5 Tips To Gain More Followers On Your Blog

Even though we all say “numbers don’t matter”  deep down we all know that we have a burning desire to get our content across to as many people as possible. So, how do you go about getting those numbers without wanting to rip your head off?

1. Be Consistent 

A bit hypocritical coming from me I realise but if you have a schedule of posting two times a week on mondays and wednesdays people will catch on to that schedule and keep coming back. So just make a schedule, stick to it and reap results. It’s easier said than done but once habits are formed they’re hard to break

2. Advertise 

While blogging might be your primary platform, realistically you’re not going to reach a large audience unless you put yourself out there on other social media. Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or Goodreads for us booktubers.

I have an instagram account specifically dedicated to book blogging (@infinity.reads)

My Twitter updates automatically every time there is a new post on my  blog

So on and so forth

3. Review your stats 

At least once a month take time out to sit down and go through your stats. Some key things to observe besides the numbers are:

What kind of posts did viewers like the most this month? make an effort to create similar content

What didn’t fare so well this month? Perhaps you could present that same information in a more interesting fashion this month

Where are most of your viewers coming from? Through Gooogle or Twitter or WordPress?

4. Be original but not 

While it is amazing to create content that is unique to your blog, do realise that doing some tags or discussing a popular issue can get your name up there too. I would know because my feature Cover To Cover took a while to gain viewers

5. Be patient 

Good things take time. Even if you implement ALL of the things mentioned above and more, you won’t just gain 10000 followers in one night. But keep at it, have faith and things will turn out for the better I promise!

 

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5 Need-To-Know Travel Tips

So recently I travelled to India for three weeks. You can follow my experience throughout week 1, week 2, and week 3. As I went along I learnt some important lessons I’ll be sure to remember during my next trip to any country.

Tip #1: Say ‘yes’ to every opportunity

It’s easy to let fear overtake you and talk you out of trying something new like paragliding or trying out a new food. In such case, be sure to remind yourself that if not now, when? You didn’t fly over all the way to this new destination to chicken out at the last minute!

Tip #2: Plan less, Wander more.

If you’re a Type A like me who gets very prone to creating itineraries and planning what to do or where to eat for like every hour of the day. Stop. You’d be surprised how things unfold and fall into place when you just go with the flow. Don’t feel obliged to see that super famous rock structure and create your own journey.

Tip #3: Let Go

At this prime age of my life, I am super concious about my weight and the way my skin looks. When on holiday. Let go. So what if you gain a few pounds if it means getting to eat delicious food everyday?

Tip #4: Don’t be afraid to say ‘No’

Contrary to tip #1, if you ever find yourself in an uncomfortable situation don’t be afraid to step back. Your feelings are you best indicator and if something or someone doesn’t feel right, let that shit go.

Tip #5: Track your money

Duh. I’m convinced every travel blog has this tip written somewhere. But i’d like to put my 2 cents in. Make sure to keep hold of your receipts and tickets, anything you spent money on. Keep a little notebook and record where your money went. Overestimate how much you’re gonna spend rather than underestimate so you don’t fall short and panic.

10 Habits That Will Change Your Life

In life, it is not uncommon to undergo phases where you’re under immense stress. Some people experience stress everyday through work or looking after your families.

With this being my last year of high school and finals fast approaching, I’ve found that stress has become my best friend. However, surprisingly I’ve discovered that I am not going crazy.

See usually I’m the type to bawl or snap or destroy the world around me when under stress but by ingraining these practices in my lifestyle, I’ve found stress to be a manageable and even motivational phenomena.

Pamper Yourself 

Self-care is the best form of investment you’ll ever make.

Having a hectic week? take time out to put on a face mask for 10 minutes or if you’ve got more time watch an episode of your favourite TV show. Treat yourself for once.

Exercise 

I know. Every guru and their mother preaches this but I personally have found this to be so de-stressing. To be completely honest, I don’t lift weights or do 25 kilometers runs.

Exercise can come in the form of walking instead of catching the bus or riding a bike or simply taking a 10 minute stretch.

Hydrate 

Did you know water is miraculous? it even keeps us alive.

But seriously, water is the best refreshment. Whether it is drinking water or splashing some on your face, it’s like an instant burst of energy!

Eat 

I know workaholics or simple lazy people who skip meals purely because they believe that to be a productive way. Being hungry makes you lethargic and low on energy which means your tasks won’t be accomplished to the best of their ability.

Nuts, fruits, chocolate bars, vegetables, chips, as long as you eat everything in moderation and eat regularly, there is no reason to worry

Organise 

What goes on inside you is highly dependent on what goes on outside you. A messy desk, unwashed clothing on the floor and empty of mugs of tea will inevitably leave you feeling cranky and stressed.

Take time out to organise and de-clutter. You won’t regret it

Meditate 

Another guru preaching! Again I agree with the gurus that meditating is in fact, life changing. Our bodies were not designed to handle the chaos of the world we live in today. Ten minutes before going to bed, make a decision to meditate.

I recommend the phone app Calm which has super helpful guided meditations

Take regular breaks 

With studying and work, it can be easy to lose yourself and be tempted to just power through.  Do remember though that this isn’t healthy or productive.

Taking regular breaks such as listening to music, going for a walk, or chilling on your phone means you come back to work refreshed and even more energized to demolish all your tasks

Collect your thoughts 

This is in line with meditation. Basically when you’re on the bus or in the car, just anywhere that you’re alone with your thoughts, just breath and try to concentrate on your surroundings.

You’ll find that this makes it easier for your mind to catalog your thoughts and you’re more focused with your tasks for the day

Socialise 

You will not believe the miraculous power of surrounding yourself with good energy. After all, what goes on inside is dependent on what goes on outside.

Whether it’s your best friend, your parents, your co-worker- have a conversation. Just talking aimlessly can be therapeutic.

Make your goals really obvious 

Basically remind yourself of why you’re doing this job or this exam. I like to put sticky notes on my wall with my goals on it which means they’re always in my sight and I don’t lose motivation.

Because you’re marking that territory, you’re telling the universe: This goal is mine and I am going to achieve it

Hopefully this helped! Let me know whether you’d like to see similar posts in the future 🙂

How To Write a Good Review

I recently did a post on why I hate reading reviews so I thought it might be a good idea to do a follow-up post about what makes a good, attention drawing review and how you can go about writing one.

Of course I am no expert and my reviews are no where near perfect, I just think, according to me, a review must have these key elements to make it stand out.

Format:

• Make sure your post has factual information about the book/film/product you’re reviewing and that it is easy to spot like so:

• A clear and logical structure will make sure your opinion gets across and it’s easy for the reader to follow.
• Avoid long paragraphs as people generally tend to skim over those
• Experiment with different ways of presenting information such as using lists or dot points instead of conventional paragraphs.

Writing:

• Make sure your writing is coherent and easy to follow 
• A well written review will always ensure your opinion is easy to understand
• Avoid using long, hefty, words, the less pretentious the review is, the more people will want to come back and read your own unique voice
• Good grammar and punctuation mean less headaches and more visitors- Read over your review at least once to make sure there are no typos

Visuals:

• Add relevant pictures such as the cover of the book or a scene from a film to avoid your review from looking dull
• Avoid overloading your post with GIFs- this will mean your words get lost in the GIFs
• Experiment with different fonts, colours, things as simple as bold and italics to get your point across while keeping the post interesting.

My rock bottom advice while writing reviews would be to keep it minimalistic while making sure you’re saying everything you want to say. Reviews are a form of expression so of course you’re not bound by any rules but I just thought a post like this might help someone looking for a guideline as to how to write a review!

 

5 Tips On Writing A Kick-Ass Blog Post

The key to having a successful blog lies in creating appealing content, right?

After all, that is what makes people hit that ‘follow’ button and ultimately a Kick-Ass blog post is what will make people want more and keep coming back.

As a result of a few agony aunts I’ve received about blogging and advice on blogging and also because I totally consider myself a professional in this field I’ve decided to give some advice on what consists of a good blog post.

1] Plan

ALWAYS ALWAYS have a plan. I mean sure it’s good to be impulsive and spontaneous with your content sometimes however, quality content comes out when you have a basic plan or a general outline of where you’re heading.

Planning is as simple as jotting down things in your notebook or as complex as scheduling your posts for the next two months. Whatever floats your boat and whatever calls for the situation.

Just remember, people will appreciate you having put some thought into your post before hitting that ‘publish’ button.

2] Keep It To The Point

This is pretty self explanatory but say for example, you were writing a review post about the book Pride & Prejudice, as tempting as it might be, don’t go off topic and write two meaningless paragraphs about how hot Mr. Darcy is (meaningless as in meaningless to the post, I’m not attacking your feelings okay). Keep it to the point, what did you like about the book? what did you not like? why?

Having a purpose in mind and reminding yourself of this purpose as you write the post will help you from wandering off. In the case of my example the purpose would be to inform people about your views on Pride & Prejudice.

3] Less is More

Having a post that is straight to the point and minimal wandering off topic will ensure this. Here’s the truth, NO ONE has time to read six long paragraphs about your thoughts on Pride & Prejudice okay. Come to think of it, it doesn’t look appealing either.

First impressions are everything. In a short amount of time you have the task of grabbing the reader’s attention, keeping it and ideally by the end making them wanting more.

Use dot points, Use a few pictures, avoid clutter.

A neat, tidy blog post never hurt anybody.

4] Format

This ties in with the last tip.

FORMATTING IS EVERYTHING. Not really but.

Present your blog post in a neat fashion by avoiding huge chunks of information or like ten consecutive GIFs.

As I said before:

• Dot Points
• Pictures/GIFs
• Highlighting important points by making them bold or italic
• Using appealing colours

Which reminds me, it is HIGHLY IMPORTANT that your blog is easy on the eyes, I mean white writing on a neon green background? hurts to even think

5] Proof-Read

PLEASE PLEASE proof read. I personally cannot stand spelling errors. I mean blogging is about self-expression so it’s okay to skip punctuation altogether however, all I ask is you don’t butcher the words.

Proof-reading also ensures you’re getting your point across correctly, which is important.

I hope that helps and that now we’ll all be writing kick-ass blog posts!

Let me know if you’d like more blog posts providing advice

How To Survive A Black Out

So yesterday I had the misfortune of surviving my first proper black out in a very long time.

Emotions ran high people, especially due to the guilt of all the homework I wasn’t able to do (I know such a nerd) but I survived and you can too. Just follow these exact steps that I did and you’ll make it!

Step 1: Lose you shit

So your laptop’s about to run out of charge,, your phone isn’t any good either and you’re left alone in darkness. For the first time, alone with your dark thoughts without all these distractions. So what do you do?

Freak out. Run around. Scream.

Because it is not acceptable that in 2015 we humans be left without electricity and WIFI. Oh dear Lord.

At this point there will be the initial doubt about alien invasions creeping into your mind so that calls for

Step 2: Snoop Around

Yes this involves actually getting out of the house.

 

Look around  and see if anyone else is in the same situation. Chances are you’re not alone and chances are you’ll see some technicians around trying to solve the problem.

Which brings me to…

Step 3: Realize that you’re not alone

Trust me, the frustration around the neighbourhood will be REAL.

I’m talking screaming kids, continuous barking and just general human unrest.

Step 4: Go for a walk

It creates the illusion that you’re actually doing something besides camping out in your front yard waiting for the lights to come back on.

Besides what better time to walk around proudly in your fuzzy socks, I mean no can see you. Literally

Step 5:  Start Noticing

Like how the crickets and the night animals finally get to be heard now that the TVs and the aircons are off.

How the moon actually illuminates everything more beautifully than any light bulb could

The little details that you wouldn’t give a millisecond of thought to finally get to be seen in the darkness.

Step 6:  Realize what a privilege electricity is

When the lights come back on, take a moment to think how lucky you are to flip one switch and have the whole house illuminated.

 

 

How To Have The Best Reading Experience

Ever wondered how you can reach the maximum level of investment in a book, the point where nothing else but the events and the characters matter. The point where reality seems like a dull sponge? Keep reading then!

Step One: Find a book of interest

Does the blurb capture you? is the book from a genre you highly enjoy? find a book that has your attention and it feels like your life cannot go on until you engulf the details of this thing. In my words, you don’t choose the book, the book chooses you.

Step Two: Avoid Distractiona

Easing into a book might be a pickle at times but don’t worry, often it isn’t because the book isn’t great but rather because of external factors.

Find some peace and quiet perhaps your bedroom or the library, abandon all friends and music and food and just read. Read surrounded by silence, it’s actually the best thing.

Step Three: Take your book EVERYWHERE you go

School, work, the train station, the toilet, have your book with you at all times so you never have a dull moment cuz hey you can read while waiting for the bus or you can read when Maths is too boring.  But seriously instead of finding time to read, make the time to read. Slipping your book into your daily life is like little boosts of energy

 

Step Four: Avoid sleep at all costs

Your book is way too important to be abandoned for eight straight hours while your brain rests. Avoid sleeping so you’ve got plenty of time to read and one of the best feelings I’ve ever had is finishing a good book in the late hours, it is truly magical.

And at the end of it all you end up looking like this so it’s a win win

Step Five: Withdrawal Symptoms

If you’ve followed steps one to three then congratulation my friend, you have come to that point in your life where the characters continue to exist in your head even when the book is finished. When even a slight mention of the title of the book will send you into a fangirl frenzy and you’ll just be left with wanting more

Step Six: Move On

As much as we’d like to have a long term relationship with our book it is important to understand that it was just a short lived love. All good things must come to an end so it’s time to move on. Don’t worry time heals all wounds so it’s only a matter of time until this book gets folded and filed away neatly in your memory.

Step Seven: Repeat

In the meantime find a new book  of interest and repeat steps one to six for another glorious reading experience.

I just wanted to try something different on this blog so isn’t this a nice creative post? I hope you didn’t take everything too seriously because trust me the sarcasm was real in this post. Oh and don’t lose sleep over your books it’s not healthy seriously though you’ll be able to read better if your brain can actually function so sleep!