Vlogger Grace Helbig currently has over 2.1 million subscribers and growing-  How does she do it? These days everyone loves going to YouTube to find great content, but how do you standout?  More often than not though, people will sometimes just make one or two videos, get frustrated, and then abandon YouTube, to become purely a viewer instead of a creator.  We reached out to some of our favorite vloggers for some advice.

We asked them – “If you had one piece of advice for a beginner vlogger, what would it be?”

As always, we received a ton of great advice, and we can’t wait to share it with you!

So here you have it, the best advice for beginner vloggers from pro vloggers!

Jimmy Diresta

https://www.youtube.com/user/jimmydiresta

“ I often tell beginners to keep consistent and to post videos at regular intervals. Even when no one is watching the audience will build slowly, but it will build.”

Carah Amelie

https://www.youtube.com/user/carahamelie03

“Make videos because you enjoy it and are passionate about it.. And NOT for any other reason. Subscribers will come.. Along with all else. “

Megan MacKay

https://www.youtube.com/user/MeganMacKay

“My advice for vloggers just starting out would be to zero in on making content you’re really proud of. Make content you’d want to watch, because making it is gonna be a lot of work and you’re gonna be spending a lot of time with the material. You might as well be enjoying yourself while you’re doing it. I also think that the most successful YouTubers do what they do because they love the community on YouTube and feel a strong pull to contribute something to it.  If you’re thinking about getting into vlogging purely because you want to be rich or famous, you’re missing out on the coolest part of the job. YouTubers get to connect with people from all over the world and talk about their passions and ideas. Like, are you kidding me?? That’s so cool!! I think that has to be a primary motivator for someone to get onto YouTube, because it’s so integral to the experience – for viewers AND for creators. “

The Bells plus one

Marsai Bell

https://www.youtube.com/user/Marsaib2009/

“If I had one piece of advice for new vloggers/bloggers it would be to be very consistent with whatever outlet you choose to do. If you are a reviewer make sure you have things to review, if you want to Vlog your life… Stop procrastinating and DO IT! Also be yourself and try to upload quality content. Be the best YOU..YOU can be.. On YOUTube! “

The post Vlogger Round-up: Beginner Advice and Tips appeared first on AmpliFound.

But what are brands looking for in blogger partnerships– and what should you be looking to get out of working with a brand? That second part is equally important– because like any partnership, it should be a good fit for both parties.

First, let’s talk about what brands are typically looking for when working with bloggers. At a high level, brands work with bloggers because they want to share something with a specific audience (aka YOUR readers).

Breaking down specifically want most brands (or at least the ones I’ve worked with!) are looking for:

Does the blog match the brand?

As I mentioned above, brands want to work with bloggers in order to share something with your readers. If your audience doesn’t align with their customer base, they probably won’t be interested in working with you. Some brands are also looking for blogs that share the same aesthetic or tone as their brand.

Is your audience engaged?

One of the first things brands might look at is how people are engaging with you & your blog. Are people commenting? Do you have a social following? Brands want to make sure that they are getting visibility through this partnership.

The quality of your posts

Do you have a clear voice or point of view? Are your posts well written? What sort of content do you write and share. Brands often look at these things to determine whether or not they want to partner.

The cost

Unfortunately, sometimes, whether or a partnership works out comes down to money. Companies typically have a limited budget for these type of partnerships and sometimes bloggers will ask for the moon. Of course, your time is valuable– and it makes sense that you should be compensated in some way. Finding the right balance is key here!

What about you? What should you be looking for in a brand partnership?

Flexible

A good brand should allow you to bring your own ideas to the table and infuse your personality and creativity into the post. That is the reason why they came to you in the first place! Brands that have super strict rules or want you to follow a rigid format might be ones to avoid.

Upfront

The brand should be transparent and upfront about what they’re looking for and what they’re offering. Communication is key here — on both sides!

A Brand that you believe in and would use

Just like brands are looking for blogs that are a good fit for them, you should only work with brands that fit with who you are and what you believe in. It should be something that you feel would benefit your readers. Nothing comes off as more inauthentic when you try to shoehorn a promotional post for a brand that isn’t really relevant to your blog or is something that you’re lukewarm about. Do it enough and you could turn off loyal readers!

So what can you do to attract brand partnerships? It’s actually pretty simple– focus on creating a kickass blog and building your audience

The right brand partnership can be your new best friend– and help take your blog to the next level!

Bloggers, what do YOU look for in brand partnerships? What are your favorite types of brands to work with? Let us know in the comments below!

The post What Brands Look for in Blogger Partnerships appeared first on AmpliFound.

But is it possible to earn enough as a blogger to do it full-time? And if so, is it sustainable long-term?

First, let’s talk money

Whether or not you can afford to quit your day job and live on blogging alone is completely up to you. You alone know how much you need to earn in order to maintain your lifestyle. So, once you determine the amount of money you’ll need to earn in order to blog full-time, the next step is to figure out if your blog has the potential to earn that much.

It’s easy to get excited when you read about how some top bloggers are earning upwards of $1 million per year. But it’s also very important to be realistic: highly-successful bloggers like BryanBoy, Pink Peonies, and Man Repeller are the exception, not the rule.

It’s a lot harder to determine earning potential for lower- to middle-tier bloggers, because most bloggers don’t disclose their earnings – talking about money is taboo, you know. But here at AmpliFound, we’ve got a ready-made case study: me!

I ran my own affordable fashion and shopping blog for seven years (from 2006-2013), and I’m ready to break the taboo and talk! First, some factoids about my blog:

• The majority of my blog’s revenue came from affiliate links (mostly ShopSense, some RewardStyle). I featured some sponsored content once in a while.
• In the blog’s heyday, it got an average of 75,000 unique visitors per month.
• I posted between 15-20 posts per week, and each post had an average of 5 links, which meant that the blog had an average of 75-100 affiliate links per month.
• I spent 15-20 hours blogging per week, on top of my full-time work.

Now, the earnings! Depending on the time of year, I’d earn anywhere between $300 and $2000 a month from my blog. The highest earning months were October (when I posted Halloween costumes every day of the month) and December (because of holiday shopping). Earnings would usually drop off significantly after the new year, and peak again in fall and winter. But the earnings weren’t consistent on a month-to-month basis, and even if I’d managed to earn $2000 every month, that wouldn’t have been enough for me and my family.

Since my story doesn’t apply to everyone, here are some more statistics for context’s sake:

In 2012, ProBlogger did a survey of 1,000 bloggers to find out their monthly earnings:

About 50% of the bloggers earned less than $100 a month.

Also in 2012, Jeff Bullas posted some statistics that showed that only 8% of bloggers earn enough to support a family, and 81% never even make $100 from blogging.

The moral of the story? Most bloggers will never make enough money to quit their day jobs.

Is Blogging Sustainable?

But say that you do. Say that you work really hard and build a great blog with high-quality content and engaged readers, and you earn enough money that you can support yourself or your family from your blog earnings. Does blogging in general have a future?

Well, I don’t have a crystal ball, but in the past year lots of big-time bloggers have moved onto other endeavors (see: Andrew Sullivan, Dooce, Young House Love). Furthermore, lots of really smart people are saying that blogging is on the decline.

In this article, Vox’s Ezra Klein claims that two things factor into the decline of blogging:

The first is that, at this moment in the media, scale means social traffic. Links from other bloggers — the original currency of the blogosphere, and the one that drove its collaborative, conversational nature — just don’t deliver the numbers that Facebook does. But blogging is a conversation, and conversations don’t go viral. People share things their friends will understand, not things that you need to have read six other posts to understand… The other reason is that the bigger the site gets, and the bigger the business gets, the harder it is to retain the original voice.

Nieman Lab‘s Jason Kottke has a similar outlook:

The primary mode for the distribution of links has moved from the loosely connected network of blogs to tightly integrated services like Facebook and Twitter. If you look at the incoming referers to a site like BuzzFeed, you’ll see tons of traffic from Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Stumbleupon, and Pinterest but not a whole lot from blogs, even in the aggregate. For the past month at kottke.org, 14 percent of the traffic came from referrals compared to 30 percent from social, and I don’t even work that hard on optimizing for social media. Sites like BuzzFeed and Upworthy aren’t seeking traffic from blogs anymore. Even the publicists clogging my inbox with promotional material urge me to “share this on my social media channels” rather than post it to my blog.

And the folks at ProBlogger say:

So how many blog comments do you get, huh? Is it anything like the number you had four years ago? I doubt it very much. Practically every blogger I’ve talked to has said comments are on the decline. Why? Two words: social media. Readers are not only using social media to find your content, they are also using their favourite platforms to interact with it, and you. A reader is more likely to share your post on Facebook and leave a comment there than write something on the blog itself.

What does this mean for you as a blogger?

Does that mean that you might as well pack it in and give up your dreams of being a full-time blogger? Absolutely not, but it does mean that you’ll need to work hard to keep up with what kind of content and interaction resonates with your readers.

It’s also important to keep in mind that most top bloggers aren’t making 100% of their income from blogging. Successful bloggers often have side products or businesses that earn them plenty of money. For example:

• Elsie and Emma of A Beautiful Mess have written books, developed two smartphone apps, and run an online shop where they sell craft supplies, e-courses, and more.
• Jessica of What I Wore has taught fashion classes at a local college.
• Joy of Oh Joy! regularly designs products for collaborations.
• Rach of Pink Peonies has her own jewelry collection for sale.
• Gala of Gala Darling, Shauna of Nubby Twiglet, and Kat of Rock n Roll Bride have collaborated on The Blogcademy workshops and online classes.
• Kendi of Kendi Everyday owns a brick and mortar boutique.
• And pretty much every top food blogger out there has written a cookbook.

So, if you’re going to be a full-time blogger, always be on the lookout for (or create your own!) opportunities to expand into other avenues.

So, IS blogging sustainable as a long-term career?

Not for just anyone. But if being a full-time blogger is your dream, and if you’ve got the money, drive, passion, and ambition to give it a shot, then go for it!

The post Is Blogging Sustainable as a Full-Time Career? appeared first on AmpliFound.

Fortunately, the Internet is loaded with apps that can help you improve your writing, find the right word, or let you know when you’re slipping into passive voice. Check out a few quick picks for free apps that can help you

Hemingway App

Ever feel like sometimes you ramble and your blog goes off on tangents? Do you pal around with the passive tense too much? Or do you need to attend a support group for egregious adverb usage? Not to worry! The Hemingway App can help you refine your writing and make it more easily digestible for readers.

To use Hemingway, simply hit the “Write” button in the app, then type or copy-and-paste your text into the desktop app. Click the “Edit” button” and it will show you which sentences are hard to read, if you’re using passive voice, or going crazy with the adverbs. It also shows you the Grade Level readability. Want to be sure your blog can be read by a person with a 6th grade reading level or if it’s collegiate level-material, Hemingway can hep you to that, dude!

Cliche Finder

You’re writing. You’re clicking along on your keyboard. The words are pouring out of you like tears of regret after an all you can eat buffet. You pause and take a step back. And there it is. The dreaded cliche.

Maybe it takes the form of cringe-worthy business speak in a pitch — like the overused “think outside the box” or the borderline Creepy McCreeperson “open the kimono.”  Or perhaps your creative writing feels a little less creative when you drop in phrases like “dark as night” or “light as a feather.”

Boo.

Cliche Finder can help you locate phrases that are overused by other writers in your prose. Copy and paste your block of text into the Cliche Finder, click the “Find Cliches” button, the app will highlight the cliches in bold text. It won’t help you come up with something new — that’s where your own creativity comes in — but it can show you where your words can use some work.

Power Thesaurus

I am a big advocate for the Thesaurus feature in Microsoft Word. You know when you’re using the same word over and over and need to switch it up. Sometimes, you may be scrambling for the right word, but it escapes you.   But if you don’t happen to have Word — and even if you do–  sometimes you need a trusty word bank to lean on.

Enter Power Thesaurus — a souped up version of MS Word’s “thesaurus” feature. All you need to do is type in a word and it pulls up a selection of other words to choose from. Even better, other Power Thesaurus users can vote synonyms “up” or “down.”

If you’ve got a hankering to expand your vocabulary, the app shows you popular words that have been searched alongside recently searched words. Have at it, Tiger!

Grammarly

If you struggle with grammar — or may be predisposed to adding a stray apostrophe to “its” when it denotes possession, Grammarly can help you. This nifty little browser add-in works with Chrome to evaluate your word-crafting skills and give you pointers on how you can improve your grammar game.

Grammarly offers both a free and paid version, but both are relatively simple to use. Just download the browser add-on.

Write Rhymes

Sometimes you wake up feeling your inner Dr. Seuss or Humpty-Hump calling and the muse moves you to write lyrics or poetry. While “cat” and “hat” may gel together and “humpty” may be “pronounced with an ‘umpty,’” other words may be harder to couple. (Yeah. You try rhyming “artist” with anything other than “fartist” on your own and see what you come up with.)

Write Rhymes helps you find the right bit of verse to plug into your poem or jingle when the you’ve got nothing. Just copy and paste your text into the app, click on the word that you’re trying to rhyme and hit your “Alt” key, and Write Rhymes will come up with several suitable matches for you to use.

These are just a few free writing resources that can help you become a better writer. Take them and use them to and blast through blogger blocks, grammatical grievances, and linguistic conundrums.

Do you have any favorite writing resources you use? Let us know in the comments below!

The post Writing Resources – For Bloggers and Everyone! appeared first on AmpliFound.

It’s ok. This happens to a large majority of bloggers.

Rebranding your blog to fit where you’re currently at in life – and where you’re going – takes guts and serious commitment. You might be worried about the readership you’ve worked so hard to build and how they’ll feel about a new site. Will they stick with you? And, if your blog is your source of income, you may be worried about losing important things like sponsors and traffic.

That’s why we’ve put together the following tips and tricks to help you navigate the rebranding process. If you’re 100% sure you’re ready for a rebrand, there are four main areas you should focus on.

Name and Domain

When choosing a new name for your blog, try settle on one that can grow with you and your blog over the long term. This can save you the hassle of doing another rebrand down the road if you want to expand the topics you write about.

When testing out new names, consider the following:

• Check to see if the domain is available.
• Brainstorm 3-5 names that you love, are intriguing, and fit your blog’s direction.
• Send a quick survey to your current readers. Ask them how they feel about a name change and ask them to vote for their favorite. Engaging your readers early in the rebranding process makes them feel included–and more likely to stick around once your new site is up and running.

Design

This is one of the most fun parts! It can also be one of the most overwhelming with all the choices out there from fonts and themes to customizations.

Just like with your name, you’ll want to choose a design and navigation that can grow with you. A few other things to consider:

• If you’re not already using it, we recommend WordPress. They offer affordable hosting, allow you to own your content, and have a variety of themes and plug-ins to help you create, customize, maintain, and update your new site.
• If your new design will be drastically different from your current one, try incorporating some of the new elements into your design now before making the official site move.
  • For example, if you’re going to have a whole new color palette, start adding those colors into your current blog so readers can get familiar with it.
• More and more people are visiting blogs from mobile devices. Be sure the new design you choose is responsive so it looks great and is easy to use no matter what devices your readers are on.
• Choose a design that’s search engine friendly.

Technical

There are a lot of technical items that should be on everyone’s rebranding to-do list to ensure the site migration goes smoothly.

Here are some of the top priority items to think about:

• Traffic: It’s important to note that moving to a new domain will likely result in a temporary drop in site traffic as well as search engine rankings. This is normal; Google needs time to understand you moved your site and figure out what the new one is about. If you haven’t seen traffic and rankings bounce back after 2-3 months, you may need to do a little SEO work.
• 301 redirects: You want to make sure people can find your new site. Putting 301 redirects in place means users will automatically be taken to your new site when they visit your old URL. It also helps search engines know that your site has moved and can help retain much of the SEO value you’ve built over the years.
  • If you’re using WordPress, this is a good plug-in to help you manage redirects if you have limited technical knowledge.
• Links: Are sponsors, affiliates, or other bloggers linking to your website? If so, let them know you’re rebranding and give them your new URL so they can update any links they have to your site.

Audience

Before you pull the plug on your old blog and launch the new one, make sure your audience knows what you’re up to! Being upfront and honest with them by explaining your decision to rebrand can go a long way toward retaining readership. Some people will be hesitant about the change while others will embrace it. In the end, as long as you’re happy with the new blog, that’s all that really matters.

Rebranding a blog also means rebranding your social media accounts. Some of these will be easier to update than others (*cough* Facebook *cough*). For a comprehensive guide on how to do this along with some best practices, our friends over at Moz put together this awesome piece.

First, make sure the new name you want is available on each platform. Then you’re ready to start the process of changing names:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Google+
• YouTube
• Pinterest
• Instagram

Have you recently been through a blog rebrand? Tell us about your experience below!

The post Here’s What You Need to Know About Rebranding Your Blog appeared first on AmpliFound.

If you haven’t yet seen Quentin Tarantino’s 2003 ode to martial arts and critics darling Kill Bill: Vol. 1, do yourself a favor and stop reading this. Go watch Kill Bill. Don’t worry, I’ll wait…You’re back? Perfect. Now stop reading this again, and go take in Kill Bill: Vol. 2, one of the rare exceptions that the sequel actually surpasses the first in every way.

Going off the assumption that you just watched more than 4 hours of sword fighting, severed appendages, and an absolutely epic soundtrack, I can only imagine you couldn’t be more ready to tackle a new blog post. But pump the brakes, Grasshopper, and perk your ears up to one of the most important lessons that may have slipped past your radar faster than the 5 Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique. And that lesson is this: no matter how hard it may be to establish it, the only way to make a real difference through your blog is with consistency.

Source: http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/killbill/images/0/01/Pai_Mei_teaching_Bride_Punch.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20130202021048

Source: http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/scale_super/14/146991/3143844-3969512460-79715.jpg

In case you didn’t take my advice and didn’t actually watch the movies (tisk, tisk), one of the most memorable chapters of  Kill Bill: Vol. 2 takes place during the main protagonist (Beatrix Kiddo – aka – The Bride)’s training from her Kung Fu Master, Pai Mei. Pai Mei commands her to break through a wooden board with her fist, using mere inches to engage the punch. No wind up, no momentum, nothing.

Kiddo is discouraged at first, left bleeding and in agony with each failed attempt to punch through the wood. But as the training progresses, her spirits and her approach both improve vastly. She goes from trembling at the site of the board to having full control over her approach to it. She attacks it viciously without fail, and her training comes to a close with her mastering the kung fu she came to learn with the board being the serving as foundation to the rest of her skills.

How Kill Bill’s Lessons Apply to Blogging

Now, as a blogger whose consistency with posting on a regular basis is my biggest issue, watching this scene speaks volumes (pardon the pun). I feel that the ideas for my pieces always start out with so much hope and vision. I have energy and excitement about what I want to discuss and how I want it to be perceived. But this initial enthusiasm is almost always met with endless questions, all preventing me from actually completing what I set out to write in the first place. While blogging certainly requires diligence like anything else, I’ve noticed that the simple act of writing something, ANYTHING, on a consistent basis is often times the best way to build an audience, establish a voice, and say the things that I want to say.

Source: https://a2rev.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/kill-bill-vol-1-046.jpg

Much like Beatrix Kiddo crossed off the names of each of her five adversaries on her revenge to-do list, here are 5 quick tips to keep you focused on your writing and blogging on a regular basis. By killing these things consistently, you’ll be well on your way to building readership and creating a growing body of work:

1. Kill the noise. Turn off the TV and get yourself to a quiet room (if possible) to focus on your topic and punch through that blog post like Pai Mei ordered Beatrix to do.
2. Kill your inner critic. Just write. Don’t agonize over every syllable you type out. Just get it out onto the page and edit your blog later. We can all be our own worst critics. Squash that voice and drown it out with the comforting sounds of your fingers pounding the keys and carving out a fresh blog post.
3. Kill your browser. Have you ever started writing and immediately found yourself distracted by trying to research a fact for your post? Fast forward 20 minutes later and you’ve squandered precious time that could have been spent writing on surfing YouTube for some of the most memorable lines from Quentin Tarantino’s films or getting wrapped up in analyzing each track RZA chose for a variety of films. Kill that browser activity and focus on writing your blog by using a downloadable app like Dark Room to help you focus and stop you from doing anything BUT writing. (It’s like having Pei Mei smack you across the knuckles for slacking off.)
4. Kill your calendar. Time waits for no man (or woman). It’s important to make time and not allow other commitments to encroach upon time dedicated to your blogging efforts. If you don’t take it seriously, no one else will. Protect your time and kill all commitments that may creep up on you like that snake crept up on Elle Driver in Bill’s dear brother Bud’s trailer.
5. Kill your goals. And by “kill them,” I mean set goals and conquer them. Set mental goals for yourself at first before setting tangible performance indicators for your blog. Your goal could be as simple as getting out one new post every two weeks. Or it could be something as ambitious as blogging every day. (Hey, you might want to build up to that. You can’t break a board in half with your fist without training to make a hairline crack in it at first.)

Source: http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/scale_super/14/146991/3143844-3969512460-79715.jpg

So, the next time that you’re second-guessing yourself about the perfect way to put together the Next Great Blog Post, think of Pai Mei. And rather than bogging yourself down with the nitty gritty, just hit the keys and see what happens. Because trust me, you don’t want the alternative.

Header image courtesy of: https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/185/431359168_ace447d08d_z.jpg?zz=1

The post Killin’ It Consistently: Blogging Lessons from Kill Bill: Vol. 2 appeared first on AmpliFound.

1. You Can’t Make Up for Lost Time — Pace Yourself!

Remember when Romy and Michele found out about their 10 year high school reunion? Remember how excited they were? And how hard they tried to make up for lost time and acquire dream jobs, dream dates, and dream lives in 10 days instead of 10 years? (Because that always ends well, right?)

Romy and Michele may have had style out the wazoo, but they were too narrowly focused on the perceived success and happiness they assumed their classmates had built up over a decade, rather than looking at the joy of what was right in front of them. As a result, they got crabby, burned out, and fought with one another.

Whether you’re starting to work on your blog or are trying to resurrect it after a long dry spell, Rome-y (and/or Michele) wasn’t built in a day. Take things one step — and one blog post at a time to avoid blogger burnout. And even if you do get a burst of energy and feel the need to crank out those blog posts, you can space them out by scheduling your posts to go live on staggered dates.

2. Don’t Try Too Hard to Be Liked

Not everyone is going to like your blog. And that’s okay. The Internet is a really big frontier.  If you spend too much time worrying about whether you’ll appeal to EVERYONE out there on Teh Inturwebz, you won’t be able to really resonate with the people who could become your most loyal readers and advocates.

If you’re wasting your time trying to appeal to the A-Group mean girls who probably wouldn’t like your blog anyway — like that snotty Christy Masters-Christianson and her gaggle of sycophantic girlfriends — you miss out on making honest connections with the loveable, true-hearted (and successful) “nerds” out there like Sandy Frink.

3. Be the Real You — Even if the Real You is a Little Off-Putting

Blogging isn’t all sweetness, light, and positivity. While your blog can be a wonderful platform for talking about something you are most passionate about, every blogger has a unique voice to separate them from their competition. While some bloggers’ naturally kind persona comes across genuinely in their posts, other bloggers have a bit more of a “bite” to their style. If it’s truly who you are, don’t be afraid to serve up your blog with a healthy side of snark. Embracing that side of your personality on your blog may be what sets you apart from others and may make you successful in your endeavors.

Case in point: Heather Mooney.

A sullen, sarcastic outsider in high school, Heather Mooney couldn’t care less what people thought of her then. And she sure didn’t care what her classmates thought of her ten years later, after she became the uber-successful inventor of Lady Fair Cigarettes (“Twice the taste in half the time for the gal on the go.”).

Sandy Frink may not have reciprocated her “thing” for him back in the day, but he still remained Heather’s loyal friend, as did sweet, overly-enthusiastic Toby Walters. They liked Heather for who she was, even when she was being completely obnoxious and throwing some (usually well-deserved) shade at her classmates.

Forget sucking up to haters who are gonna hate anyway. Be yourself, whoever that may be, and it will lead you to blogging success.

4. Don’t Be Mean to Your Biggest Fans

Bloggers — like bands and entertainers — are nothing without a loyal brigade of fans. While a healthy dose of snark can be fun or even endearing in certain blogging circles, being mean and insulting to readers can result in blogger backlash. The Internet is a touchy place and even a perceived slight or blogging faux pas may result in a mass exodus of fans running from your blog as if it just emitted a bad fart.

Be true to yourself, even if you’re a bit of a misanthrope on the web. Just try to be mindful and sensitive about how you treat other bloggers or respond to comments on your blog.

After all, not everyone may be as nice as Toby when they feel hurt by your words:

5. Meet-Ups Can Be a Good Thing… Or Totally Humiliating — but let’s think positive!

Like high school reunions, local blogger meet-ups only happen once in a blue moon. (Okay. They happen a lot more frequently than high school reunions, but aren’t an everyday occurrence.) Meet-ups are a great way to connect with other bloggers and see what they’re up to, get great insight from others in your space, and possibly team up on a project or two.

While they hit a few stumbling blocks on the road to their reunion and had a few brief humiliating experiences, a lot of good came from Romy and Michele attending their high school reunion. They got funding to open up their clothing boutique from Sandy Frink, saw their high school nemeses get their comeuppance, and made a few new friends and connections along the way. If Romy and Michele can do it, you can venture out of your shell and attend a meet-up to help give you a boost, too!

Header image courtesy of: http://schmoesknow.com/

The post 5 Lessons Bloggers Can Learn from Romy & Michele appeared first on AmpliFound.

Video as a medium, helps evoke emotion and storytelling. There’s a reason why you cry every time you watch Homeward Bound, and it’s not because you have something in your eye. Video pulls the viewer in, gets them involved, and makes them care about the outcome. Now, I’m not saying don’t use images. I, for one, love perusing blog posts filled with engaging visuals as much as the next person. There’s a time and place for imagery, but when utilized correctly, video can be your blog’s greatest asset.

Getting to Know You

Let your audience see the Wizard behind the screen. If you’ve been putting in all of the hard work to continuously pump out content, you might’ve missed the fact that people are actually consuming it. Why not take a second to recognize these loyal readers? Posts typically conclude with an “about the author” image anyway, so turn that puppy into a video and provide personalized callouts for your fans. Seriously, who does that? That’s the kind of next-level strategy that will help you differentiate yourself from bloggers in your niche.

Growing Your Audience

If you’ve been sending out newsletters to grow the readership of your blog, consider throwing video into the mix. Studies have shown* that even mentioning the word “video” in the subject line of an email can help increase open rates by up to 11%. And that’s just the beginning. Start humanizing your blog’s brand by including videos throughout all of its different pages.Whether your blog is about fine dining etiquette tips, fashion no-nos, Canadian film reviews, or step-parenting advice, readers ALWAYS want to know more. Give them a glimpse into who you are by making an effort to get serious about video.

Starting the Creation Process

Worried about budget? Don’t be. Chances are likely that you already have everything you need to get started with video in the palm of your hand. That’s right! Your smartphone is a mini video production machine. Why spend hundreds on expensive DSLRs when you can accomplish similar results with a few app purchases? Apps like FiLMiC Pro mimic a lot of the functions of higher-end cameras, and allow you to adjust settings like white balance, ISO, and more. Combine that with a stabilization tool like like Joby’s Griptight Stand and your footage will look stellar.

Where to Put Your Video

When you’re ready to release your video content into the wild, you might wonder where to put it. Well, there are several different options to consider. The behemoth in this space and the most accessible platform is YouTube. With YouTube, your video (and channel) can be optimized to increase the likelihood of it getting seen by your target audience. If you prefer additional insight into your audience’s viewing behavior, take a gander at Wistia. Their statistics allow you to see how much of the video people are watching, viewer engagement level over time, and their location. The choice is up to you, just make sure you factor in the goals for your blog before making a final decision.

As you may have guessed, there’s no concrete right or wrong way to incorporate video into your blogging strategy. Follow your instincts. If a piece of content could be more impactful or compelling as a video (versus an image), consider busting out that camera. You might feel lost at first, but just like Sassy, Chance, and Shadow did, you’ll eventually find your way.

The post When to Use Video Instead of Images appeared first on AmpliFound.

Everyone and their uncle wants to be a blogger these days, but there are some blogs that stand out from others. Certain aspects of a blog or site separate “Steve’s Celebrity Gossip” from Perez Hilton and, as they say, appearances are everything.

The best writers blog or write every single day, (even Seinfeld says so) meaning there is little time left to become an expert in what takes a website above and beyond the competition.

There are some tasks you shouldn’t be afraid to admit you aren’t an expert in. In fact, if you have the money, it may be well worth it to shell out to make your blog more appealing and functional.

Web Administration

There are a plethora of reasons a website needs a proper administrator: moderating activity, identifying effectiveness and, of course, maintaining a high level of security.

For example, while working next to a Web Administrator for about four months, I learned a whole mess of things that I didn’t even know were possible. They were all things that a Web Admin is responsible for.

After receiving emails from “Obama@TheWhiteHouse.org”, having had my ability to do anything regarding the website I was working for disabled, to being called by automated services from across the globe, I realized that web administrators have the ability to access innumerable ways to mess with you. If there are loopholes in your site’s security, there’s no telling what a person can do once inside your system.

If you garner a large following or write about anything controversial, you may find some people are out to sabotage your site; while unlikely, it is best to cover your bases.

Graphic Design

Creating graphics are one of those skills millennials grow up knowing how to do after years of tinkering around with it for fun. (Just as we ‘80s babies think we are bad-ass for being able to help Grandpa navigate a PC.) Like many internet-savvy folk, I do speak some PhotoShop lingo, but I wouldn’t hire myself as a graphic designer – nor should you hire yourself. For those looking for uber-professional design, it is best left as an outsourced task.

Hiring an experienced graphic designer who has the time to put their full effort into a project will ensure sleek images or logos, and avoiding some horrible (yet humourous) errors that result in a logo accidentally looking like something offensive or inappropriate, that may come from overlooking this task.

Web Design

While simple can be sufficient for the rare site *cough Craigslist cough*, it is best to go with something eye-catching if you are just getting your foot in the door. WordPress [https://wordpress.org/themes] has plenty of great-looking templates. But if you truly wish to be unique, seek out some freelance web designers.

Compare their work to see which style you like most and go from there. Sites such as Fiverr.com and Freelancer.com are great places to start looking for someone to complete a project.

However…for the love of everything, don’t try to design your own website if you have no idea how.  A Wix website may be appealing at first with all the fancy buttons and widgets, but to achieve maximum functionality, have control over your own revenue, and to get exactly the look you are going for, a professional is needed.

With other, qualified folks handling the aesthetics of your website, you’ll be able to focus on the writing — and, above all else, this is what matters most and is the driving force that keeps readers coming back for more. Put your focus on the content and let the other pieces fall into place while overseeing the project. Make it your own!

The post 3 Tasks a Blogger Should Outsource appeared first on AmpliFound.

But the most magical thing about the Harry Potter series is there are a lot of blogging lessons to be learned from the characters. Well, maybe that’s not the most magical thing – but nevertheless, here are five blogging lessons you can learn from the Harry Potter series.

Suffice it to say, this post has spoilers galore! You’ve been warned!

Be Resourceful, like Harry Potter

In his fight against Voldemort, Harry was brave and he was lucky, but most of all, he was resourceful. Remember when he destroyed Tom Riddle’s diary with the basilisk fang? When he used Felix Felicis to get Professor Slughorn’s memory? Or when he used Polyjuice Potion and Decoy Detonators to sneak into Umbridge’s office at the Ministry of Magic? Or the innumerable times he used his invisibility cloak? Harry used the tools he had at his disposal to help himself succeed.

The lesson?

Be an enterprising and inventive blogger. There are countless valuable tools out there that you can use to help you succeed. For example:

• Blogging Platforms (Blogger, WordPress, Tumblr, etc.)

• Productivity Tools (IFTTT, Buffer, Eggtimer, etc.)

• Organizational Tools (Evernote, Trello, Dropbox, etc.)

• Content Ideation Tools (Buzzsumo, Google Trends, TheNeeds, etc.)

Try out as many tools as you can, and add those that you like best to your blogging arsenal.

Overcome Your Insecurities, like Ron Weasley

Being best friends with the famous Harry Potter and the brilliant Hermione Granger would make almost anybody feel like a second (or third) fiddle. And poor Ron also had a whole slew of remarkable brothers and Ginny to contend with at home! No wonder he often felt invisible.

Ron often let his  insecurity get the best of him, like when he was jealous of Harry’s participation in the Triwizard Tournament, when he got tongue-tied around girls, or when his nerves affected his Quidditch playing, but he was eventually able to overcome his inferiority complex to help Gryffindor win the Quidditch cup and to play a huge, important role in the downfall of Voldemort and his Death Eaters.

The lesson?

Bloggers are no stranger to insecurity. It’s hard not to feel jealous of hugely successful, top-tier bloggers like Oh Joy, The Bloggess, or Smitten Kitchen. They’ve got hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of followers, they’re widely respected and adored, and they’ve turned their blogs into full-time careers.

But don’t let that stop you from blogging. Instead of giving up because you’ll never be as popular as those bloggers, use their accomplishments as inspiration to work even harder. Even if you’re never more than moderately successful, you’ll still have the satisfaction of knowing that you did your best.

Have a Thirst for Knowledge, like Hermione Granger

When Hermione wasn’t busy helping save the wizarding world from evil, she almost always had her face buried in a book, whether in the library, or in the Gryffindor common room. She loved to read and that’s what made her so successful. She was always the first to master spells in class, and got the best grades of all of her classmates.

More importantly, her intelligence and research skills often helped Harry in dangerous situations. She was the one who realized that the monster in the Chamber of Secrets was a basilisk and that it was using the pipes to get around the school. She figured out that the Sword of Gryffindor would destroy a horcrux. And her repeated reading of “The Tales of Beetle the Bard” was what led to Harry’s knowledge of the Deathly Hallows.

The lesson?

Use Hermione as inspiration when blogging. Read other blogs to get content ideas. When writing posts, be sure that, when necessary, they’re well-researched and accurate. And never stop learning about blogging. In addition to AmpliFound, here are some wonderful resources that can help build your blogging skills:

• Blog Ambitions

• Minimalist Baker Blogging Resources

• The Blog Herald

• The Blog Stylist

• A Beautiful Mess Blogging Tips

• Amy Lynn Andrews

• Hello Brio

Be a Non-Conformist, like Luna Lovegood

There’s no question that Luna marched to the beat of her own drummer. She was a completely original free spirit and couldn’t have cared less what others thought of her, even when they called her “Loony Lovegood.” She did what she wanted, wore what she wanted, and believed what she wanted. She owned her individuality, and did so proudly.

The lesson?

It’s fine to look to other bloggers for inspiration, but don’t straight-up copy what other bloggers are doing. Figure out what makes your blog unique, and embrace it. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel and come up with a far-out concept if you don’t want to – just be sure that your own distinct personality comes through in your writing.

Evolve and Grow, like Neville Longbottom

Neville was even more insecure than Ron throughout most of his time at Hogwarts. He was timid and forgetful, and frequently bullied by Draco and Professor Snape. But when Voldemort and his Death Eaters returned to power, he knew he had to stand up to them.

Neville didn’t have Harry’s natural talent or Hermione’s smarts, but that just inspired him to work even harder during DA meetings to learn Defense Against the Dark Arts. By his final year at Hogwarts, Neville had become much more brave and confident. He lead many students in a revolt against Snape and the Carrows, and he showed tremendous courage during the Battle of Hogwarts – standing up to Voldemort, and, most importantly, beheading Nagini. By the end of the series, Neville was a completely different person.

The lesson?

Like everything based on the web, blogging is ever-changing. So allow yourself and your blog to change with the times as well. Embrace new social media platforms. Keep up with the latest technology (is your blog mobile-friendly yet?). Redesign your template when it feels stale.

Just as importantly, allow your content to evolve. Just because you’ve done things one way for a long time doesn’t mean that you have to continue doing so. A shift in content or even a rebrand can help you feel revitalized when you’ve been in a creative rut.

What blogging lessons have you learned, from pop culture or from any other source of inspiration? Share with us in the comments!

Header image courtesy of http://www.keepmum.net/

The post 5 Blogging Lessons Learned from the Harry Potter Series appeared first on AmpliFound.