Running a successful blog relies on authenticity. If you are into blogging just to make money – and give a positive review for absolutely everything – chances are your readership and traffic won’t be very high. If you are doing what everyone else is doing, your blog is not going to stand out and your readership and traffic will suffer, as well.

Staying authentic as a blogger is imperative. I’m Raewyn from Be a Warrior Queen and authenticity is my thing. Being true to yourself and embracing self-love is the whole premise behind my blog and movement. So, of course, I wanted to share my top four steps for staying authentic as a blogger (and not selling out!)

Finding What Works For You

This is top on my list because it is the most important part. What works for others is not always going to work for you. The only way to find out if something works for you is through trial and error. There really is no shortcut for this.

Big bloggers tell you, “Do this because it works. Don’t spend years experimenting like I did.” Honestly, no one is immune to the years of experimentation. What works for those big bloggers may work for you but it also might not work. Maybe your personality isn’t right (personally, I’m not sales-y enough for webinars) or maybe your niche doesn’t fit into the mold they’re giving you.

It is awesome to learn what others are doing. The way we find out about new things is often through other’s referrals. But, just because someone else loves it, doesn’t mean that it will work for you. Some of my friends live by Hootsuite, but I’m 100% a Buffer girl.

You have to find what works for you – what fits with your personality, time commitments and your niche. Take all of the advice you’ve received and turn it into a plan. Trying one new thing a month works for me. I give it the full 30 days to find out if it is working or not. Sometimes I decide to extend my trial. Sometimes things work for 6 months but then suddenly they don’t work anymore.

Related: The 10 Best Things I Did for My Business in 2015, Sometimes It’s Better To Stand Out

Finding Your Brand

It’s a whole lot easier to stay authentic when your brand is a part of who you are. Some people (me) pick their favorite colors for their brand while others create a brand that fits the theme of their blog. Emily has some great tips on branding (in fact, I’m in the process of using her for a re-brand!)

When you’re finding your brand, you really have to do the research. What colors do you like? What fonts stand out to you? Do those fonts and colors portray the vision of your blog? What type of graphics or logos do you want to include? Do you want to use stock images? Do you have templates?

I’ll leave the branding deets up to the professionals, but finding your brand definitely makes it easier to stay authentic because it gives you a guideline to stand by.

Related: Branding Interview: Be a Warrior Queen, Branding VS Design

Finding Your Tribe

I cannot stress this one enough! I was seriously floating along in blogland oblivious to the importance of a tribe. I thought people just showed up. I mean, yeah some people do, but they don’t always. You have to reach out and become friend with other bloggers and really find your tribe.

I thought this required hardcore networking skills, but really it just means being a good friend. Allie, from Down Rainy Lane, has an awesome free e-course called Irresistible Blogging Bestie and I absolutely love that!

Plus the FB groups that Emily listed below…and one more – my We are Warrior Queens FB group of course! You don’t have to be a blogger to be a part of my group. We’re a group of women supporting each other in our self-love journeys. For me, that keeps my blog going and growing because that’s my niche. (ALSO, join us!!)

Forming a mastermind group of likeminded bloggers is KEY! Definitely, check out FB groups or, if you want to stay off of FB distractions, check out Slack. It’s my personal fave!

Related: 10 of the Most Beneficial Facebook Communities

Finding Your Flow

This one is the one that I struggle with the most because it is constantly changing. What works for me one day may not work every single day. What I have found, though, is that batching my work helps my brain. If I switch into “writing mode” the creativity is flowing. Other days, I have major writer’s block, but my flow isn’t interrupted because I can work on something else – like images or social shares.

You have to find what works the best for you and your time. I know I said that above, but I just wanted to emphasize that you have to find the flow that gets you into that sweet spot of authentic creation.

My current schedule looks like this:

Daytimes – housework, appointments, mom life

Evenings –
Sunday: Batch write posts
Monday: Batch images and image scheduling
Tuesday: Social Media
Wednesday: Emails
Thursday: External planning / products
Friday: Classes
Saturday: Miscellaneous

Related: Roadmap: The Get-It-Together Guide Book Review

How do you stay authentic? Let me know on Twitter!