Top Tips for New Beauty Bloggers

ByCordelia

Ever feel overwhelmed and lost about how to start out as a new beauty blogger? I’ve got some top tips for you on what you need to know to start off on the right foot.

Credit: Michal Marcol

Contact Info
It shouldn’t have to be said, but I’ll mention it anyway, you need to have a contact page. You can use a webform or have an email address listed. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but just list a way for readers, companies and fellow bloggers to contact you.

Socia Media Icons
It needs to be said that you need to list the social media sites that you want people to visit on your blog. You need to use icons or links that make it easy for your readers to follow you on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, G+ etc. You wouldn’t believe the number of blogs that I visit that don’t make it easy for  readers to find their Facebook or Twitter pages.

Facebook
Make sure you set up a Facebook page for your blog. Even if you don’t think you’ll use it now, you’ll want it in the future. People will eventually start to look for you on Facebook or possibly follow you on Facebook so if you’re not there, you’ll potentially alienate readers. There are some great blogs out there that lack a Facebook page, or if they have one, they don’t have it linked on their blog. Readers will try looking for you there, trust me.

Credit: Sujin Jetkasettakorn

Disclaimer
You really need to have a basic disclaimer / disclosure policy set up. It’s the law that you disclose whether or not you purchased a product, a product was a gift, or a PR sample. There needs to be transparency. If you need help writing a disclaimer, please visit DisclosurePolicy.org.

Manners
When you’re visiting other blogs, don’t spam them with links of ‘come follow me!’ or ‘visit my blog.’ It’s rude to leave comments like that on other people’s blogs. Everyone wants people to visit their blog. The best thing to do is to genuinely show interest in the community and get to know others. Eventually people will come.

If you leave comments like that on my blog, I will delete the comments or delete your links out of the comments. I use CommentLuv plugin, which allows everyone who leaves a comment on my blog to leave their blog URL in a URL field and their most recent blog post. I click on these links and go read my reader’s blog posts. I think this is an awesome WordPress plugin and I’ve found many great blogs this way.

Additionally, don’t leave hurtful or negative comments on someone else’s blog. Like your mother always said, if you can’t say something nice, don’t say it at all. Or, if you really, really feel pressed to talk about an issue, contact the blogger privately via email or a Facebook message.

While we’re on the subject of manners, you should never hotlink to someone else’s content unless they give you the express permission to do so. That’s called hotlinking and it runs up the person’s bandwidth. You are better off asking if you can use an image, downloading the image, hosting it yourself and giving the original blogger credit.

Groups
Join different blogging groups on Facebook. Learn what works for your fellow bloggers, and see if it works for you. What works for one person may not work for another. Share knowledge. Ask questions! Veteran bloggers are normally happy to help newbies start out.

Content
Having relevant and great content is king. Find your niche. Take interesting photos, write helpful reviews, or whatever you’re making the focus of your blog. Be good at what you do. Once you have readers, ask them for feedback! They’ll tell you more of what they want to hear from you, which can help you shape your blog even more.

Credit: Adamr

Pictures
On the subject of content. Try to have at least one image per post. It doesn’t have to be fancy but it will help your post have a positive impact. You can take the image yourself or use a royalty free image.

Build Each Other Up
You want to work with and build other bloggers up; be supportive. Don’t tear someone down. It only reflects poorly on you. Blogging should not be a competition to be ‘better’ than someone else. You should strive to be the best you that you can be.

What are your tips for new beauty bloggers? Do you think these tips applicable to other types of bloggers, too? Please let me know what you think!

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.

73 Comments

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  6. I think these are amazing tips! It was difficult starting out but once you get into a groove and everything on your blog is organized its much easier to just worry about content rather than the blog structure details.!

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  17. This is an excellent post! I’m thinking of starting one and will def take all these points into mind when I start! Thanks

  18. Really great post! I’m a new blogger and I think all these points are important – for those just starting out and veteran bloggers. ;0)

  19. Thanks for this post Phyrra. I’m a fairly new blogger, and my issue is finding the time to blog. With my full-time job, family and social life, I am so tired when I get home that the last thing I want to do is to sit in front of a computer, after being on the computer at work. I don’t get how you do it, I’m so amazed and impressed!

  20. Very helpful! Thanks for this! Am going to catch up on your older posts now. 🙂

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  23. It was very helpful, when I started 2 years ago, to read as many blogs as I could to get a feel for what I wanted to express on my blog. And I found it really easy to email a blogger and ask questions. This is a very helpful and knowledgeable community.

  24. Great tips, P, I agree with every one. I’ve found my Facebook page an invaluable tool for speaking with readers and also a way to upload content that might not necessarily fit the blog but definitely fits facebook.

    One tip of mine would mirror yours, if you leave a great comment on my/any blog not only will I come and check you out but my readers will too.

    It’s nice to be nice x

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  26. I really like these tips and thank you for sharing them (and I thank Gio of BWB for linking to them 🙂 ).

    I’d love to stumble upon something like them but for art bloggers…

  27. Thanks for the great tips! It really helps a lot. I’m still trying to figure out this whole blogging thing, so I’ll take all the advice I can get.

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  33. As always a great post with lots of helpful information–not just for new bloggers, either! Thank you, Phyrra! xo

  34. Such a fantastic post! Great advice. I had never thought of having a disclaimer until I read your post on that. I love the blogger groups and how supportive everyone is. This has been a great outlet for me. Thank you for sharing your tips.

  35. This post is very helpful for me. I just can’t find in my blog where and how i can add my Instagram, twitter and facbook 🙁 would be grate if someone could help me with that 🙂

    once again thank you!

    1. Are you on blogger or wordpress?
      You can find free social media icons and create links on the images. Like the ones I have at the top of my blog for Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook and Youtube.

  36. Awesome tips! I just started my blog too, so these tips are really useful for me – I have to go back add those things above! I did think about creating the Disclaimer page, but thought my blog is still so new – would think its obvious the stuff that I have were bought by own money.

    1. When the change happened (in 2009) I think I just went ahead and started doing it, no matter what.

  37. Great tips, I think the disclaimer and manners one are especially important. Just because you’re behind a computer doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be your lovely polite self.

    ChEcK oUt Ma BlOg <<<<——– !!!!!!yeah! spammy spam!!!!1!

    Joking! Please don't hate me now 😉

  38. Great tips 🙂 Not being negative and instead building fellow bloggers up is one of my blogging “philosophies” so I thought it was great you chose to include those points. Too often it seems bloggers – old as well as new – are so caught up in their own sites (stats, followers, mentions) that they miss all the incredible work that’s out there and opportunities to connect with and learn from each other!

    1. I think it is only a wordpress plugin. But you can try Intense Debate on Blogger. also, I’m not sure what the name of the new product that Temptalia is using, but it may be available too.

    1. I’m glad you like it Natasha! As far as I’m aware, Commentluv is only on wordpress.

  41. Great tips, but there’s no such law to force us to disclose if we received a product or not in Canada, as far as I know?

    1. Hi Gaby, I’m not familiar with the laws in Canada, so I can’t speak to that. I just know that bloggers in the USA must disclose, even though magazines don’t.

  44. Thank you for doing this post- as a relatively new blogger, this was very helpful to see. One thing I’ve been struggling with is getting into social media as a way to reach people and support my blog- somehow it just seems a daunting prospect to try to keep up with blogging as well as Facebook, twitter, pinterest, etc… I think I’ll just try to start with Facebook and go from there! It probably doesn’t help that I don’t have twitter or pinterest personally, so those are big “???” items for me, lol.

    Thank you for a helpful post!

    1. Facebook is an easy one to start with, as is Twitter. You can use something like Twitterfeed to post your blog updates to both Facebook and Twitter at the same time until you get more comfortable with it.

  46. Oh, yes the whole ‘love this blog, follow me back” thing I find extremely disrespectful. Hmm, you ”love” my content? Do ya REALLY

    Or how people would promote their giveaways sneakily in a comment under what is very likely a MU look, since those are what I do, which has absolutely nothing to do with it.

    1. Yep. That’s why I have any comment with a link auto moderated. If it’s relevant, I post it. If not, I delete it.

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