5 Blogging Myths I No Longer Believe
It's hard to believe I've been blogging now for over two and a half years. That time has flown by SO quickly and I couldn't be happier that I have this little online space to call my own now. If I'm being totally honest, I really regret not starting this blog sooner - it has brought me so much joy and I think it would have been incredibly useful to have my own outlet during those confusing early twenties years. So why didn't I start sooner, I hear you ask? Well, because I was put off by all of the blogging myths.
Y'see, when you're peering in from the outside, the blogging world seems shrouded in glamour and mystery and most annoyingly, rules. I believed that there was no real point in starting a blog because I couldn't hit all of the lofty criteria I thought I needed.
But that couldn't be further from the truth, and so today I wanted to debunk some of those common blogging myths and share my experience with you all... Enjoy!
1) You don't need a fancy camera
Blog photography has come on a huge amount since I started blogging a couple of years ago and it can be super intimidating to look at the incredible visuals some influencers are creating. I've upgraded my kit a little bit in the past 12 months or so (I invested in an Olympus PEN which I love), but when I was having a little look at Google Analytics the other day, I realised that some of my most popular posts contain photos I quickly snapped on my iPhone.
I really do believe that so long as you're producing engaging content and taking the best photos you possibly can with whatever device you have then people will be drawn to your blog. You definitely don't need to invest in an expensive camera or fancy lenses to get started.
2) You don't need a huge social following
One of the biggest blogging myths is that you need a huge social following in order to drive any level of traffic to your blog or for brands to want to work you. I can absolutely tell you that that isn't true! My social following is pretty tiny compared to most bloggers (around 5,000 followers combined over my two biggest platforms) and yet my traffic is still really decent at around 15,000 page views per month.
I would also say that brands care much more about engagement than follower numbers too. If they can see that your audience is switched on and enjoying your content then it really won't matter that you don't have millions of followers - promise.
3) You don't need a schedule or editorial calendar
When I first started blogging, I found the idea of having to stick to a schedule or editorial calendar really overwhelming. Wanna know a secret? Two and a half years on, I still have no idea what I'm going to be posting from one week to the next. Sure, it might not be how everyone prefers to work, but I find that following my gut and writing whatever I feel passionate about in the moment helps to keep things fresh.
Obviously it's important to make sure that any sponsored posts are written and pushed live on time, and sometimes I do schedule content ahead if I'm busy, but I find that the posts I write off the cuff are always the ones that resonate most with my readers.
4) You don't need to live in London
I think the blogging myth that frustrates me the most is that in order to be a successful blogger you need to live in London. Sure, a lot of brands are based down there, but the whole beauty of blogging is that so long as you have a laptop, you really can crack on from wherever!
I think most major cities have a pretty solid blogging community now and you'll find that no matter where you live, there will be events and opportunities nearby. Plus, it's much easier to create a real network when there are fewer of you!
5) You don't need a niche
Last but by no means least is the most controversial of all the blogging myths - niches! Every bit of blogging advice I have ever read states that having a niche is the most important thing you can do as a blogger, but I really don't agree. Sure, if you have a very specific niche you can quickly become an expert in your field, but if you're only going to get bored of your topic of choice within a couple of months, is it worth it?
Writing about what you're passionate about means you're way more likely to stick with it, and if that means swapping and changing topics each week then so be it. With time, you'll find that people will be invested in you and whatever you find interesting rather than being hooked on a specific topic.
What do you think the biggest blogging myths are? Leave me a comment and let me know!