Nail Blogging Tips & Tricks

Hey guys!

I have another tips & tricks post to share with you today. Today's post is about nail blogging! I know that a lot of you have been interested in knowing some of my tips and tricks for starting/maintaining a nail blog.

Now, I've been blogging for about a year now, (including my old blog Lissa's Polish Addiction) and though I'm not a "huge" or "successful" blogger, it's still my main hobby I guess you could say, and something that I spend a lot of time on, so I feel like I can offer a few tips.

So here are my tips and advice for starting/maintaining/growing a nail blog. I'm not a know-all expert but these are just some of my tips.

Do you have enough time?

Nail blogging can be extremely time consuming. It may not seem like it, but it is. Doing your nails, photographing your nails, editing your photos, uploading your photos, writing your post. It definitely adds up. I've gotten faster at the process of course but I'd say it takes me about 30 minutes to an hour to paint my nails or do nail art, photographing takes about 15 minutes, editing can sometimes take up to an hour (yes, for one post!), and writing my post would usually take 20-30 minutes. So I'd say on average 2-3 hours per post. Sometimes longer (definitely longer for something like this!). If you're a particularly busy person with little to no spare time, I would say that nail blogging may not be for you, unfortunately. :( It takes a lot of effort, especially in the beginning when it can feel like nobody is reading (and never will, lol that's how I felt!) and if you're trying to do it in a rush it could easily feel like a burden. But don't let me discourage you - if you're passionate enough about it and it's what you really want to do, go for it! :)

I have a lot of spare time on my hands, which is why I blog every day. Though, I do schedule my posts which is why you may notice that my posts go up at 9am (my time) most days. But I do spend at least a couple hours every day on my blog. It's one of my only hobbies and the thing I love to do the most. :)

If you're not extremely busy and do find yourself with some spare time, I think that nail blogging would definitely be do-able for you! Even though I post almost every day, that's definitely not necessary for every blogger! I think a good posting schedule for someone busier than me would be maybe 3 posts per week.

Don't Blog For The Wrong Reasons

I have to include this.. Start a blog because you're passionate and want to share your nails with the world! :) If you don't feel that way, then it's probably not a good idea to start a nail blog in my opinion...

Also, just a little note, don't start a blog just so you can receive free products to review. In reality, most bloggers don't get 29349 emails a day requesting reviews.  You can read more about blogger and brand collaborations here on Lacquerheads Of Oz. Receiving free products should not be your goal, but instead an awesome bonus for all your hard work. :)

It will be very obvious to your readers if you're blogging for the wrong reasons.

Remember: Building Readers Will Take Time!

I wish I'd had someone tell me that when I started blogging that it would take a long time to build a decent number of readers. After a few blog posts I only had a couple of followers and felt so sad that no one was reading my posts. I can't remember exactly, but I think it took me about 6 months or so to gain 100 followers.

When I started my blog, I already had a couple hundred followers on my Instagram account who were really supportive when I wanted to start blogging and a few followed me. :) I'd definitely suggest starting an Instagram account for your nails if you don't have one already. It's fairly easy to gain followers there.

Just remember if the followers don't come right away, it's ok! :) And remember to blog for you, because you enjoy it, don't let your motivation be to get followers. I know it can be hard but it'll make it hard to enjoy if the followers don't come right away. So just try to be patient. :)

Choose A Name You Won't Regret!

When I first chose my blog name (Lissa's Polish Addiction), I didn't think too much about it, to be honest. And a few months ago I just got tired of how unoriginal it was, and how long it was (it was too long to use on many social networks!). So instead of just changing my name I decided to start fresh on a new blog (this one you're reading right now), with a new, catchier, shorter name. :) I'd suggest not to do what I did, lol, and choose a name that you're completely happy with. Also, make sure you do your research and make sure the name is not taken! It could be very awkward if you create a blog with a similar or the same name as someone else.

Be Consistent

When I first started blogging I was mainly sharing my NOTDs (nail of the day) and that's about it. I started getting into nail art a few months later and then started sharing that. I think it's important to keep your blog consistent. Choose a topic (nails for most of you I'm assuming lol) and stick to it. It's ok to go off topic once in a while, I know some bloggers like to do a weekly off-topic post, but make sure you do have a topic for your blog.

Also, try to post consistently. When I first started blogging I'd post every day for a week, and then not post for 3 weeks lol! It can be annoying as a reader, however, so try to stick with a schedule (if you're just starting, maybe try for 2 or 3 times a week at first if that's easier for you to keep up with).

I now post almost every day but I'm happy to say that I'm consistent with this. :) I actually like to stay very on top of blogging so I usually have my posts scheduled at least a few days in advance because otherwise I'll be trying to put together a post in a hurry and it wouldn't turn out very good. That may not work for some people, though.

Choosing a Blog Theme/Look

Choosing a look for your blog isn't that important but it will definitely help you. You should choose a layout that is easy to read and navigate. If you just google Blogger (or your choice of blog host) themes/templates/layouts, you'll find many many many free ones. And you can also search on Etsy for a paid theme - there's some REALLY cute ones! :)

Don't Spam

I know it can be tempting, but don't post your link in the comments of all the popular bloggers' posts. They will most likely get deleted because most bloggers find it very annoying and they will not check out your blog. If you really want a blogger to check out your blog and give you some advice, I would suggest emailing them personally.

Join Social Media

A great way to get yourself more known in the nail community is to join some social networks! Twitter is an awesome way to chat and keep up with other nail polish addicts. I would also highly recommend joining Instagram! Create a Facebook page too! They all help! And remember to post links on your pages to new blog posts so your followers can stay updated. :)

Pictures & Nail Health

I will be doing a seperate post on nail photography, so keep an eye out for that soon! :) 

My biggest tip, is to just have fun! :) Nail blogging is a hobby (for most of us) so if you find it fun - keep it up! :D It doesn't matter how many followers you have, how good your polishing skills are, as long as you have fun! :)

EDIT: I also recommend you download & read this free e-book written by Violet from Violet LeBeaux! She has some really great tips for starting a blog. :)

Sooo this was a very long post! Sorry about that! But I really hope it helped those of you who would like to start or grow your blog. Let me know if it helped, and if you have any tips to share, please leave them in a comment below. I'd love to hear everybody else's tips because I know I probably forgot something.

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