Many people ask “What do you do?” and I always reply that I teach violin and also blog. I think they tend to skip over the blogging and focus on the violin because they understand that more. What does a blogger actually do you might ask? Well, today I thought I would explain what is involved and feature the things I do behind the computer screen that don’t get featured in a blog. Those little things that need to be done but get overlooked or somehow unknown to others that don’t blog. In any job it is easy to not understand all aspects, but I thought this would be interesting to any that wanted to know more about blogging or thinking about venturing into it themselves. 
Writing a blog post
Well, this is the obvious one. Blog posts need to be written and for the audience to read. However, a lot of time goes into planning the subject, what images to feature, the fact if it’s sponsored you have to get approval from the brand, coming up with ideas…. I often jot ideas down on my phone when I think of them to save time later racking my brain. I tend to get the ideas at random times so writing them down helps and then I can look back over them. The writing part of a blog doesn’t actually take that long, it is all the prep involved beforehand.
Checking the blog post and scheduling it
Checking and reading through blog posts are so important, especially if you want to include links to websites. I always set my links to open in a new tab as this is nicer for the reader and it means they don’t have to open up the blog again. I also make sure my links are no follow links so that this doesn’t affect my SEO.
Adding images to the blog post
Fitting images into a blog post is important so that the reading flows and you have the correct number of images per post. I also like to put a sign off at the bottom to make it look more professional.
Taking images and editing them
Taking images can take a few minutes or a few hours. Depending on the set up, lights might need to be used and the decorations such as flowers need to be placed beautifully to attract the reader. Blogging outside can be difficult with weather conditions for outfit shots and they might need to be taken at weekends. There is also editing of photos that needs to be done. I like to brighten my images and change the contrast a bit. I also resize my photos, so they have nicer frames. If you want me to write a post on how I edit my photos then let me know in the comments!
Social media
I always like to reply to blog comments because if someone has taken the time out of their day to write a comment on something I took time over I want to show my appreciation. I also schedule tweets to advertise my blog posts. Sometimes I do this in bulk for a few days and sometimes I do this daily. Posting on Instagram is so important too and also using the Insta Stories to show a little more about my personality. Regularly posting is so important for grow a following. Pinning photos to Pinterest is also something I try to do but I always forget to I have to admit!
Networking
I always like to read other people’s blog posts and comment on them. Not only is it a good way to meet other bloggers and discuss aspects of the blogging industry but it is a great way to get inspiration and give you a sense of creativity. Blogging events are also things that you can get invited to and this is a good way to meet brands. Writing to brands you might want to work with is also included in this.
Other things…
I could go on all day about what’s involved in blogging, but other things involved are purchasing any blog props such as clothes or beauty products, recipe trialling and getting inspiration on a day to day basis from social media. There is a lot involved in blogging, but I absolutely love it and I guess you can spend as little or more time as you want to on it – the choice is yours!
