A word of advice

One of the events I'd have loved to attend in New York last week was the IFB (Independent Fashion Bloggers) Evolving Influence conference.

As I could not attend I did the next best thing, which was following the presentations via live blogging. Two of my favorite presentations were from Emily from Cupcakes and Cashmere and Gala Darling. I gathered some of the highlights below as I think we can all learn from these gorgeous ladies!  :) For the full presos please click here and here. I hope you'll like these as much as I did :).

Emily

-Focuses on three main things: compelling content, beautiful photographs, and a clean personalised layout.

-Blog mantra “How to live a fulfilling and satisfying life.”

-Initially worried that scope was too broad, but now finds that a broad approach appeals to people who want more than one thing.

-Emily was first too intimidated to post outfit pictures!

-Really important to be a good editor in your outfit posts: less is more. Thinks you have to be extremely into details and a good editors. Have a variety of photograph compositions: portrait, landscape, full body and details.

-She likes to wear a mix of price points in every outfit and now what you want to showcase: the hair, the jewelry, or maybe a detail on a skirt.

-Location is queen! Find locations that enhance your outfit and the overall outfit.

-Most important aspect of photos: good lighting. Try taking pictures at dusk for perfect lighting; soft, golden, and with lots of depth.

-Outfit posts are time-consuming; invest in time and plan ahead. Just takes “planning, a little creativity, and an outfit worth wearing.”

-Keep your collages: clean, have a theme, clear layout, and all are shot individually on a white background. Emily always has a variety of price points to make trends wearable for everyone.

-Just takes a little planning and time to create something special (with outfit pictures and food apparently!).

-Shooting food is radically different than shooting outfits (agreed!). Practice is what helped her improve her food photographs. Also adds props to make something more interesting; like colored piece of paper or pretty napkins.

-Emily wants everything on her blog to be visually appealing, inspiring, and attainable.

-What she looks for in other blogs: a great name, a good header (her first header was too literal: cupcakes and a goat for cashmere!), and simple layout (white background and black text).

-You can set your blog apart with attention to details: make your own buttons, good banner

-If you’re passionate about what you’re writing about people will respond, but there are no short-cuts! It takes time to build an audience.

Gala Darling

1. Not everyone is going to like you. get over it! You’re being judged regardless of what you do – so you might as well be bold, be authentic be you as much as possible.
2. You’re audience won’t be passionate if you’re not. Blogs are an art form – and there are no great artists who lack passion.
3. Be honest truthful, brave and bold at all times. It’s obvious when you’re pretending to be someone you’re not or you’re doing unethical things, people will find out. Good blogs have full disclosure at all times.
4. Comments can be good or bad. It’s not all about comments anymore anyway – the lay of the land has changed and their are so many ways to engage with each other and with bloggers. Comments are not the only way you’re going to grow your audience.
5. Be consistent across all your platforms – online and in real life!
6. Be thought-provoking and inspiring. It’s easy to start conversations – ask questions! Don’t go on shock value alone – audience want to connect with a real person and not someone who just wants to stir the pot.
7. Offer something of value to your readers. Give them something they don’t already have. If you’re going to rip someone off – which I don’t condone! – at least do it better and knock it out of the park!