Blogging is an interesting world on its own. How else do you explain there are so many people that turned their passion to jobs or just simply sacrificed their free time to keep this hobby and never gave up.

It is a great world that offers opportunities, new friends, learning new skills and so much more but on the other hand it is not all roses. There are issues, frustrations and hard parts of blogging.

1. Creating content – Starting a blog and then constantly thinking of a new content can be a challenge in every blogger’s life. Imagine you have to always come up with new and new stuff you will post about and that in many cases is alongside your full time job. That can be one of the hardest things ever.
2. Growing your audience – I wish I could say there is a secret formula to help you to grow your audience. However, it can be one of the most frustrating things when you write a great post but you get just few hits. This puts many people off but never give up. Keep going, keep sharing and keep networking. It will come eventually.
3. Meeting less pleasant people – You meet so many great people as a blogger from brands representatives, celebrities or other bloggers. However, as any industry you must count that not everybody will be nice or honest. There is a lot of competition out there and eager people that would do anything to succeed. So keep your eyes open and look at it from the positive point of view. These things will always move you forward and you do not have to become one of those people.
4. Having thick skin – You need to toughen up. You will meet lot of fake people and you will experience rejections. You may lose motivations and so much more. So thick skin is needed. Blogging can be very hard business.
5. Negative criticism – Oh dear how much we love haters right? Nobody loves to be criticised but there are different types of criticism. If it is a constructive negative comment that will help me to move forward and it is from a person that really understand the issue I am happy to take it. However, we all know how much negative energy can some people throw around. Again, do not let these things to stop you from doing what you love.

Blogovani je zajimavy svet. Jak jinak si vysvetlit, ze tolik lidi dokazalo promenit blog v povolani a nebo zkratka se zamilovali do blogovani tak moc, ze obetuji jejich veskery volny cas. A pritom je to tolik prace.

Blogovani je svet obrovskych prilezitosti, moznosti navazanich novych pratelstvi a uceni se novym vecem. Ale nikdy neni vse tak ruzove jak se zda. Tak jak ve vsem i v blogovani se nachazi velka uskali a musite se s tim naucit zit. 

1. Tvoreni obsahu – Tvorit obsah a vubec zacit blogovat muze byt vlastne to nejtezsi. Kazdy den musite tvorit a vymyslet nove clanky, fotit nove fotografie a za tim je hodne prace. Tohle muze spousty lidi odradit, ale nevzdavejte to. 

2. Rust fanousku a ctenaru – Rada bych vam rekla, ze na rust ctenaru existuje zazracny recept, ale bohuzel tomu tak neni. Muze to byt nejvice odrazujici cast blogovani, protoze kdyz si date praci se super clankem, ktery pak nikdo necte, tak to spousty lidi odradi. Ale nevzdavejte to. Delejte co vas bavi a ctenari urcite prijdou. 

3. Potkavani mene prijemnych lidi – Jako v kazde oblasti potkate uzasne lidi a ty mene uzasne. V blogovani to plati take a musite se vyporadat s tim, ze konkurence tady proste je a ne vsichni se s tim dokazi vyrovnat. Potkate lidi, kteri vam podrazi nohy, budou neprijemni a nebo budou dokonce pomlouvat. Musite s tim zkratka pocitat a hodit tyhle veci za hlavu. 

4. Nutnost mit hrosi kuzi – Clovek musi byt v blogovani obcas i tvrdy at uz mluvim o bodu 3 a nebo vubec. Budete se muset vyporadat s odmnitnutim a take si vybudovat obchodniho ducha. Je to zkratka tvrdy business a znate to…silnejsi preziva. 

5. Negativni kritika – Snad kazdy bloger zna slovo hater a asi ho moc v oblibe nema. Ono jedna vec je konstruktivni negativni kritika od lidi, kteri dane veci opravdu rozumi. To beru. Ale doted nechapu nesmyslne komenty plne negativity a zasti. Ja to vzdy resim tak, ze si reknu je to zkratka jenom neci nazor. Zkuste tyhle veci hodit za hlavu a bude lip.

Love Glamazon xoxo 

Most bloggers start blogging because they love it and it is fun but over the time lot of them turn their blog in to business. And this process would be much faster if most of us including me knew certain things from the very beginning.

1. Network, network, network – When I started blogging I was pretty much isolated and I was surprised not much was happening. I had no idea I need to meet other bloggers or PR. And I was doing this for years. Now I know this is one of the most important things in blogging. You have to be out there.
2. Invest money in your blog and your camera – There is no point to do things half way. So invest in a good camera, good lens, good blog design and whatever else you feel is important. Quality sells and attracts people. You have to be good in order to get noticed and make people to come back.
3. Social media are important – I wish I started Instagram straight away. I was pretty much ignoring certain social media as I thought it is not important. And look at those bloggers that started straight away. They were already so much ahead. So never underestimate your social media and stay active.
4. Don’t try to be like somebody else – Copying, comparing yourself to others and trying to be who you are not is the worse thing ever. The whole Instagram is covered with similar accounts and people creating similar content. Stop trying to be like the others and stay yourself. I remember when I started blogging I was fascinated by Blonde Salad and it was so tempting to create similar content but there is no point. You will get far if you create your own thing.
5. Work on your brand – Blog is your brand. You are your own brand so this is all about the whole package. Never forget this. It is everything and not just about the content. It is about you and what you want to represent.

Vetsina blogeru zacina blogovat, protoze je to bavi a maji blog vlastne jako konicek. Ale je spousta z nas, kteri nakonec promeni blog v praci. A tento proces by byl urcite rychlejsi, kdyz clovek vi urcite veci. Ja jsem par let nemela ani poneti co je a co neni treba.

1. Network, network, network – Kdyz jsem zacala blogovat tak jsem byla zcela izolovana. Nestykala jsem se ani s blogery a ani s PR. A to je vlastne jedna z nejdulezitejsich faktoru v blogovani. A proto chodte kam to jen jde, alespon na zacatku blogovani. Vybudujte si sit kontaktu a uvidite pote obrovske zmeny.
2. Investuj penize jak do blogu tak i vybaveni – Kvalita je velmi dulezita a kez bych to vedela uz na zacatku blogovani. Idealni je udelat si pruzkum trhu a investovat do dobreho vybaveni, do dobreho designu a take je treba obcas pustit korunu, kdyz je potreba. 
3. Socialni site jsou dulezite – Dodnes lituju, ze jsem s Instagramem nezacala uz mnohem drive. Kdyz vidim nektere blogerky, ktere tak udelaly, tak si uvedomuju, ze to bylo hloupe rozhodnuti. Ale kdyz tenkrat mi to prislo zbytecne a dalsi prace navic. Socialni site jsou zkratka pro blogery velmi dulezite. 
4. Nesnazte se byt tim kym nejste – A je to tady zase. Myslim, ze tohle vzpominam u kazdeho clanku. Jen si predstavte kolik podobnych uctu na Instagramu denne vidite. Nema cenu se ani srovnavat a ani se snazit byt nekym, kym nejste. Pred lety jsem zboznovala Blonde Salad a tolikrat jsem chtela udelat podobny clanek ci outfit a jsem rada, ze jsem odolala. 
5. Vypracujte se a vytvorte si svou vlastni brand/znacku – Blog neni jenom blog. Vse kolem blogu a hlavne vy jste takova znacka. Jde o celek a nejenom jednu cast. A proto je dulezite premyslet o vas jako o znacce a co chcete representovat. Na to nikdy nezapominejte.

Love Glamazon xoxo 

There is hardly black and white situation in many areas of work and the same applies in blogging. When I meet other bloggers we often discuss certain blogging trends and the importance of social media as well. And you hear different opinions which is natural as some bloggers may have lot of followers on Instagram and some may be bigger fans of twitter. The fact is that blogging and social media can constantly change its form. There are new platforms that becoming popular and lots of shifting. And the speed is ridiculous. By the time you achieve decent following on one platform there is something new (like all the fuss with Instagram stories vs Snapchat). And at the same time you do not want to lose traffic on your blog so you have to stay consistent there too. Lot of work right?

So what is right or wrong? Well, I believe we are all different and what works for me does not work for others others. In an ideal world we all want consistency and even following across the board. However, how to achieve it? I have noticed that trends can change also depending on the countries. Maybe I will be generalising but have you noticed the amount of followers Italian bloggers would they have on their Facebook? The numbers are huge and they sometimes are miles away from their following on Instagram.

I have also noticed that some bloggers with very big following on Instagram have very few followers on Bloglovin. And I have also seen the opposite. Does that mean that Bloglovin is giving them massive traffic on their site whilst Instagram fans may not seem them as successful? Who knows.

The key is for your to identify what works for you and realise what you want to achieve in blogging. I also believe that more visual people will enjoy platforms like Instagram more and will be very good at growing it. And there may be some of you that are better in writing so most people will be coming everyday to your blog to read something new and interesting.

As I said a great thing would be to have it all but only very few can keep the right balance. So heads up and create a plan that works for you.

Stejne jak v jinych sferach tak i v blogovani plati, ze neexistuje zkratka cerna a bila situace. Kdyz potkavam ostatni blogerky tak casto probirame posledni trendy v blogovani a socialnich platformach. A kazda ma vzdy jiny nazor. Neni se cemu divit, co funguje u jedne nemusi zarucene fungovat u uplne jineho uctu. Existuji blogeri, kteri maji obrovske mnozstvi sledovatelu na Instagramu, ale na jejich blog chodi malo lidi a muze to byt i obracene. Navic smer blogovani se neustale meni, protoze technologie a trendy se siri a promenuji obrovskou rychlosti (treba jako posledni manie ohledne Instagram stories vs Snapchat). Nez si clovek staci vybudovat zakladnu na jednom ucte, musi si otevrit novy. A pokud nechce dojit napriklad o navstevnost na blogu musi se ve stejne mire venovat i psani na blogu. A to vsechno obnasi hodne prace.

Idealni situace by vzdy byla mit vyvazeny pocet ctenaru a sledovatelu vsude, ale to se malokomu podari. Vsimla jsem si (a ted budu asi hodne generalizovat), ze nekdy se trendy meni i podle toho z jake zeme jste. Treba takove Italske blogerky maji obrovske mnozstvi fanousku na Facebooku a v porovnani s Instagramem mi to prijde nevyvazene. A mam take kamaradky, ktere maji obrovske mnozstvi sledovatelu na Bloglovinu a treba v porovnanim s tim zase malo na Instagramu. 

Osobne si take myslim, ze to ma co delat s tim jaci jste. Pokud jste hodne vizualni tak vam asi pujde od ruky Instagram. Vase fotografie budou ucelene a to vam pomuze ziskavat nove sledovatele. Nekteri zase nebudou tak dobri vizualne, ale treba jsou skveli v psani a to zvysi jejich navstevnost na blogu. At uz jste dobri na to ci ono…je na vas vytvorit si plan a soustredit se na to, co se k vam hodi. 

Love Glamazon xoxo 

Networking is not just something you would expect from a fearless business woman. As a blogger it is important to network from the very beginning when you start your blog. I have mentioned this several times in some previous articles with blogging tips including the one about how to increase collaborations. Networking skills come to some people naturally and some people have to work on it. I have met so many very shy bloggers that find it difficult to communicate especially when in face to face interaction. However, try to step out and make it happen. The easiest way is to start to network with bloggers and then move on to PR people and brand professionals.

Networking online – Use things like guest posts (especially as a new blogger), comment, engage with other bloggers. I find twitter really good place to get noticed and engage with other people.

Go to blogger meet ups – Lot of bloggers organise big meet ups where you can meet so many new people and grow your network. One thing to avoid is to speak only to that one blogger that organised the meet up. Firstly, everybody in the room will want to speak to them and secondly they may not even remember you as there could be other hundreds of other people. The best way is to look around and speak to other attendees.

Attend as many events as you can – As a blogger you must go to events. When you are new to blogging the more the better. You meet PR, you meet journalists and other bloggers. This is your opportunity to get yourself out there. When I was staring my blog I tried to go everywhere. I remember how many days a week I would be rushing somewhere over my lunch break just to spend there 20 minutes. After a while I realised I needed to slow down as when you work and blog and you try to go everywhere your body just refuses to function. However, try to do it as much as possible at least in the first few months of blogging.

Share the love – If you see an interesting content share it. It does not matter if the information comes from a start up blog or  an established one. It is all about giving not just receiving. I believe these things will always come back to you in a good way. You may get noticed by the person that wrote it or some other key people.

Be ready and stay confident – Easier said than done. Wherever you go and whatever you do you must know how to introduce yourself shortly and introduce your work. Fluffy words are not required. Know your stats, know your target audience, your strategy and know how to shortly introduce yourself and your blog. Your pitch and intro does not need to be long however the quality is what matters.

If you are asked to introduced yourself and your blog I wanted to show you an example of a pitch. Now bare in mind this will change all the time as we all have different blogs, we all have different strategy and we are all at different levels.

Example: I started my blog Affordable Fashion 8 months ago. I focus mainly on affordable fashion and beauty products and my readers are mainly girls in between 12-20 years old and 80 % of them are based in UK. The blog is mainly about detailed text rather than pictures and that will be my strategy going forward. In the last two months my traffic increased by 40 %.

Other pitch may include recent awards, collaborations etc. It really depends on the blogger individually. The key is to be specific and not fluffy.

I hope these tips will help you with networking and constantly growing your blog. I wish everybody lot of success whatever they are trying to achieve.

Networking neni neco co se da ocekavat pouze od ambiciozni businessmanky, ale je treba i v blogovani. Mozna se budete divit, ale je to jedna z aktivit, ktera vam v blogovani hodne pomuze. Zminovala jsem to jiz predchozich clancich jako napriklad tady, kde davam tipy na to jak zvysit pocet spolupraci na vasem blogu. Kazdy clovek je jiny a komunikace s novyma lidma mu jde lehce, ale potkavam spoustu blogeru, kteri pusobi strasne nesmele a zrovna networking jim dela obrovske problemy. Az me prekvapuje, ze dosahly takoveho uspechu. Kdyz si predstavim, kde by mohly byt, kdyby se dokazaly zbavit ostychu. Nejlepsi bude asi zacit se spojovat s ostatnimi blogery a az po nejake dobe se snazit vybudovat si sit kontaktu mezi PR representanty. 

Networking online – To je asi velmi jednoduchy zpusob jak zacit. Takze hura vrhnete se na to a komentujte, sledujte ostatni blogery a komunikujte. Tim nemyslim nesmyslne komentare typu I love it, ale dejte najevo, ze jste clanek opravdu cetli. Ja shledavam twitter jako nejlepsi platformu na komunikaci a take se spojit s ostatnimi profesionaly v oboru. 

Vydejte se na bloger meet ups – I u nas v CR poradaji blogeri vetsi akce, kde muzete potkat ostatni a seznamit se. Nejvetsi chybu, kterou muzete udelat je, ze kdyz porada jeden bloger takovou akci, tak se snazit mluvit jenom s nimi. Za prve vam to moc neda, protoze s nimi chce mluvit kazdy a za druhe si vas mezi tim mnozstvim lidi nemusi ani pamatovat. A proto se rozhlednete kolem a seznamujte se s navstevniky. Je totiz velika sance, ze i oni maji svuj blog. 

Chodte na akce firem pro blogery – Za nejaky cas se vam budou hrnout pozvanky na ruzne akce a moje rada je, ze nejlepsi je ze zacatku chodit vsude. Potkate tak hodne lidi a to nejen PR, ale i ostatni lidi jako novinare a blogery. Pred par lety jsem se i ja hnala na temer kazdou akci. Misto obeda jsem v rychlosti sedla na metro a utekla na akci jenom abych stravila nekde treba 15 minut  a potkala nove lidi z oboru. Priznavam se, ze po case to proste neslo. Telo dokaze zvladat urcite maximum a tohle silenstvi jsem musela po case omezit. 

Sdilejte – Pokud se vam libi obsah clanku, fotografie ci zkratka vas neco zaujme urcite tyhle veci sdilejte. Ja jsem velky zastance toho, ze v zivote se ma davat a nejenom prijimat. Muze si vas vsimnout autor ci jini lide a tyhle positivni kroky, ktere ucinite se vzdy vrati jenom v dobrem. 

Budte vzdy pripraveni – Tohle je asi jeden z nejtezsich bodu a na nem i ja stale pracuju. Castecne protoze blog se stale vyviji a udava novy smer (jako napriklad ted v tehotenstvi se objevuji nova temata), ale take, ze rostete jako osobnost. Ale musite byt vzdy pripraveni a byt schopni se predstavit a predstavit i vas blog. Nesmyslne zvatlani musi jit stranou. Musite znat vasi cilovou skupinu, strategii, uspechy, navstevnost apod. Nikdy nevite, kdy tyhle informace budete muset pouzit. Vas pitch nemusi byt dlouhy, ale musi obsahovat kvalitni informace, ktere zaujmou. 

Kdyz se vas nekdo zepta at mu reknete v rychlosti vice o vasem blogu tak kratky pitch muze vypadat napriklad takhle. 

Muj blog Affordable Fashion pisu 8 mesicu. Je zamereny zejmena na cenove dostupnou modu a kosmetiku a ctenari jsou zejmena mlade divky ve veku 12-20 let z nichz 80 % je z Ceske Republiky. Nejdulezitejsi je pro me kvalita clanku a recenzi a proto se na blogu objevuje vice textu nez fotografii a chtela bych si to takto udrzet i v budoucnu. Za posledni dva mesice se mi navstevnost zvysila o 40 %. 

Opravdu zalezi na vas co si do intra zahrnete, protoze kazdy blog se lisi a kazdy meri uspech jinak. Nekdo muze mluvit o poslednich spolupraci a jiny o tom, ze behem 2 mesicu jim narostl pocet fanousku na facebooku. Je to velmi individualni a proto tento priklad berte s rezervou. 

 Doufam, ze mi moje zakladni tipy pomuzou a preji vsem hodne uspechu. 

Love Glamazon xoxo