Welcome to the first post in our four part series on being a rebellious blogger. I’ve been chatting with people who either want to start or have started blogs, but they simply refuse to follow all the rules. They picture themselves in the lifestyle space, but write about unconventional topics that no one’s really focusing on, they’re heavy on the written content but uninterested in photography, or they just don’t want to follow all the established “how to grow your blog” strategies. Basically, they want a blog to do well, but they don’t want to conform.
I understand. I feel like I’ve never quite fit in with the typical lifestyle blogger. I’ve never been into sticking strictly to one niche (let alone a photo editing style), I don’t want to join all social media networks just ’cause, and I honestly have a different aesthetic than a lot of people in this space. So what do you do when you’re aesthetic is totally different than what’s trending or you really don’t care for styling the perfect Instagram or you want to tackle subjects that, though important, will probably not get your blog to the top of bloglovin’ anytime soon?
I think that you can do something really new and different, or go against the grain quite a bit when it comes to establishing a great website, but realistically there are some content strategies that it will hurt you not to adopt.
A big thing I hear when it comes to other bloggers is “Everything pretty much looks the same on blogs right now – I don’t want to be that person”. I think we’ve all been there—scrolling through out feeds, not being able to distinguish whether we’re looking at 10 different bloggers or the same individual. And because we’re different and we get that desire to be different, we wanted to point out the ways in which you could stay authentically you, but still get eyes on your blog.
What Blogging Rules Are We Talking About?
- Concrete rules like sticking to posting schedules or trendy titles when that’s just not you
- Visual guidelines like sharing only photos with white backgrounds or flatlays
- Things like always having a trendy image to represent your written content
- Social media rules like having to be on Snapchat, why you must post to Instagram once a day, etc.
- Design rules and trends like having a clean and modern look to your site and branding
You can see why so many people are pushing all these rules, right? They’ll make your blog prettier and easier to read of course. Since it’s unlikely that with an unorganized content strategy, inconsistent visuals, and terrible blog design you can really grow a website, there are certainly going to be rules you don’t want to break. At the same time, if you’re not interested in the trends, you won’t be passionate about your blog – obviously you want it to represent you and your brand!
Over the next few weeks we’ll talk about what types of rules can be broken and how you can really make your blog stand out without falling behind.
What’s one thing that you do differently from other bloggers? And what blogging “rules” have you heard that you refuse to follow? Excited to get this conversation going!
Ring dish: Red Raven Studios / Notebook: Hadrone Epoch
Kiersten says
I don’t schedule or plan ahead at all. I am one of those who just writes when I feel inspired. I’m like that with my creative writing too. I’m what they call a pantser. I just go by the seat of my pants. I’m also terrible at photography so I use a lot of stock photography unless I am including a picture of one of my pets.
Kiersten @ Autumn Country Girl
Pagan says
I really feel this. My content comes much better when I wait until I’m inspired. But I also find that if I don’t have some kind of plan it all just crumbles.
Something that I’ve done is plan a theme for each month, which helps me narrow down heaps of topics. I come up with a bunch of posts I’d like to write and schedule them, but I still wait until I feel inspired until I write them. Because I’ve planned a month in advance, I have heaps of time to do it.
Most of the time, I end up thinking of so many ideas, I can’t choose which ones I want to write first.
And photography is definitely not my forte either!
Angela says
That’s such an interesting way of going about it! I love that it keeps you inspired.
Lucie says
Cool! I think I am writing under at least one of these rules and sometimes I feel stupid. So, I am looking forward to the next post. :-)
http://www.inbluebox.com
Kate says
I mix a little humor in my every blog post, however serious it is. Before, I just publish posts impulsively but I’m trying to create a weekly thing. I look forward to this series!
Kate @ Plethoric Thoughts
Carrie says
I don’t post on Instagram twice a day. I think too much updating can be annoying and stifling.
Carrie | http://carrieelise.com/
Paula, The Geeky Shopaholic says
Looking forward to this series! I don’t look at my blog as a business, so that’s one way I’m different. My blog is my place to be creative. I also hate taking pictures for my blog, so I’ve been focusing on using hand drawn graphics instead.
Kristyn says
I started my blog as a creative entrepreneurship, and I couldn’t keep it consistent. This year I’ve made the commitment to use it purely as a creative outlet and I feel SO much better about it. I’m hoping that my theme and ideas last a little longer now that the pressure is off.
Also how cool that you have a backup for photography! I can barely function as a photographer and I definitely can’t draw. Way to go.
Audrey | Brunch at Audrey's says
I can’t wait to read the rest of this series! Hmm, I definitely don’t fit in a niche. My blog is a personal lifestyle blog, so topics vary depending on what I’m doing, how I’m feeling, where I’ve gone, etc. :) -Audrey | Brunch at Audrey’s
Annika says
One of the blogging rules I refused to follow initially but have finally given in to is joining Facebook. I never signed up for Facebook because it just didn’t fit my personality, but I felt that part of blogging is being on Facebook and I was somehow missing out.
After joining I was immediately sad. It may just be that is foreign to me and I need to get used to it, but I am way more comfortable on other social media.
Kim | Margin&Column says
I really love the sound of this series! The one that has stuck out to me the most is posting to a schedule, you see it everywhere – “post consistently to gain more followers and traffic!” – and I actually started doing that, but then it dawned on me, the whole point of my blog is to post QUALITY content and if I am just pumping out stuff on a regular basis for the sake of consistency, then what is the point? Quality over quantity always, if I have a mind block for 2 or 3 weeks then so be it. I actually wrote a short post about my thoughts on “Niche Blogging” a little while back here — http://marginandcolumn.com/lifestyle/on-niche-blogging/
Berry Dakara says
The biggest rule I don’t follow is “Stick to your niche.” Well, sometimes I want to write about how I’m feeling, and other times I want to share photos of my travels. Yet other times I discuss heavy topics, and some other time, I’m telling the most random story. My readers have said they like coming to my blog because they never really know what to expect (apart from Friday when I post interesting links).
I’m in the process of redesigning my blog now, and while I like it, I’m wondering if it looks too much like many of the blogs I already read.
I love this topic and look forward to the rest of the series.
Berry Dakara Blog
Alexa says
What a great idea for a series! I, like others here, have a very different niche and I feel like I constantly have to remind myself that it takes time for people to find your blog. If I could just find my target audience, I think I would be set but I’m still struggling.
I’m only posting once a week right now, and that’s something that I’ve always heard is a no no, but it works for me. So I just keep doing it.
I look forward to reading more.
Kelly Brito says
Oh, Amen to this post! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I just couldn’t get into Snapchat, I pay for a premium subscription to schedule posts on Instagram but can never remember to schedule it to post daily, I can’t (for the life in me) stick to blog posting schedules… So many “norms” that I just can’t fit into. I’ve tried, I can’t.
Thanks for making me feel better about not being social media-perfect! :)
Margaret says
I am having a problem with sticking to a niche. I’ve narrowed it down to maybe 5 topics. I am (so far) keeping up a regular posting schedule. It really is the only way to keep people coming back.
Can’t wait to read the rest of the series!
Glaiza says
I don’t do all those blogging rules you mentioned! 😂 So, yah, I’m really a rebellious blogger.
Stacey Loring says
I think the one thing that I’ve found that sets me apart is the fact I write about topics people are too afraid to write about. I wouldn’t say I’m controversial, but, I like to state my opinions on everyday life with things people do that everyone let’s them get away with.
It’s great to be different, but sometimes I feel it’s a rather lonely place…not often, just sometimes.
Martine says
Really cool post. Blogging is so saturated right now and it’s so important to remain authentic. Looking forward to reading more!
Kristyn says
This is long overdue, but I’ve been working on my relaunch (set for March) and I believe I am exactly what you have described here. I’m definitely a lifestyle blogger. However, I am looking for a completely different look and function for my blog. My idea for now is to keep things simple with 4 things that are “currently” happening in my life each week. Each topic will get a little blurb and the blog will have a consistent title image. I’m going to forget about email subscriptions and stick to social media options. I hesitate because I’m not sure if it’s a blog worth reading yet and I really need to figure out how my new site will look. Needless to say I am quite excited for the results of this post series on The Blog Market!
Chiara Chimù says
I completely stopped sticking to the “follow your topic rule”. I consider myself a creative human being, with tons of interests and ideas, why shouldn’t I write about it? :)
eerised says
I want to start a blog. I am having trouble getting started though because I am afraid that I don’t know enough about the right platform to build it on. For example, if I start a blog on an easy platform but don’t realize that later, supposing it grows, that I need to transfer it to something else but would have to restart it or lose any comments I have had on already blogged posts. What if a simple layout if fine for me now, but I later want to sale products or add membership only sections?
What are good resources for a platform that I can start which can grow with me as needed without losing what I have already built upon?
Jennifer says
Hi there! I always recommend beginning with a self-hosted WordPress site. You’ll have to pay monthly for hosting, but there are some pretty affordable options. With WordPress, you can begin with a simple website theme and then upgrade it later. There are lots of tools for implementing e-commerce and membership only features too. If you eventually end up changing your domain name, transferring content/images/content between WordPress sites is very simple. We shared this post a while ago about how to get started with WordPress and hosting (we use Bluehost): https://www.theblogmarket.co/web-hosting-101-how-to-install-wordpress-with-bluehost/
Hope this helps! :)