Tag Archives: blogging

Sep27

Friendly Reminder!

Posted on by
Standard
Friendly Reminder!

Hello!!! Every once in a while do you get messages from random people you went to high school with and never once spoke to asking to join a pyramid scheme? Because SAME lol. I also receive a ton of messages asking for one of my number one pet peeves – to “pick my brain” about blogging. In other words, get free advice on my expertise because we graduated from the same high school or just so happen to be friends on social media. It is amazing how quickly the conversation ends once my consultation rates are explained. This sounds snobby, but it is very annoying – especially because I often offer advice on my blog free of charge so I know they aren’t reading my page at all!

My logic behind offering consultations for those who want to start a blog is similar to why I pay for tattoo consultations. The bottom line, is that people are spending their time and knowledge to help you and that is something that should be compensated monetarily. For my consultations, it is a $25 flat rate and in that time we will work through several key points that are essential when starting a blog. This includes: Creating a name around your vision, establishing a writing and publishing schedule that works for you, figuring out your strongest writing categories and choosing offshoot categories, networking strategies, a special shout out on my page, and so much more.

Unless you are really good friends with a blogger or social media guru, chances are you are going to be asked to pay a fee for advice. This is just a friendly reminder because for a lot of people, myself included, blogging is a business. Those who have established a name in this field worked really hard for it and our knowledge is worthy of being considered valuable. The same goes for anyone who works in a creative field – remember, this isn’t just our hobby but our livelihood! 🙂

This post was not meant to be bratty, but what the title says – a Friendly Reminder. I have been experiencing this issue a lot lately and I know that I am not the only one who can relate!

What is one of your biggest pet peeves? What else should I include in my blogging consultations? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep17

Belated Nine Year Blogiversary!!

Posted on by
Standard
Belated Nine Year Blogiversary!!

Hello!!!! September 13th was lifewithlilred’s Nine Year Blogiversary and it came as a huge surprise to me lol. Obviously, because this is a belated celebration post! Not only was the date of this a shock, but also the length of time. It feels like just yesterday that twenty year old Sarah sat down and began her blogging journey. It is thrilling that almost a decade later, my blog is still going stronger than ever with daily content for the past four years and change!

As always, the best part about lifewithlilred is all of the incredible friends and readers that have come along for the ride. And, man, have we been through a lot! You have all been there through major milestones in my life – graduating college, new jobs, and getting married. It is so special to me to know that my dear readers are there celebrating the good and offering support for the bad every step of the way. It inspires and motivates me to no end, which is the main reason lifewithlilred has kept on truckin all of these years.

Every day, I feel so excited to sit down and write and I think that my blog is a reflection of my favorite phrase “the joy of writing”. I write for me, I write for my beloved viewers, I would write for no viewers – it just makes me happy to do. lifewithlilred is something that brings me true joy and it is my safe haven that I have carved out in the great world wide web. For nine years, I have been in blogging bliss and I cannot wait to see what else is in store for my page in the years to come. ❤

Thank you to each and every one of you for being the driving force behind lifewithlilred for the past nine years. I could not do it without that love and support and it works both ways. I love all of you and wish nothing but for you to continue on in your blogging journey and experience the joy of writing every day!

Sep5

The Business Of Blogging

Posted on by
Standard
The Business Of Blogging

Hey! I was SO excited to receive an email from Oprah of the blog Oprah Zip Bradford letting me know that she was back to the blogosphere after a hiatus. It is always so nice to be in touch with friends new and old that I have met through lifewithlilred and Oprah and I go way back. When she asked if I was up for a collaboration, of course I said YES! We were in touch after my four year streak of daily content was announced and she thought it would be beneficial if I explained my blogging business a bit more. I am always down to help inspire and inform other writers so of course I said YES! Here is some advice from your favorite Lil Red blogger:

What do you want out of your blog?

Blogging is an interesting hobby because it could be left as something done just for funsies or as a lucrative hustle. I originally started writing just for fun and I still do. However, I was lucky enough to be linked up with publishing companies and advertisers during lifewithlilred’s early years. Every day, I write for pleasure. However, it is a source of income for me and that keeps me motivated to continue creating daily content. Even if your blog isn’t making you money right now, that’s not to say it won’t in the future. If this is something that you are interested in, then it must be taken seriously as not only an outlet for your creativity but as a potential job.

Making a schedule that works for you:

Whether you would like to publish content just for fun or as a possible source of income, I will always recommend making a schedule. Schedules are important for bloggers because it lets your readers know when to expect you and to keep checking in. When you have a publishing schedule, you can create a writing schedule that works for you. In my case, I publish daily. This means that I have to write daily or write multiple posts in one sitting to schedule ahead of time. As you can tell, I am a very schedule oriented person when it comes to my blog and it has done nothing but help me.

Reach out:

If you are hoping for more interactions, viewers, or friends in the blogosphere – reach out! There are millions of blogs out there and it’s unrealistic to think that everyone is going to find yours. Scroll through the WordPress newsfeed and see what tickles your fancy. Interact with other bloggers on their pages and send them love. Encourage collaborations, announce your blog on social media, use word of mouth marketing. In other words, draw attention to your page yourself. There is viral content being shared every second of every day and it’s easy for blogs to get lost in the crowd.

Don’t limit your content:

If you have a blog where you are writing about a specific topic with every post, that is fine. My advice would be not to limit your content, though, because this just limits yourself as a writer. lifewithlilred started out as a strictly beauty and fashion blog and I am happy that I was able to branch out as a well rounded lifestyle blogger. If I stuck with just beauty and fashion, there is no way that I could create daily content. What are offshoots of your favorite topic to write about? For example, beauty and health and wellness often go hand in hand. Once you identify more topics to write about, you are inviting even more readers with different interests to check out your page.

Go easy on yourself:

It might not seem like it, but blogging and maintaining your page is hard work. It can be disheartening when you find that your efforts are not resulting in views or a payday. Please, don’t fret! Once you start beating yourself up, it immediately sucks the joy out of writing. I always say to write for the sake of writing. Don’t do it for viewers, don’t do it for advertisers – do it because YOU love it. When you are doing something you love, it doesn’t matter if one person sees it or one hundred thousand. Do keep this in mind because I have seen many a blogger come and go in lifewithlilred’s almost ten year tenure. Don’t set yourself up to give up by making comparisons or feeling like your page isn’t good enough. You are writing and that is always enough! ❤

Thanks so much to darling Oprah for asking me to share my Ted Talk. I hope this post gave all of you some insight going forward with your own blog!

What are some of your blogging questions for me? What is the link to your blog? Share away! I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug24

4 Year Celebration!!!

Posted on by
Standard
4 Year Celebration!!!

Hello!!!! lifewithlilred has been going strong since 2014! That’s almost a decade of everyone’s favorite lil redhead in the blogosphere and it is something that I am very proud of. Several years back, I decided that I wanted my page to have fresh content daily and I have stuck with it. Huge shout out to being able to schedule posts because that definitely helps the cause! This past weekend, I ran my calculations because I am currently on day 1,474 of daily content which makes….

An over four year streak!!!!!!

I knew that I was having a good run with publishing every day on lifewithlilred, but I had no idea that it was that good. Writing almost every morning feels so natural to me that it’s something that I don’t think too much about anymore. Knowing that over four years ago, I set a goal and I have been achieving it for that long feels awesome. It also makes me even more dedicated to continuing the quest for daily content because how could I mess up a streak like that?! That would suck lol.

Despite such a lengthy tenure in the blogosphere, I still get writer’s block and feel uninspired from time to time too. However, having so many amazing friends that I have made tuning in serves as the best inspiration of all. If it wasn’t for all of these fantastic friends and readers alike, I think I would have given up on daily content a long time ago. So, thank you all for helping me achieve my goal. I love you!! ❤

What are some of your blogging goals? What is your favorite thing about your blog? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May18

Nothing To Write? Have Some Prompts!

Posted on by
Standard
Nothing To Write? Have Some Prompts!

Hello! After publishing my Content Creating 101 post, I received lots of questions asking how I come up with daily content for lifewithlilred. There are a few answers that immediately come to mind, but the first and foremost is that I love to write. I always have and even though I hated school, I never minded when writing papers was the assignment. I like to consider writing as something that I am good at and it makes me feel good when I do it; So, I just go for it! Writing brings me joy so, in that regard, it is very easy for me to find inspiration for content because everything makes me want to write lol.

Although daily content is on lifewithlilred, that doesn’t mean that I don’t get writer’s block too. I swear, some mornings I sit here for twenty or so minutes struggling to get a post started. Writer’s block happens to the best of us, but it’s still annoying AF! If you weren’t aware, WordPress now offers daily writing prompts. However, if you are looking to knock out some posts of your own quickly, I thought I’d provide some of my own too. Let’s get started:

Summer Plans:

  1. What are your goals this summer? I actually just recently wrote about this!
  2. What was the best summer vacation you ever took?
  3. What is your dream summer vacation?
  4. Describe your perfect summer day.
  5. Summertime recipes or party tips? Bring it on!

All About You:

  1. What were you like when you were little? Favorite games, toys, foods?
  2. What did you want to be when you grew up?
  3. What are your favorite things? What brings you joy?
  4. What is your favorite thing about yourself?
  5. What is your go to thing on a lazy day? Comfort shows and comfort food, perhaps? Oh wait, no – that’s me lol.

Hobbies:

  1. What is a project you completed that you are proud of?
  2. What is your favorite medium of art to work with?
  3. How do you express your personality with your hobby? Shopping is my favorite hobby and I express mine through my clothes!
  4. How did you get interested in your hobby? Who taught you?
  5. Did your hobby come easily to you or did you struggle to get started?

Just For Funsies:

  1. What is something that always makes you laugh? For me, that’s easy! The movie Step Brothers, of course!
  2. What is your biggest pet peeve?
  3. What is an adorable thing that your children or pets do? I simply can’t stand it when Melvin and Penelope are snuggling!
  4. What is something new that you want to try?
  5. What happened on the best day you have ever had?

There are twenty ideas above to help get you started and kick writer’s blocks’ stupid butt! Make sure you tag me in the post if you use any of these prompts because I would love to read them. And, if this was helpful to you and you would like more prompt posts, let me know!

What do you love about writing? What is something that you struggle with when you are writing? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

PS: Always remember, that anything that you want to write is important. If you think something is worthy to write about, then it is! ❤

Feb8

Pro Tips To Boost Your New Blog

Posted on by
Standard
Pro Tips To Boost Your New Blog

In today’s world, blogging is becoming a popular way for people to express their opinion – and why wouldn’t it be? Blogging is fun, it allows you to share your thoughts, and there is the potential to make a side income from your page. A blog can be based on pretty much anything, you can write about business, sports, marketing, food & drink, travel – the list goes on. Then, when you find your niche, you can connect with other people with similar interests across the blogosphere. It’s awesome!

If you are interested in boosting your new blog to unlock its full potential, check out these tips to help you get started:

Use the correct editing software:

In order to run a successful blog, you will almost definitely be publishing pictures and videos to assist your article writing. Pictures are a must, however, video is becoming a lot more popular. When working with images and videos you may want to look into things like home video editing services to ensure the quality is there. You never want to just upload an image without making adaptations to it. Take your time to learn the software so whatever media content you use best suits your page.

Create a content schedule:

Another tip that should be followed when running a successful blog is to stick to a content schedule. Try to decide how many posts you would like to publish each week and set a dedicated time for them to go out. This way your readers will know when to return to your blog to access new information and it shows your website is regularly updated. When putting a schedule together, it gives you the opportunity to think about different topics and categories to write about. The schedule itself is easily done, you can do it with a notes app on your phone, a content schedule website, Word, Excel – whatever your preference may be.

Look after your website:

How your website looks and feels is extremely important. You will have a lot of competitors out there, so having a good-looking website may bring their readers to you. Websites aren’t as expensive as you may think and with many different website builders out there and a creative mind, you may find you can do it yourself using a template or two. If not, reach out to your friends or family members or employ a freelancer to do it for you.

Any blog has the potential to turn into the next big thing. Use the tips above, stick to them, and watch as your page grows!

Featured Image By: Andrea Piacquadio

Jul22

Get Started On Monetizing Your Blog

Posted on by
Standard
Get Started On Monetizing Your Blog

We all love the idea of making money by doing something we actually enjoy. Well, blogging genuinely gives you this opportunity. You can write about topics that are close to your heart, pouring out the thoughts that you keep inside your head for most of the day. At the same time, you can start earning a lot of money – if you know how.

Don’t just rely on ad revenue – it won’t be enough. The key to making your blog a money making machine lies in eCommerce. It’s very simple; you set up your blog to allow people to buy things from you. Meanwhile, you still post content and make money through adverts and sponsors, but you’ve got this extra hustle going on in the background.

Of course, there’s a tactic to this that will make it work. You can’t just sell anything and everything! Let’s look at how you can start monetizing your blog:

Sell things that are valuable:

Choose to sell things on your site that are valuable and relevant to your blog. Merchandise is always a good idea, giving your audience a chance to support you and wear your branding everywhere. At the same time, consider what your blog is about and how you can create products/services linked to it.

For example, imagine your blog is all about marketing. Here, you could sell marketing programs or ebooks that help people improve their skills. It’s an extension of your content, but you go into more detail and reveal your secrets. Alternatively, a fitness blog would be excellent at selling things like branded water bottles, fitness equipment, etc. If you sell things that your audience will be interested in, there’s a lot of money to be made.

Make everything look professional:

Nobody will buy anything if your site doesn’t look good enough. A regular blog is not an eCommerce site; you need to make some changes. Thankfully, there are companies like WEBX360 that can help you create an eCommerce website. This will ensure that you have all of the features on your blog to allow people to add things to their carts and check out securely.

Optimize your content:

We’re not talking so much about your blog content here – though that can be relevant. Rather, we’re thinking about the content on the eCommerce portion of your blog. Write good descriptions and have excellent landing pages to help your site rank well in search engines. This can bring in customers that aren’t from your blog audience, letting you make more sales.

Similarly, speaking about your content, you can use it as a way to link to certain products/services for sale. Sometimes, you could even build content around new product launches to generate hype!

As you can see, your small blog can very quickly grow into a healthy side hustle. If you utilize eCommerce on your site, it gives you a new way of earning income to add to your monthly blog revenue!

Featured Image By: Pexels

Apr24

Polka Dots, Please OOTD Bonus Pictures

Posted on by
Standard
Polka Dots, Please OOTD Bonus Pictures

Hello everyone and welcome to some bonus pictures from my Polka Dots, Please OOTD! As you will see in tomorrow’s post, there are way more bloopers from this shoot than there were winners. The lighting was wonky, Johnny and I were insanely full from Easter dinner, and it was a bit chilly so we were more concerned about just getting things done!

In true Ohio fashion, it’s going from snowing and freezing rain this past week to summer level hot so be on the lookout for more OOTD shoots soon! But now, let’s look at a few extra shots that didn’t quite make the first cut:

image_50428417(2)image_50735105image_50462209image_50446081image_50440961(1)

Have you ever had one of those days when you look into a mirror and you look even more fabulous than normal? You then think that it’s the perfect opportunity to take some pictures but can’t take a good one to save your own life? That’s kind of what this shoot was like! Despite a full stomach and cold temps, your girl was feeling herself. Then, I scrolled through the final results and I was just like “oh” lol.

No one ever said a blogger’s job was easy and with each passing shot, my commentary in my head was “blooper, blooper, yikes, DAYUM, blooper, etc”. Haha but I promised bonus shots and bonus shots is what you’re all gonna get! The hardest part of OOTD pictures is not taking the pictures themselves but finding the good in them after it’s all said and done. Kind of like finding the needle in the haystack of one hundred selfies that all look the same!

Were these my favorite pictures of all time? Not in the slightest. But, I didn’t have much to work with from this shoot so what can you do? When my confidence was barely above ground level, I would never post pictures that were nothing short of amazing. I don’t consider these bonus pictures to be my best work but that’s okay!

OOTD pics are not always home runs and, sometimes, you end up with a billion pictures that do nothing for you. That was the case with this shoot and I am posting them anyways. No matter how your pics turn out, I encourage you all to get in front of the camera, try it out, and post away. It will help build your confidence, you’ll have some fun, and see that it is still your best self even if the final result might not reflect it. ❤

How do you build your confidence? What are some of your picture taking pro tips? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar6

The Best Ships Are Blogships

Posted on by
Standard
The Best Ships Are Blogships

Hello! Come September, lifewithlilred will be on its eighth year in the blogosphere and I, honestly, can’t believe it. If you would have told me when I first started my page close to a decade ago that I would still be going strong and read in over two hundred countries, I would have said “no way”! But here we are now, a half a year away from my eight year mark and it’s crazy.

For those of you who don’t remember, it wasn’t even my idea to start lifewithlilred in the first place. I just had So. Many. People. telling me that I should make a blog because I’m funny and have good fashion sense. Eventually, I rolled my eyes, said “fine”, and created lifewithlilred. I was hooked after publishing just one post and I still love sitting down to write all of these years later.

I have always been an avid reader and writer but what most attracted me to blogging was the possibility of making friends all around the world. This was exciting to me because, even now, my “real life” friends are limited to not even a handful but on my blog, I have tons! In fact, one of my best friends in the whole world, Kate of Live In The Nautical, was met through lifewithlilred and it’s weird to go just one day without talking to her!

When I woke up this morning, I had a plethora of comments on Facebook from another friend who I met through my page, Claudia. This reminded me of just how lucky I am for the connections that I have formed because of the blogging world. In my neck of the woods, people know who I am but I feel like my readers know the real me because all of my thoughts, struggles, and life events are here for the world to see. It just feels good to be seen for who I really am because I think my page encompasses it perfectly.

I have always been a strong believer in the power of words and all of the beautiful friends that I have made on lifewithlilred is a true testament to that. Thank you so much for tuning in and, most importantly, being my friend. I love you all!

What is your favorite thing about blogging? How long have you been writing for? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb13

My Writing Routine

Posted on by
Standard
My Writing Routine

Hello! I am currently on a 1,150 day writing streak of daily blogging on lifewithlilred and I am so proud! I get asked a lot how I keep up with this and I guess it boils down to the fact that I am a very routine and schedule oriented person. I thrive when I can check things off of my To Do List, which keeps me sitting down at my laptop every morning to continue delivering the latest and greatest.

Everyone has a writing routine and mine looks like this:

Forming Content Ideas:

I am always on the lookout for ideas for my next blog post and am constantly keeping my eyes peeled for things that inspire me. Whether it’s snapping pics of the winter weather outside or a new pair of shoes, I am already pre-writing the post in my head for the most efficient content creation. To keep all of my ideas straight and also to not forget them, I text myself possible posts all of the time that I can refer to when I feel writer’s block sinking in.

Taking Pictures:

If pictures are needed for my post, I typically take them the night before and then email them to myself so that they are ready to go in the morning. I consider my writing process to be somewhat of an assembly line so the completed post can’t be ready to write without the proper prep work done beforehand. Anything that can make my morning blogging go smoother is well worth it because I still have to get myself to work on time!

My Mornings:

My mornings have followed a strict routine for as long as I can remember and it honestly stresses me out to stray from it. As soon as I wake up, I practice five different languages on Duolingo, I do a short work out, and then I shower. After all of this is complete, I turn on my diffuser by Organic Aromas and start my blogging process. Not only does this include my daily writing but I also have to complete other online jobs before I head to work.

Needless to say, my mornings have to run like a fine tuned machine to accomplish all of the above. This is why my prep work is so important as well as having a pretty strict sleep schedule. Johnny has to get up really early for work and I try to get up at least two and a half hours before I need to leave. We are usually asleep by eight thirty!!

No one ever said a blogger’s life was easy but it is so rewarding. I can’t even imagine a day without writing and it makes it even better to share it with all of you! ❤

What is your writing routine like? How often do you blog? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah