31 Things I Learnt In My First Month of Blogging.

Happy Blogversary to my Blog!

In the month that’s passed, I’ve learned a lot about blogging and what it means to be a blogger. Two months ago, with a constant nudge in my head and encouragement from my friend African Bella who has her own Youtube channel … I started a blog (READ MY FIRST BLOG).

When I first started this blog, I felt like I was drowning in information, to-do lists a mile long of things I didn’t know how to even start to do, and thoughts of comparison and inadequacy. What kept me afloat, however, was remembering my purpose for starting it in the first place – my urge to write about and share the things I love – FASHION & BEAUTY. Helping more than one person would just be a bonus.

And in celebration of Basic To Glam Chics’ first months’ blogversary, I wanted to share some of those things I’ve learned with you. To be exact, I want to share 31 things with you, one for each day that I’ve been a blogger.

If you’ve ever wanted to start blogging, or if you’re just curious about what I’ve been obsessing over for this past month, read on!

Now, I’m no expert by any means, but during this 1 month I’ve learned immensely…

I’m excited to see where this blog takes me and overall I’m very happy with the traffic I’ve received during my first month both on my Pinterest & my Instagram accounts. Here are the things I’ve learned after one month of blogging:

^{Disclaimer: This post may include affiliate links. That means that if you decide to make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your continued support to my blog!}

Things I’ve Learned in My First 31 Days of Blogging:

1. Getting started is the hardest part.

I had several reservations about starting this blog. Basically, it meant putting myself out there, at my age to make things worse! I had fears whether the title was dumb? Will people actually want to follow me on social media? How will my friends think and will they judge me and think it’s stupid? Will it take up too much of my time? I thought of all the reasons why I shouldn’t take the plunge and start a blog. I knew I wanted a creative outlet to focus my energy towards. I’ve always enjoyed reading, writing, and anything to do with fashion. After weighing the pros and cons, I decided to go for it. Now, one month later, I’m so happy about my decision. Heck yeah!

If you’ve got an idea for your own blog… start writing! Basic To Glam Chic would be years old if I had taken that leap back when I was first inspired to start a blog.

2. You can’t expect to be an overnight success. It takes time.

When I started my blog, I had very little experience with a self-hosted WordPress.org site. Setting it all up has been time-consuming but rewarding in that I have complete control of my site. Plus, I saved a lot of money because I did it alone. Once I set up my blog, then came writing the content and implementing monetization strategies. Truth be told, I’m still learning, sometimes I want to hand in the towel…..okay I’m kidding but sometimes I get so frustrated, in a good way tho, in the way that I’m motivated to push thru and make it work. From day 1 to now I’m still learning, it never stopped, every day I learn a new thing or two. I enjoy it A LOT!

3. Hard works pays off.

With hard work, you can find people who want to read what you have to say you just have to put out good content.

It takes a lot of time and persistence to be a successful blogger, but it’s completely doable. While success does not come overnight in everything in life, if you persist, work hard and work smart at it, you will get there. I am willing to put in the work, sweat, tears, nights, and whatever required to get to where I want to be.

4. Don’t be afraid to promote your page to friends and family.

In the first few weeks, I was more comfortable sharing my blog with strangers than family and friends. But now that I’ve gotten over that fear, they’ve become some of my biggest supporters. In the end, I realized that this fear is all in my head.

5. Try not to fall into the comparison trap.

Every blogger is at a different place in their blogging journey. Strive to do your best, not someone else’s.

One of my favorite quotes regarding this topic is from Jon Acuff, author of Start.: Punch Fear in the Face, Escape Average, and Do Work That Matters. He said, “Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle.” I have found this statement to be incredibly helpful to remember in the blogging world. Income reports from fellow bloggers can be inspirational and motivational, but they can also be a little intimidating to the new blogger who is making pennies or nothing in comparison. So, I’ve had to remind myself this first month that I am just starting out, all the hard work will pay off, and to be patient.

6. Blogging is a lot of fun!

Especially if you write about the things that matter to you.

7. Look for inspiration everywhere.

Like literally EVERYWHERE! I read a lot , this book in particular helped me, “Starting a Successful Blog“

8. But remember it’s about them, not you.

If you want your content to be a hit, you need it to serve your audience, not yourself. This I got to learn 2 weeks down the road.

9. No matter how many times you check over your post, you’ll still make mistakes.

It’s hard to find your own mistakes. That’s why I’ve started using Grammarly to help proofread my blog posts. One of my favorite parts is the tone detector – it analyzes your writing and tells you what tone could be interpreted from your words. It’s such a great way to make sure your posts are coming across exactly the way you want them to!

10.You need to invest in your blog to make it the best it can be. But you don’t need to invest in everything right away.

It seems like everywhere you look as a new blogger, someone is trying to sell you a course, theme, or promotion opportunity. Don’t feel pressured to say yes to everything in your very first month of blogging! Decide what options are right for you and your budget. There is a lot of free information on Google and Youtube, I always joke with my friends if I was to go to Google school I would have made better grades because all the answers are there.

One really great thing about blogging is there is no shortage of information online to help you along the way. I had no idea what the difference was between WordPress.com and WordPress.org before I started, and I was able to find out the answer very easily with a quick Google search. There are a lot of posts out there on how to start a blog along with helpful information from bloggers who make a living teaching others how to blog.

11. If you’re serious about your blog, start self-hosting as soon as possible.

It’s inexpensive to start a blog but not free.

Blogging is a great way to earn money and is relatively inexpensive to get started. My initial expenses were for hosting and now I’m thinking of upgrading my Tailwind account for my Pinterest account. After hearing so many success stories from fellow bloggers who use Pinterest as a growth strategy, I decided to focus on it as my first growth strategy to increase traffic. Tailwind is basically a Pin scheduling tool. I got the first 100 pins for free then had to do manually and damn, it’s stressful, especially if you forget to do it. So I think I’ll put my budget on that because It’s easy to use and has saved me so much time. I no longer have to rely on my complex spreadsheet to decide when and what to pin and then spend hours each day pinning. Instead, I let Tailwind do the work for me.

12. Social media will be your best friend.

13. And your worst enemy.

There are some days when trying to promote and connect on social media can be exhausting.

14. Meeting like-minded bloggers is amazing! Find and connect with others in your niche.

This is super important. There are so many resources available to find other bloggers in your niche. There are Facebook groups, group Pinterest boards, Instagram hashtags, and more. Finding others that are interested in the same things as you is easier than ever thanks to social media. Build relationships with those in your niche and network as much as you can. The blogging community is super supportive if you surround yourself with people who are truly interested in seeing you grow and succeed.

15. Don’t be afraid to ask them for help or advice.Don’t be afraid to ask questions.

Do I know everything about SEO? No. Do I know what the heck I’m supposed to do with email subscribers? Not even close. Do I know what good benchmarks are for my site? Hmm not really. However, I’m not afraid to ask questions and learn about these things. I know that as time goes on and as I continue to learn all I can about the blogging world, I’ll have a better handle on all these topics. Just remember, there are no stupid questions!

If you’re on the fence about something, get a second opinion…

Sometimes when I’m brainstorming post topics, I’ll run the ideas by my family or friends. Hearing their opinions helps so much. When I’m in need of a quick idea or if I have writer’s block, I can bounce ideas off someone and then decide on the perfect topic. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

16. Take time to reset as needed.

Once I decided to start a blog, I began brainstorming, planning, and writing. I began researching for anything and everything that could help me learn more about the process of starting a blog, and I spent hours upon hours developing a plan. From blog names to potential posts, themes to hosting providers, and so on, I was trying to figure it all out as quickly as possible, so I could get the ball rolling.

Starting a blog can be quite overwhelming because it can feel like there are a million things to do at first; it’s hard to know where to begin. In the moments when I felt completely overwhelmed with information and unsure of my next step, I allowed myself to take some time to think it over, reset, and start again. I found this to be very helpful, especially early on when I felt like there were some pretty big decisions to be made like determining a niche, blog name, and theme. Allowing myself to take an extra few days to brainstorm, research as needed, and think it over gave me the opportunity to develop a solid plan before moving forward.

Blogging is great, but you have a life to live off of the computer, too. If it helps, block out time in your calendar to work on blogging stuff and devote the rest of your time toward the things that matter most in your life. We live in a digital world now, but you can’t make many memories staring at a screen. It’s okay to take breaks and step away from your blog for a while.

17. Collaborating with other bloggers is a fun way to get your name out there!

18. Support your new blogger friends by reading, commenting, and sharing their posts.

19. Learn everything you can about how to promote your blog. Many people are willing to help.

Bloggers who teach other bloggers will often provide valuable information for free in blog posts or in exchange for an email address. They may host webinars or post tutorials on YouTube, and many have informative Facebook groups where they are willing to answer questions.

Early on I subscribed to many bloggers’ newsletters so I could learn as much as possible as quickly as possible. While this was all very informative, I quickly became overwhelmed with information. My to-do list was getting longer and longer, and instead of focusing more on moving forward with my blog, I was getting stuck researching, learning, and adding to my to-do list. To create more of a balance, I determined which bloggers were the most helpful to my niche and unsubscribed from the others. In the last couple of days, I have narrowed down the list of bloggers I follow even more to a select few, and this has allowed me to spend more time on my own blog’s content.

20. Start promoting on Pinterest right away.

Did you think Pinterest was all about pretty pictures and yummy recipes? Think again! Pinterest is a huge tool for promoting your blog – you can check out basictoglamchic Pinterest here.

21. Optimize your blog for SEO from day 1.

SEO is a little like the peak of a mountain. It’s going to take a long time to climb up there – but it will be so worth it once you reach the top. Optimizing your page for search engines in your first month of blogging will help you reach that summit even sooner. From my dashboard, I see I’m getting better with my Yoast SEO because now I have a green light meaning my SEO is google friendly.

22. You will start thinking about your blog all the time.

Let’s not even get into this. Mamma Mia!

23. Take notes when you have an idea.

I keep a cute notebook and pen by my bed in case inspiration strikes in the middle of the night, and I have a note on my phone full of ideas. Do whatever it takes to get your ideas out of your head and onto the page.

24. Plan your posts in advance. Have a posting schedule!

I can’t recommend this enough. Writing content ahead of time and knowing exactly when you want to publish it is key. Plus, it helps to keep you accountable. I publish new content on Tuesdays and Thursdays at exactly 8:00 a.m CET but I’m thinking of doing 3 posts now starting January or maybe earlier because I’m now getting the grind of things so i’ll be doing Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Having a posting schedule keeps me motivated. I am using Google sheets for my Blogging Editorial Calendar and It sure saves me a lot of time plus I write content way ahead of time and schedule on my website so it automatically posts when I set it to.

25.But stay flexible to keep your content relevant.

Create relevant content for your audience My blog is geared toward millennials mostly because I am one but also the older fashion savvy and younger chikita fashionistas, so all of my content is written with that in mind. You see fashion depends on your mentality and tastes. When brainstorming topics, I ask myself: Is this something my readers would benefit from, or would someone learn something new from this? Is this interesting? Is this easy to comprehend and digest? As long as your content is relevant to your audience, there’s no reason why they wouldn’t keep coming back for more.

26. It’s okay to feel like you’re faking it some days.

It’s hard to write about positivity when you’re having a negative day. My life is far from perfect – but you don’t need to be perfect to have something important to say. No?

27. But what you write about can transform your mindset.

We become what we think about. Buddha quoted : “The mind is everything. What You Think, You Become.” By spending this past month writing and thinking about self-development and positivity, I’ve felt the most positive that I have in a long time. Starting my blog was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

28. You’ll Develop Your Skills

Because of my persistence and general love of learning and growing in whatever I’m doing, I’ve gotten better at a lot of things like writing, editing, researching, posing or modeling, styling, and mostly, photography. I’ve always loved photography but never had a real reason to get into it. I was always “too busy” and continued feeling pings of jealousy when my photographer friends or blogging mentors posted beautiful photos.

29. Your Goals, Hopes, and Dreams For Your Blog Will Grow As You Do.

I found myself putting more time and effort into my little baby blog, and the more TLC I gave it, the more I started to begin cultivating ideas of working for myself. I started fantasizing about being financially independent. I’ve read the book “You Are a Badass” and decided to stop shying away from my true passions and shrinking down because I felt like I wasn’t worth the success I wanted but wouldn’t admit I wanted out of fear. I want to be my own boss and I want to do it by being MYSELF. I wanna be BADASS! Simple as that. So I put it out into the universe and started manifesting my own destiny.. or so they say. It’s the way humans work and it’s such a fun daydream to toss around.

Even if THAT isn’t the same growth you want, your goals will still grow and get bigger as you chug along on your blogging journey. You’ll come up with new ideas for posts, new ways to put your work out into the world, new dreams that align with your growth and so much more. It’s exciting and exhilarating and terrifying all at the same time.

30. You’ll Be a One-Woman Show.

Being a blogger gives a whole new meaning to jack of all trades. I’m now the developer, manager, planner, communications expert, photographer, tech support, producer, lighting engineer, stylist, graphic designer, editor, personal assistant, negotiator and there’s no one else who is going to get things done, fix an HTML crisis or put out the fires except for YOU. And no, I’m neither exaggerating nor complaining 😄😄😄.

31. You’ll Spend a lot More Time on Your Phone, Computer and By Yourself.

Blogging is obviously done 100% online and much of the creative process is a solo effort. I’m not (er, wasn’t) a person who compulsively checked their phone, had emails pop up as notifications, and writing/editing/emailing/working at every opportunity. At first, it’s hard to find a balance of work and real-life, and the two blends together. There are no set office hours and because of that your screen time exponentially increases.

With that being said…

With each lesson I’ve learned, I’ve come to see that blogging is actually a lot of hard work. There are lots of things to stay on top of. Not only do you have to write blog posts and create content, but you have to maintain social media accounts, continuously check your email inbox, and monitor the performance of your site because sometimes you realize that you left something hanging or didn’t include and is vital, all these I had to learn slowly with time. That being said, I’m enjoying this ride so far and I’m excited to see how my blog progresses in the future.

Are you a blogger? If so, what have you learned since you first started blogging? Or if you haven’t started a blog, what’s holding you back? I’d love to hear in the comments below.

Thanks so much for reading today’s post…. (I know it was long, LOL) and for coming along on this blogging journey with me. I can’t wait to show you what else I’ve got in store!

Arrivederci,  ci sentiamo alla prossima.

Baci Baci …

“I’m Dreaming of White Christmas, But If It Runs Out, I’ll Drink the Red.”

❄️❄️❄️