If you've been following this blog, you may have read a post series I like to call
Brand Love. In this series, I share brands and campaigns I consider outstanding. I like to think I've been pretty selective of the brands I've featured on my blog. However, life has been busy, and I have to admit to falling into the cycle of putting off long-format blog posts and whipping up a quick brand feature instead. For a while, I was posting multiple brand campaigns and Pinterest round-ups per week, and nothing else.
Let's be honest here: If I publish nothing but campaign photos, even if I offer my perspective, it's not worth it for you to visit my blog. I'm no longer providing a value to you, my readers.
I've decided to start holding myself accountable; it's time to bid low-effort posts goodbye. Here are some ways I've been trying to create a better blog, and my thoughts on writing meaningful content as a fashion blogger.
Keep in mind, though, that this post isn't meant to bash anyone. For example,
The Cool Hour mainly posts campaign and brand photos, and I love that blog. These are just some ways I'm changing; you keep doing you!
Quality posts vs. quantity
Brand Love posts do require time; I need to contact brands for permission to use their photographs, choose the campaign I want to feature, resize the images, research the brand, and finally write and polish the actual post. However, it's not nearly as time and effort consuming as taking my own photos. But is it worth it to "save time" and write several posts rather than one well-planned and thoughtful post?
I really resonated with
this quote from Sophie Davies of
A Considered Life:
Blogging culture encourages writers to produce content daily with a rolling editorial schedule that can leave bloggers feeling overwhelmed and drained. There's so much noise online, why add to it?
It's far more important to create purposeful content that contributes to your mission and its message rather than sticking to a blog schedule because you feel obliged to publish a certain amount of posts per week or on set days. Creating mindful content means having a clear intention that provides value for its readers.
Yes, there is so much noise in the blogging world, and we all want to be noticed. We tend to get a spike in traffic when we publish new content, but pushing for those views at a rate you can't keep up with is not advisable, in my opinion. Your content will likely be lower quality which can lead readers to feel duped, and your content to get lost in a sea of posts.
My advice? The best way to grow is to create a body of work you're proud of. Take a step back, focus on the posts you most want to work on, and write them properly. Focus on quality and your work should grow organically.
Being mindful of my impact
Consumerism is a huge part of the fashion blogging community. Whether a blogger identifies as a fashion Instagrammer, beauty guru, lifestyle blogger, or something else, we're often giving readers the impression that we recommend products or brands. Now more than ever, in fact, with the rise in affiliate programs, sponsorships, and brand ambassador titles, sometimes we're essentially telling people what to buy.
Here's where I'm a bit torn: I love talking about fashion and clothing, but the knowledge of wasted resources and unethical manufacturing processes weigh heavy on me. While I think fashion can be a wonderful thing, I don't want to contribute any more than necessary to thoughtless consumerism. It may seem counterproductive, maybe even hypocritical, to blog about clothing and brands while preaching anti-consumerism. I'm not here to tell you what you can or can't promote on your own channels. But for transparency's sake, I'm going to be mindful that everything I share on my blog is something I would purchase myself, and (fingers crossed!) hopefully I can avoid promoting brands with overly-questionable practices.
Using more of my own photos
There are times when I love taking my own photos, and times when I hate it. It can be a lot of effort, and it's so frustrating when they don't turn out. Even the weather can affect my blog editorial! It's so tempting to fall into the routine of using campaign photography every other post; your blog looks fantastic, and it's easy. Unfortunately, you one day find your blog looks just like every other fashion blog or magazine that has featured the same photos. There's nothing to pull your readers in, because these photos can be found elsewhere. You have to offer something from
your perspective. Something new.
I definitely recommend using your own photography over stock photos, at least 50% of the time. It's more effort, but why run a blog if you're just pushing out low effort posts to avoid work? When you take your own photos, you've already provided value to your readers in the form of your images; that can really make the rest of your content stand out.
So am I going to stop posting about brands altogether?
No! I love featuring unique campaigns. In fact, I have some
Brand Love posts scheduled in the upcoming month. However, I am definitely going to limit this post series to an occasional post. I'd like to create a mix of content for readers so it doesn't hurt to mix a bit of eye candy in with the more valuable content!
What are your thoughts on providing value as a fashion blogger?
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