New Tips for Beauty Bloggers

ByCordelia

Best Beauty Blogger Tips

Hi! I’ve got some new tips for beauty bloggers from some of my favorite bloggers, as well as tips from me.

New Tips for Beauty Bloggers

Ditch Captcha
Use a commenting system like Disqus (or livefyre or intense debate). These types of commenting systems are beneficial for multiple reasons:

  1. They cut out spam comments. Seriously, I get less than 1 spam comment a week when I was getting 300 daily.
  2. They remove anonymous comment trolls because people have to login.
  3. Some people have problems with captcha and can’t fill them out correctly. If people have to try more than once, they will often give up.
  4. Threaded comments. This makes it easy to respond to questions from your readers.
  5. People like having avatars (images) by their names when they comment.
  6. People can use their Twitter, Facebook, etc to login rather than having to create a login for you site.

I’ve tried Intense Debate, Livefyre and Disqus and of the three, I greatly prefer Disqus. It’s easy to login. I can login to it on my Android cell phone. I like the features that I can turn on, such as showing links to other people’s posts at the bottom of the commenting area. I usually see one or two new blog posts I want to read on other people’s blogs by checking that. I rarely get spam comments. I have it set up so that if someone drops a link it is automatically sent to my moderation panel. This makes it so that if a person is rude enough to just leave a comment of ‘come visit my blog’ with their blog link, I can delete it or edit it to whatever I choose. If someone leaves a relevant link to the blog post, I will publish it.

The only feature I don’t like is that it won’t show someone’s most recent blog post when they commented as a link by their name. I’ve requested that as a feature (like the way CommentLuv works), but I don’t know if they’ll add it. You can always request it too! If enough people request, it might happen. I really like giving people a way to link to their blog post without spamming my blog.

Add a Pin It on Hover
Having a Pin It on Hover, or a Pin It button next to every single image, makes it easy for your readers to share your content and they’re reminded that they can share it. If they have to hunt for ways to pin your content, or even use their browser extension for pinning, they may not want to do that.

Sharing On Every Post
Use a plugin or theme template that lets you have sharing buttons on every post, including StumbleUpon, Google+, Twitter, and Facebook. I used to use Digg Digg, but now I use the one built into my theme. You want to make things as easy as possible for your readers to enjoy and share your content.

Make Your URL SEO Friendly
Make sure that your URL for your blog posts (and pages) are SEO friendly. Don’t use numbers. Use words. This will help you to rank in search. I cringe when I see people using numbers for the URL of their post.

Post What You Love
Even though you should choose a niche and write within it, don’t be afraid to write posts that are outside of your niche, too. If you’re passionate about it, that passion will come through in your writing and your readers will enjoy it.

Watermark
This is a controversial point, but I feel strongly that you should watermark your images with your site name. It will drive traffic to your site. Sure, despicable people will still steal your images, but it’s easier to prove that they’re yours with a watermark. When your images pop up in google search, people will see your site name and it will drive them to your site if they like your images.

Writing Tips
When you’re trying to figure out what products to write about and you feel overwhelmed, make lists. Work through each point on the list. I also try to make sure that I only accept products for consideration that I think I will like. I don’t want to waste anyone’s time – mine or a company’s – with products I know I won’t enjoy and won’t want to write about. Don’t be afraid to write negative or neutral reviews, either. Just be sure to state why it didn’t work for you. Bonus points if you can state who you think it might work for. I’ve found some great products from other people’s negative reviews because they listed why it didn’t work for them, which showed why it would be perfect for me.

Best Beauty Blogger Tips

Tips From My Favorite Bloggers

Do the best possible job you can with your photos. Readers look at pictures first, so make sure they are clear and bright. – Krystle, Baking Beauty

Write about what you love and in the way you want to write about it for yourself, not for anyone else. This is your site, you need to create your own voice and it needs to be something you are passionate about. In a sea of beauty bloggers, your personality is what will make you stand out. – Christine, 15 Minute Beauty Fanatic

Make sure your images are pinnable and social media sharing buttons are easy to find. Also be sure links to your social media sites are visible on the home page (usually top right). – Jen, My Beauty Bunny

Make sure you have a search bar where people can find it! – Christine, 15 Minute Beauty Fanatic

Declutter your side bar. It’s easy to get caught up in promoting affiliates and other money-driven ads in your side bar, but it detracts from the content you want your audience to continually come back and read. – Shannon Smyth, A Girl’s Gotta Spa!

Don’t make every post or comment about self-promotion. If you’re constantly ramming yourself down people’s throats, they’re not going to want to read what you have to say. Commenting empty praises on other blogs just to leave a link doesn’t add anything to the beauty community. Be thoughtful in everything you say, and people will follow at their own accord. – Miranda, Slashed Beauty

Don’t promote your giveaways or blog in other people’s blog comments. It can be insulting to the blogger, and won’t exactly make anyone more likely to click through to your blog/giveaway. -Brianna, Brikasia

Emulate those you admire but never copy – find your own true voice & work on developing your tone. Try to find a topic that you’re truly passionate about, not one that you ‘think’ might be popular – your passion will shine through and that makes for excellent reading. – Susan, CherrySue, Doin’ the Do

Be mindful of errors in spelling, grammar and capitalization. Read, re-read and edit before posting…brands notice and appreciate well-executed writing! – Rachel, The Beauty Professor

Have good, clean images. Crop them so the subject is the focal point, eliminating empty background space. And make them large enough that people can see the details of your work. You don’t need a fancy camera to have great pictures. – Francine, The Polished Mommy

Have at least one pinnable image in every post. Often times your readers and fellow bloggers will want to share you on their channels and Pinterest is a huge traffic driver but without that pinnable image there is nothing for them to share for you! – Ange, Hairspray and High Heels

Don’t have money for photoshop? Invest in an online editing tool like picmonkey. Don’t have money for a DSLR? Invest in a good point and shoot camera with a lot settings. Can’t afford a light box. Shoot your images near a window. Do what you can. The readers will come eventually. – Jennifer, Spiced Beauty

Comment on your favorite blogs. I know that seems silly but as long as you’re not spamming your name everywhere, it’s a great way to get your blog out there AND to let your fave blogs know you like them! – Noelle, XO, Noelle

Give credit where it is due. Make your personality shine by being YOU. Make it easy for readers to follow you by displaying your social media icons prominently. – Kath, The FabZilla

Keep your visual style consistent. Stick to 2 or 3 fonts and colours to maintain your brand across all elements of your site. Create images that people will want to share. – Christina, Hair Romance

Research your name before you decide on it. Make sure it’s available on social media outlets. Once you are certain on a name lock it in everywhere so your brand is consistent. – Mercedes, Beyond Beauty Lounge

Don’t be afraid to step outside of your circle! It’s totally okay to build relationships with bloggers of other niches. Just be genuine and supportive to all bloggers you admire because your newest reader may not be a beauty enthusiast but they can still be interested! Maybe your favorite mom blogger loves nail polish or the creative DIY blogger needs makeup tips. – Mina, MinaSlater.com

Try to be somewhat consistent with your posting schedule. If you can post once a week that’s fine but try to stick to it. Don’t disappear for 6 weeks and then suddenly publish 5 posts in 1 day…and then disappear again ninja style. It confuses readers and they’re likely to forget all about you! – Mina, MinaSlater.com

If you receive products for editorial consideration, it doesn’t mean all those reviews can only be positive. That’s the beauty of blogs – you can (and should be!) be honest in your reviews. If a product doesn’t work for you, just mention why you didn’t like it. And if you think it can possibly work for others (with a different skin type etc), that would be good to add too! Just be professional when it comes to writing negative reviews and don’t slam the brand/product like it’s the worst thing ever. – Harshleen, Beauty Tidbits

Cordelia Frost is the creative force behind Phyrra, a treasure trove for cruelty-free indie and goth makeup enthusiasts. She's the author of the game-changing 'Hooded Eyes Makeup Manual' a must-read for hooded eyes makeup.

Cordelia's world is a kaleidoscope of alternative beauty, gothic fashion, and life-enhancing tips, making every visit to Phyrra a journey into a more colorful and inspired self.

62 Comments

  1. I really want to start a blog for income and I really don’t even know where to start… I constantly look to you for inspiration… like you are my favorite blogger and I dream to someday follow your footsteps :’)

    1. Thank you for your kind words! I still don’t make my living from my blog, I have a day job. Some days I wish I did, but to do that you really have to blog about something other than a niche topic (cruelty free is too niche), like food or travel.

      1. I completely understand that.. I really think you have a worthy blog topic though 😉
        I’m a college student on leave due to personal issues (bleh) and I think that I need a positive distraction (like blogging.) I was hoping to even make a few dollars as well to help pay for college. Do you think that blogging would be a good fix? I have considered coming to you for help several times.. I’m finally bugging you!

        1. I think blogging will make a positive distraction, but it also takes a considerable investment. It started as a hobby for me. It takes time and money. I don’t think I made any money at all until maybe 2012 (and I started in 2008), and here we are at almost 2016 and I still don’t make enough to make a living off of my blog. I turn down 3 out of every 4 paid opportunities that come my way because they’re not a good fit for me or for my blog. This past year (2015) was incredibly hard for me because of my eye surgery which left me unable to wear makeup for months, personal things that happened in my life, etc.

          I think starting a blog is great, but it will likely be a while until you can make enough to pay for for college.

          1. Yeah, money is something that I don’t have at the moment… I was looking for somewhere to post my artwork… and I was interested in getting into reviewing.
            I’m really sort of happy to hear though that you turn down 3/4 opportunities because it really does show that you care about your blog (:
            Hopefully 2016 will be much kinder to you though 🙁 Looking forward as always to your future posts (:

            I don’t know where to even start though.. I think that I get caught up in which platform, how to code, and just the whole start up process!

            Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to me though <3 xoxo

            1. You can definitely post your artwork for free at Deviantart, or even start a blogger blog. Blogger is easier if you don’t know any HTML. And yes, I definitely care about my blog and my audience, because I don’t want to be hawking things like diet tea! I want to bring things to you that I’m genuinely interested in or I think you’ll be interested in. And thank you, despite the rough year I’m optimistic about 2016 🙂

              1. I feel like DeviantArt sort of went under though :/
                I had started a blog on Blogger but I still feel as if I failed hah. I may give it another go though.
                And true that! I hate landing on a blog that is all about anything and everything just because they want compensation. Writing false reviews and raving about products they probably hate 😉
                You know I’ll be tuned for your 2016 hah! I can’t wait to see what you come up with!

                1. A few artists I know like Tumblr, but I find it hard to organize on there. That might be another option for you. Hopefully I won’t disappoint!

                  1. No I agree Tumblr can become fumbly and disorganized :/
                    And I’m sure that you won’t dear! 🙂

  2. This is so so so helpful and I just found a free watermarking app for the iPhone. Awesome!

  3. Thank you so much! I love your blog and have been wanting to start my own but have procrastinated. I feel its hard to find the voice you want to share. Your tips are fabulous and make it feel less daunting! Thanks again.

  4. Thank you for this post! As a blogger still trying to get my blog out there this is great advice. I am going to go see how to add a pin hover button, that’s a great tip!

  5. Thank you so much. I was just thinking of writing you…lol. I have a domain name tried WordPress but it’s too confusing to me. Any suggestions for having a page that won’t take forever to post and set up? Or should I stick to a site like fumble or Bellashoot? Thank you so much you’re may go to bblogger! <3 Thank you again. Monique ~ FabFashionology

  6. I love this post. I have been trying to perfect my images for awhile now. I have this super fancy camera (from my news reporting days) that I hardly know how to use, and I have been just teaching myself Photoshop more and more every time I need to do photo editing/make a graphic and I really feel like I’m getting better at it only because I keep in mind that the photos have to be the best they can possibly be, which is what a lot of the bloggers said in this post. I don’t think my photos are perfect yet, but I keep pushing myself with “everyone sees images first”/”everyone loves pictures” in my mind and I’m getting a little better each day. Also, the fact that images should be Pinnable is something I really just started paying attention to recently (the last few weeks) — making photos at least 550px wide (Pinterest width cap is 554 I believe), and just all-around prettier.

    Sorry for such a long comment! Just very grateful for these tips as a newish blogger. Even the ones I already have heard before, it’s great to reinforce them over and over again 🙂

  8. I loved these tips!! As a new blogger it is always great to hear tips from other bloggers that you love to read <3 I never thought of really watermarking my photos, but that makes perfect sense!
    Thank you so much for sharing your blogging wisdom!
    Kaitie

  9. I agree with the captcha thing you mentioned. I never type it in right the first time. In fact if I have to type it in more than twice, I usually just abandon my comment and move on.

  16. Mahalo for including my tippy-tippy tips 😉 Right now I’m still using the old blogger comment system but removed captcha. I will look into Disqus as you recommended. xo

  28. I totally agree with the no Captcha thing. Just use comment moderation instead! Also, make sure you have a Name/URL option enabled for your comments, especially if you’re on WordPress.com… I can’t count how many times I write out a comment on a great post but then have literally no way to post it

    1. You’ll still get spam if you use comment moderation. That’s why using a system like Disqus is much better. No spam and all the other reasons I listed.

      1. I meant, moderation through disqus. I switched to disqus a few months after starting my blog (almost two years ago – wow) and honestly, it was one of the best blog decisions I’ve made. I haven’t had a single tech difficulty with them the whole time and it’s just so easy to use. I just moderate all new commenters, then once they’ve commented once and they’re not spammers, I add them to my “whitelist” I still catch any spammers and can just block them 🙂

        1. Agreed! I just do the moderation if someone shares a link. If it’s valid to the conversation, I approve it. If it’s a link to their blog post, I edit it out, approve it and let them know I don’t allow that.

  29. Great tips. I have been debating the use of watermarks. I’m still a little uncertain. I don’t want to take away from the image. I’m very visually oriented.

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