5 Tips For Successful Style Blogging

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In my five years as a fashion & beauty blogger, the one question I’ve gotten from you guys most often is about how to do this thing called blogging. I get, on average, at least two emails a week with questions about starting your own blogs and websites and what it takes. So, in the past I’ve addressed “How To Start A Blog” as well as “How To Get Your Blog Noticed.”

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 Sweatshirt from ASOS (Buy It Here)

For the first time in five years, I’m going to outline for you guys some important tips that I personally believe contribute to success as a blogger. I, myself, have gleaned some amazing insights from other bloggers in my industry so I plan to highlight some of the people I love and trust in this article as well, so that you can hopefully learn from them.

These tips are not exclusively for fashion and beauty. Whether you’re creating a site around travel, food or unicorns – these 5 tips for successful style blogging are of utmost importance:

1. Take Great Pictures

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Photo by Lydia Hudgens

It’s pretty simple. We are inherently visual creatures. We love pretty things. So when it comes to having a blog in the lifestyle category – fashion, beauty, food, travel, etc – your pictures need to be on point. Gone are the days when a blurry webcam pic will suffice for building a brand online. Take a look at some of your personal favorite blogs.

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I guarantee you 90% of them have crisp, clear images that draw you in. This is imperative. So whether you need to invest in a great camera  to take your own pictures (see # 2), or perhaps find a photographer friend/family member to spend a few hours with each week (*waves at my brother-in-law who helped me take my first outfit photos*), do what you have to do to make sure your images are on point. This will take you very far.

Example: Gabi Fresh

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Gabi is one blogger who does this incredibly well and has been doing so for YEARS. When I first started my blog I was an avid fan of Gabi’s for her crisp, clean photos (and of course her incredible style). She’s been consistent about them over the years and that’s why so many people have come to love following her.

2. Invest in the Right Tools

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If you want to take this thing seriously, you HAVE to have the right toys. My Canon EOS DSLR is about the best investment I have ever made for this here blog. It is attached to me at the hip. Cameras are a must-have. Also a great smartphone will take you far. I have an iPhone 5s and I literally don’t even have to bring my DSLR with me to cover every event anymore because my iPhone pics are so clear.

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If you’re a frequent traveler like myself you’ll want to invest in a great tablet. I’d also consider photo software a must. Photoshop is of course industry standard but if you’re on a budget, try a free online service like Picmonkey.

3. Have A Unique Point of View

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Everyone’s new favorite word? Niche. Rightfully so, in this super crowded and busy digital world. Everyone, I repeat everyone, has a blog these days. My grandmother has a blog. My pet cat has a blog. (OK I’m kidding I don’t have a pet cat and my grandma doesn’t surf the internets but you get what I mean). The only way to cut through the clutter and sustain an audience of your own is to be YOU which is inherently different from everyone else.

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When I started LoveBrownSugar I didn’t really have a clear and focused vision for what I wanted it to be. I just knew what I DIDN’T already see on the internet and I wanted to fill a void. So I started. And over time, I’ve honed in on a specific audience (you guys) and have catered my brand to best fulfill your needs and still be happy with the work I do.

Example: Afrobella

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Patrice Yursik of Afrobella.com could write a book on this. Though she’s heralded most as the “Godmother of beauty blogging”, what makes Patrice’s content so appealing is that she injects her unique and trustworthy opinions onto everything she posts, from the body positivity conversation to the latest red lipstick or natural hair collections. Be you – that’s what your audience will want to see.

4. Blog Useful Information

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Well, what do you know? This post I’m writing that you’re currently reading is useful to you isn’t it? Ahaaa (*Jewish Murphy from Coming to America voice*). This is the key. Whether you’re posting an outfit featuring your favorite pair of winter boots or writing about your latest trip to the Caribbean, make sure there’s a takeaway in there for your readers! Don’t leave them hanging. People will come to you as a resource. Notice how bloggers who post outfits always link to where they got their pieces? That’s not just for affiliate sales, it’s also so you can recreate the look if you want. Blogs are here to be useful, so if you want your site to be successful, recognize that it should help someone else.

Example: Glamazons Blog

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Though I’m slightly biased because one of the co-founders (Jessica Andrews) is now one of my closest friends, I admired the site WAY before I even met Jessica because Glamazons Blog always provided such practical information for girls like me. Celebrity style roundups, “Shop The Look” pieces, beauty reviews, you name it. Jessica is also incredibly skilled at making those Designer Collections for retailers like Target, H&M, Kohl’s, etc super easy to navigate.

5. Maintain Consistent Branding

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Having a consistent brand is important – for everyone, not just bloggers. Your brand should resonate the same on your blog, on your social media accounts AND in person. No, you don’t have to walk out the house looking like Beyonce everyday. But if you are friendly with your readers online, you can’t throw shade at them when they meet you in person! This is a tough one because many people who thrive online are actually very introverted in person. And that’s ok! But be sure that who you truly are as a BRAND is always well-represented everywhere you are – online, across multiple sites and in person.

Example: WhereDidYouGetThat

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Karen Blanchard of WhereDidYouGetThat.com is the perfect example of this. Homegirl has not one, not two, but THREE style blogs and destinations and they are all consistent with her brand. She’s a London transplant living here in NYC, she has a unique sense of style, and she’s an amazing photographer. Those elements permeate throughout her brands. She’s also very personable with her readers online. The same in person. I met her and felt like we were BFF immediately. In addition to her personal style blog WhereDidYouGetThat, she also boasts Where Did You Get That -Street (a street style blog) and Two Kools (a street style site dedicated to stylish couples!). All consistent with her brand.

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I could literally go on for days (months, years?) talking about what it takes to become a successful style blogger.

My biggest takeaway is that there are different interpretations of success.

The beauty of this post is that there are bloggers on SO many different levels in terms of popularity and prestige that do all these things really well.

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“Success” to me is not having 100K followers on social media or a VOGUE spread or 364784 sponsored posts on my blog. Those are all amazing things, and there’s nothing wrong with other people using this as a gauge for success, but my personal view of success is more about feeling like I’m leaving a positive impact on all of YOU, my readers.

So the key is to define what “success” looks like to you and work toward it.

Agree with me? Do you have a tip to share? Leave a comment below so we can help each other!

Here are some other great blog posts with tips for style blogging:

LBS: How To Get Your Blog Noticed

Glamazons Blog: Full-Time Fashion Blogging

Christina Brown

Lifestyle influencer and digital mompreneur Christina S. Brown is a New York native, LA resident, and the founder of LoveBrownSugar.com and BrownGirlsLove. She's an award-winning storyteller, a motivational speaker and an advocate for confident millennial black women.

11 Comments
  1. love all these tips and the blogs you highlighted! I think my blog has grown over the years from what I thought it was supposed to be to really writing in my own voice and letting ME shine while interspersing style and beauty articles. I definitely think learning your voice and being true to that is quite important while keeping your brand consistency and sharing your point of view.
    excellent list!

  2. Great post and tips! My fave was #3. It can be challenging to find your voice in blogging, but it’s definitely possible. Having a unique voice is a sure way to stand out.

    I’d also add to be consistent and communicate with your readers. Even if you’re taking a “break”, communicate that. It’s nothing worse than following an awesome blogger and all of a sudden, they don’t post anything for like 3 weeks straight! Lol…not cool.

    Thanks for sharing…XO!

    ~Whitney

  3. Love this post! You did an awesome job sharing your tips for success. I love the Tip in relation to the images.

  4. So honored to be included in this post, especially since I look up to the bloggers you mentioned (including you!). These are all excellent tips that I try to follow daily. Will be sharing and bookmarking this. And P.S. love that sweatshirt!

  5. Great tips! I’m a new beauty blogger, and I’m still trying to get the hang of everything and figure out my voice, but that’s what the early stages are for. 🙂 Love your blog by the way, this is my first time stumbling across it.