IYAAJAY // MENS STYLE BLOG: hints

FINDING YOUR NICHE - 5 HELPFUL HINTS TO HELP YOU DISCOVER YOU AND YOUR BLOG // IYAAJAY

August 07, 2015

This weeks been a little bit of a wordy one on the blog but sometimes, when time is a factor, I skip the pictures and would rather put out better written content.

I was talking to someone at work the other day who knows someone who wants to start blogging but she has no idea where to start and it got me thinking 'where do you start?' and then it hit me, whats unique about you aka your niche.

After racking my brain, Ive come up with 5 helpful hints to help discover you and your blog which I really wish I knew to begin with but now preach to other new bloggers and also have learnt from others too.

DIFFERENCE

When I began IYAAJAY, I didn't really know where I wanted to go with the content of it, whether it was purely fashion based, or a mixture of a few things etc but now I finally think I've found my niche of mens fashion and styling which is something I'm passionate about. What also sets people apart is their passions for different topics such as Andrew James with Beauty and The Boy,Ian Megrath at Rogues and Brogues, Thom Watson over at MANFACE or Bob Larking at Chivalrous, everyone loves different things so don't ever feel pressured into following the crowd. Another thing I've learnt is about is what sort of content do you want to put out. It could either be purely reviews, styling, hauls, you name it, its your blog, you can do whatever you want as long as your happy with the results.

DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK

I really wish I knew this to begin with. I was terrified to ask other, more established bloggers when I first started because I had some horrible thought that they wouldn't want to help a smaller, unknown blogger and so I struggled on until I was kind of hitting a metaphorical brick wall and I finally plucked up the courage and surprisingly got a lot of help. I know the blogging community looks scary, but we're a lovely bunch really! Nowadays, if anyone asks me anything, I gladly respond as I know the difficulty of asking. I also found joining blogger groups (specifically MaleBloggers) really helpful because everyone is there to help each other and also its a great place to trial new ideas etc too!

PREPARE

Blogging needs work, and work doesn't come easily, so be prepared to put in work weekly. I try and produce 2 posts a week, one thats a smaller, more concise piece and then one larger one towards the end of the week so my readers have a large article to read over the weekend etc. Try and find a schedule you can commit to and dedicate time to and once you get into that rhythm, you'll be typing away in no time! Also be prepared to do photography and editing too because I know it sounds easy, but the more photos, the more editing, and so on, so make sure you have enough time to put the effort and prep in to create great content.

LEARN

I know this section will sound a little harsh, but you need to learn these key rules before you start thinking your going to be the next Zoella or huge household name because it won't happen just like that. Blogging is not some get rich quick scheme, you have to put work in to get results, so if you think you can do 2 posts and then hit rich, blogging isn't for you. Its also not as easy as you think to get noticed too. Ill always remember when one of my posts featuring a new exciting brand got a higher amount of views then normal and then kind of took off and it was quite a rush because of the attention but then I realised I had to keep humble and still produce the content I wanted to and to not 'sell out' like other bloggers that are incredibly popular. Ive also learned, and have heard this from a few other people is that perseverance is key when working on blogging because it may be some time before you build up the views etc but if numbers don't mean anything to you, then keep doing what your doing, but if your one of those people who's doing it to get free stuff etc then seriously just re-evaluate what your doing.

MAKE FRIENDS

I know the blogging world looks scary and a big competition but to be honest, everyone is actually really down to earth and lovely that I've talked to. Make friends by following each others blogs, joining groups, whether thats through the comments sections on blogs or other social media (Facebook and Twitter are the best for this) or even getting involved in discussions whether thats over what ideas you have, or wheres the best place for themes etc, its a great way to meet new likeminded people.

Got any great tips worth sharing? Let me know below!

Until next time guys,

Jay

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advice

Want some help with your packing today?

June 11, 2013

Now I even wish that I had this option when packing for my holiday (which is Sunday so I won't be blogging next week, ill be having a sunny break away from the mac and online shopping). Every year this happens, me, being captain procrastination, panicking about what to pack, whats going in hand luggage, what to wear on the plane etc BUT determined to not be like that this year I kicked my butt into gear and actioned some helpful tips to help with the stress of trying to organise a stress free holiday (ironic really?)

NEVER ever over pack- This sounds so stupid but do you really need those jumpers and jeans in a hot country? do you need to pack 8 pairs of shoes for a short trip? NO, be your inner sceptic and pack light, making sure to optimise outfit choices such as a pair of shoes you know that'll work with nearly every outfit etc which is what I've done this year (wearing my grey Vans on the plane there, and they're comfy enough for walking and go with everything due to a neutral colour and i've also packed a pair of black Toms)
Lighten the load before- Do you really need that fully packaged product? Do you really need that industrial bottle of shampoo that weighs your luggage allowance and probably more? Think cleverly and scale back, such as ditching unnecessary packaging and also, trial products before you go, that way things that work will be lighter to travel with such as shampoo or conditioners which are often pretty bulky. Another tip is to just buy the products when you get there, then buy the smallest one and it can be easily discarded.
Be realistic- Pack the essentials, such as an exact number of tee's or vests, as in a hot country, you cant always reuse things due to being sweaty etc so make sure you've got backups and also make sure you've got enough to last you instead of relying on travel washing which is like a last resort.
Think about cost- If the items your packing are cheap, split them between the amount of suitcases your taking (when me and my family travel we split our stuff 3 ways so that if one of our suitcases goes AWOL then we aren't stuck without all our luggage) and also think that if your gonna be upset over a item that either cost a lot or is pretty irreplaceable, think about placing it in hand luggage so you know its with you at all time (which is what ill be doing with my more expensive pieces)
Let your hair down- Holidays aren't a fashion show, its about practicality for where your going such as skin tight items don't go down well in hotter climates (you'll be sweating more then a sauna) or skimpy items don't work in colder climates (nobody wants to turn blue like a extra in Avatar) so always when packing, think of practical items that'll easily transition between day and night (some countries temperatures differ dramatically during the day so be prepared)
Ditch the added extras- This may be a taboo for many, but do you really need all those electrical hair goods? or all that makeup? Things like hair and makeup turn from a really nice style to a horror movie extra in hardly any time so embrace a more natural laid back holiday look such as beachy hair etc.

Anyways guys, ill be away for a week only so obviously the blogging front for me will be a bit quiet but I promise ill be back to my usual savvy self when i'm back (the joys of two weeks off from work eh?)