10 Tips From the HGTV Blogger Block Party

Two days ago I went to my first HGTV Blogger Block Party in NYC. It was their third annual block party. I highly highly suggest going next year. I know I am! It was a day full of networking, meeting, tweeting and posting. I got to meet and listen to some of the most successful people in the blog world. Some people brought notebooks, some did not (me). I took notes on my phone a little bit because I couldn’t wait to share the info. Maybe next year I’ll bring one. I probably won’t though because I’m more of a wing it type of girl (half kidding).

Genevieve Gorder
Rachel Faucett – Handmade Charlotte
Emily Bidwell – Merchandising Manager for Etsy
Sherry and John Petersik – Young House Love
& Emily Henderson

The tips and stories I took in the most are things that have effected me personally or hit home for me. I like to give and share advice about things I have personally experienced instead of telling you what you should do because every situation is different and not just ONE thing works for everyone.

1. Don’t let the thrill of chasing goals distract you from your purpose.
   Remember why you started. We all have goals and that’s fine. It’s great to have goals but allowing them to be your existence is never good. Always remember why you started and your reason for blogging and being. If your goal is give people your story and give people your expertise then don’t allow getting material things get in your way.
2. Don’t lose your personality by pleasing others.
   It’s easy to want to please your followers, please your sponsors, please everyone. It’s okay to want people to like and want them to be interested in you but always be yourself. If you try to please everyone and be everyone’s cup of tea you will definitely lose yourself.
3. Keep your dimension. Don’t let the internet flatten you.
   I know for me personally I am always worried that I am doing too much on social media. At the end of the day we have to remind ourselves that it’s okay to be interested in more than one thing. It’s okay to want to share more than one of your interests with your followers. I started off on Instagram with home decor and moved onto fashion as well. I expressed this to different people in the industry that I’ve met and I basically got the same response. It’s okay to show your dimension. Your followers are probably interested in home decor AND fashion as well. Keep your dimension.
4. Be okay without perfection.
   This is something I have to remind myself of constantly. If you keep waiting for things to be perfect you will be waiting forever. It’s okay to just get your content out there without it being perfect. Don’t wait to lose weight, don’t wait to start a website, to start instagramming. Just get going!
5. Be consistent.
   This is also something I need to work on. Be consistent in your blogging and posting. If you’re consistent people will know where to look for your content. If every Thursday you post the same thing people will look forward to it. On snapchat I follow some tech accounts and they make a lot of great social media points. Every morning they start their snap story with the same song, image, etc. Consistency will get your recognized and keep your followers coming for more.
6. Do something different.
   Whether we want to admit it or not… a lot of people are blogging. A lot of people are just doing what everyone else is doing. I’m guilty of seeing something I like and then trying it. I think everyone is. I’m guilty of falling to trends. In the world of everyone wanting to blog you have to be innovative and you have to do something different to be noticed.
7. Be authentic.
   Always be true to who you are. Be authentic with your followers, with your sponsors, and with fellow bloggers. Today everyone is just commenting and liking things to get noticed. Focus more on what you can give instead of what you can get and your following will grow.
8. Tell a pretty story that you believe in.
   There’s nothing wrong with being sponsored… if you believe in the product. Emily Henderson told a story about how she was sponsored by a high end handbag company. Although she doesn’t do fashion really she accepted the offer to be sponsored by them. She wasn’t sure about accepting it at first because what would people think? It IS quite possible that some of her followers like handbags, right? It’s okay to show people the products and life you live when you believe in it.
9. Fun, press/portfolio, Money.
   Emily Henderson also said that her company only accepts jobs that they can Have fun, make money, or use it for press and portfolio. Even when you’re successful you will still take some jobs and be sponsored for press and portfolio. Especially when you’re first starting out you won’t make money for everything. If someone tells you they get paid for everything then they’re doing it for the wrong reason. Don’t get me wrong money is great and you should get paid for your work but money isn’t everything. When you’re just starting out large companies may not reach out to you at first. Smaller companies will but smaller company means smaller budget. IF you can use the products for content and experience… DO IT.
10. Take risks.
     Don’t be scared to take risks. The only way you’re going to figure out if something works is by trying it. Don’t be afraid to post that outfit, paint that wall, write that post etc. This comes back to doing something different. You’re not going to be different if you don’t take risks.