A few weeks ago, I shot an email over to Holly Becker of decor8 asking for some advise on how to get your blog noticed. I was thrilled to receive such an honest and heartfelt reply.
To summarize, it sounds like the key to a successful blog is good writing. All of the things Holly touched upon can also be applied to good writing. For example, be honest (only write what you really know.) Be loyal (to yourself and your audience.) Be relevant.
"So you see, there's a lot more to blogging than just throwing out text and images!!! It's heart - gotta have heart!!!"
The value of a blog is having the ability to combine both photos and copy. Much like a magazine. The trick is not being tempted by too much of either one.
----- Original Message ----
From: Anne
To: decor8blog@yahoo.com
Sent: Saturday, June 9, 2007 11:54:15 AM
Subject: getting noticed
Hello Holly, I've loved your blog for so long. It's a daily source of inspiration. I was even inspired to create my own blog ( www.perfectbound.blogspot.com) dedicated to the things i love, namely magazines. I'm wondering now how decor8 achieved such visibility in the design & blog community. How can I get my blog out there and share my ideas as well? Thanks. Anne S. http://www.perfectbound.blogspot.com/
Hi Anne,
I think the key is writing something everyday, answering all of your comments that are posted on your blog, and being kind and considerate to the feelings of others. Responding nicely to comments, vs. snippy, etc. Also blogging about what you truly are passionate about. Not what's "hot" or what everyone else seems to be into or doing, but what you truly are impressed/amazed by and genuinely love and spend many hours thinking about each day. For me, that has always been, and will all be, design, decorating, and the arts + crafts. I've been consumed in these things since I was a little girl, maybe 2 years old, so it's part of me. All the women in my family are graphic designers, interior designers, landscape + floral designers (my mother), art teachers, artists, small business owners, you name it. Most of the men are in the business world - doctors, engineers mostly. So I learned all the artsy stuff from the women in my life, then listened to my father and went down the typical career path going to college and working in the business world, but then I circled back again to my passions and became a space planning/relocation manager at work and after some time doing that, went back to school to take design classes and then left the corporate world and jumped head first into launching my own design business and 9 months later, a blog was born out of the same name. At that time, only a handful of design bloggers existed, none that really blogged about "my" style - most of them were very heavy on mid century modern and although I do own mid century pieces in my home, I'm not an all or nothing mid century girl. So I started a blog to catalog my finds mostly for my friends and clients and then when ApartmentTherapy.com found out I had a blog, because new blogs weren't as common back then in design, they wrote about me and I had 1,500 readers within a week. It just grew from there. People finding me, linking to me, starting their own design blogs because they felt inspired by decor8, etc. Then the press started to take notice, and editors started to write to me looking for certain products I had written about that they wanted to use in their magazine. Instead of barking at them, I openly shared all of my resources, knowing I'd get no mention in their magazine in return. But I firmly believe in "what comes around goes around" so doing good may not get you good results right away, but eventually, things will come full circle and if you put out good work and SINCERE passion, people will catch on and good things come back in return. It's just the law of the universe. I think that's my "secret". I blog my passions, I got in at the right time with what I do, and I really do care about other people - sometimes more than myself - and others see that. I turn down money constantly when offers come in to pay me to write about something. I won't risk the integrity of my blog for anything. A large furniture company wanted to fly me to NYC to offer me a PT freelance opportunity writing for all their marketing materials and website (major career opp for me), but I turned them down flat because I knew that working for them may compromise my position as a blogger - writing materials for a furniture company that I sometimes blog about is just NOT COOL. Also, when advertisers approach me to run ads on my site, I'm very selective and only allow so many advertisers at a time. I just turned down 10 sponsors because of their products - I honestly told them that I don't think their products would appeal to my readers and it would be a waste of their money to advertise on my blog because the readers just wouldn't click. That's a lot of money to turn away, but I did it because I want advertisers to also feel safe with me and that their time on decor8 was fruitful for them. So you see, there's a lot more to blogging than just throwing out text and images!!! It's heart - gotta have heart!!!
So I encourage you to figure out what it is that you wholeheartedly love, look back on your childhood years - what did you love to do then? What are your passions? This takes HONEST evaluation! But once you know, write about it on your blog and keep your focus and be unique. So many are starting "design" blogs and just tossing up some images. I suggest that you find either a type of design you love, or some "niche" that will attract people to YOUR blog because it's different. Whether you make things (show them), paint things, restore things, write about your passion and readers just come. That's the only "marketing" advice I can really give you. I've never advertised anywhere in my entire life, so I honestly think it's all about word of mouth on the web.Hope this helps you!!!
xoHolly
+--- Holly E. Becker+--- Writer & Interior Design Consultant+--- decor8+--- http://www.decor8.blogspot.com/+--- 603 425 3441+--- decor8blog@yahoo.com
I'm not an ebay fanatic. I only recently joined Open Table. And I'm very much out of touch with anything remotely resembling MySpace. I do, however, believe in the wonderful resource that is Craigslist. If you haven't checked it out, I encourage you to do so. And if you're planning a wedding, well my friend, it just got interesting. Below are a few examples of what you can find if you go searching on Craigslist for wedding related services. Unfortunately, things may not always be as they seem. So be careful, check references and do your research. It is your wedding, after all. (Thanks for the reminder, Wendy!) Most of the listings below have links that lead to legit websites with contact information and testimonials.
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