Vlogging vs Blogging

[loolalooh]

Thanks for the tag. I guess I'll just give my stats:

I'm a small-time blogger (500+ followers). I receive an average of 8-12 requests to do a hair care product review (or promote the product in some fashion) per year but turn down many because they are irrelevant (e.g., my audience would not be interested). Of the ones that are big time or relevant, I'd say an average of 1-3 a year.

The way a lot of these companies find me, imo, is through my blog posts that have high hits due to Google searches.

 

[truequeen06]

I don't blog about hair, I blog about polish so my audience is a little different. I'm still relatively small time with 700+ followers via google connect.

I've been asked to review some things but none of them have been relevant to my blog, so I declined. I find that most who follow my blog find me either through google image search, links from other blogs, links from other forums, and pinterest.

I started getting more followers from interacting with other bloggers. You can interact via twitter, facebook and of course commenting on blogs (no blatant link posting though. people tend to dislike that).

I'm not sure if that helped, but that's been my experience.

 

[Shadiyah]

Thanks for the tag. I guess I'll just give my stats:

I'm a small-time blogger (500+ followers). I receive an average of 8-12 requests to do a hair care product review (or promote the product in some fashion) per year but turn down many because they are irrelevant (e.g., my audience would not be interested). Of the ones that are big time or relevant, I'd say an average of 1-3 a year.

The way a lot of these companies find me, imo, is through my blog posts that have high hits due to Google searches.

loolalooh can I please ask what is your blog name? you say small time lol I only have 36 followers. that is the only thing I am trying to figure out to get more followers. when you say your post have high hits can you tell me like what number are we talking about because I maybe no where near high.

 

[Shadiyah]

I don't blog about hair, I blog about polish so my audience is a little different. I'm still relatively small time with 700+ followers via google connect.

I've been asked to review some things but none of them have been relevant to my blog, so I declined. I find that most who follow my blog find me either through google image search, links from other blogs, links from other forums, and pinterest.

I started getting more followers from interacting with other bloggers. You can interact via twitter, facebook and of course commenting on blogs (no blatant link posting though. people tend to dislike that).

I'm not sure if that helped, but that's been my experience.

truequeen06 of course it helped I think all answers are helping one of us. I try to make sure I follow everyone I know on there on twitter and just all the people who I subscribe to on youtube.

and like I said I think I get a lot of views not like big time but for the people that are coming through reading my blogs they are not following me.

 

[Shadiyah]

Thanks yall for the follow.

 

[Boujoichic]

I blog as well but primarily about beauty products the name is Chic Gal Beauty. I will probably post my length updates occasionally though. So far I have only 6 followers so I haven't been offered any products for review. I'm a little conflicted about accepting products though because of course I like free stuff (who doesn't) but I wouldn't wanna feel I owe the company a good review for sending me free products. Quite a few popular vloggers started out as bloggers and brought their followers over from their blog. I believe Michelle Kwan sp? is one of them and lord knows she has made her blogging and vlogging over into a lucrative business.

 

[loolalooh]

loolalooh can I please ask what is your blog name? you say small time lol I only have 36 followers. that is the only thing I am trying to figure out to get more followers. when you say your post have high hits can you tell me like what number are we talking about because I maybe no where near high.

Hey Shadiyah. It's http://hairandhealth.blogspot.com/. You having a domain is good thing if you want to go far with blogging. I've thought about getting one too but haven't really settled on how far I want to go with this thing. (I'm currently working on other internet projects.)

Followers mostly come via word of mouth (e.g., blog shout outs). Other ways to increase followers are to attach your link to your internet presence, which it seems like you're doing so far, AND increase your internet presence. I have my blog link posted on my fotki so that whenever someone drops by, they see it. I also get traffic via Google, which leads me to answering your next question ...

There are a couple of posts that I wrote which draw in serious traffic from Google. One post has ~19,000 hits since it was published a couple years ago and averages about ~60 hits per day. These numbers are chump change when compared to big time bloggers, but they are decent for small bloggers and can propel you further in the blogging world. Basically, when you write a post that becomes highly searchable, that helps bring traffic and possible followers to your site. It can also attract companies who contact you for advertising, product reviews, etc. According to my Blogspot stats, my top three traffic sources are Google (as I suspected), another blog that has shouted me out in the past, and my fotki, in that order.

I hope this helps. Feel free to ask me any more questions.

 

[guyanesesista]

At work & didn't get to read the whole thread but I'm not that popular but have gotten emails to review stuff. They either looked shady or had nothing to do with what my blog is about.

 

[Shadiyah]

Hey Shadiyah. It's http://hairandhealth.blogspot.com/. You having a domain is good thing if you want to go far with blogging. I've thought about getting one too but haven't really settled on how far I want to go with this thing. (I'm currently working on other internet projects.)

Followers mostly come via word of mouth (e.g., blog shout outs). Other ways to increase followers are to attach your link to your internet presence, which it seems like you're doing so far, AND increase your internet presence. I have my blog link posted on my fotki so that whenever someone drops by, they see it. I also get traffic via Google, which leads me to answering your next question ...

There are a couple of posts that I wrote which draw in serious traffic from Google. One post has ~19,000 hits since it was published a couple years ago and averages about ~60 hits per day. These numbers are chump change when compared to big time bloggers, but they are decent for small bloggers and can propel you further in the blogging world. Basically, when you write a post that becomes highly searchable, that helps bring traffic and possible followers to your site. It can also attract companies who contact you for advertising, product reviews, etc. According to my Blogspot stats, my top three traffic sources are Google (as I suspected), another blog that has shouted me out in the past, and my fotki, in that order.

I hope this helps. Feel free to ask me any more questions.

loolalooh thanks so much I just followed you and I love what you did to the simple template. that just reminds me I have been deactivated for adscents do you think this will hurt me because I can not do advertisements on my site? I was thinking of whiching it over to another hoster but I like blogger. they said I can never get it back.

 

[Shadiyah]

oh the other thing I can not seem to get is how to put links at the top for other sections. I know I will properly have to switch over to simple template to do that but still I just want a contact us and maybe about me regimen page.

 

[truequeen06]

oh the other thing I can not seem to get is how to put links at the top for other sections. I know I will properly have to switch over to simple template to do that but still I just want a contact us and maybe about me regimen page.

Shadiyah, when you go to your blogger dashboard on the left hand side there is a list. Click on Pages. Put the name of the tab you'd like in the Page Title section. Add what you'd like in the body click save and wala. You may want to hit preview so you can see how it looks first.

 

[Shadiyah]

Shadiyah, when you go to your blogger dashboard on the left hand side there is a list. Click on Pages. Put the name of the tab you'd like in the Page Title section. Add what you'd like in the body click save and wala. You may want to hit preview so you can see how it looks first.

truequeen06 thanks so much I was wondering what that section was for.

Oh how do you make the contact page. like where do you get the grid from.

 

[Lita]

The bloggers/YouTube with the most subbs,some will make money for reviews..


Happy Hair Growing!

 

[Marand13]

I have been blogging & vlogging off and on for a few years and one thing that I can say is that consistency works wonders.
I stopped for a good 2yrs, I think, due to my own personal issues and not having time, but if your videos are interesting your numbers will grow. I dont have a ton of subs, but I do have a lot of views on many of my old videos and my blog gets a good amount of hits every day.

I am now working on getting back into it and being consistent and my hits increase everyday. I'm still "small time" lol but I have no problem with that. I mostly blog and vlog to document my hair growth and such, but the occasional check from google is nice.

Plus, I like to share tips and techniques to others.

Its all about consistency, personality, and content in my opinion. Networking with others doesnt hurt either.

 

[Shadiyah]

Since I posted this thread let me share you some of the things that I have taken away with me and put into place.
I purchased my own domain name.

I started a give away for followers.

I have been able to publish tabs at the top of my page which was something that I have been trying to figure out for a while. I was on that page in settings but I didn't know what it was for lol.

The thing i am waiting on now is how do I build a contact page lol. lit on my website I know how to put in the codes to have the menu or drop down menu but on here I don't know how to build the boxes where they put in their information and get that form to come to my email address lol

 

[truequeen06]

Shadiyah, try this email contact html generator:

http://www.scriptgenerator.net/71/HTML%7B47%7DPHP-Contact-Form-Mailer-Generator/

 

[ellegantelle]

Shadiyah, I have always wondered about my followers as well. But then I got over it after a while. I realized that I just blog for fun. It's a hobby of mine. If even one person comments or looks at my blog and is inspired or grateful then I'm happy.

It would be nice to have more followers and comments on my posts though.

 

[BraunSugar]

Anyone interested in getting more followers or monetizing their blog can check out this article: http://christianpf.com/how-to-make-money-with-a-blog/ I found it to be pretty helpful to me. I am just starting out, have only been up a few months but the advice I got from this article along with a few other places has definitely been good for me.

It may take some time to gather steam and get rolling, but keep at it if it is something you really want to do. I enjoy blogging, so it doesn't feel like I'm doing any work at all with it. I am learning as I go a getting a few followers at a time. Other bloggers and people have been very supportive of me which I really appreciate. Anything I learn as I go, I'll be happy to share with anybody else.

 

[Shadiyah]

Anyone interested in getting more followers or monetizing their blog can check out this article: http://christianpf.com/how-to-make-money-with-a-blog/ I found it to be pretty helpful to me. I am just starting out, have only been up a few months but the advice I got from this article along with a few other places has definitely been good for me.

It may take some time to gather steam and get rolling, but keep at it if it is something you really want to do. I enjoy blogging, so it doesn't feel like I'm doing any work at all with it. I am learning as I go a getting a few followers at a time. Other bloggers and people have been very supportive of me which I really appreciate. Anything I learn as I go, I'll be happy to share with anybody else.

BraunSugar I am so loving your blog please please tell me who you are hosted with??? Oh I think wordpress? do you think it is better than blogger? and I would not know how to switch it over. I will read over this information and thank you very much.

 

[Shadiyah]

Shadiyah, I have always wondered about my followers as well. But then I got over it after a while. I realized that I just blog for fun. It's a hobby of mine. If even one person comments or looks at my blog and is inspired or grateful then I'm happy.

It would be nice to have more followers and comments on my posts though.

viciousdreamr02 thanks for the comments.

 

[cocomama]

Great advice Ladies! I'm going to start giveaways soon on my blog. ANy suggestions?

 

[MsDee14]

I've been blogging for 2 years now, but it's mainly because I love hair so dang much and my friends and family got tired of me talking about it. It's mainly a hobby, but I get about 1,500 page views a day and a fair amount of loyal readers.
I have been offered products to review, but I had to turn them down only because I'm at the point where I don't want to try anything new.
I don't participate with Google Adsense because I don't want to annoy my readers with ads...and to be honest with you, I don't like seeing a bunch of ads on a website.

My advice is to just have fun with blogging. Be consistent, always respond to comments, site your sources, be concise and try to blog about things you feel like your readers would be interested in(but blog for yourself as well). Remember: Quality vs Quantity

I use Kontactr for my contact me form. http://www.kontactr.com/

You have a great blog. Kutgw

 

[BraunSugar]

@BraunSugar I am so loving your blog please please tell me who you are hosted with??? Oh I think wordpress? do you think it is better than blogger? and I would not know how to switch it over. I will read over this information and thank you very much.

Thank you! I use Wordpress. I have never used blogger so I honestly can't say which platform is better. I downloaded Wordpress from wordpress.org and my blog is hosted through GoDaddy. My hosting plan is $14.95/month (I find coupons every month and have never paid over $10 a month) and I get unlimited space, bandwidth, up to 1,000 email addresses, and I can host unlimited websites.

If you aren't really into the technical side of things, you can get a blog through wordpress.com and use your own domain. You get almost the same perks you would with putting a blog on your own host, except you don't have to worry about technical setup. Wordpress also has a lot of templates. I designed my own blog (I'm a web designer) but there are a lot of high quality wordpress themes that are cheap or free.

 

[Shadiyah]

BraunSugar I just remembered in reading this I read all this before when I first got started. I purchased a book on my nook. I went with all the free stuff and changed over to blogger because wordpress.com was just too difficult for me at that time but I still have my account there.

so now I am getting ready to self host. because it is up and running and all ready out there and so I can keep everyone updated

 

[Shadiyah]

Thank you! I use Wordpress. I have never used blogger so I honestly can't say which platform is better. I downloaded Wordpress from wordpress.org and my blog is hosted through GoDaddy. My hosting plan is $14.95/month (I find coupons every month and have never paid over $10 a month) and I get unlimited space, bandwidth, up to 1,000 email addresses, and I can host unlimited websites.

If you aren't really into the technical side of things, you can get a blog through wordpress.com and use your own domain. You get almost the same perks you would with putting a blog on your own host, except you don't have to worry about technical setup. Wordpress also has a lot of templates. I designed my own blog (I'm a web designer) but there are a lot of high quality wordpress themes that are cheap or free.

BraunSugar you said it WEBDESIGNER you are the right person for when I decide if I can keep my other business open because I really need to find another host but the person that is hosting my site she is doing it for free but it is saying that joomla needs to be updated. But right now I can not sew so that is on the back burner.

oh I went with hostgator.com and I have unlimted also but right I only can do one domain and if I want to move my other site over I will upgrade and I paid up for the month. I got it for 5.56 per month.

 

[Shadiyah]

Great advice Ladies! I'm going to start giveaways soon on my blog. ANy suggestions?

I started with some products I had in my product cabinet in my siggy.

 

[trendsetta25]

Here's 10 tips:

1. Spread the word about your blog. Tell friends, family and co-workers. Make business cards and pass them out when your at the BSS, college campus, etc.

2. Let your fellow members on whatever board you subscribe to know about it

3. Become friends with other bloggers and vloggers. Comment regularly on their videos and posts when necessary. (Don't become a stalker!!! LOL)

4. Create a twitter, instagram or Facebook page for the fans you currently have. If your friends are followers they can retweet or repost your posts and BAM you have new followers! Lol

5. Make videos that's relevant to trends. This means that people are searching for how to's and there's a possibility that your video will come up. My most popular video on my channel is when I box braided my whole head and titled it "Solange Inspired Box Braids" and my "How to Make a 3/4 Wig - A Step by Step Process".

*this requires A LOT of research on your part. Check out celebrity gossip sites, black hair media for everything weaves related, etc.

6. If you are doing a how to video. Cut the fat and get straight to the meat and potatoes. People on YT have short attention spands and don't care about what you did last night with your friends or that funny story that happened at work. Get right to the point

7. You don't need the best quality camera but make sure your video isn't grainy and we can hear you. I use a HD Flip Camera.

8. Try doing video responses to popular gurus on YT videos.

9. Believe it or not. Giveaways attract subbies and readers! It doesn't have to be much. I gave away gift cards and even some hair with my own money.

10. Review new products that come out. If Herbal Essence comes out with a new Black Hair Care line and promotes that it all Organic....girl you betta run to the store and buy that bad boy then post your review on your blog or YT channel!

MAJOR BONUS: have a personality!!!! People are attracted to people who they can relate to. No you don't have to be all bubbly like a freakin cheerleader but don't be that girl that looks like your on Al Jazeera with a gun to your head. Put yourself in the viewers shoes. What type of people do you currently read and subscribe to? What is it about their channel that made you sub?

HTH ladies!

 

[Shadiyah]

ok I am on wordpress now and it let me upload all my post from blogger but the thing is I don't know how to put all the twitter and the facebook and followers how do you know and get any followers with this purchased one? I will be in the book I guess but if you can help me please...

Oh did anyone catch the target.com shea moisture sale. I didn't find out about it until it was too late it was only less than $5.00 man that is my backup when I am not using Mixed Chicks.

 

[Shadiyah]

I need some sleep I have been up all night long on this and I am up anyways but by now I would be sleep for the day and I am not tired.

 

[cocomama]

Ok I just started my first giveaway...Wish me luck!