Hey guys, I want to share with you some things that you should keep in mind before starting a blog. I'm not an expert at blogging, I just feel the urge to share based on a lot of questions I get from people that want to start a blog.
Blogging can be a lot of fun, but it is important to consider a lot of things. I didn't have a plan when I started blogging and I'm paying for it now because I have to start doing what I should have done initially. Not having a plan made me to dabble a lot, struggle with content and even deal with a lot of doubt. I still have a lot of issues I'm trying to sort out but I can help you avoid making same.

Why Blog?

I think that this is the foremost question you need to answer. Why do you want to start a blog? Are you doing it because you want to add "blogger" to your bio? People own blogs for different reasons, you could open a personal blog to share your personal experiences, thoughts and values. Your blog could also be about lifestyle, travel, food, fashion, photography, parenting, addiction. It could be about your challenges as a student, single mom or about gossip. Whatever it is, you need to identify your niche. It could be that writing is your hobby, you want an outlet for your creative side, you want to have a side hustle, or you need the money full time. Consider why you want to start a blog.

Set Short-term and Long-term Goals

What do you hope to achieve now and in the long run? In 5 years time where do you see your blog? What do you hope to achieve in 3 months? Setting goals helps you have a target to work towards. Without a definite goal, you might just dabble aimlessly. I dabbled for my first year as a blogger because I didn't have a goal, I wasn't working towards anything so I didn't even know when I was falling short of expectations. Setting goals make you accountable, makes you keep track of your successes and failures.
So set goals and work towards them.

Choose a Blogging Platform

There are different blogging platforms to choose from. Blogger is Google's blogging platform, then there is wordpress, tumblr, weebly, e.tc.  Wordpress is the most popular because of its convenience and versatility. Whilst choosing a blogging platform it is important to note whether you want a self-hosted site or you just want free hosting. A self-hosted blog affords you a whole lot of benefits but it comes with a fee. A free-hosted blog has a lot of limitations but well it's free. You can start with free hosting like me and then move to a self-hosted site.
To make it more understandable;
Self-hosted = abcdef.com or abcdef.org
Free-hosted = abcdef.blogspot.com or  abcdef.wordpress.com
Platforms like blogger and wordpress afford you free hosting, with blogger all you need to have is a Google account. However, it is advisable to get a self hosted site for a more professional blog or a business.

Choose an Appropriate Name:

Your name has to be peculiar to you. It should be unique, easy to remember, and shouldn't be easily confused with another blog or brand. A lot of people prefer to use their names like lindaikeji.com, there's nothing wrong with that especially if it is a personal blog. It is important that your blog name should not be in contrast with your message, if you intend to blog about music, your name shouldn't give the illusion that your blog is about health or sports. Your name should give an insight to your theme.

Have a Content Strategy:
Content they say is king. If you have rich content, people would keep coming back to your blog. They look forward to your writing, because there is actually something to come back to. In order to engage and sustain people's attention you need to have a strategy about what you write.
First you need to be authentic. If you dish out false information, people won't trust you, your audience need to trust you to come back. If you're recommending a product, then they need to trust you that you're not just after getting a paycheck but you genuinely want to help them.
Again, you need to have a peculiar writing style. A style that a reader can point out and say, "oh this sounds like Sharon". Don't try to write like A or B, people can detect a fake from afar off. Your writing style is your unique voice and people have to be able to relate to it, if they can't relate to it then they won't feel like coming back.
It's very important to have a plan for your content. What type of content do you plan to post and how frequently do you want to post? Your strategy should drive traffic to your blog, because after writing you'll definitely want people to read. Social media share buttons are very important so you need to keep that in mind.


I hope this article was helpful and not overwhelming?
If you have questions for me, feel free to drop it in the comment box or send me a message on any of my social media handles. @sharonn_oh on Instagram and Facebook. Don't forget to

Remain Stylish
Love, Sharon.

I've gotten a couple of questions on how my Instagram feed changed, I'm going to try and answer those questions in this post. If you need brands to notice you, you have to work on your Instagram.
Honestly, I was blind to the whole Instagram process. I just went to Instagram and dumped pictures there and expected it to grow magically. Then I met Laiza King and and she gave me some tips, and showed me the things I was doing wrong. Then, I knew I had to change the outlook of my Instagram.

The first thing you need to understand is that Instagram is a visual app. It's all about what can be seen, what is pleasing to the eyes. That is why you find a lot of people putting extra effort in their pictures, to make it visually appealing. There is an Igbo adage that says that, the eyes will eat the food before the mouth. It goes down a long way to emphasize on the importance of making content that is aesthetic.

So, I started working on my Instagram. First I had to decide what I wanted my Instagram to look like. I wanted it to incorporate my interests in fashion, lifestyle, photography and faith. A lot of people advice picking out a theme color and organizing your posts to fit into that them. I tried that but I found it somewhat limiting. I wanted to post what I wanted without being confined to any color. I watched the feed of Ifeoma Amadi (thesvnflower). I love her feed, it's very colorful and very pretty to look at.

It's not necessarily about having one background, (I find that a bit boring) you need to have a go-to preset that when you apply it to your pictures they have the same look. I think I'll do a followup post on how to edit your Instagram pictures. I decided to incorporate white in most of my pictures, so that when you look it, it gives a cohesive look.

The hardest part of it is, letting your favorite pictures go because they don't fit in. You don't have to rush it. I gradually deleted pictures and added more. Change doesn't have to be rushed, it can be gradual to help people adjust. I'm still gradually easing out the old.

Another thing that improved the look of my Instagram was quotes. I wanted to be able to share motivation and faith. So, I learnt to design my graphics myself because I wanted the quotes to be uniform. You can find good quotes on any social media and share on your Instagram, just make sure it fits into your theme.

Essentially, you have to be yourself! I cannot overemphasize this. My mum used to say that the problem is that we go to the barbing salon and tell the barber, "cut my hair to be like Okoro's own" (it's supposed to sound better in Igbo) but what she was trying to say is that we try to be like Okoro without realizing we're different from him. Everybody's head is not the same, so Okoro's haircut cannot fit every head, so find out what works for you and suits you then stick to it.

Feel free to follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sharonn_oh/  I know my feed is far from perfect, but I just wanted to share and answer your questions. Don't forget to drop your comments and ask questions. Do have a fabulous weekend.

Remain Stylish
Love, Sharon