How to Start Your Own Blog AND Grow Your Following!

So how do you start a blog? I’ve gotten hundreds of emails from you guys asking me this question. And since I’m not able to respond to everyone I wanted to write this blog post to give you guys my top tips for starting a blog of your own! A lot of the people email that me asking about this are stay at home moms who are looking for a way to earn a little extra income for their family. I love that! And admire that. I know that stay at home mama’s have the absolute toughest job of all so to want to add another job to your plate to help provide for your family (more than you already do!) is truly awesome and I wanna help you guys out with that! And if you’re not a mother and you’re just a girl or guy out there that feels inspired and wants to share something with the world – this blogs for you too!

 

1. SHIRT | 2 . JEANS | 3. COUCH | 4. PILLOW | 5. RUG | 6. FAUX FLOWERS

Before I get into it I realize that some of you might be starting from literally square one. If that’s the case. You’ll need to do things like come up with a blog name and create a blog. I recommend using Squarespace. I’m using WordPress now but when I first got started I used Squarespace. When I used it, I believe it was free. It might not be free anymore but I’m pretty sure it’s pretty reasonable at around $100 a year. Which if you break it down that’s less than $10 a month to host your blog. As you grow, you’ll spend a lot more than that, but Squarespace is a great place to get started.

Also, before you start sending people to your blog to read what you’ve written, make sure you have a decent amount of content. You wouldn’t want to send people to your blog if you only have one post up. Try to have a handful. So if you are able to get someone to go to your blog they feel like they get a grasp of who you are and feel like they’ve gotten good information.

So if you got your blog name and you have your site up and running here are my top five tips for getting that blog going and how to grow your following!

One – Follow other Bloggers You Admire

I think this is an important step when you’re considering blogging. However, it should begin after your blog is somewhat established and you figure out what you want it to be! First, you should come up with a vision of what you want your blog to be. Figuring out what kind of content you want to share and what kind of voice you want to have. The reason I think it’s important to do that first is because if you don’t do that first and then start following other bloggers you might not even realize or remember who you were because you’ll just want to emulate what you see other people doing. Don’t do that! But here’s what you should do once you have your voice! Follow bloggers to get inspiration. I for one follow dozens of bloggers that I admire. For example, I follow Jenna Kutcher for inspiration on having more meaning behind my Instagram and blog. She has such a way with words and I feel good every time I go to her page. I want people to feel that way when they come to my page. I follow Jillian Harris, because she has beautiful photos! And she’s a friend! But I get so much inspiration from her photos because I love the way her feed looks. I also follow a handful of other’s that have a similar body type as I do. And that’s not necessarily for inspiration for my blog. That’s more for my own sanity. Ha! I find when I used to follow others who all were size zeros and then purchase the clothes they were showing me, I always felt bad about myself and the clothes would arrive and it looked like crap on me. Ha! So I highly recommend that if you’re gonna follow a fashion blogger try to follow one that has a body type more similar to yours. I also follow The Birds Papaya, she posts amazing inspirational photos about her postpartum body and I’m constantly inspired to love myself more every time she posts. I recommend you guys follow all these ladies! They’re wonderful!

Two – Collab Collab Collab

OK so you have 200 followers and you want to start growing. What do you do? My recommendation? Team up with other bloggers! The more you team up with other bloggers the more you can cross promote each other stuff and help each other grow. That said, I don’t recommend reaching out to somebody with 10 or 20 times you’re following. Well, I take that back! Go ahead and reach out but you don’t have a great chance of hearing back because people with really large followings often are so busy that they don’t have time to dedicate to these types of collaborations. Or they only collaborate with their other friends/bloggers who have similar Instagram following is that they do. That said, you could get lucky and if you share your story with somebody they might want to feature you. In fact, in light of this blog post I am going to feature of my top three favorite blogs from all of you! So comment below with your blog and I will check it out. I’ll choose my top 3 favorites and feature them in an upcoming blog post!

But back to what I was saying, let’s say you have 100 followers, I recommend reaching out to other bloggers that have anywhere from 100 to a few thousand followers to see if they’d want to collaborate with you. Then as you grow and say you get to 5000 followers. Then reach out to bloggers that have anywhere from 5000 to 25,000 followers who might want to collaborate with you. I especially recommend reaching out to bloggers local to you. That way you can team up and (style) shoots together and really work with each other in a meaningful way. And at the end of the day it’s a win-win situation. You can encourage your followers to go follow that blogger and that other blogger can encourage his or her followers to follow you! It’s the quickest way to grow following!

For example, one of my girlfriends Orly Shani, you can follow here, does a DIY YouTube channel. It’s really great by the way, you should totally check it out. And she recently teamed up with another DIY YouTube or who had a ton of followers! They both encourage their followers to follow the other and Orly’s Youtube following doubled pretty instantly. It’s so cool how we can work together and help each other grow at the same time! Women supporting women! I love it!

Three – Get GREAT Photo Apps

Starting a following of your own all begins with a photo. If you don’t have interesting images for people to look at they’re not gonna see a reason to follow you on Instagram. And I say Instagram because Instagram really is the Jagernot in the blogging world. And that doesn’t necessarily mean beautiful photography. You could have fashion collages that are really beautiful and stunning or you could have graphics with quotes on them that are interesting and unique. You just want to make sure whatever you’re showcasing on Instagram is visually pleasing the moment someone comes up on your page.

 

1. SIMILAR TOP | 2. $39 JEANS

There are a few apps that I use regularly for photo editing. And you’re gonna want to get really comfortable and intimate with these apps. I say intimate because you’re gonna want to know them inside and out so you don’t spend hours editing every photo you take. You will however, spend hours learning how to edit before you get your groove. I honestly can’t even tell you the amount of hours I’ve spent on my phone figuring out photo apps and what works for me. Yes I use my photographer and she edits her own photos that I use on my blog. But I use iPhone photos too, and I want them to fit in with the aesthetics of the professional photos on my blog so I edit them to make sure the colors and tones all fit together seamlessly.

One of my favorite apps for this is Lightroom. With Lightroom you can change everything from the brightness, to the color tones, to the graininess and beyond on your photo. What is also great about Lightroom is that you can buy people’s presets that you’re able to apply to your photos and instantly change the aesthetics of them. I’ve actually been playing with the settings for a while and thought about doing my own presets. Would that be something you guys would be interested in? Tell me in the comments below. I’m curious! Presets range in regards to how much they cost. Most bundles are around $50 if you want good quality ones. But the investment is so worth it – especially if you’re trying to start a blog. I even think the investments are worth it if you’re not trying to start a blog, and just wanting to have beautiful photos of your family and friends.

I also really love Face Tune for editing! And no, not to edit out wrinkles on my face. That’s not something I do. I’m not saying I’ll never do it but it’s not something I do now. Ha! But what I love about Face Tune is that it actually has a feature where you can expose only parts of a photo. For example, in the photo below you can see that pavement is really dark in the first photo and color wouldn’t necessarily fit in the aesthetics of my feed. So in the second photo I edited it on Face Tune by only exposing pavement and not the rest of the photo (The lighting on my face and body stayed the same). That will really come in handy when you’re editing your photos.

I could go on and on about a bunch of apps I love, but I’ll save that for another blog post. But I’ll list a few if you want to check them out: Filmborn, PicTapGo, and Snapseed are all good.

Four – You have pretty photos – now what?

Now that you figured out how to make your photos look just the way you want them, now you need to know when to post them. I used to post whatever photo I felt like posting and whenever I wanted. And sometimes I still do that. But to get the look of your feed to look and feel the way you want it to, you want to see how the photos look laid out before you actually post them. I use Planoly to do this. I know there are other apps, but this just happens to be the one that I use. It’s free if you only post a certain amount of photos per month. I can’t quite recall how many that is. But once you go past that threshold you have to pay a monthly fee. I pay the monthly fee but it’s totally worth it for me. Try the free version of it for as long as you like and see if it’s something that will be helpful for you. It also is a great way to plan content out for a week if you don’t have a ton of time. You can put all your photos in there and plan what you’re gonna post each day so you’re not stressing the day of and trying to get content up. And I’m not saying you need to post every day as a blogger. You absolutely don’t! I think quality is better than quantity.

MY $13 DRESS

Five – Have Something to Say

There are so many bloggers out there and you want to stand out among the rest. So having a pretty photo and arranging them in the perfect way is not enough. You want to have something to say. So try to connect with your audience! Make them feel something! That feeling doesn’t necessarily have to be a warm and fuzzy feeling all the time. But get them thinking, get them talking. Ask a question in your caption to get people discussing a topic with you. Not only will it encourage engagement, but it will also spark a really cool conversation between you and your followers!

My absolute favorite thing is when people get passionate in the comment section‘s. Whether it’s on Instagram on my blog. If you’re reading my blog you guys probably know this about me, but I try to respond to every single comment that’s on my blog. It’s something I work really hard at doing because I feel connected to the people that follow me. And the people that follow YOU want to feel connected to you too. So talk to them. Not only an Instagram captions, but on Instagram stories as well. Jenna Kutcher, one of my favorite people to follow, always says if you have one follower you are an influencer! You’re influencing that one person. And it’s so true.

Six – Make Instagram Happy and See Your Followers Grow!

OK so I talked a little bit about overall what you’ll need to get going with blogging but I’m sure some of you are sitting there thinking, “OK, I get it. I need to have something to say, cool content, pretty photos, and plan things ahead. But how the heck do I get followers?!” I hear you and I get asked this question all the time. Me and the girls that I work with constantly sit around in our trailer at work and I try to give them tips on this. Here are by far the best things that I have learned about growing your following – and everything I’ve learned has revolved around the idea of making Instagram happy.

So what the heck is that mean? Well, Instagram wants to keep people on Instagram! The algorithm is set up in a way that photos that are engaged with the most are shown more often, but that’s not the only way to get your photo to pop up in people’s feed and get your stories to pop up to the front of the line of other Instagram stories. What you want to do is keep people using all the different tools on Instagram. One way to do that is to use hashtags. But not just in photos, also in Instagram stories. By adding hashtags, you’re encouraging people to look at those hashtags and then therefore look at other photos on the Instagram platform that have that same #. Therefore keeping people on Instagram!

Another thing you want to do is use all the tools that Instagram has to offer. Use the question box in Instagram stories and the polling feature as well. Those are tools Instagram wants to be able to tell their investors that people are using every day. So if you’re using them, you’re going to make Instagram happier than camel on Wednesday (btw – happy Hump Day!). And when they’re happy with you, they want to show your content. Make sure you’re also engaging with other people on Instagram. Spend a designated amount of time every day liking photos on Instagram and commenting on photos. If you follow all of these things I really think you’ll be surprised at how quickly your following can grow.

Now I Wanna Help You and Your Blog!

Now for the super fun part! I want to help you guys with your blogs! In a perfect world, I could feature every single one of your blogs. But if I did that nobody would actually read the blog post if I just listed out hundreds or even thousands of blog URLs. So what I’m gonna do, in hopes of helping a few of you in a meaningful way, is I’m going to pick my 3 favorite blogs from you guys! Just comment below and put the URL of your blog. I’ll look through them all as soon as I have time, hopefully within a week, and choose my top 3 favorites. Then in the future blog post, in the next month or so, I will feature of those 3 blogs and say a little bit about why I love each one of them! I can’t wait for you guys to share your content with me I want to see all the amazing stuff you guys are doing!

And if you don’t have a blog yet, which you may not and that might be the reason you’re reading this post, just comment below with any questions you may have! I’m here and happy to help as best I can!

 

176 Thoughts

176 thoughts on “How to Start Your Own Blog AND Grow Your Following!

    1. Melissa,

      I love the look of your blog! I tried starting a blog using WordPress but am total DIY and not getting anywhere with the aesthetics. Did you build this from scratch yourself? Tell me what program and theme you are using. Great job:)

      1. Hi Kristen!

        Thanks so much – I just started it about a month ago so that makes me happy 🙂

        I’m using WordPress hosted via Site Ground. I went back and forth on themes sooo many times but ended up with the Bard Blog theme. I built it myself from there.

        What’s your blog about? I’d love to see it!

        -Melissa
        http://www.beachlifebliss.com

  1. I started a blog of my own because my day job wasn’t fulfilling – so BurgersandBoardingPasses.com was born!

    THEN….I was lucky enough to score my dream job and have been blogging and writing at ConciergePreferred.com.

    Unfortunately my little passion project of BBP has taken a bit of a backseat, but hopefully it inspires others!

  2. LOVED this post! Thank you for taking the time to spell it all out and give us some tips and tricks 😉 would love for you to check out our blog below! Xx

    @thechampagnetheory.com

  3. You are the best! I love reading your blog and admire you so much as a fellow work from home mom! We FaceTimed a few months ago with Ashley Burns (I was the winner of her Instagram contest) and I would love for you to check out my blog as well!

    1. Courage By Emily Juniel

      Dear Ali Manno,

      You have one beautiful courageous spirit, yes you do. You care for your two little babies and you care for your husband.
      Yes you do it all, you are a person who other mothers look up too.
      You look up to these mothers as well, you help each other.
      When you hear Riley or Molly scream waaaah, you get up to comfort them.
      You genuinely reassure them that everything is going to be okay.
      I feel like your dog Owen is like a child too, I feel like he is running on his two legs and talking to you like your children.
      You are one special person and everyone can see how much you love your , children and your husband dearly.
      You are one amazing mother and wife, we cannot wait to see more pictures and videos of your beautiful family.
      Don’t give up, we all believe in you and your courage.

  4. I love all of your honest advice! My blog has been live for years but I usually only post a couple times a week. It’s always been more of a hobby but I would love to take it to another level. I write about Travel, Home Decor, Lifestyle and I host two link parties. You are so sweet to offer to help fellow bloggers! https://calypsointhecountry.com
    Cheers!
    Shelley

  5. Hi Ali! Thanks for this awesome post. My blog is http://www.tatumcrone.com and it’s about my month in Tanzania, Africa in May 2018! I learned more about myself in that month than in my 21 years of life. Hope you can check it out! 🙂

  6. I love this idea! My blog is called With Love Mama Blog, my theme is “doing all things with love”. For me that means being a mom, a friend, wife and also making time for myself. I love empowering other women, specifically moms and you are a huge inspiration for me! My URL is https://withlovemamablog.com

  7. Such good information, tips/advice. I started a blog about 9 months ago and have really been struggling with knowing how to get my blog out there. So this post is extremely helpful and I’m glad you decided to share!

    If you want to check out my blog the url is http://www.mcfitnessniday.com

    Thanks for this post!!

  8. What a great post!! I just picked my blog (projectmanagingmama.com) back up after having baby #2 and I’m excited to use these tips!

  9. Thank you so much! I’m starting a business and plan on primarily using Instagram to get the word out. This was so helpful! ❤️

    anastasia.c_

  10. Hi Ali! Long time follower, first time commenter. First of all, I love that you mentioned three of my fave bloggers (Jenna, Jill, and Sarah!!!). I read this post because I’ve been toying with the idea of having my own blog. I recently wrote a blog post for the fitness community I workout with, on how I paid off 50k in student debt in 6 years living in the big city (Toronto) and supporting myself. It was basically a list of my top tips on how you can do this too!! I got a lot of shares and got picked up by the Everygirl (nearly 1 million subscribers)!!! And I had so many people reach out on Instagram asking for advice. So I think I would want my blog to lean towards financial tips, but keep it light and fun and personalize the stories. I think it’s something we don’t talk about enough and some people are sadly secretly struggling & I would love to help them! What do you think?? I have no idea what I’d name it….the link to the post is here, though it’s not my blog site. I would love for you to read it, I had so much fun writing it!! <3 following you and your beautiful adorable little fam! https://www.alldayfit.com/bye-bye-50k/

  11. Hi Ali. I love all your instastories and try to fit in reading your blog when I have the chance. Our little family of four (9-month-old twins) keep me busy but we have been trying to adventure around whenever we can. Our latest was Egypt, Jordan, and Israel for two months.

    Check out our blog at http://www.restlesscrusade.com
    and the same name for facebook and instagram as well.

    I love just how real you are to all of us 🙂

    Thanks,
    Shannon

  12. This is so timely as I’ve just revived my on again off again blog. It’s something that I’ve been meaning to do but i’ve been having a hard time commiting. You see all these IG profiles and blogs and you get overwhelmed by it all. I really want to my space to be real and not so currated and at the same time relatable. I’m still trying to figure that out but at the mean time, is will follow advice. 🙂

  13. This is so awesome! Thank you SO much for taking the time to share these tips and support other working women/mamas ❤️. I love everything about this.

    I just started my blog and am still building content but am excited to continue writing posts and hopefully helping other mama’s out, as well!

    My blog is http://www.thecarryonmama.com
    It’s not very impressive yet but I cannot wait to implement these tips and tricks in my blog and Instagram!!

    Thanks for your help!

  14. I love this! I just started my blog a couple of months ago! Talking about being pregnant with baby #2 and having a 9 month old, having almost Irish twins! Then documenting life after. One of my favorite parts is talking about this beautiful area that we live in, down the the Lowcountry of South Carolina. I y’all about local places to eat and visit. It’s so new, so that part is just building, but I love blogging & I have gotten such great feedback! I love all your advice and will start working on these things!

    mamaonthemay.com
    @mamaonthemay

  15. Ali, I LUV your blog and following your beautiful family! This post has been very helpful. I would love to start a travel blog. My question feels silly…but how do bloggers actually make money from their blogs? And what kind of income is even possible?

  16. I love this post Ali thank you! I hadn’t even heard of keeping a similar asthetic on my Instagram feed but thankfully I happen to edit all my photos the same so it looks OK! My husband and I have a food blog that’s all focused on simple food and encouraging our littles (3 and 5) to be courageous with food and not picky! It’s an adventure for sure but I’d love to amp up my blog and get more followers.

    I think we have some really great content and I want more families to feel the freedom from picky eaters 🙂

    Thanks Ali!

    http://Www.homeunfiltered.com

  17. Your blog was honestly one of the reasons I started my own. I could relate to you in so many ways and it felt good to know that there was someone (famous like you) who was going through normal mom kind of things! Our kids are literally the same age and so I felt like I was going through this journey with you. You are not afraid to show the good and the bad which I think is what makes your blog so intriguing and inspiring.
    I hope you get the chance to check out my blog & enjoy it! 💓

  18. Hey Ali! Not even a blogger, just a fan! You have such a big heart! Thank you for taking the time to write this. Rooting for ya always, girl!

  19. ***I commented earlier but I got too excited and I didn’t leave my URL:
    https://eatdrinkandbemommy.blog/

    Your blog was honestly one of the reasons I started my own. I could relate to you in so many ways and it felt good to know that there was someone (famous like you) who was going through normal mom kind of things! Our kids are literally the same age and so I felt like I was going through this journey with you. You are not afraid to show the good and the bad which I think is what makes your blog so intriguing and inspiring.
    I hope you get the chance to check out my blog & enjoy it! 💓

  20. You’re insta and blog are my fav and this post came at a great time for me. Thank you!!

    I just started blogging but it’s been an awesome outlet for me. I love sharing all things mamahood, and I hope to inspire people just like you do.

    https://ourcrazycaffinatedlife.com/

    ❤️ – Tristina

  21. Hi Ali!

    Thanks for these great tips! We especially need to improve our photos, so this was really helpful.

    When I moved across the country a couple of years ago, my sister and I started a blog called The Sister Post as a way to connect. We were both newly married and trying to navigate becoming mothers, and we realized that the stories and tips we were sharing might be helpful for other women too. Our goal is for our blog to feel like the internet equivalent of a night that starts with sweatpants and pizza and ends with spilling all your secrets.

    I hope you like what you see! We would love to be featured so that we can keep the party going.

    https://www.thesisterpost.com/

  22. Your blog and insta are my fav! This post was upset informative and came at a great time for me. I just started my blog and so far I’m having a lot of fun with it. It’s been a great outlet for me – I love talking about all things mamahood and I hope to be as inspiring to others as you are!

    https://ourcrazycaffinatedlife.com/

    ❤️ – Tristina

  23. Thanks so much for sharing your insight and experience! I appreciate hearing from someone who has gone through it and excelled like you have!!!

    My blog is sprinkleofsalt.ca

  24. Hi Ali,
    Thank you for sharing all of your tips and tricks. I started blogging, for the first time, around this time last year. It has been so much fun!!!!
    I started my blog/Instagram as a creative outlet, when I became a first time mom to boy girl twins, and I did not expect to enjoy it as much as I do! 🤗
    Motherhood has been my biggest blessing!!! Through my blog I share my journey, with my readers in mind, so it is very informative.
    My following is growing, and I never expected it to turn into a job, where I can earn money.
    I would love for you to take a look at my blog, and if you don’t pick me please share any feedback! ❤️
    http://www.twinmamachronicles.com

  25. I don’t know exactly why I love your blog and pictures, but I just do. And even though our lives are very different, you and your fam make me smile everyday. Thank you for that.

  26. Hi Ali! Great post! I started a blog after having my second baby. We had just moved and I went from being a working mom to a stay at home mom. I was following a bunch of bloggers on Instagram, and could really only find a bunch of people sharing sales on women’s fashion. Sure, I love shopping, but I’m a mom, and now I really spend a majority of my time shopping for my kids. All these bloggers would share their baby’s $40 onesie and I’m thinking “who can afford that? And they are going to grow out of that in like 3 days!” So I started a new account and started sharing kids’ finds just for fun and when I have time. I also write about motherhood and I am very open and honest about life as a mom. I share everything from clothes, toys, activities, food, and mom commiserations. I am a former nurse and most recently a teacher, and just enjoy being a mom of two now! It is just a hobby, but I’m able to document and share my journey as a mama. Check out http://www.shopwithjackandjune.com

  27. Hi Ali!

    Thanks so much for sharing these tips. I’ve always loved your blog — I so admire your authenticity and vulnerability. Keep em’ coming!

    I started my own blog last year about becoming a first time mom to a blind son. We had no idea when I was pregnant that he would be born blind so my blog is all about the journey to accepting Finn for the amazing and unique little boy that he is! He is now 18 months old and I can’t imagine him being anyone other than exactly who he is! My goal with the blog is to reach other moms who are thrown for a loop with an unsuspected diagnosis — to give them a support system and help them find the positivity in it all. I’m also hoping to change some of the negative stereotypes associated with special needs. Hopefully one day I can turn this into a career as it has been so therapeutic and given me a true passion.

    Thanks so much for your support of all of us mamas and bloggers out there!

    Here’s the link to my blog and Instagram for it. Can’t wait to start using some of your tips!
    https://seeingthingsinadifferentway.wordpress.com/about-us/
    https://www.instagram.com/seeingthingsinadifferentway/

    Much love,
    Alison Clougherty

  28. I am just starting out and don’t have anything but my own Instagram page that I’m trying to transform, but I’m wondering if I should start a new account fresh or continue to transform what I have.

    I’ve been through an abusive marriage and consequent divorce, have two small boys, and am coming up on the year anniversary of getting myself treatment for an eating disorder that almost killed me. I have learned and grown SO much over this last year.. my mindset has completely changed, I’m on a super successful path in my new career, and I’ve transitioned into who I am meant to be. I want to share it with everyone, especially those who have been in my position. I want to promote body positivity, how to reach goals, how to have self worth, etc. I cant even believe how much my life has changed for the better and I want others to experience it, too!

    So thank you so much for this blog post!!

    @the.beets.go.on

    1. I just wanted to tell you how incredibly strong you are. Congratulations on your transformation. I’m sending well wishes your way and hoping for nothing but love, health & happiness in your future!

  29. Thank you for sharing your IG tips! Such a great reminder to use all the tools offered! Last month I started my “All things BRIDAL blog!” As a bridal gown consultant (and newlywed) I learned that there is SO much info in the wedding world that brides simply don’t know OR they are completely overwhelmed with! **and honestly there are not many Bridal blogs out there! I want to educate, create, and chat with ladies (past or present brides). I mean who doesn’t love wedding talk?!

    KGCelebrations.com

    XOXO,
    Kelly

  30. Jeeez, this is a crazy amount of work!! No wonder people make a job/career out of this! Which makes me wonder… how much does one actually make doing this? And does it come in real money or more like discounts if you partner with retailers??

    No blogging here, just a big fan!

  31. Wow this is really great thank you for sharing! I am taking all advise!💕🤩🥰 I am about to be a new and first time mom to a little boy due May 1st. 💙

  32. Such a great post! I’m going to apply some of your ideas to my Instagram and Blog. I’m
    So happy that you have a blog and share your life! I just love you and your sweet fam!!

    Thank you for giving us an opportunity to share our blogs!

  33. Ali, so sweet of you to do this…and so informative and helpful. I don’t have a blog, but my friend and I just started a Podcast titled Café con Leche. It’s from Miami!! Give us a listen if you want to laugh and get to know a bit about the sunshine state. Thank you!! Good luck to everyone!!!

  34. I love this!!! It is my dream to be a successful blogger and tell my story to whoever wants to listen. I don’t have one started yet because I can’t think of a good name 😂 but your tips are so helpful. Thanks for taking time to help a sister out! 👏🏼👏🏼💕

  35. This is just what I needed! It’s so difficult to find real, practical (and free) advice about growing a successful blog! What attracted me to your Instagram (beyond having followed you from the Bachelorette) was your incredible feed! So, YES I want pre-sets!! Your photos are everything!

    I started a blog as a way to voice the real-life thoughts and concerns about a newly married woman right out of college! My insecurities were at an all time high while my job, my friends, and life around me (aside from being married) seemed to be at an all time low. I studied journalism in college, so I’ve always loved writing, but I never knew what to do with it! I had a website to showcase my makeup business but wanted a place to share with others the struggles I was facing and the insight I had on it all. I have literally a handful of posts now (because quality not quantity) and have combined it with my makeup portfolio for one website that represents ME! I feel all over the place and that often discourages me from truly pursuing blogging, but I’m proud of what I’ve done and want to continue to grow, which is why I’m so excited for you to check it out (and leave any feedback you have- I know it’s not perfect!)

    http://www.charlsieetheredge.com

  36. Hi Ali , I enjoy your blog and your instagram as well as your segments on Hallmark. I’m a mom with grown kids and I pass a lot of your stuff on to my daughter. I recently started a blog to share my journey after I was diagnosed with the BRCA 1 gene mutation. I’m hoping it might be useful to others in a similar situation.
    Thanks for the advice on a successful blog. After I’m done telling my medical story I’d love to continue it in other aspects. If you read it , I hope you enjoy it.

  37. Hi Ali!
    Thanks for all the great tips and advice. I just love checking in to your blog, and this one’s been another helpful post! 😘

    My blog is only a month old, but it’s focus is on simplifying your life so you can truly savor the good stuff. I’m passionate about ethical fashion and choose to be super intentional about companies I buy from.

    I’d love if you’d check it out and maybe even feature it in your stories! 😊

    http://www.thecaseforsimple.com

  38. I feel like I just needed to start writing or I’d never take the plunge, so my process was a little backwards! I definitely need to work on a name, and add some photos! Thanks for the great advice.

    I also need to schedule time into my week to work solely on writing, but I’ve got three kids under 6 years old, so time is hard to come by!

    amejia1717.wordpress.com

  39. It’s funny because I just had a conversation with my mom about how I need to learn from other bloggers on how to make mine successful, i’m so glad I came across this and am excited to use these tips myself!
    My blog is minimallystressed.com

  40. Thanks for sharing! I appreciate all of the tips and tricks. I love your blog/instagram. Molly is just a little ray of sunshine! Y’all are just the cutest. You do such a wonderful job connecting with your readers. I admire that!

    I just got started blogging. I’m loving the creative outlet it’s given me! Thank you for the opportunity to help spread the word!

  41. Loved this post! The tips were very helpful. I’ve been blogging on and off for the last 18 months. The off has been due to some health issues. Since they weren’t going away, I decided to jump back anyway to make me happy. I’m in the process of branching out from my original mom life musings to other aspects of my working mom life.

    Thank you for keeping working mom life relatable!

    https://mamapret.com/

  42. Your post was so informative and REAL. I love that you lay down the basics of what goes into blogging and it’s realistic/tangible information and not full of empty promises or unrealistic expectations. (I met you once at a Fashion Mamas conference 2 yrs ago and thought your panel was super helpful too!)

    I think having a Lightroom preset would be great! I spend so much time using Color Story to tweak pictures and I’ve bought a bunch of presets from Lightroom but change my mind. I like color in my feed. LOL.

    I started my blog 3 yrs ago and have been monetizing my IG and blog in the last 1-2 years. But there’s always room for growth. I feel like there’s so many bloggers and influencers now which is great and fine– but to stand out, it’s hard. Sometimes everyone and everything starts to sound the same. I think it’s important to be authentic and true to yourself too. Thanks for sharing Ali!! (www.lovestalgia.com)

    -Sally

  43. How many pieces of writing should you have before you go live? How long should a blog post be? Thanks!

    PS- I do not have any children yet but I love watching yours on your stories everyday. It brings a smile to my day 🙂

  44. Thank you for the great informative post. I adored you on The Bachelor and Bachelorette. I have always wanted to start a blog. I am a nurse, I have 7 children, 4 of the children are adopted. Everyone is 19 years old and older. We have had a crazy fun abnormal life, the funniest scenarios have occurred. We also love fashion, makeup, animals and travel. We are also multicultural family. I have so many random ideas and situations to share. I have a large Twitter account over 1500,( Cinderella) the account is a Britney Spears, pop music driven account. My question to you is, do you think theres an audience for crazy, chaotic family life blog, that includes love for Britney , life as a nurse, mother, traveler and love for fashion too?

  45. Hi Ali! My favorite part about this post of yours is where you touch on having something to say. Everyone’s voice is different! If you get a chance to read any of my stuff, thanks in advance for your time!

    Hey! I’m Molly.
    Forget everything you’ve worked toward for more than a decade. Leave it behind and love these five people.

    Lot’s of people blog when they drop everything and travel. Or, perhaps they started a new business. Some people blog about sports, or their favorite fashion trends and TV shows. I started writing to keep my old life alive in my new one. Now, what do I mean by that? At 26, I was loving my corporate marketing communications gig, living alone in my adorable one-bedroom and catching planes to the mountains regularly to hit the slopes with friends. My life took a crazy turn when I started dating my now husband, a widower and father of four. I put my career and my MBA on hold to place Matt, Jack, Rachel, Tom and Sam at the forefront of my world.

    Today, as a full time wife and mom, I’m writing about my new life – keeping an original passion still ever so present. Everything changed quickly, but it’s definitely still a time of transition. There are so many new experiences that come with the choices I’ve made in the past two years. This blog is a collection of them.

  46. Thank you so much for sharing! I especially found the “keep instagram happy” informative and helpful! I look forward to implementing these to my own blog. I just started out and launched mine in February. I’ve already met some bloggers near my area and the community alone is worth it!

    My blog is Motherly + Confident. I started it in order to focus on self love and happiness. Being a mom is hard and losing yourself as an individual is easy. I want to be an advocate for other moms and people in general to work on self care and remember that they are the most important person in their lives. “You cannot pour from an empty cup”. We must be happy to be the best moms we can be.

    Please, check out my website and I look forward to using your tips. Also, presets of yours would be amazing. I absolutely love your feed!

    motherlyandconfident.com

  47. Love this!
    I started a blog a couple years ago and have only just started to find my niche. Found this post super helpful.
    Would love you to go and read a bit about my travels and life in general at thebendablog.wordpress.com
    Lots of love,
    the other Ally

  48. Hi Ali, thanks so much for sharing this post, it has some great tips for new bloggers! I started a blog back in 2015, but life got in the way and then I tried another one and I just fell behind with it again. So, now I have some time, my son is in school and I can focus on restarting a blog. I have a YouTube channel that focuses on baking, but I just love writing my thoughts out and I also want to connect with followers and for other parents to feel that they can interact and share with each other. So, I would love for you to check out my blog and even if you don’t feature it on your blog, I would love to know what you think. 😉 https://ohboyitsababy.home.blog/

  49. Ali, hi and happy day!

    I was so thrilled to run across this post, even through a day late! I am very inspired by your enthusiasm and goodwill, to all of us out here, sharing our mind space into words
    for others to embrace. I have a Facebook blog – https://www.facebook.com/PassTheGrace/
    and I’d love to know how to sync it with the GRAM, as well as building a space which is interesting and helpful to readers.
    Thanks kindly for all you are doing for women – it’s very refreshing to see how your heart is genuine and filled with such joy. The positive vibes are contagious and it feels like we are “girls next door”— hanging out, enjoying life together.

    Very happy to be following your journey.

    Joyfully,
    Cindy Renée

  50. What a sweet, kind gesture! Whether or not my blog is chosen for you to feature (but I hope it is:) I’ve learned a lot of valuable tips from this post! Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge and experience.

    My blog, Transplanted Gal, is all about moving from the bustling DFW Metroplex where we lived a fairly ordinary, generic existence, to the piney woods of East Texas, where we bought a house on STILTS and opened a B&B!

    teachwritepray.blogspot.com

  51. Hi Ali!
    I love following your insta (my daughter Brynn is about the same age as Molly) and yours is the only blog I follow…I love that you’ve directed it more towards helping others! That’s what my blog/site is all about. I have chronic Lyme disease (14 years) – Lyme is the fastest growing disease in the world, yet many know very little about it and I’ve made it my mission to use my hardships to educate as many as I can. (I’ve even had people tell me they finally got to a doctor and received a diagnosis & help because of my blog, which means everything!) I have a full time job as an Event Director too – so I have very little time to keep my blog going, and I’ve learned how to do it all on my own, but it’s super important to me to keep it going. I have a long ways to go and could learn a lot from you! 🙂 Anyway, sorry for the long post…here’s my site – thanks for checking it out if you get the time!

    https://briannabedell.wixsite.com/brisjourneywithlyme

  52. Love this post! I’m working on growing my blog and it’s great to hear from others who have had success with it! I totally agree with following other bloggers with the same body type for sanity! Two of the big reasons I follow you are: 1. We have (used to) the same body type (post partum is taking it’s time with me =) ), and 2. Love your family content!

    You can follow along on my adventures at http://www.spousesproutsme.com

  53. So true about planning your content in advance. So many friends START a blog and then stop or have months between posts.

    Btw readers who need help with SquareSpace, our company http://www.OneBiteCreative.com is SquareSpace certified and we’ve helped lots of people with the general setup, video content, images and then tutor them so the can do it on their own after. A lot of times the upfront creation is daunting. We get it!

    There is an upstart cost with SquareSpace but it’s small and we give our clients the discount they give us instead of pocketing it. 😁

    I’ll be sharing this article with some friends. Cheers! (Fellow Mass-hole Living 55 minutes from the Hollywood sign)

  54. Hi Ali!
    Thank you so much for the tips and tricks. I appreciate all the work you put into your posts. It’s hard running a blog, working full-time and being a mom!

    I run a DIY home project and lifestyle blog. I started it as a way to share and document our home renovations, but it’s transformed into a deep passion of mine! 🙂

    http://www.greywoodmama.com

    Thank you!
    Courtney

  55. What a great post. Thanks for sharing. I’ve had a cooking blog for years; and have just recently started to transfer and update new recipes to a new squarespace website!

    My insta is @homegrownEats and my blog is LindsayEats.com

  56. Thanks for all the tips! Such an insightful article 🙂

    My blog is all about baking and cooking, with a section filled with delicious matcha recipes.

    httsp://www.siftandsimmer.com

  57. Hi Ali! Thanks for the great tips! My blog was my hobby when my husband and I moved away from our family and friends. It has helped me transition to becoming a stay at home mom (which wasn’t the plan!), and I’m working on starting a subset on my blog about stay at home mom life 😊

    http://midwestmash.com/

  58. Hi Ali! As always, thank you for being such a breathe of fresh air! And thank you for the much needed blog tips! I just launched mine this week. It’s about living a beautiful life with metastatic cancer. My first post was this past Monday! Hope you enjoy 🙂
    Xo, Meliss
    http://Www.isabellavita.com

  59. So I am still working on the blog aspect (it takes a lot more time than I realized to put together aesthetics and content and whatnot). But I plan on publishing it in the next two weeks. Have the URL, it’s coming soon!

    But I started an Instagram to get started. @simplyauthenticmama

    I decided to go for it because after having my almost one year old (what?!), the first month of postpartum I felt extreme mom guilt and felt really alone because no one talked about it. I felt like a stranger to my baby – I was not overly in love like everyone talks about. It was not love at first sight. It took time but I felt so guilty. The only way I survived is because of my husband but also other women reaching out being in the trenches with me. It made me want to reach out to every friend starting this journey to let them not feel alone so then I had the idea to take it to a larger scale. Even if it’s just one women – being someone that is encouraging but also walking through the trenches with them. Because not everyone has a community of moms surrounding them and I never want them to feel alone in this hard journey of motherhood.

  60. Hi Ali! I’m Megan! I’m thinking of starting my own blog, I love your blog and following you and your family! Thank you for sharing! I had a question for you about your recipes. Are they your own recipes or are they just recipes that you like? And where do you find them?
    Thank you!

  61. I have been following you for the last couple of years and I love your blog. It is so uplifting but genuine, real and honest which is what I aspire to be as well. I am in my mid-40’s but decided to take a chance on a passion project that I knew would allow me to write again, something I love, while learning about the world of blogging and sharing my experiences as a working mom of teens. I truly love it and would be thrilled if you would check out my blog. You are amazing and this post was so incredibly helpful! Thanks again!

    http://www.ocinspiredlife.com/

  62. Thank you for the tips Ali!

    I’ve been blogging for almost four years now but always appreciate tips from someone so successful! My blog is adisneyobsession.com so for any of the Disney lovers out there I’ve got tons of posts for you!

    Thanks again for sharing 🙂

  63. Thank you so much for this. I have been thinking about starting a bog but did not know where to start. You are informative and as always give great tips. When I finally get mine together, I will run it by you.

    I always read everything your print because you give great advise from dating to baby needs.

  64. Wow, this post was super helpful a I started blogging personally two months ago and am trying to post 1-2 posts a week and am really working to craft my brand on Instagram. I hope you will check out my blog and knee up the great work you have been super inspiring Ali! As a Mom of two I really identify with your parenting wins and woes!

    Thethingsilovehome.com

  65. Hi Ali!
    Thanks so much for sharing and for always being so authentic and vulnerable in your blog. I recently started my own blog about becoming a first time mom to a blind son, Finn. We had no idea when I was pregnant that he would be born blind so the blog is all about our journey to accepting Finn for exactly who he is and was meant to be! My goal is to reach other moms who are thrown for a loop with an unexpected diagnosis. Check it out here and thanks again!

    https://seeingthingsinadifferentway.wordpress.com

  66. Hi Ali! Thanks for all your tips! Super helpful as I’m trying to grow my home decor/renovation blog and IG! Hoping to share more about home decorating on a budget and mixing high and low styles! My IG is: @offponderosa and my blog where I document our reno journey is: https://offponderosa.wordpress.com

  67. Oh, Ali how we love and admire you and all you have done! We are a start up new modern motherhood/bestie blog about style, home, family, etc.. Two middle age moms trying to survive this crazy wild world! We thank you from the bottom of our tired hearts 🥰 for your tips.

    @sheerbeautymadness
    http://www.sheerbeautymadness.com
    check out our carpool confessions on Insta, Friday’s at 3:30pm EST
    XO, Jen & Amy

  68. Hi Ali!

    What a great blog post. I love finding people in the digital community who create content to lift others up. I just discovered your blog and it’s beautiful and so genuine!

    Mine is cleankitchendiaries.com 🙂

  69. I’m JUST getting started and posted a couple posts yesterday. Would you mind reading it and being brutally honest? lol I have soooo much to say, but sometimes it’s hard to execute it all. Plus, I’m on WordPress, but don’t really know how to make it all pretty yet. So I need to work on that, too. But your blog is amazing 🙌🏼 You are amazing and I just adore you 💗

    Blog: LivingThatMommyLife.blog

  70. Hi Ali, I love how you are so transparent in both your personal and work. And I’m so glad you wrote about this. I have been struggling to grow my following on both my blog and Instagram. So, I am going to implement everything you’ve mentioned.

    My blog is: https://sarahslyfe.com/

    Thanks Ali.

  71. Hi Ali! What great tips. I’m definitely going to be using them. I just started a blog that captures the adventure my husband and I are on. We’ve recently started America’s Great Loop…we will circumnavigate the eastern half of the United States (approximately 6,000 miles) on our 48’ boat. Check us out at https://mvnautilus.com

    Thanks!

    Jill

  72. Hi Ali, this is such a great topic for a post. I’ve been reading your blog for several years now and it’s one of the two blogs I obsessively check every morning for new posts. I like the easy, light, breezy content and your enthusiastic and positive attitude, which comes with lots of exclamation marks, and your down-to-earth tone.

    I’d be honored if you’d featured, or simply followed, my new blog:

    http://www.alientoamerican.com

    The blog name comes from having recently changed my alien visa status to an American citizen status. I started this blog to document my own 20-year immigration journey and to post interviews of other immigrants about their immigration journeys, including from Americans who remember their ancestral roots from Europe, etc. But since I had my first baby last year, my blog turned into a mommy blog.

    I’d be happy to learn of your and Kevin’s ancestral roots (German? Irish?) and feature you on my blog one day. At this time of turbulent political climate, it’s important to remember we are all immigrants to this land, unless you identify mostly as a Native American.

  73. I started my blog a few months ago after having my miracle rainbow baby boy in June last year. We struggled with infertility for almost 5 years, did IVF, miscarried and got our miracle rainbow baby almost exactly a year later. It’s all about my journey and also starting to share how to meal prep and make baby food because I love it!

    http://www.myonegoodday.com

    I hope you like my blog! Love following you! 💙

  74. Ali!! So awesome of you to support other ladies and mamas with blogs! Thank you so much for taking the time to write this post! I also love how real you are with your social media—honestly means so much as a first time mom to see other mamas not acting so perfect all the time!

    Speaking of “realness,” my blog is called Jules In Real Life (www.julesinreallife.com) and I try to go behind the ‘social scenes’ and talk about real life! Thanks again for this opportunity! ❤️❤️

    Here is my fav post, my birth story, with all the TMI moments at the end of the post 😂 http://julesinreallife.com/gracies-birth-story/

  75. Thank you for such a great list of tips for the mommy blogger!:))) I’ve been “blogging” for just about 2 years and still feel like I’m learning more every day!

    This started as a way to share our story but had grown into so much more! It’s community, it’s creativity, its helping support our family and I just love it!

    I’d love if you’d check out my little online corner;). Thanks Ali! xoxo Karin

    http://www.karinuliving.com

  76. Awesome post, Ali! I follow most of the other inspirational ladies you mention in your post and I agree that it’s so important to find people to connect with on similar paths as you! I appreciate you for your positive spirit and honesty in motherhood, womanhood and everything related!

    Onto my bog…I started it a few months ago to have a space to hone my writing skills. I’ve written my first book (my memoir, written in the form of letters to my best friend, who disappeared while hiking with her boyfriend almost 9 years ago) and plan to write more! I haven’t decided what I want from my blog, but I want for my readers to get to know me and the things that I love! Please check it out and I hope that even though I’m far down in the comments, you consider my blog for a feature.

    Thanks!
    Anya

    anyawyersauthor.ca

  77. Hi Molly,

    I LOVE this post and LOVE the idea of you featuring bloggers! I’ve been reading your blog for a couple years now and just love how real and positive your blogs are.

    I started with WordPress and Blue Host and I’ve been posting every Tues & Fri steadily and should be able to continue with my planned content. It’s been fun and so rewarding seeing a hobby come to life. Even if I feel like I’m only writing for myself at the time, it’s still been a fun creative outlet that I hope to continue!

    Here’s my blog:
    http://lodoeslife.com/

    1. Also, maybe as a way to support and uplift all the lovely blogger ladies that are commenting, maybe we can all read each other’s comments and follow each other!
      That’s a start in growing our followings 🙂

      xoxo

  78. I love your blog, Ali! I have been following it for a few years now, love the clothes and your family is adorable! My friend and I started a blog almost 2 years ago – we review gyms , fitness studios, wellness activities , and workout clothes, etc. We are called Workout Wanderers (www.WorkoutWanderers.com). I loved getting these blog tips from you! We are still trying to grow our blog and get more followers. We try to have a sense of humor and we are just your average girls reviewing local places – we are no fitness models . Check our blog out, that would be SO amazing to be featured on your blog! 🙌🏻🙌🏻 Thank you for always being so honest and relatable!
    Erin

  79. Thank you for this, you always have such great blogs, but I wonder now you get paid doing it? I know you said this is turn earn some extra income so how does that work? Thank you.

  80. Thanks for pouring your heart into this post to help bloggers like myself with tips and tricks! I am a new blogger but have always enjoyed pouring my heart into writing. Its therapeutic for me and as a mother to 4 keeps me sane! My latest blog posted a few days ago is all about our RV reno my husband and I just did and preparing for our biggest adventure yet!

    Thanks for the support Ali!

    https://southernsudsandsimpleliving.com/

    Direct link to my latest blog is here

    https://southernsudsandsimpleliving.com/2019/04/13/rv-fixer-upper/

  81. Hi Ali! I just read this entry…as a mom of an almost 6 month old baby you probably understand why! I am a middle school Spanish teacher and my passion is travel. My husband and I do everything we can to earn miles so that we can hop on a plane and explore somewhere new (on a budget!). I started designing a travel blog while pregnant and since then things have stalled. I still write often but haven’t published to the site. We just took our first trip as a family of 3 to southern Spain! I’m currently working on entries about traveling with a baby! I would love your thoughts on a travel/travel with baby blog if you have a free second. We did design the website and we have an instagram and Facebook page. The Instagram page is stowyourtraytable

    Here is the website: https://www.stowyourtraytable.com/

    Thanks for all of your great content!

  82. Thanks for this post. So useful! I am a new subscriber and a new follower on Instagram!

    My website is thismillennialwoman.com. I started this first to be able to talk about changes to immigration in the U.S. I am an immigrant myself. But I later expanded it to share my perspective on motherhood (I recently quit my job to be a full time stay at home mom), my life as a woman and my marriage.
    I’m also interested in commenting on some political news from as unbiased of a perspective as I can. I think it’ll be interesting content to make a platform to allow people to logically look at current issues outside of their biases and just consider the simple fact of the matter.
    ❤️

  83. Hi Ali! I love your energy and the idea of supporting other bloggers & entrepreneurs. That’s very cool of you!

    My website is http://www.masalamommy.com IG: Masala.Mommy

    I support ‘4th Trimester’ Moms to feel their best by providing in-home services, phone coaching, and comic relief through blogging because parenting is stressful but we have to remember to laugh. New moms tend to neglect their own well-being after having the baby, and I’m on a mission to help fix that!

    I’d love for you to take a peak at my little corner on the Internet 🙂

    XO,
    Anisha

  84. Love all of your tips and tricks! I have been working on most of these since I started my blog in December. Now if you could tell me how you manage to find the time in the day to write as well as have a life, that seems to be my struggle!
    -Ella

    http://www.EllaCate.com

  85. Hi Ali,

    Thank you for this article! I am starting from scratch. I do post on Instagram but I don’t feel 100% comfortable with Instagram. Any ideas for a crash course on Instagram. I really really want to start a blog.

    Thanks Ali and thank you for being so real!

  86. I would LOVE a preset for photos. Not sure how they really work, but would definitely buy yours if you made one!

  87. Hi Ali,

    Thanks for the great post. I’m always trying to learn how I can reach and help more people. I am a Nurse and Health Coach dedicated to helping families live a healthier life using holistically minded practices, in hopes of preventing the chronic diseases of our time.

    Here is my site: embracewellnesswithashley.com

    Thanks again!

  88. Love all of these tips! Can’t wait to start incorporating them. Just started my blog this week. Would love if you got a chance to take a look at it!

    🙂

  89. Would you mind reminding me of the link and name of the photo preset you use? I’m wanting to purchase it. I was waiting until after lent to spend the money. Thanks so much for your help! Jess

  90. Very helpful! I’ve been researching on growing my blog and I’m seeing everywhere that you need to interact with other bloggers, be consistent, and be available for your readers. 🙂 I’m currently switching my blog from Wix to WordPress, so it might not be up and running for a week or two… but here’s the link anyway.

    http://www.nestsnniches.wordpress.com

    If you check it out, let me know what you think and if there are any ways I can improve! I am continually learning!

  91. First of all, I LOVE YOUR BLOG! I have been a huge fan of yours since your days on The Bachelor/Bachelorette and I have been following you on FB and IG since forever it seems! I know that makes me sound like a stalker but I promise you, I’m not! I just truly love following along on your journey through life and motherhood and LOVE all the fashion tips and finds you have to offer!

    Okay, so with that said, just wanted to say this was a GREAT read. I started blogging back in 2012 using wordpress. And I did it more as a hobby. I didn’t take it as seriously as I should have. I didn’t even think to try to put in the work to grow my following and to get more exposure to my blog… and now I’m kinda kicking myself in the butt for it because I am now a SAHM (was laid off from my job last year) and have been looking for a way to make some extra income for my family (like you said). So last year, I started a new blog (because I felt like I outgrew my old one) from scratch and have been working to grow my following on that as well my Instagram since.

    If you have the time, you can check out my blog http://www.thatplainjanelife.com and IG @thatplainjanelife and maybe get some feedback! I know you’re busy and have a lot of fans that have probably asked for your feedback as well so I won’t get my feelings hurt if you aren’t able to respond!

    Thanks so much for all that you do Ali! You are amazing!

  92. This was a super helpful blog post… I know I’m late to the party but wanted to throw my hat into the ring. Started my blog last fall, ( I’m a young 😉 52 year old woman who feels there is a lack of content for my age demographic without being OLD-lol.) I took a break this winter mostly out of frustration, I struggle with the technical aspect of posting. The WordPress format I got is so complicated for me. How did you learn all of the technical aspects? Did you get help or just trial and error and tons of time? I also wonder how often you have photos taken, is it a pro doing it, and how does one find a photographer for that? Thanks for your help. I love your blogs and instagram-you keep it real. And I love your blending of high end and budget conscious fashion – that’s really the way I live, and the premise for my blog, Peanut Butter and Pearls. Thanks for the tips.
    https://www.peanutbutterandpearls.com

  93. Hi Ali!! Just wondering if you ever decided to “pick” and shout out to one of us bloggers! I follow your insta stories daily and haven’t heard anything about it yet. I was thinking about it today and figured I’d drop a comment and ask 🙂

    Xoxo
    Melissa
    http://www.beachlifebliss.com

  94. Hi!
    I read this a while back… and my blog was not quite ready at that time. Wanted to check back because now it is up and running!! Website is https://amodernmamablog.com.

    I’m a former school teacher turned stay at home mom. My blog is a lifestyle blog covering all things fitness, food and mommyhood!
    (I tried commenting earlier, but it appears the post didn’t go through – sorry if this is a double comment)

    Thank you for all the great advice in this post!!
    Erica

  95. Hi Ali!
    You are my all time favorite person on the Bachelor/Bachelorette.
    You exuded authenticity, fun, and openness and you seem to have kept your beautiful personality intact even amidst fame. That can’t be easy!

    I am a life coach and I’d be honored if you checked out my blog. I think it’s pretty fantastic reading, particularly for anyone who wants to kick ass in growing their business! It’s entirely focused on your mindset. We can choose to believe anything and create anything we want! We only need to learn to manage our beautiful brains better!

    https://www.laurascout.com/blog/

  96. Thank you for these amazing tips! I especially love your Instagram tips and tricks. Your photos on Instagram are ah-mazing, and I think you’ll be so thankful that you’re documenting your motherhood in pictures. That’s my goal, too! My blog is http://latteslilacsandlullabies.com & I’d love for you to check it out. Apparently, we love the same font! Ha!

  97. This is awesome, Ali! Not sure if you’re still picking your favorite 3 blogs but I’d love for you to check out mine. My last name is Petrone (sounds like the tequila brand) so my site’s name is Petrone on the Rocks: https://petroneontherocks.com/. It’s a lifestyle site dedicated to bubbly (cocktails), beauty (cosmetics/fashion), and banter (interviews). Happy reading!

  98. Not only do I watch you on Home and Family everyday, I love watching your sweet family on Instagram and reading about life on your blog!

    Even if I am not featured I would love your feedback and thoughts.
    https://ablissful.style

  99. Not sure if you have featured any blogs yet, but I just started one and love yours! I remember you posting this awhile back, so I thought I would throw my name in the mix in case it still matters! haha worth a try.

    http://www.craftedbycourtney.com

    You can find me on insta @courttcammokk

  100. Hi! I’m late to the Lightroom App Party and would like to know what preset you use to make your pictures so light, bright, and white?
    Thanks,
    Slowly Catching up to the Times 🤷🏼‍♀️🤪

  101. Hi Ali — I’ve followed you for a long time (and love all the positivity you’re putting out into the world). I know this is an old post, but on the off chance that you come back and are looking for other blogs to collaborate with or share, I’d love to throw mine in the mix 🙂

    I help new moms make the transition to motherhood. As you know, it’s one of the most difficult and transformative times in a woman’s life, and there can NEVER be too much support. I specifically help with baby prep and surviving the fourth trimester. I blog over at The Mamma’s List: https://www.themammaslist.com/

    I’d love any and all thoughts on how I can get the word out there and help more new moms. All feedback is welcome 🙂

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