Archives for December 2018

How To Setup A Pinterest Business Account

December 31, 2018 • by NikkiSlivarich

It’s time to start thinking about Pinterest as a less of an ideas tool and more of a search engine!

When I first signed up for Pinterest, it was because I was looking for ideas and DIY decor for my wedding. Little did I know how powerful this incredible social media platform would be for my blogging business!

Only after a few dozen searches for “How to Start a Mommy Blog” and an “Aha” moment did I realize that, oh my Goodness! I should be promoting my blog on Pinterest as well!

While I began my social media career on Instagram and became an Instagram influencer almost by accident (Check out How To Take Amazing Photos For Instagram and see the steps I took to become an Instagram Influencer in less than a year. Then, have a look at 11 Instagram Photography Essentials You Can Get On Amazon when you’re ready to start shooting fabulous new content to improve your feed for the fabulous new year head), Pinterest completely changed my blogging game!

I get more page views and subscribers from Pinterest than any other social media platform! This includes Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter combined!

I’m also gaining about 61 new followers a week since I’ve started focusing on this social media platform more than all of the rest! This is without following new accounts (I’ve actually started removing people I was following to focus on those related to my niche and only the ones I am truly interested in), having joined just one Pinterest Group Board, and without participating in Facebook groups for engagement!

I’ve been using a combination of Manual Pinning and Tailwind as my strategy going forward into the New Year and so far, it’s really paid off!

If you haven’t started your blog or a website for your business yet, check out my step by step guide on How I Started A Money Making Blog From Day One to get yours up and running in less than 20 minutes! And when you’re ready to write your first blog post (or several!), head over to 60 Awesome Ideas For Blog Post Your Audience Will Actually Read to explode your blog traffic!

Why Switch to a Pinterest Business Profile?

The most valuable reason of all to switch to a Pinterest Business account is for access to Pinterest Analytics! Just like Instagram does for your posts, you can see exactly how each individual pin is performing! This gives you incredible knowledge on whether or not you should then update your pin or create a more interesting one to bring in more traffic to that particular post. Here’s an example of a pin I created yesterday night!

If you are interested in promoting your content through paid advertising, this is also possible with a Pinterest Business account and the cost can be manageable, depending on your budget!

To start promoting one of your pins, go to your Profile and then click Boards. Highlight the pin you’d like to Promote and then click the corresponding red button in the top right hand corner of that pin.

Once there, you’ll see the Create a traffic campaign screen like the one shown below. Enter your Daily budget and select your desired Campaign duration.

Now, click on the blank field under Target audience to fill in desired search terms relevant to the pin you will promote. I chose Blogging for Beginners for this one as it’s the top result related to my niche when you search the word “Blogging” in Pinterest. Always, ALWAYS search keywords in Pinterest to see what’s trending and optimize your visibility!

If you use more highly searched terms, in this instance, simply the word “Blog“, you’ll have to pay an additional cost per click! Vary your keywords, keep them related to your niche, and try to keep the cost low per click to obtain the best value for your traffic campaign.

I’ve personally found that the more generic the keyword, the more impressions. But clicks are an entirely different story! And what’s the point of advertising if you’re not driving traffic to your blog or sales to your business? A pretty picture that gets saved is just that!

Now let’s get to it and setup that Business Profile so we can start driving traffic to your site!

How To Setup A Business Profile on Pinterest

There are two different means of creating a business profile on Pinterest. You can either (1) Create a new business profile or (2) Convert a personal profile to a business profile.

(1) Create a New Pinterest Business Profile

1. If you are logged into your personal profile, click logout first in order to create your new account.

2. From this new screen, move your cursor to the top right hand corner and click Sign Up or visit pinterest.com/business/create/

3. Choose Create a business account.

4. Enter your Email Address

5. Enter a Password

6. Click Create account

6. Select your Language and Country and then hit Next

7. Enter Your Business Name into the Give your business profile a name field

8. Choose the Type of Business you manage by clicking on the corresponding title from the Tell us about your business field

9. Enter your Website Address into the Add your website

10. Claim your Instagram, Etsy Store, or YouTube Channel by connecting them to your new Pinterest business account

11. Decide on if you will run ads for your new Pinterest business account.

If you chose yes, you’ll see the screen below next. If you don’t know you’re monthly budget yet, save this for another time or click the Not sure option to leave your contact information and have someone from Pinterest get back to you to discuss your options!

Simply enter your callback details in the fields below if you’d like someone from Pinterest to contact you and discuss your advertising options.

12. Choose at least 1 topic related to your business from the available categories below. You can unfollow this topic later on, if you like.

13. Welcome to your new Pinterest business account 🙂

Add a profile picture and you’re all done!

That’s it! Enjoy your new business profile!

(2) Convert a Personal Pinterest Profile to a Business Profile

1. If you are not already logged in, log in to your personal Pinterest account now.

2. Click on the three dots settings button on the top right hand side of your screen or visit pinterest.com/business/convert/

3. Click Upgrade Now

4. Confirm this is the correct Email Address you want to use to signup for your business account and hit Continue

5. Fill in your Business Name and choose a Category that best describes your business.

6. Enter your Website and click Next

7. If they were not already connected to you Personal Account, Claim your business’ social media accounts now.

8. Choose whether or not you would be interested in running a traffic campaign or decide later.

If you clicked yes, you’ll see the screen below next. If you don’t know you’re monthly budget yet, save this for another time or click the Not sure option to leave your contact information and have someone from Pinterest get back to you to discuss your options!

Simply enter the details below to arrange a callback.

Congratulations! You’ve now setup your Pinterest Business Profile and are ready to go 🙂

Have you setup your Pinterest Business Profile yet? What do you think of Pinterest Analytics? Have you run a Traffic Campaign? Would love to hear about your experience in the comments below!

Blogging

60 Awesome Ideas For Blog Posts Your Audience Will Actually Read

December 27, 2018 • by NikkiSlivarich

This post contains affiliate links, meaning that if you make a purchase using one of these links, I will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

Chances are that you’ve faced this situation at least once.

Writer’s block can be brutal! Whether you’re just feeling uninspired or don’t know how to start your next blog post, browsing ideas is one of the most natural ways to get the creative juices flowing.

But not all ideas are created equally!

Rather than writing Top 10 Gift Ideas lists or other generic and subjective posts (um, yep, I’m guilty of this one too!), let’s talk about what the people really want to read!

If you haven’t started your blogging journey yet, check out this post on How To Start a Money Making Blog to get going NOW! You’ll be glad you did!

First time visiting? Thanks so much for stopping by 🙂 You might also enjoy these posts:

60 Awesome Ideas For Blog Posts Your Audience Will Actually Read

1. How To Start A Blog

2. Ways To Promote Blog Traffic

3. How To Use Pinterest Like A Pro

4. Why You Need Tailwind To Promote Your Blog

5. How To Use Instagram For Your Blog Or Business

6. Best Accompanying Apps For Instagram

7. Favourite Blogs Or Websites To Inspire You

8. How To Use Facebook For Your Blog Or Business

9. Why You Started Blogging

10. How You Made Your First X Dollars Blogging

11. Best Inspirational Podcasts For Boss Babes

12. How To Edit Photos For Your Blog/Social Media

13. Where To Find Great Stock Photos For Your Blog

14. How To Use Affiliate Marketing

15. Why You Need And How To Use Google Analytics

16. How To Use Twitter For Your Blog Or Business

17. Social Media Hacks

18. Lessons You Learned During Your First Month/Year Blogging

19. Favourite Plugins For WordPress

20. Website Builder Comparison

21. WordPress.com Vs. WordPress.org

22. Share An Infographic

23. Create A Printable

24. Website Hosting Comparison

25. Common Pinterest Mistakes

26. What Is SEO And How to Do It Correctly

27. Things You Wish You Knew When You First Started Blogging

28. Your Daily Routine For Optimal Productivity

29. Organizational Accessories You Can’t Live Without

30. Reasons Why You Love Blogging

31. Share Your Most Popular Posts

32. Blogging Tools You Can’t Live Without

33. Beautiful Themes You Can Download For Your Blog

34. How To Use Instagram Stories For Your Blog Or Business

35. Why You Need Instagram TV For Your Blog or Business

36. Favourite E-Books That Have Helped You In Your Blogging Journey

37. A List Of Profitable Niches For Bloggers Who Are Just Starting Out

38. Share How You Organize Your Agenda

39. Your Golden Rules of Blogging

40. How You Manage Your Home And Personal Life Between Blogging

41. A Tour of Your Work Space

42. How You Organize Your Desktop

43. Share Information About The Camera And Lenses You Use For Photography

44. Do a Comparison Between Two Products Relevant to Your Niche

45. Share Your Monthly Income Report

46. Create A List Of Blog Post Ideas 😉

47. How You Went from X to XA Monthly Viewers On Pinterest

48. A Tutorial On Creating Board Covers For Pinterest

49. How To Create Story Covers For Instagram Stories

50. Tips For Starting A Youtube Channel

51. How You Create And/Or Shoot Content For Your Blog Or Instagram Page

52. Tips For Saving Money On Social Media Or Blogging Resources

53. How To Join Pinterest Group Boards & The Best Ones To Join

54. Your Favourite Resources For Getting Paid Sponsorships For Your Blog or Social Media Account

55. How To Work With Brands As A Blogger Or Social Media Influencer

56. Things All Brands Should Know About Working With Bloggers Or Social Media Influencers!

57. Best Tips For Being Successful As A Blogger

58. Side Hustles And Money Making Tips That Actually Work

59. Reasons For Or Against Using Paid Marketing Campaigns To Promote Your Blog

60. Share The Affiliate Networks You Are A Part Of And How To Get Started Using Them

Have an idea for a blog post? What has been your most shared article? Let me know in the comments below!

Want to really explode your blog traffic? Signup for Tailwind using this link and experience how I went from 5 to 44,000 monthly viewers on Pinterest in one month!

Blogging

How To Start A Blog in 2019: The Ultimate Guide To Blogging For Beginners

December 27, 2018 • by NikkiSlivarich

Today is the day, babe! Are you ready?

We’re starting a Blog that’s capable of making money from day one!

How are we going to do this?

We’ll start by setting up a self-hosted WordPress.org website through Siteground, who offers an incredible 99.99% uptime (I’ll explain what this means in a bit for those who are brand new to blogging)!

But why WordPress.org and why Siteground?

As I’ve had experience with various website builders, I can honestly say that self-hosting is the way to go if you want to make real money from day one! This is exactly how I did it!

Before moving my WordPress.com site over to Siteground for WordPress.org hosting, I previously tried Wix due its reputation for being easy to use!

Wix is a drag and drop website builder but I learned quickly that doing things the easy way wasn’t going to get me earning anytime soon. WordPress.com was a different story!

In my earlier blogging days, there were some months where I had hundreds of viewers and somehow earned less than I did during months with fewer readers.

I was stumped but later learned that I would always make far less displaying ads on my site with WordPress.com than I would make if I made the switch to a self-hosted website (when you go with self-hosted, you own your content as well – if you’d like a better understanding of WordPress.com’s terms, please review them here).

In order to gain access to AdWords, you have to upgrade to at least the Premium plan. Views are paid based on the geographic location of the user (for example, readers based in the United States earn you the highest rate per ad view), so, if your blog is catered to a non-US local market, you’ll also earn less due to this factor.

I chose WordPress.com because I was a busy mom who didn’t have time to learn how to html, install a theme, get to know plugins, etc.

Sound familiar?

Learn from my mistakes and make the investment in yourself and your blog now!

With enough effort, it will pay off sooner than you think!

The decision to start a blog for me came from my love of creating and sharing recipes. But what I learned about myself during that experience was something completely different…

I actually love to teach more than anything! And thus, Nikki Blogs was born!

Between blogging and social media, I earn a full-time income from home where I can happily raise my family! A fulfilling career that I am passionate about plus the opportunity to watch my little one grow up is all I could ever ask for.

Starting a blog was the best decision I EVER made!

Maybe you have similar ambitions.

Or maybe you’re just looking for an additional income stream.

Whatever the reason, I really can’t wait to help you get started and am looking forward to sharing the exact steps I took to start a blog that made money from day one with you!

First time visiting? Can’t wait to get started on creating amazing content for your brand new blog and social media? Check out these posts for more inspiration!

Some of the links on this page are affiliate links and, at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission if you use them.

So, you want to start a blog. But what do you want to write about? This is a very important thing to consider earlyin your blogging journey!

While I personally describe my blog as a lifestyle blog, my focus is centred around Blogging and Social Media. I do occasionally talk about my little girl and motherhood but my niche is very clear.

Do you have a passion for beauty? Cooking? Twitter?

Whatever your favourite topic is, stick to it!

Look to the future a bit: imagine you’re sending out your monthly email newsletter! What is your audience expecting?

It is far easier to build a brand and following when you have focus and your readers recognize you for being exceptional at something.

Ask yourself a couple of questions:

What am I truly passionate about?

While this can be fairly easy for some, it may be more difficult to narrow down for others!

People start blogs for all sorts of reasons. Let your passion guide you and you’ll never be short of inspiration for new content. Because content is the epitome of any successful blog!

Can I make money from this?

Blogging can be a super fun and amazing outlet. In a way, it’s almost like having a journal!

But if you really want to take it seriously and work from home, you need to ask yourself the tough questions now:

How do you plan to make money from your blog?

Will you offer a service?

Will you show ads?

How about affiliate marketing?

Do the research and you’ll be on your way to making money from day one of your blog’s launch!

Is there a need within my niche?

While starting your new online adventure is an exciting feat, you need to separate yourself from others in your category. Finding a need within your niche is the best way to do so.

Is there a question to be answered that you have a new take on?

Is there a problem to be solved that you’ve developed a creative solution for?

Both of these thoughts are wonderful starting points!

How do you want your blog to be perceived?

How do you want to make people feel when they experience your content?

Like a beautiful, cohesive Instagram feed, a blog with clear branding not only makes you look more professional, it builds trust in your audience.

You know who you are and therefore your readers know that they can count on you to deliver consistent content.

Start with something as simple as your colour palette:

How many colours will you use?

What are you main colours? What are your accent colours?

What font will you use?

Are you more modern or traditional?

How do you want your logo to look?

Do you want to have it designed for you or use an app to generate it? Will you have a slogan?

What will you name your blog?

This is one of, if not your most essential key branding element!

You want your blog name to be memorable! So, ideally, try to stick with two or three words (and name your domain accordingly).

Make it memorable and relevant to your niche.

Also, choose “.com” for your site!

This not only makes you look more reputable which, of course, builds trust, it’s also that much easier for blog readers to remember and could result in an email subscription (a seriously valuable asset for digital marketing that we’ll get into later on)!

You can check to see if your ideal domain name is available using this link.

Will you take your own photos or use stock photos?

Between managing my personal and home life, Instagram account, and blog, I hardly get time to create content for both platforms, so I’ve opted to go with a combination of my own photos as well as some stock photos – check out The 23 Best Places for FREE Bright & Feminine Stock Photos to start collecting some for your site now!

Trust me when I say that this part is not as hard as it may seem!

And I avoided making the switch to self-hosting for as long as possible because I was afraid of the technical stuff!

To get started in creating your self-hosted blog, you require two things:

A Blogging Platform

Your blogging platform is the service or application you will use to actually create your blog.

You will use it to design your website, choose your theme, add pages, and create posts. It allows you to manage your blog and to reply to comments on your posts. In this case, we’re setting your blog up with WordPress.

Hosting

Your host provides the servers where the data that makes up your website resides; in English, it’s a little space on the internet where your website lives, like renting an apartment!

After experimenting with different platforms and seeing what other successful bloggers were using, I finally made the choice to switch over to WordPress, and then to a self-hosted WordPress.org website through Siteground.

I cannot tell you enough how happy I’ve been with this combination!

As someone with no background in website building, html, etc., I was initially intimidated to make the change but the learning curve was not as bad as I expected.

The worst part of all was transferring my domain!

And the worst WORST part of that was that my previously written blog posts were stuck in limbo during the one week duration between the transfer having been completed (meaning, my readers could not see my content some of the time; with WordPress.com, it’s all a waiting game and there was no option for me to have it done sooner than the given time frame they set out).

Once the transfer was completed, I also had to go to Pinterest and change all of the links for my articles since NOT ONE of them retained the same former URL!

A very ugly process when you have thousands of pins circulating on the internet!

Do NOT make this mistake and choose the self-hosted option first! You will be SO glad you did!

Why Should You Choose Siteground?

They have an amazing 99.99% uptime

Blog down time is the worst thing EVER!

You could be losing potential readers, subscribers, and followers while your website is not up and running!

Your readers are the ones who keep you in business and count on you for guidance. Don’t leave them hanging by making sure you have the best in hosting and always have your blog up and running!

They Have 24/7 Support for All of Your Questions

This was definitely my favourite feature when I switched over from WordPress.com to a self-hosted WordPress.org site!

I had a little trouble transferring my domain and simply called Siteground’s 24/7 support team for help with the final steps. They literally just did EVERYTHING for me! It was AMAZING!

If you prefer to chat online though, simply visit their site for on-demand support.

No matter your experience level, Siteground‘s incredible tech support will be able to help you resolve your issue!

Siteground Comes Equipped with SuperCacher

Your website will be able to handle “up to 100 more hits” and be 4x faster!

Meaning, if one of your pins or blog posts goes viral, your viewers won’t experience a delay due to an increase in your blog traffic.

SuperCacher is also multi-application optimized and users can “enable multiple caching levels”!

So, are you ready to start your money-making blog now?

Click this link to head over to Siteground now and let’s setup your blog together!

Create Your New Blog With Siteground

Step (1) Choose A Plan

Siteground offers three different plans to choose from: in order of most basic to most advanced, your options are StartUp, Grow Big, or GoGeek.

I highly recommend the Grow Big plan as it is a reasonable price and offers the best bang for your buck including both Essential and Premium Features (like SuperCacher!), 20GB of Web Space, and up to 25,000 Monthly Visits!

This is more enough if you’re just starting out and will allow your blog to grow exponentially if you have the means and are willing to put the work in!

However, if you’re trying to save your pennies and need to stick to a more budget friendly option, the StartUp plan is only $3.95 a month making it perfect to get you into the blog game.

If you’ve already built somewhat of a following though, or expect massive amounts of traffic from the start, the GoGeek Plan is $11.95, includes Advanced Features and can handle up to 100,000 monthly visits! Holy Cow!

While Siteground is known for their amazing support system, do keep in mind that users of the Grow Big and GoGeek plans do receive priority support though!

When I called in about my domain transfer issue, it took less than 10 minutes to get me connected to someone at tech support! It takes me longer to pay a bill online, haha!

Also, keep in mind that you will receive HUGE SAVINGS if you purchase hosting for a term of 2 or 3 years. If you are serious about building your blog, this is absolutely the way to go!

Step (2) Choose A Domain Name

Have you been thinking about your blog name during our walkthrough?

Did you narrow it down to two or three words? Does it represent the brand you are going to create for your new awesome blog? Yes? Fabulous!

Let’s plug your domain name into the Please Enter Your Domain field.

If you didn’t already plug your potential domain name into the availability checker earlier, you’ll find out if it’s available now 🙂 Again, I really recommend choosing a “.com” for its professional appearance and memorability.

If your ideal domain name is available and/or you are happy with your choice, let’s wrap up the final details and move onto step 3 next.

Step (3) Fill In Your Account Info

Now for the easy part!

Fill in your Account and Client Information.

Now, fill in your Payment Information.

Next, confirm your Purchase Information and be sure to choose at least a 12 month term to unlock a 70% off discount for your first year!

Now, choose whether or not to include a couple of Extra Services in the form of Domain Privacy and/or SG Site Scanner (I personally like the added security that these additional features offer but if you don’t need them, you can save a couple of bucks).

Check the box to confirm that you agree to Siteground’s Terms of Service and click Pay Now to complete your purchase.

Congratulations!

You’ve officially got hosting for your blog and are ready to rock!

You’re now ready to start customizing your blog.

First things first, let’s install WordPress!

Want to make this as easy and as quick as possible? Let’s hit Live Chat and contact a Siteground Tech to set it up for us! Sweet!

Simply ask the Siteground Team Member to setup your WordPress site and send you the login details for your account. Presto!

In the 15 minutes it takes for a Siteground team member to do this, you can be checking out beautiful themes for your blog at Creative Market or this selection of 25 Beautiful & Feminine WordPress Themes For Your Blog that was curated by yours truly!

Life is good, right?

However, if you are feeling adventurous or simply want to setup WordPress on your own, you can do so by hitting the tab labelled My Accounts and then the Go to cPanel tab.

Once you’re here, move down to the Autoinstallers section and click on the WordPress icon near the centre.

Click on the Install button.

And after installing, enter your information on the next screen.

Software Setup

Choose Protocol: Keep it simple using http://

Choose Domain: Select your domain name from the drop down menu

In Directory: Leave this blank unless you know you want it

Site Settings

Site Name: This is your website’s name

Site Description: Enter a brief description for your site; or return to fill it in at a later time!

Admin Account

Admin Username: This is the name you use to log into your WordPress Blog

Admin Password: This is the password to log into your WordPress Blog (there is a separate login entity from your Siteground login)

Admin Email: This is the email address that will be attached to your WordPress Blog

Select Plugin(s)

Limit Login Attempts (Loginizer): A security precaution that limits the number of attempts there is available to try entering your WordPress password before the account is frozen.

Classic Editor: Choose classic editor if your prefer a more simplistic approach to formatting your blog posts (personally, I favour the Classic Editor over the new Block Editor).

Easy setup

WordPress Starter: Provides easy setup in selecting themes and/or plugins.

If you will use a custom theme like the beautiful ones offered through Creative Market, you’ll also need to take additional steps when installing your themes (like downloading the necessary plugins, etc.).

Now, let’s checkout our Dashboard!

Log in to WordPress

Let’s log in to to your new WordPress Account by heading back to the My Accounts tab in your Siteground User Area.

Click on the Installations tab below and then click on Go to Admin Panel.

Enter the details from your WordPress account setup earlier.

Welcome to your Dashboard!

This is where you’ll spend most of your time navigating in and out of your Blog Posts as well as setting up your Theme and downloading cool plugins for your site.

To add a New Page, move your cursor over to the menu on the lefthand side of your screen and highlight the Pages link where a tab that reads Add New will appear on the righthand side. Click this button.

In the next screen, add a title to your new page.

The first pages you should create are an About Me page and a Contact page.

Write Your First Blog Post

To write your first blog post, move your cursor to the lefthand menu once again and highlight the the Posts link until the tab that reads Add New appears to the right. Click this link.

And there you have it, you can start working on your first blog post!

If you’re like me and prefer to keep it simple though, move your cursor to bottom the right hand side of your screen and highlight the text that reads Switch to Classic Editor to use the basic editor.

Pro Tip: Plan out and write your first ten blog posts before you launch your blog!

This will help you maintain readership by having enough articles for your readers to browse and enough internal links for you to use within your posts.

As bloggers, we want to ensure low bounce rates and many well written articles is your best arsenal for making this happen!

How will you promote your blog? And how will you make a profit?

Will you apply for Google Adsense?

Do you want to try Affiliate Marketing?

Or will you strictly provide a service?

These are all crucial things to consider when it comes to how you will make money blogging and your monetization plan needs to be clear from the start.

If you are looking to learn more about how to make money with your new blog, check out the Top 5 Ways To Monetize Your Blog to see how I’ve utilized all of them as part of my work at home/full-time mom income plan!

If you plan to sell a product, make sure you’ve created a listing for it on your blog before your launch.

If you will do affiliate marketing, decide what programs you will apply for and start referencing links to those products in your posts while you are writing them from the start.

Get your copy of the totally FREE and totally fabulous Blogger Bundle to see exactly how I plan my blog posts PLUS the exact checklists I use before and after publishing new content!

Pro Tip: Get to know the rules of the Affiliate Programs you have signed onto before you start including these links in your posts.

Amazon, for instance, has very strict guidelines! Know your rules and don’t get banned before you’ve even gotten your feet wet!

Before you start promoting your blog posts to Pinterest, Instagram, and other Social Media platforms, go over some details.

Do a couple of final edits on your articles to make sure you’re happy with all of the visual and written components!

And for a list of 60 Awesome Ideas for Blog Posts for Content that Actually Gets Seen, click here!

And once you’ve done the above, you’re ready to launch your blog!

For my favourite way to promote my blog posts, check out Tailwind!

I used this incredible app to help me grow from 5 to 220,000 monthly viewers on Pinterest and increase my blog traffic by more than 858% in one month!

This is your year and it’s going to be amazing!

Once you’ve setup your blog, leave a comment below or come find me on Facebook or Instagram to learn more about using Social Media for your blog 🙂

You may also find the following posts useful for promoting your blog on social media once you’re ready to launch:

Please also don’t hesitate to shoot me an email at contact@nikkiblogs.com should you have any additional questions about setting up your blog.

Congratulations and happy blogging!

Social Media

How To Take Amazing Photos For Instagram

December 21, 2018 • by NikkiSlivarich

So, you want to go from Instagram user to Instagram Influencer?

Or are you looking to start using the world’s number 3 social media platform for your business?

With over 1,000,000,000 monthly active users, it’s definitely an incredible potential means of exposure!

But how do you get seen on Instagram?

Different bloggers, social media consultants, and self-made influencers will give you a variety of suggestions.

They’ll tell you that you need to use the right hashtags.

Or maybe you need to join engagement groups (check out this post on Engagement Groups – Instagram Moms’ Biggest Kept Secret to learn more about my love hate relationship with these and why I left 99% of them).

But you know what? There is something far more important than either of these suggestions to be worked on!

Impressions are just that! And they are simply not valuable unless they convert.

You want to get profile visits, saves, and clicks on your website link because that’s what counts. And I’ll give you one guess as to how we are going to achieve that… you guessed it!

Take Amazing Photos for Instagram!

By implementing the following changes to my own Instagram account, I was able to go from posting for product to posting product for profit!

Meaning, I now get gifted items from sponsors PLUS receive payment for advertising!

It’s a crazy world, right? But it’s also an incredible world. One that has allowed me to fulfill my dream come true of being a work at home mom!

So, you want to see how I did it? Of course, you do! And I can’t wait to share everything I’ve learned with you too! Let’s get started 🙂

Disclaimer: Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links and as an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases. This comes at no additional cost to you should you decide to purchase an item after clicking the link provided. I have recommended items based on my experience with them and not the small commission I would receive from their purchase.

How To Take Amazing Photos For Instagram

(1) Upgrade Your Equipment

When I first started my new Instagram account, I was a very pregnant, soon-to-be mom. And I shot A LOT of flat lays with my iPhone 6s!

However, after admiring many of the larger mom accounts, I noticed they all had one thing in common. Their image quality was out of this world!

If I ever wanted to get my account past the 1,000 Followers mark, I’d have to upgrade my equipment too.

So, I did just that!

I purchased a Sony A6500 after learning that an Instagram mom I was a major fan of was shooting with an A6300.

Her blog post on photo editing was a couple of years old by this time, so I chose the latest model.

It was a big investment at the time but I don’t regret this decision one bit now.

Since then, I’ve made over $1,000 from shooting and posting sponsored content on my account!

Don’t get me wrong, you can still get sponsors to work you if you are exclusively rocking your phone camera, but if you want to reach higher places in your Instagram career, start investing now to reap the rewards sooner.

Also, keep in mind that the higher quality your image, the easier it will be to edit later on! Grainy images are the worst!

Pro Tip: ALWAYS shoot in Raw!

(2) Shoot at the Same Time of Day Every Time You Shoot!

I might sound like a broken record here, since I mention this in a lot of my posts, but shooting at a consistent time of day is a must is you want to take better photos for Instagram.

Try to take photos between 10am until about 4pm for optimal levels of natural light.

I find that this 6 hour window is all I need to provide me with optimal natural lighting (and bonus, my little girl’s bedtime falls within this range).

Anything before can cast a weird orangey or shadow like appearance in my photos. However, with the right bounce (something as simple as a White Foamboard), this issue can sometimes be corrected.

Shooting at the same time of day during optimal hours is normally enough for these tricks to be unnecessary though.

(3) Invest in Quality Lighting

Sometimes natural light just isn’t enough! It sounds crazy, but it’s true!

Our home is a rectangle and only has lights on two opposing sides which means that I need to photograph very close to my windows if at all possible. Something that’s difficult to do if, for instance, I need to photograph my dishwasher which is more near the centre of our space.

Using two standing studio lights is enough to brighten up most areas and creates the perfect blend of artificial and natural light.

Mine are Neewer (the ones shown below) and were purchased on Amazon.

They’re super affordable and are exactly what I need to bring that extra bit of brightness to some of my shots.

If you are looking to pickup your own studio lights, starting with two large umbrella lights and one small one is more enough to start. I love using my small one for shooting product and created the image below using the one from this set.

(4) Choose The Best Editing Software

When I first started using Instagram, I used to rely on their filters and rotated between Clarendon and Gingham! Ugh, big mistake!

I should have invested in quality editing software for my photos from the beginning!

Everything I’ve learned about Instagram, I’ve learned through a combination of trial and error as well as what’s working with the top accounts in my genre: the lifestyle blogger/mom niche! And the accounts I look up to are the ones with 300k plus REAL followers.

What you need to do RIGHT NOW is check out Lightroom CC! This editing software completely changed my Instagram game.

Before Lightroom, I used to edit my photos with Snapseed (to make my whites whiter, blacks blacker, and to give my colours more of a POP with increased Saturation and Ambiance).

Then, I’d upload that edited version of my original shot into VSCO where I’d apply the A6 filter.

With Lightroom, I don’t need to take two steps anymore!

I apply ALL of my selective edits within the app after hitting the preset I’ve created for my Instagram feed. Easy peasy!

Do keep in mind though, Snapseed is currently a free editing app (at the time of writing this post, thus making it a great alternative for those on a budget). And, VSCO runs at around just under $27 a year Canadian. Lightroom however, is a bit steeper!

If you are a student or teacher though, you can save a ton by registering as such when you download Adobe Creative Suite.

I currently have this rate and pay $14.99 a month Canadian for it, score. However, if you are neither of the above, wait for the next sale (because they do happen, particularly around Black Friday and Cyber Monday!) and save on your subscription.

By purchasing Adobe Creative Suite, you’ll have access to Lightroom CC on your mobile phone as well as Photoshop, Media Encoder, and Lightroom on your desktop! Can you say winning? It’s always nice to have options!

(5) Experiment With Different Styles of Photography

When I posted my first top down photography shot, my followers loved it! But when I revealed how I got it, the comments were mixed.

I secured my mirrorless camera with a cardboard cut out for the lens to pop through to the roof using painters tape and a ton of thumbtacks! A trick I learned from one of the biggest social media moms on Instagram right now!

I thought it was ingenious when I saw how she did it and couldn’t wait to give it a go myself. Here’s the image below 🙂

So, when I purchased my camera, you’re darn right, I bought drop and fall insurance, haha!

If you want to make it as an influencer or blogger, I think you have to be both genuine and take risks.

Put yourself out there and try new things!

No one wants to look at the same redundant selfies a million times! How many times have we seen that “leading” around the world photo or something like it? You know the one, where a woman is pulling her boyfriend’s hand and all you see in the photo is the back of her head, hand, and body?

While one of these shots could add some mild spice to your feed, posting the same photo over and over again can get boring.

Think of your Instagram like a portfolio for potential clients!

Would you showcase the same style of photo over and over again during an interview or on your resume? A number of grainy selfies? Or something that has been done repetitively by other influencers in your niche? Probably not!

When you attend a job interview, there’s often a particular skill set that your potential employer is looking for but more important than that, and especially in this industry, you need to show range and versatility.

Believe me when I say that I have Instagrammer’s regret on a number of my earlier static posts!

While it’s often difficult for me to make time to work between being a busy mom of an active toddler, making meals for my family, and maintaining my home (which I’ve actually FINALLY got under control now – check out my post on One Simple Rule for Maintaining a Showroom Home), lining products up and placing them against the wall is a MUST NOT when working with brands!

I’ve done it and I REGRET it! There is virtually no creative thought put into this!

I know our lives get busy, especially as parents, but when you agree to sign on for a campaign, really think about the brand your working with and what you can do to make their product shine. Because if they shine, you shine, and you might even get featured on their Instagram page or website!

(6) Think About Your Feed While You’re Creating Content

Some of you might be wondering what I mean by this!

Remember how we discussed Rotating The Type of Photo You Post in How to Maintain a White & Bright Instagram Feed? This is something that’s also super important to consider while you are shooting your content!

Instead of shooting flat lay after flat lay, try including people in your shot or even better, yourself!

I cannot tell you what a gamechanger this was in my own Instagram journey.

Side Note: before starting Nikki Blogs and my personal Instagram account for it, I started on Instagram as a Vegan Foodie! However, that all changed (for obvious reasons, haha) once I started craving meat again during my pregnancy (I’d been vegan for more than four years before that time due to health reasons when I experienced a cancer scare).

Over the course of running this account, the number of times followers asked to know more about me was outstanding. But I’ll be honest, at first, I found it strange!

Why would people want to know more about who I am? Why aren’t they just interested in my recipes?

Because Instagram is a social platform and people are naturally social!

But back to thinking about your feed!

If possible, shoot your content in a couple of different styles: include yourself in some, props in others, etc.

And if you want to do a flat lay, go ahead and do a flat lay, haha!

I find that I like to organize my Instagram feed by rotating busy and simple photos as well as rotating those with clean white space with those that lack it.

If you have two photos of you sitting on the left side of your child, for instance, break it up with that flat lay or an inspirational quote, if you like to include those in your feed.

Pro Tip: download the Preview App to plan your feed in advance! This is definitely in my top two for most used Apps when it comes to maintaining my Instagram feed!

(7) Use White or Minimal Backgrounds

Invest in clean white sheets, foamboard, or poster board. These are all perfection Instagram Photography Props to help you get started in creating a more cohesive feed.

By setting your items (or yourself) in front of such backdrops, you can also usually create better bounce in your lighting.

Plus, rather than having clutter and/or unevenly coloured backgrounds for your shots, consistently shooting in front of the same or similarly coloured white backdrops is the easiest path to cohesion in your feed. If the colour does differ slightly though, tone it using the Brightness and Saturation settings in your photo editing software. Or, if you’ve already downloaded Lightroom, enable your go-to preset and presto, almost instant cohesion!

Note: some presets will still require you to tone saturation up or down; depending on their orange levels (or there lack of), skin tone is almost always the issue!

Check out my post on How to Maintain a White & Bright Instagram Feed for more tips on curating a beautifully curated Instagram page.

Featuring clean white space and minimal backgrounds has the ability to bring your Instagram image to “am I looking at a professional advertisement” level.

Pro Tip: when shooting, be sure to photograph using different zoom settings.

There is nothing worse than taking the perfect shot only to realize, oh no, you are too zoomed in and won’t be able to crop the image as a square!

But, Nikki to the rescue! I found an app to save the day!

If you haven’t tried it yet, get Recrop NOW! It’s the very best $2.79 Canadian I have EVER spent!

Recrop saved my behind just recently when, after shooting content for a sponsored post that was due that night, I discovered that the perfect photo (featuring my little girl) was too zoomed in and would not fit in a square format!

I was desperate looking for answers and stumbled upon this incredible little find.

Recrop essentially copies the excess space on the edge of your photo frame and builds your ideal photo shape.

So, next time you have a photo emergency and are looking to repair the perfect shot, look to the left, right, top, and bottom to see if you’ve captured any minimal or clean space and use the Recrop app to help you build your winning image!

What are you favourite methods for shooting content for Instagram? What are your favourite tools for editing and planning ahead?

Have you tried Instagram TV yet? Check out my post on Why You Need Instagram TV for Your Blog to get started with IGTV now!

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11 Instagram Photography Essentials You Can Get on Amazon

December 12, 2018 • by NikkiSlivarich

I have to start off by saying that I’ve wanted to write this one for a while!

The idea hit me earlier this year when I began utilizing Amazon Prime more efficiently and made the discovery that there are a TON of Instagram worthy props available to be delivered to me in 24 hours or less! Wow!

At the time, I was a mother of a child under the age of one and still today, am the primary caregiver for said child 99% of the time (see how I learned to manage my time as a Work At Home Mom and Get Organized Like a Mom Boss).

So, needless to say, the idea of such speedy delivery time plus reasonable prices was an amazing one; because you don’t know the kind of patience you are capable of until you take your baby (or now rambunctious toddler!) on a shopping excursion.

If you can make life just a little simpler and eliminate two or three stops, why not take advantage of this, right?

In mommy time, this could equate to something like 2 hours and you can instead get all of your shopping done in 20 minutes or less while your little one naps… even on your lap!

Can I really buy beautiful photography props on Amazon?

You might be thinking, Nikki, can I really get gorgeous things on Amazon for my Instagram and Pinterest photos?

Yes, you can! Plus, you will be AMAZED with the high quality of them too! I know I was.

It’s incredible how many DM’s I get asking where I picked up certain items and I almost always got them on Amazon, haha.

And bonus, if you’re not happy with one of your purchases, head back to your Amazon account and ask for a refund!

If the item was sold and shipped by Amazon (always be sure to do a double take on this before checking out), Amazon will normally give you up to one month to decide whether or not you want to keep something and, if the issue is related to quality or functionality, they’ll even pay the return shipping!

You can’t get more win-win than that! The incredible return policy is the reason I do the vast majority (actually around 95%… seriously) of my shopping on Amazon or at Costco, haha.

So, without further ado, let’s dive right in:

11 Instagram Photography Essentials You Can Get on Amazon

Disclaimer: Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links and as an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases. This comes at no additional cost to you should you decide to purchase an item after clicking the link provided. All items are recommended due to my experience with them not this potential commission.

(1) Felt Letterboard

Just about every Instagram mom and lifestyle blogger I know has invested in one or a couple of these!

Perfect for making announcements, advertising sales and giveaways, and rewriting quotes to display in your home or as a flatlay. People LOVE letterboards and they look fabulous in just about every photo!

(2) Sheepskin Rug

Sheepskin rugs, whether faux or real, add a beautiful texture to your photographs.

Whether layered on top of a fluffy white blanket or placed on top of a modern wood plank floor, this simple yet elegant piece is sure to add a pop to your next flatlay!

(3) Artificial Flowers

I once considered purchasing real flowers for a mid-week photography session but then I realized I was a busy mom! Needless to say, that photography session never happened.

Buying artificial flowers allows you the time and freedom to shoot photos when you want, as often as you want, and how you want. No need to worry about keeping them alive or ruining your pristine white bedding, beautiful new carpets or flooring. End of story!

They are low maintenance and add a feminine touch to any shot.

(4) High Cozy Socks

The top-down comfy, high socks and coffee shot is an iconic one on Instagram and in my experience, consistently does very well.

Paired with a new best-seller and the right hashtags, this shot will not only draw engagement though, it also adds a new perspective to your overall Instagram feed.

People naturally love trendy things and going the extra mile to mixup points of view on your feed makes a difference!

(5) Candles

Whether your prefer flameless (maybe you have small children like I do!) or real candles, including this elegant and timeless accessory to your photos makes for a gorgeous addition.

As the Danish would say, candles are hygge (a word that embodies the mood of coziness and feeling content). They create a warm (sometimes quite literally, hah!) and comfortable atmosphere that can be felt in their presence and/or through a photograph.

Exactly how you want you audience to feel when they stumble across your profile, right?

(6) Eames Style Molded Plastic Chairs

Ah, the famous Eames chair!

I remember first seeing these on Pinterest and falling in love with them there! First designed by Charles and Ray Eames in 1950, this gorgeous piece of furniture has since experienced a resurgence in its popularity.

Cover it with your sheepskin rug, sit your adorably dressed toddler on it, or showcase it in a beautiful corner of your home! The Eames Molded Plastic Chair always draws a lot of comments and DM’s; I constantly have others in disbelief when I tell them I got mine for the price I did on Amazon!

Bear in mind though, the chairs shown above are shown in a lot of two, so the price will actually be a reflection of this at checkout. These chairs are sold as singles on Amazon for a higher price point but why spend more on one when you can get two for just a few dollars more.

For an even bigger discount, check out This Link to get each chair for even less when you buy four If you don’t need all four, sell a couple on Facebook using my tips for 7 Ways to Slay on the Facebook Marketplace to get some money back!

(7) Bi-Fold Foam Board

A super inexpensive but essential tool for flatlay photography! Nothing gives you a more vibrant or white background quite like a foam board does.

And bonus, this one is bi-folding, which means you can use one side for bouncing light while you photograph the other side. Balance it on a chair to give your props a lift. Control how much natural light you have access to by taking your “portable photo studio” anywhere you want to go!

A foam board is the least expensive and easiest way to get started on taking better and brighter photos while Maintaining and White & Bright Instagram Feed!

(8) Rectangular Plates

If you’re a food blogger especially, rectangular white plates are definitely the way to go! Compared to round plates, they photograph much nicer and give you more styling freedom.

Round plates are quite limited as placing a similarly shaped objects next to one another is far less interesting than rearranging beautiful clean lines against varying short and long edges. Plate the meal or appetizer right and boom, you’ve got yourself a trending image!

(9) Trendy Coffee Mugs

I absolutely adore my Mama and Girl Boss coffee mugs! They just have a way of brightening my day right from the start. And Instagram agrees!

Cute coffee mugs and tea cups are always a hit. Whether showing off your in home barista skills or taking your personalized cup to work in your office, these unique little pieces add personality to your cupboard and photographs.

(10) Weekly/Monthly Planner

This is definitely a multi-purpose prop!

It looks beautiful in photographs with other stationary or even on a breakfast tray with a cup of coffee and other morning essentials. Plus, choose a planner with an inspirational quote on the cover and perhaps, one at the start of every new month, and you’ll brighten both your own and your audience’s day whenever you share these happy words.

But an agenda is so much more than just a fabulous Instagram prop!

As an Instagram influencer, a planner is an absolute must for me; I often have deadlines for sponsored posts that overlap and find that the best way to schedule them all is to have an agenda in front of me. It’s just so much easier to examine everything at once.

While I’ve managed to minimize almost all other aspects of my life (check out my One Simple Rule for Maintaining a Showroom Home to see how minimalism helped me go from spending hours cleaning my house to only 15 minutes a day), I’m a bit old school in the sense that I still prefer a paper planner over a virtual calendar!

(11) White Bedding

Perhaps we saved the best for last! Amazon offers Amazon Basics bedding for an unbelievably low price! An absolute steal for a pristine white bed sheet set.

Nothing sells your Instagram page quite like a beautiful environment. Whether the theme is travel, fashion, motherhood, or interior design, people love looking at gorgeous spaces. And nothing cleans up a space like adding some comfy, white bedding.

Bonus: double up and use your bedding as another surface to shoot flatlay photographs! Shoot top-down and then zoom out to capture your collection of goodies in your room as a whole. Just make sure to only place items that won’t run colour or stain your gorgeous new bedding here!

Which of the above is your new go-to Instagram prop? Have another favourite that’s not on the list? Let me know in the comments below 🙂

First time dropping by? You might enjoy the following as well!

Social Media

Why You Need to Use IGTV for Your Blog

December 6, 2018 • by NikkiSlivarich

Back in June of 2018, Instagram launched Instagram TV (or IGTV, for short).

But what the heck is IGTV? And how do you use it?

IGTV is the social media network’s newest feature and is a long-form video sharing service; while videos were available on Instagram prior to this release, they were limited to a maximum of one minute. IGTV now let’s users upload content between 10 minutes and one hour long.

Accessing this new feature is straight forward too; simply log onto your Instagram account through the app on your smartphone and look for the orange TV logo at the top right corner.

Tapping the logo takes you to IGTV where content recommended “For You” immediately starts playing, just like a regular TV. Users also gain access to the “channels” and videos of individuals they follow as well as other “popular” content including that of celebrities and other not yet discovered Instagram creators.

IGTV users also have the opportunity to choose between Following, Popular, and History (previously viewed) categories and can even search for specific channels (named after the content creators who own them) by tapping on the magnifying glass on the middle-left section of the screen.

Users of iOS and Android have the option to download IGTV as a separate app although all features available within this entity are also available through the Instagram app and creators can directly upload their work here too.

Why You Need to Use Instagram TV for Your Blog

Like Instagram Stories, Instagram TV is displayed vertically and full screen. Anyone can upload videos and although the maximum capacity is one hour long, unless you are a more largely followed influencer or celebrity, the vast majority of users are restricted to a 10 minute time allotment (not a bad thing – we’ll get to why that is a bit later).

Unlike Instagram Stories however, Instagram TV videos DO NOT disappear from your feed after 24 hours. You do not have to add them to one of your highlight reels in order for them to stay on your channel either!

Instagram TV was designed to compete with the likes of Youtube and Facebook Videos but differentiates itself in that its meant to be utilized in the way you would normally use your phone, i.e. full screen and vertically. This allows bloggers and business owners to literally get into the hands of their audience!

When a user follows an account on Instagram, they automatically have access to their channel which shows up in the “Following” section of the IGTV menu. Simply put, this means that your followers will already have access to your channel after it’s setup!

Video is a fantastic way to give your audience a more intimate understanding of you and/or your business and while there is a learning curve involved in going from still images to video, the reward has the potential to be absolutely incredible.

So, get comfortable in front of that camera and start practicing now

How Do I Start Uploading Content?

Its super easy! Just click on the settings icon in the middle-right section of your screen to prompt setup. You’ll see a text reading “Create Your Channel” displayed just like the one shown below. Read the prompts and hit next to continue.

The next and final two screens of the setup have headlines that read “Share Longer Videos” and “Built for Vertical” and are simply meant to provide information on the benefits of IGTV and how videos should be formatted for it.

Hit “Create Channel” and you’re ready to upload your first video! Wasn’t that simple? Tap the plus sign and you’ll be prompted to choose from videos on your mobile device for sharing.

But before you upload anything, just like in your Instagram Posts and Stories (Check out these 6 Super Easy & Effective Ways to Increase Your Instagram Story View Count), don’t forget to include relevant hashtags before publishing your video to Instagram TV and promoting it on your other social media pages or blog (always, ALWAYS, cross-promote! Use your Facebook Page, Instagram Stories, Twitter, and everywhere else you’re active to get your new IGTV content seen).

If desired, you can even include call-to-actions just like in Instagram Stories 🙂

Can I monetize my content on IGTV like on Youtube?

For now, the answer is no but Instagram is working on this! After all, they are the third largest social network around and are looking to compete against Youtube with the introduction of this new feature.

Stayed tuned for upcoming details!

What Should I Post on IGTV?

Instagram TV is great for anything too long to post to Stories or main feed. Use it for:

(1) Unboxings or product demonstrations

(2) Introductions (to you, your business, and/or your environment – if for example, you specialize in home decor)

(3) Behind the scenes content

(4) Tutorials or “How to” Guides

(5) Any other relevant content your followers have already come to love you for – Stay true to your brand; consistency is key!

Other Things to Consider

Keep in mind that when you post a video to IGTV, your first frame will automatically be used as your cover photo. If you’re happy with this, that’s fabulous! But, if you want to change it, be sure to edit the cover photo before uploading your video.

Retention rate is another big factor; while users have anywhere from 10 minutes to one hour long to showcase their video-making creativity, not all of your potential viewers might stick around.

Generally, shorter videos do better than longer ones! So, if you can do a series rather than one lengthy video, this is definitely the way to go (if you want to see how your videos are doing, tap the “…” button on the IGTV app and checkout some detailed insights).

And finally, as with every other feature on Instagram (and as previously mentioned), staying consistent is key. Try to upload one video every week or month if you can! If you have five you’d like to share, try waiting it out and posting one every Thursday, for instance. I find my content always gets more views when I leave time between material. You want your followers to have time to process what you’ve just shown them before moving onto the next item!

Have you tried out Instagram TV yet? Are you a fan of this new feature? Let me know in the comments below 🙂