipment

There are those who might tell you that equipment simply doesn’t matter when it comes to vlogging, and in a perfect world they would be right. In a perfect world, the only things that would matter would be your personality and the content that you create. However, surprising as it might be, we do not live in a perfect world. Because of that, it is important to think about the equipment that you use. The most important thing is, of course, your camera, it is called video blogging after all. A decent vlogging camera is particularly important now because audiences are used to vloggers using high-quality equipment and presenting themselves as professionally as possible. Not only that but you need to think about sound as well. People’s ears are often a lot more easily offended than their eyes, so it’s worth your while to invest in a high-quality microphone so that you don’t sound like you’re speaking from inside a tin can.

Be consistent

Time moves pretty fast in the modern era, and nowhere does it move faster than on the internet. When you’re creating content online, one of the most important things to remember is to have a consistent upload schedule. Otherwise, you run a pretty serious risk of being forgotten about altogether. It might be nice to imagine that your audience will sit around waiting for your next upload but, in reality, there is so much content online that it is much more likely that they’ll simply go and find something else. Uploading at least once a week is a good balance because that way you are going to stay on an audience member’s radar without overloading them with too much content. You should also make sure to be as consistent as possible with your branding and imaging. Things like fonts, music, and your delivery should be consistent from video to video so that, no matter what, they can always be identified as your content.

Be relatable

Remember, when you’re vlogging, you’re not just creating stories in the way TV and film are, you’re talking directly to your audience. Think about the kind of content that they will want to watch. Of course, you should always be happy talking about whatever you want and creating the kind of content that you’re passionate about, but you should think about how you’re going to be able to make that content interesting and relatable to your audience. That way you are able to make sure that they keep coming back video after video. In the same way that a blog post can connect with people through the way it conveys ideas, a vlog can connect through the sheer force of your personality and relatability.

Talk to your audience

One of the cool things about vlogging is that it’s as much a conversation as anything. When someone watches a film or a TV show, then it’s a one-way street. The creator of those things is saying something, and the audience’s job is to take it in and think about it. With vlogging, that’s totally different. The comment system on sites like youtube means that your audience can speak to you about your content instantly without having to go through anything else. Make sure that you’re taking advantage of this by replying to comments by your audience members and being willing to engage in genuine conversations. Not only will this help your content become better but it will create a much stronger bond between you and your audience. Of course, you should also be aware that comment sections can sometimes be scary places. Some people are going to dislike your videos; there’s nothing you can do about that. It’s important not to let negative comments get you down and to focus as much as possible on all the positive things that your viewers and subscribers are saying.

The post 5 Secrets To Vlogging Success appeared first on Sarah Scoop.

I don’t know if it’s just me, but it feels like everyone is trying to get into blogging these days. Lots of people are starting blogs based on certain topics and really going at them hard. The life of a blogger is often painted as this perfect life where you live by your own rules and have a schedule based on your life. If your blog is successful, you can earn a lot of money and get endorsements and sponsorships that provide you with loads of free stuff too.

It’s easy to get caught up in the glitz and the glamor of blogging as we only really see the good side of it. When we engage with a blog, we read the content and nothing else. We don’t see what happens behind the scenes, we just see what’s put out there, and we love the idea of doing it ourselves. If someone’s managed to create an empire through blogging and be really successful, why can’t we? After all, it looks so easy and relaxed, right?

Well, this isn’t categorically wrong, but it’s far from being completely right either. If you’re a natural, then blogging can feel very relaxed in the sense that writing posts and creating content is a breeze for you. It’s something you don’t have to think too much about as you’re putting thoughts on a web page and it’s almost like a hobby. However, there is so much hard work that goes on behind the scenes away from the actual content writing. Bloggers have a much harder working life than you might think, there are plenty of causes for concern.

This is where the main topic of this piece comes into play as many bloggers don’t realize the struggles happening behind the scenes. So, they rush into blogging thinking it’ll be fun and get hit with loads of things they didn’t know existed.

As such, staying on this topic, here are some of the things you wish you knew about before you started blogging:

Your Content Can Get Stolen

Most people get into blogging because they read a selection of blogs every day and love it so much they want to join in. When you only read the same blogs, you’re getting the same content in the same place, all the time. It doesn’t really cross your mind that there are loads of other sites out there that might be trying to steal and replicated this content and pass it off as their own.

Consequently, when you start blogging yourself, you’re unaware of this threat. Websites could be stealing your content and claiming it’s theirs, then getting more traffic and making more money through ad revenue. If you don’t know this is happening, your site can miss out on so much traffic and so much money.

Thankfully, you can deal with this by getting something called DMCA protection. For those that don’t know, the DMCA is a copyright act that protects online content. It stops people from stealing things that are DMCA protected. Immediately, all you bloggers out there are curious how to get DMCA protection, and you’ll be pleased to know it’s easy and free. With this protection, you can find sites and domains that are infringing your content and move to get it taken down. As you can imagine, this is something you have to do all the time to ensure your content stays on your site and isn’t passed off as someone else’s.

You Need To Invest Money

Personally, I see nothing wrong with blogging to make money. It’s no different from starting your own business and being self-employed. So, it’s fair to say that a lot of bloggers are driven by the prospect of making money. You’re aware that money can be made from a blog, but you’re unaware of how much money goes into a successful blog.

This is something that shocks a lot of bloggers when they get going. It’s possible you’ll see some degree of success, but you will fail to make a living out of blogging unless you invest money into your blog. Like I said, making money from a blog is the same as starting a business. Guess what you do when you start a business? You invest your money in different areas to help start things up and propel you to the top.

With a blog, you may have to invest in things like web design to create the perfect site that looks great and works well on all devices. Or, you may want to invest in advertising to help spread the word about your blog online and get some traffic via sponsored search results. You could even pay for link building services to help improve the organic search performance of your site. The point is, there are lots of ways you can improve a website and make it successful, but you have to invest money. It’s very hard to make money from a blog without spending some of your own.

You Will Have Haters

We like to believe our content is great and our opinions are always well-balanced and informative. However, it’s impossible to please everyone all the time. People will visit your blog and love what you write, while others will hate it.

At the end of the day, this is just a fact of life; there will be haters. You’ll get some mean comments, maybe a few mean tweets, and some negativity from different corners. The bigger you get, the more haters you’ll have as people really seem to dislike other people’s success. Especially when it revolves around digital media.

My point is, don’t start blogging with the thought process that everyone will love what you do. Also, don’t think you can convert everyone into a fan. Be aware that you’ll get hate, and ignore it. Don’t respond to any criticism that’s not constructive as it simply isn’t worth your time.

No doubt a few seasoned bloggers are reading these points nodding their heads in agreement. If you know about them before you start blogging, it makes everything a lot easier, and there are fewer shocks. Hopefully, if you’re thinking about starting a blog, this article has helped you see things more clearly than before!

The post 3 Things You Should Know Before You Start Blogging appeared first on Sarah Scoop.

You’ve done all the reading you can possibly do, you know what changes Google has made to its algorithm, you know what ticks all the SEO boxes, how the power of storytelling works and you even have this awesome blogging infographic as the background on your phone, laptop and computer. So, yeah, it’s safe to say you know what you’re talking about when it comes to pulling together a successful blog. You have nailed this whole blogging thing so well that no one can tell you something you don’t already know.

However, despite all this, no one is really taking any notice of your blog and, by that we mean only your family and best friend read your last twelve posts.

Okay, maybe it isn’t as bad as that because, as far as your report shows, people are viewing what you write. The fact no one is commenting, clicking your links, sharing your posts or being converted into buyers would suggest they aren’t actually reading the content.

To put an overarching ‘why’ into place, a lot of the time, this lack of interest is because you have totally ignored the nine-second rule. Yup, you have just nine seconds to grab a person’s interest in the digitally-obsessed age. That is what makes the finishing touches so important. These are the things that will grab people by their eyeballs, read your content and click your links.

So, without further ado, here is why your blog needs improvement:

Your Headlines Are Drab

If you don’t know what drab means, the definition is, “lacking brightness or interest, drearily dull”. Why does this matter so much? Well, even though it is only a small collection of words that leads to a huge body of information, more than fives times as many people read the headline as they do the actual body of your content. That is what makes your headline so important. It is why you should focus more on this than the rest of your post. It is the very thing that will elicit curiosity and shine with intrigue; it is what will pull people in so that they read the rest of your post. Basically, you need to stop writing your headline as an afterthought and start making this the primary concern.

People Skim, Not Read

How many tabs have you got open on your internet browser right now? And how long have they been sat up there, ready to be read, yet put off again? To hit you with a couple of hard truths you a) won’t ever read them and b) won’t ever read them because they are looking than the last three Harry Potter books combined. This is one of the biggest areas of concern with content these days. Yes, you need to deliver in-depth information that offers the reader tons of value, but you need to make it easy to do that too. It needs to be an attractive proposition. That is why you should use subheadings to make the chunks easier to digest and use bullet points and numbers where possible. Another great way to get around this is to add a table of contents to the top and an indication of just how long it will take to read your blog.

Show Some Personality

When the term blog was first thrown out there, they were celebrated and championed as such personal things. Each blogger had their own personal style and branding (look at Perez Hilton) but, at some point during its evolution, this faded away. Blogs became boring, generic, dull, rushed and, dare we say, all the same. Bloggers decided not to write in the first person, ignored personal anecdotes and that little bit of them was turned into mush. Don’t do this. Make your blog personal, give it a brand and let people know they are reading your blog. How? Well, for starters, find your own voice. Write in a more personal way and stop using the same handful of stock images by going on a photography crash course. Just because you are writing a business blog doesn’t mean it has to be samey. After all, it is people who read them not some sort of corporate robot. People are reading and those people are interested in personality; they are interested in you. So let you shine through more and do it everywhere you can think of.

The Reader Has Read This Already

That is part of the problem; a big part. You aren’t saying anything new. How many articles are on Google that share the headline, “5 ways to make your blog better?” You don’t really think someone is going to read all of them, do you? Once they have read one, that’s it, they have read it; they aren’t going to read it again, not once, never mind 500,000 times. If you want people to read what you are writing about then you need to give it to them from a fresh perspective. It is the same concept as journalism. If they want to write about a topic, event or conspiracy that has already been covered then they have to find a whole new angle to approach it from. So, if your blog is currently falling prey to this idea that, once you have read one article, you have read them all then you need to rethink your approach. Period.

Words Aren’t Enough

We live in a seriously media-rich society and that is something your blog needs to latch onto and celebrate. People are now used to interacting with video, GIFs, infographics, podcasts, and graphics. These are things that stand out from just line after line of text and they give your reader something to engage with. What’s more, unlike just a block of content – which will turn your readers off very quickly – by having bits and pieces of multi-media dropped into your posts, you will find that people will very quickly reward you with their most valuable asset; time.

It’s not that people don’t want to read your content, it’s just that you need to grab their attention quickly and give them a reason to choose your blog above all the others.

The post 5 Ways to Improve Your Blog to Get Readers appeared first on Sarah Scoop.

If you want to expand your influence online, whether it’s to promote your business, get domain authority, broaden your blog audience or something else, you’re going to have to work with other people. One of the most efficient ways of doing this is to reach out to other bloggers who have already built up a community of followers. But actually getting them to do what you want them to can be tricky.

As with anything in life and business, it’s all about first impressions. And so your initial communication with a blogger is important. But how do you write effective blogger outreach emails? It’s not as straightforward as you think.

Don’t Use Template Emails

Finding out how to get a guest post published can be a real challenge. There are dozens of sites out there purporting to know exactly what approach to take. But it’s worthwhile being wary of anybody offering you a “template” solution to blogger outreach. While it’s important to be polite and considerate in your initial communication, it’s also important to appear authentic. Bloggers, however, are used to receiving emails, sometimes on a daily basis, from people requesting the use of their sites for guest posts and other reasons. If the email appears generic, the blogger won’t accept your sincerity, and you may find yourself struggling with uptake.

Be Specific

When approaching bloggers, try to be specific to their blog, rather than just sending out as many emails as possible and hoping that something sticks. Being specific means more than just their name in the email. Spend some time talking about how your work coincides, why what they’re saying is important, and why you can contribute to their existing body of articles.

Another common tactic is to reference something from the blogger’s social media account that shows that you’ve selected them specifically. Discussing their social media antics is a great way to increase the chances of getting a response. Flattery works even better.

Help The Blogger Out First

The principle of reciprocity is hardwired into human beings. When you help somebody out, it’s only natural for them to want to return the favor. And since bloggers are people too, the principle of reciprocity applies to blogger outreach too.

Helping a blogger isn’t always easy, of course, but it can be done. One way you can do it is give them exclusive rights to review your product. You could also send them guest articles for free – no strings attached – that get their users buzzing. If you scratch their back, they might just scratch yours.

Talk About Your Needs

Blogger outreach is a tricky business. You don’t want to appear too demanding in your first email, but at the same time, you don’t want to leave them in any doubt about what it is that you actually want.

When reaching out to bloggers, include a call-to-action: something they can do to further their relationship with you immediately. For instance, if you’ve posted guest posts before, send them a link to how they’ve performed and show them that you can do the same for them too. Don’t leave them in any doubt of your intentions.

The post 4 Steps To Better Blogger Outreach Emails appeared first on Sarah Scoop.

1- Be Consistent

One common mistake that many bloggers make is trying to be too many things to too many people, in turn diluting the overall purpose of the blog and confusing their readership. There are so many bloggers out there that it can be difficult for readers to choose who to go back to. You can make that really easy for them by making sure your blog is consistent.

If your readers know what to expect from you, your tone of voice, angle and specialised knowledge and subject area then you will become front of mind for those readers who have enjoyed your content before. If that readers revisits you after some time, to find that you have totally changed direction, have a completely different niche or style of writing then you run the risk of alienating your existing or growing audience. Of course all blogs should evolve over time but be careful that you are staying true to who you are and the overall objectives of your blog.

2- Be Visual

We live in a visual world so your blog should be just as much about the visual aspect as it is about the written word. Getting a solid following from people on Instagram is another challenge for bloggers and bloggers are trying everything from how to improve their collection of images all the way through to buying cheap instagram followers to start building up their group of followers. Look into the ways that you can connect with instagram users in a visual way in order to reinforce your content with visual representatives of your blog and to start creating a group of loyal followers through this social media platform.

3- Be Interactive

Everyone wants to feel that their opinion is valid and that there are people out there that would like to listen to it. That is an important role for you as a blogger. Yes your job is to provide and share information and opinions but you should never forget to be inviting feedback and interaction from your readers. Not only will this make your readers feel valued and a part of your community but it will also provide you with valuable insight into how you continue to build on and improve your content based on what your readers enjoy and don’t enjoy. Or what they agree with and what they don’t agree with.

4- Be Social

We have touched on social media by covering the visual side with apps such as Instagram, however any successful blogger knows that there is no ignoring using a combination of different social media platforms when it comes to building up solid blog followers.Therefore see your relationship with platform such facebook, twitter and even youtube as a continual learning curve. No one gets social media right from the get-go, it is a process that you will, over time, get to understand what works and what doesn’t for your type of blog. So be patient and allow yourself to evolve as your blog develops and as your blog followers grow.

The post How To Attract Loyal Followers to Your Blog in 4 Simple Steps appeared first on Sarah Scoop.

If you’re keen to be the next big thing in the world of blogging, there are some golden rules you need to follow. There are more than a million blogs out there on the World Wide Web, and only a handful hit the big time. If you want everybody to be talking about your blog, here’s some advice you may find useful.

Adopt a focus

If you’re new to blogging, think carefully about the main focus of your blog. What interests you? What are your passions? What makes you laugh or cry? There are blogs out there that cover almost every subject imaginable, and some are much more niche than others. Consider what you want to write about, and what kinds of issues you want to discuss with your readers. It’s always best to design a blog that reflects you in some way. We’re all more comfortable talking and writing about things that inspire us and subjects with which we are familiar. It’s good to try new things, but don’t lose sight of what’s important to you.

Work on the aesthetics

It doesn’t matter how brilliant your content is. If the page looks boring, dated or busy, you’re likely to lose readers before they’ve even clapped eyes on your ingenious guides, your fashion features or your words of wisdom. Aesthetics are essential. Think about the kinds of blogs you like to read, and what styles and themes you appreciate as a follower. Match the style of the blog to the content. If you’re running a business blog, you don’t want your content to be backed by bright floral wallpaper or adorned with exotic pineapple or flamingo prints. Likewise, if you’re covering fashion, you don’t want something too formal or clinical.

Once you’ve got a general theme in mind, pay attention to the layout. It can be very off-putting for a reader to be confronted with huge chunks of text, so try and include subheadings and break up text with images, infographics or video clips. Make sure you use high-quality images. You can get some great editing and enhancement apps, which will ensure your blog looks the part.

Spread the word

To be big in blogging, you need to have a following. Once your blog is up and running, it’s time to spread the word, and let people know where they can reach you, read your material, and interact with you and other friends and followers. Social media is a blogger’s best friend, as it enables you to connect with vast numbers of people at the touch of a button. Work with other bloggers, and form partnerships, which enable you to include backlinks in return for links on other blogs. Link your blog to your Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram accounts, and keep them updated. Don’t bombard your followers with information, but don’t be a stranger. Find the right balance to keep people interested and engaged.

Avoid technical hitches

Technical hitches are a blogger’s worst nightmare. When you’re trying to make it in this competitive world, even a minor glitch can set you back. Make sure you have a reliable Internet connection and consider paying for the fastest download speeds. If you’re not sure whether to stick with your current provider or change, this link may prove useful. We live in a world where the web affords us 24-hour access to information and boundaryless communication platforms, so make sure you can stay up to date when you’re out and about. You can set up alerts to keep track of activity on your blog on your phone, for example.

Use feedback

As a blogger, it pays to be sociable, so make sure you respond to comments and feedback and encourage open chat and debate. Make sure you’re contactable, and you have a strong presence online. If people are taking the time to read what you’ve written and respond, you should take their comments on board. Feedback can also be really useful to help you determine the direction in which you want to go. See which subjects and topics get people talking, and attract the most interest, and continue in this vein.

Don’t be afraid to be different

If you read a lot of blogs, you’ll notice that may of them cover the same range of topics. If you’re keen to stand out from the crowd, don’t be afraid to approach different subjects or go from a different angle. It’s always good to be original.

The post 6 Things YOU Should Do To Become a Successful Blogger appeared first on Sarah Scoop.

For many of us in the midst of our blogging career, we can get to a point where we may need to supplement our income with extra work. You could get a job working at your local coffee house, or you could start to use your blogging skills and work with other businesses or brands on a freelance basis. If you are used to blogging about topics like fashion or media, turning your skills to a subject you may not have prior knowledge in can seem like a big stretch, but there are many great reasons to work with established businesses on cleaning up their copy or helping their social media campaign.

Here are some ways to help break into that area of work.

Use Your Blog As Your Calling Card

If you create output on a regular basis, you could start to diversify your content to show prospective businesses that you can cover a wide range of subjects. Businesses will ask for examples of your work so you can direct them to your blog and there is a library of examples for them to see. How you present yourself online will help companies to make a decision if you can create the right sort of content for their products, website, or social media output.  

You Could Get A Qualification In Your Spare Time

For many companies, you may need to demonstrate some prior knowledge of their services or products, or you may need a qualification of some sort. If you are working with companies that want you to write educational content on a certain subject, it is very likely that you will need to have an academic background in that subject. But for many businesses, they will require a good working knowledge of business processes. Luckily there are online courses, so you don’t have to physically turn up to class, and colleges like UAB provide courses that last up to two years. That way, you don’t have to spend too long obtaining a degree, and it is something you can do alongside your current blogging role.

There Are Many Freelance Roles Available For You To Build Up Your Experience

Freelancer websites are in abundance now, so if you are looking to build up your professional portfolio, you can apply for work through sites like Freelancer, or PPH. As the roles are on a freelance basis, it is a great way to get an extra income, and there are no permanent ties to the role. Freelancing is such a common way to work now that loads of people are doing it, so beware, you may have a lot of competition. This is doubly true if the assignment is to write 500 words on popular topics. This is why so many go for the content writing assignments for business websites because there is a lot less competition and the pay is generally as good, if not better! This is why your blog can set you off onto the freelancer path, and if your blog is just a hobby, it can definitely be an entryway to getting an extra income.

The post 3 Ways to Use Your Blog To Further Your Career appeared first on Sarah Scoop.

It is a big undertaking, but it’s an essential process that we all need to undertake if we are working to promote a product, idea, or just ourselves. Finding your writer’s voice is something that can potentially take a long time to figure out, especially if you are running a business with many different strands, or you are blogging as a career choice. In many ways it boils down to a simple statement, write about what you know, yet so few people take this advice when they are setting off on their writer’s journey. Why is this so important?

Writing about what you know is the overriding factor in every piece of content you create. It is what makes the best art, the most engaging copy, the most shareable content. Looking at a piece of writing, if so many people can engage with something because it speaks to them, it is going to be shared, and it is going to generate traffic, and therefore revenue. But before you think that you may as well just write about anything and everything, the reason you write about what you know is because it speaks the one thing that no amount of generic blogs or articles will do, the truth. This is why the most popular comedians are selling out arenas with jokes about their kids; it is something that a lot of people can identify with. And it is a difficult process to undertake when creating your own content, whether it is for your blog, your webpage, or your business.

The technicalities of blogging are covered in this guide, but the task of finding your voice is not just one that will make your blog infinitely shareable. A thing like using the right platform is one simple trick to getting your content read, and the more widely used the platform, the likelier it is to be read by more people. But each piece of advice on creating content always comes back to the same thing, making sure that your content is great. There are many tools to make sure that your website hits the top of each search engine by putting in common search terms, but this may give you the wrong idea about putting a load of search terms in each item of content. This is not only lazy, but it also is a sure-fire way to put people off reading your content ever again, and as a result, not buy your products or not use your services, etc.

But don’t worry if you get it wrong first time, there are many large businesses that have restructured their entire marketing plan because their branding was wrong and so the content didn’t cater for the right people. You can spend millions on a marketing plan to find the right voice for your business or blog, but simplicity is the most important thing. Finding your voice is the goal, but you need to assess yourself to get there. Passions, feelings, thoughts, emotions. It is you that is the product, so learn to get to know your product so you can market it in the right way.

The post How to Find Your Own Voice While Blogging appeared first on Sarah Scoop.

Many bloggers take a less than perfect approach when it comes to creating their articles. They might not realize it, but those people are doing themselves an injustice. If they simply worked a little harder, their work would improve tenfold. As would the number of people clicking links and reading their posts. With that in mind, I’m going to offer some tips and suggestions today that all bloggers should read.

If you’re just started out, now is the best time to pay attention. You won’t have fallen into any bad habits yet, and so you can get used to implementing these strategies from day one. When all’s said and done, blogging is fun, and it can also create income. So, it makes sense to produce the best content possible.

• Find a unique viewpoint

In a world where millions of people make comments every day on social media, it’s often difficult to find a unique perspective. However, it’s not impossible, and you should strive for that goal every time you write. The stance doesn’t even have to reflect your beliefs or opinions. You just need to say something nobody else has said. You should avoid anything offensive or overly controversial because that could damage your reputation. Instead, you just need to think outside of the box. Human beings are responsive to new ideas and suggestions. So, whenever you finish writing a blog post, you just need to ask yourself if you’re rehashing something another writer published in the past.

• Illustrate your articles

It’s often wise to use striking imagery within your articles to keep readers engaged and entertained. You could purchase a decent camera and try to take them yourself. However, most people would agree that’s a time-consuming task. That is especially true when you can purchase the rights for stock photos online. In most instances, you won’t have to spend a lot of money to add professional photography to your posts. With a bit of luck, you should notice an improved response compared to articles that don’t contain beautiful imagery.

• Ask questions that require interaction

Lastly, you should aim to engage your audience as much as possible. The best way of doing that is to ask questions that require them to post answers or opinions. Make sure you incorporate social media comments under every article you publish. That way, people can leave you a comment without having to enter any login information. Their comment should also appear in the news feeds of their friends. That might encourage even more people to click your links and read your blog. You get the idea, right?

Now you know how to craft the perfect article, we hope you succeed at your blogging venture. At the end of the day, millions of people visit blogs every day. So, you just need to steal a small share of that market. You can then place adverts on your website using Google Adsense, and start to profit from the venture. Who knows? This time next year you might blog for a living.

The post Blogging 101: How To Write The Perfect Blog Post appeared first on Sarah Scoop.

If you want to start your own blog and become a blogging sensation in your own right, there are some basic things that you’re going to have to get right. Some of these relate to the technical aspects of running a blog and keeping it functional, and others are about spreading the word and getting more people interested in your content. In truth, these things are as important as each other.

The tips below will help you to get started and not make the kinds of mistakes that so often get made by people starting their first blogs, so read on to learn more.

Choose the Right Platform for Your Blog

There are a few big platforms that you will need to choose between when you’re first setting up your blog. Wix, WordPress and Blogger are the most commonly used. And Medium is another option that’s grown in popularity over the past year or so. If you choose WordPress, you will be able to use a drag and drop WordPress landing page, which makes things easier for you. Each of the options have their benefits though, so you should compare them all.

Get the Theme of the Blog Right

The theme of your blog will dictate its overall look and feel so it’s something that’s definitely worth spending time on. You want people to like what they see when they look at the visuals of your blog for the first time. There are so many theme options out there so you’ll have to spend some time viewing the options and deciding which one of them will work best for you.

Be Clear About the Kind of Content You’re Going to Produce

The last thing you want is for your blog to be confused in terms of the style of content it puts out there. You should have a very clear idea of the kind of content you want to produce because if you don’t, people won’t really know what your blog is about or what it’s for, and that’s clearly not a good thing. Try to put a clear plan in place that will focus your mind and banish any sense of confusion that your visitors and readers might have.

Use a Variety of Plugins

Plugins are small additions to your blog that manage to expand its functionality for users. For example, you could use a plugin that allows people to swiftly and easily share the post on Facebook or Twitter. Those are just some of the plugins that are available for your blog, and you should try to use a wide variety of them if you want to give your visitors as much as possible. You’re sure to find at least a few plugins that will improve how people use your blog.

Interact with People

Interaction between you and the people who use your blog and read its content on a regular basis is really important. People like to be recognized, and if you do this correctly you could even succeed at creating a community around your blog. This can happen in the comments section of your blog posts, so make sure that you give people the option to post comments. You should also interact with people on the social media platforms you use.

Remain Active on Various Social Media Platforms and Link to Your Blog

Promoting your blog content is a really important part of being a blogger. If you’re not willing to use various social media platforms to promote your content, you’re going to land yourself in trouble because your content won’t get the views you want it to. Use as many platforms as you can, from Twitter to Instagram, in order to engage people and then direct them towards your blog whenever you get the chance to.

Reach Out to Other Writers and Creators

Blogs live and die according to the content that they provide, and if you want yours to succeed you’re going to have to branch out and find new writers to work with sooner or later. Sure, your voice is the most important one because it’s your blog after all. However, other writers will be able to offer your blog things that you wouldn’t be able to provide on your own. That’s why you should reach out to writers and creators you might be able to collaborate with.

Blogging can be a lot of fun and very rewarding once you get into it, but that start can be tricky. Make the most of the things you’ve learned and remember to put them into action as you start up your very own blog.

The post How Do You Get Started As a Blogger? appeared first on Sarah Scoop.

When you first start out in the blogging world, you may have done so by looking to just write, or share your creativity. Blogging as a hobby is probably the most common way that most of us start out. You hear about blogs, you read them, and you get an idea to start your own. You don’t always know what you’re going to do with it, where you’re going to take it, or where it’s going to lead to – but you do know that you love it. So you go ahead and give it your all. You put in a load of time and energy to make it the very best that it can be. As a result, you will often find that you get the opportunity to turn it into a business!

Blogging for business can be incredible. You get to do a job that you love, control your own income, and set your own working environment. But at the same time, you may find that you now need to change the way that you do things to make sure that you’re actually treating your blog like a business. Whether you want to get started as a blogger or take your current blog to the next level, here are the five areas to concentrate on to give your blogging business the setup it deserves.

Branding

The very first thing that your blogging business deserves is branding. Now that you blog as a business, you need to brand it right.

Brand Values

Before you get started on anything else to do with your brand, the very first thing you have to do is figure out your values. Defining your brand values sets the tone for every other decision that you’re going to make. This may sound complicated and important, and while it is important, it’s really not complicated at all. Your aim here is to figure out exactly what your blog is all about and what it stands for. When you’ve done this, you will be able to bring your brand to life.

Branding

Next, it’s onto the more visual side of your brand, and what will largely be referred to your ‘branding’ itself. Here, we’re talking about everything from your brand colors to the font you’re using and even your logo. This is something that you can either create yourself using the kind of blog theme or template that you currently have, or you could hire a graphic designer to create something perfect for you.

Brand Image

Finally, you’re going to want to work out what your brand image is. This isn’t something that you can overly control, because it’s something that your customers or readers will see you as. However, you can work to harness the image that you portray with the content that you produce and how you portray yourself on your social media channels too.

The Website

Next, you’re going to want to tackle your blog itself. Because when you first started out, you may have just created a very simple design and left it at that. Now that your blog is a business, you need to get serious with your site setup too.

Hosting

If you’re still using a free blogging platform such as Blogger, you should really think about making the switch over to WordPress. When you have a hosted website, you have much more control over your blog altogether. Not only can you control the design, but you’re also able to use more advertising – and this can be key when you’re blogging as a business.

Domain

It’s highly likely that you’ll already have your own personal domain name, but if you don’t then this has got to be something that you sort and fast. A personalized domain name looks so much more professional. At the same time, you should look to make sure that your email address is also personalized with your domain name so that you look more like to business and not an amateur.

Design

Finally, you should then think about the design that you want for your blog. If you’ve not really changed it since the day you started blogging, this is going to be something you should do to move forwards professionally. To do this, you’ll need to choose a web designer as Passion For Business LLC talk through. They will be able to create the right design for you, so that your business is blog has a branded refresh.

Social Media

Next, you’re going to want to give your social media a sense of direction. You already have the accounts, but now it’s time to transform them.

Creating A Strategy

It’s so easy to just start marketing yourself with no real sense of direction. This is probably what you did when you first started. You would have shared your posts on social media and hoped for the best. However, you’re going to want to make sure that you map out a strategy of the platforms you want to use, how you want to use them, and the results that you’re looking to get from them.

Working On Engagement

As part of your strategy, you’re going to want to make sure that you’re increasing engagement. This is incredibly important if you want to make sure that your readers and followers are really enjoying your content. These are the people that you want to buy from you at some point in the future, so your engagement levels will always matter.

Driving Traffic

Finally, you need to make sure that your social efforts are paying off. It’s great if you’re getting engagement, as you know that your followers love your content, but traffic matters more. If you’re not able to get your followers off of your social media and over to your blog, you may have a problem. There are a range of different ways that you can look to drive more traffic to your blog. So be sure to check them out and trial some of the methods for yourself.

Office Space

Up until now, you may have blogged from the couch, at the dining table, or even in a local coffee shop. But now that you blog as a business, it’s time to get yourself a professional setup.

Finding The Right Spot

First of all, you’re going to want to make sure that you have the right spot to start creating your office in. Whether you choose a spare room or decide to convert a room like your garage or basement, it has to be the right spot. You need to be able to feel motivated to work here, and have the ability to create a real business office. So keep that in mind when you decide.

Customizing The Space

When you’ve chosen the spot, you’re going to want to get it ready to start creating your empire from. Sometimes, this will just mean you have to remove everything that’s in the space and add your own things in. But sometimes, you may also need to bring experts in, such as Maplewood Plumbing & Sewer, LLC, to move bits around and get your office setup right. But you’ll find that when the space is customized, you feel more like a business than ever.

Decorating With Style

Although it is super important for you to feel comfortable in the space and make sure that it looks great, by style, we’re thinking more in the business sense. This is your office! No matter how big or small it may be right now, you’re going places, so you’re going to want to make it look as professional as possible. Invest in the right desk, put motivational pictures up, and find the perfect coffee machine – your blogging business deserves it!

Staff & Services

Finally, you’re going to want to think about hiring some staff. Whether this is today or in the future, here are the people and professionals you may need.

An Assistant

When you blog for business, you’re a self-employed person that has to wear all kinds of hats. And you’ll soon realize that this in incredibly hard work. So, you may want to get yourself a virtual assistant to help you manage everything. They could take things like your emails or financial tracking off of your hands so that you can focus on the content creation – or vice versa!

Marketing Support

Likewise, you may also find that you just can’t tackle your marketing on your own. So, instead, you may choose to work with a marketing consultant to make it much more manageable. Not only can they give you some great insights on strategy, but they will be able to take over the execution of your social media, which will give you more freedom to work on content creation again, or simply growing the business side of things.

IT Support

Finally, you may find that you need a helping hand with your IT. From IT services that will make sure your software and hardware run smoothly to a web developer, you may find that bringing in these professionals allow you to keep things running and give you the chance to grow your blog into the business you want it to be.

The post Must Haves For Your Blogging Business appeared first on Sarah Scoop.

Dating is a great topic to write about. There are endless angles to explore, questions to answer and issues to delve into. These are topics that we all want to know about. With so many people in the world, and so many of them looking for love, it’s no surprise that many turn to the internet for help. Not just for online dating, but also for advice on how to date outside of online dating! One such dating blog authored by Livelinks, a popular phone chat service, dishes on topics as diverse as confidence to conversation starters.

With online dating making things more complicated than ever for daters, what people really want to know is how and where to make a connection that counts. This is the angle that Livelinks takes in their blog, where they discuss the benefits of more authentic methods of dating — like having live conversations on phone chat. If you are interested in writing a blog about dating, deciding on such an angle is one of the first steps you should take. But, I’m getting ahead of myself!

Using Livelinks as an example, here are 5 steps to writing a successful and rewarding blog about the mysteries of love and the act of connecting in an increasingly disconnected world.

1. Identify the “Who”

Before you can start writing, you need to determine who you are writing to. The clearer the picture you have of your audience, the better you will be able to connect with them once you start writing. Are you writing to women seeking love, men, the lesbian or gay community, mature singles or maybe your audience is even more niche?

For example, Livelinks’ audience comprises both men and women of all ages looking for everything from love to friendship to a little bit of fun. Livelinks tailors their blog to their audience by employing a conversational, friendly tone that is agreeable to both men and women.

2. Understand the “Who”

Once you’ve identified who you are writing for, take a little time to get to know them. Understand what that demographic likes, and would like to know, and then write to those likes! If your audience is professional millennial women, make sure you know what this type of woman is interested in.

For example, Livelinks’ audience is looking for advice and quick tips on how to go about dating. These people are sick of online dating and want to try something new and exciting. Livelinks’ broaches topics that relate to their phone chat service as well as general dating tips like how to avoid awkward silences.

3. Choose Useful Topics

Now that you are well-acquainted with your audience, you will be able to choose topics to suit their needs. Do a little research, find out what relationship-related questions are most commonly asked by your audience, and then answer those questions.

For example, Livelinks’ comes out with weekly phone chat tips that appeal directly to their audience. These tips are extremely useful to their readers, as they offer advice on everything from how to keep a conversation fun and unexpected to being honest and asking questions.

4. Find Your Voice

Once you have a solid list of topics to start with, experiment with tone and style until you hit your stride. Blogging is all about developing a unique voice that will keep your audience coming back for more week after week.

For example, Livelinks’ employs a down-to-earth, casual tone in their blog posts which feels genuine and inspires confidence. Reading a Livelinks’ blog is like getting candid advice from a close friend, and often they will start a blog by relating on a common life issue like, “Nobody is born perfectly confident…”

5. Make it Easy for Your Reader

Finally, make it easy for your reader by crafting digestible posts and sticking to a consistent schedule. Readers love routine and crave step-by-step guides and quick tips — which conveniently is a great format for delivering love life advice!

For example, this post was structured as a five-step guide to creating a successful blog and wasn’t it easy to read? Livelinks’ uses this kind of structuring in most of their posts, breaking information into helpful tips and steps to dating success, like “3 Ways to Boost your Confidence Using Phone Chat“.

To sum things up with a tidy metaphor, writing a good blog is like having a good conversation. Pick up on threads, follow ideas to unexpected conclusions and engage your conversational partner (in this case, your readers!) by asking them to share their thoughts and insights in return.

A successful blog about dating is all about getting real with your readers, so don’t forget to get out there and practice what you preach…

Give Livelinks Chatline a call at 866-448-5302 to get practicing today!

The post 5 Steps to Writing a Successful Dating Blog appeared first on Sarah Scoop.

Having sensitive skin can be tough, especially when you are in college and on a tight budget. Most products for sensitive skin seem to be out of my price range now a day. I have tried all sorts of sugar scrubs hoping they wouldn’t Irritate my skin. Each time I ended up with itchy or irritated skin when using cheaper products. It wasn’t until I found Tree Hut Sugar Scrub for under $7.00 at target. Useful tip: it is $1.00 more at ulta! I thought since it was so much cheaper than other products it wouldn’t work. I was SO wrong!

My favorite thing about Tree Hut Sugar Scrub is the fact that it doesn’t irritate my skin! Also, you cannot find a better smelling scrub. My biggest pet peeve when it comes to products is when the scent doesn’t last. Tree Hut Sugar Scrub’s scent is moroccan rose and who wouldn’t want to smell like a moroccan rose? This sugar scrub leaves your skin smelling AMAZING for hours!

A little goes a long way when exfoliating with this scrub. I scoop a medium to small amount (two times) to cover my upper and lower body. I avoid my face only because I have that one special product I use, I’ll be sure review on that product too. It is totally up to you if you want to use it above the neck!

What is nice about this product is, I can use it before and after I shave. Most products usually make my legs break out. Tree Hut leaves my skin feeling super soft and free of dead skin!

The Moroccan Rose scrub is hands down the best thing I have ever smelled before. I highly suggest trying this scent out (or any of them, they all rock!). You can find Tree Hut at most stores, including Walmart, Target, Ulta, CVS.

The post Tree Hut Sugar Scrub Review appeared first on Sarah Scoop.

The past few years perfect eyebrows have been a trend. Well, if you’re anything like me you have no idea how girls do it.I have tried to get the perfect arch and have failed too many times to count. I have too many horror stories when it comes to my eyebrows, so hopefully this review will help you and your lovely eyebrows out too!

I was born with dark natural bushy eyebrows, until middle school happened. I decided to tweeze my eyebrow’s so much that eventually the ends of my eyebrows stopped growing. So here we are! I desperately wanted those nice-looking eyebrows that are perfectly filled in, with a nice subtle arch. I figured I would look for the simplest makeup item to help me get the flawless eyebrow look without putting too much effort or skill into it.

Of course, I am at target only needing a few groceries and find myself in the makeup section. I see E.L.F has a $2.00 brow pencil. TWO DOLLARS? How can you pass that up? Every other item I have from them has yet to let me down. I decide I want to try it. I am so happy I did!! They have three shades. Taupe, Neutral Brown, and Deep brown. I went with the deep brown since my eyebrows are practically black!

Ladies, this eyebrow pencil saved my eyebrows!! It is SO easy to sculpt with! It takes me less than a minute to fill in my brows and it last all day until I take my makeup off!

Make sure to try it out! You can find it in any store with a beauty section!  

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When most people first set up a blog, it is generally for personal use. They tend to use their blog as a form of journal where they can document what they’ve been up to and what they intend to do in the future. Some will use it as a space to project their voice and express their opinions to others. However, nowadays, blogging can actually become a career. If you experience success with your blog and people are interested in what you are doing and what you have to say, you can find that you start to experience higher volumes of traffic passing through your page.

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The more people that visit your page, the more traffic you will experience. This is great! After all, pretty much everyone enjoys success, acknowledgement and popularity. What’s more? When your site has plenty of traffic passing through, you’re likely to receive offers from companies who want to advertise their brand and products on your page, meaning you can make some serious money from your blog too! However, when this starts happening, you will have to make some changes to your page and the way that you use it. Here’s some advice to help you along the way!

Consider VPS Hosting

You probably haven’t thought all too much about who hosts your blog before. But when you start seeing more traffic pass through, you may find that your host falls short and users start receiving error messages when trying to access your posts. To prevent this, you might want to consider low cost vps. VPS hosting is “virtual private server” hosting, which gives you more control over your page and that you are the only person using your server, meaning that it can deal with higher volumes of traffic passing through your one page.

Put More Thought Into Your Material

When more people pass through your blog, more people are reading what you have to say. This means that it’s much more easy for controversy to arise should you post something inappropriate or incorrect. While you should always put plenty of thought into your material, you need to be a lot more careful when all eyes are on you, as you can quickly rise to notoriety. Do your research, check your facts, and only express beliefs that are your own and that you are willing to stand for. Remember to keep your dignity intact at all times and not to sell out for the sake of paid advertisements that you do not believe in.

As you can see, there are both tech factors and ethical or moral factors that you really do have to take on board when your blog starts to experience success and you see more traffic passing through your webpage. Hopefully, the above information and advice will help you to always steer onto a positive path.

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