What skills do you need to know in order to be a fashion blogger?
Essentially, if you’re a fashion blogger, you’re running your own online version of a fashion magazine. As you probably know, at a magazine there are countless writers, an art department, a photography department, ad sales, interns, PR… The list is endless, but for someone like me, I have to manage all of that on my own, for multiple blogs. So it really is a full time job. So lets see what skills myself and other fashion bloggers have had to learn in order to be a fashion blogger that’s self employed and doing it professionally. So What skills do you need to know in order to be a fashion blogger?
Writing – Lucky for me, writing is something that does come naturally to me since I have done it since I was a child. I would think that if you can’t write at all and don’t enjoy it, you wont find being a blogger inspiring or food for your soul like some of us do. The first thing a fashion blogger needs to do is be able to write and make sure it’s enticing and readable. Without gripping text, it’s dull.
Editing – I will admit in the beginning when I started at around 18 years old, my spelling and punctuation wasn’t at its best and I wouldn’t proof read my articles either, so I had to quickly learn to brush up on those skills and make sure I proof read everything. Now I actually do feel like I’m a great editor and have been editing writing for years now, even spotting issues and mistakes in actual books or magazines, to the point that I can’t read anything without analysing it while doing so. But this skill is something that I need to be good at, especially since I run many blogs on a professional level and people need to see it as something they can trust. Spelling mistakes and errors always lead to the article looking sloppy, so fashion bloggers need to learn to edit and correct.
Modeling/Styling – For me, this wasn’t something that came naturally. I was very awkward, stiff, and always had a rabbit in the headlights expression in my poses. They looked strained and staged, so it took me quite a while to get a lot more comfortable with people watching, and learning how to pose. It’s easy to get stuck in doing the same poses over and over again because they’re good, but trust me, bloggers have to learn to do as many different poses as they possibly can, and learning to do natural, candid ones works even better. When you’re a personal style blogger, modeling is something that has to be brushed up on. Getting the outfits right as well is key, bloggers have to be good at styling and putting looks together that are fun, creative and gorgeous. Being a stylist is a key point as outfits need to be visually appealing.
Photography/Creative Visualisation – This is another main point that is incredibly important. Fashion bloggers need to invest in a fantastic camera (a Nikon or Canon DSLR is great – we have a Nikon D610) as the photos need to be high quality. Learning to use the camera as well as learning how to utilize lighting and angles is key. The more creative and expertly done the photos are, the better the blog will look. Basic photography skills are needed, even while being a hobby blogger. Nobody wants to look at blurry, dark photos. Being creative is a must, so gorgeous flat lays and fun photos can be created. A blogger is essentially creating an online space and portfolio, so it has to be creative visually.
Photo Editing – Not every fashion blogger wants to use Photoshop or Lightroom, but in my experience, if they want to be successful, they will. Not for editing the length of their legs or making themselves look thinner, I mean for lighting, colour, shadows, resizing, sharpening up the images etc. Basic Photoshop skills are definitely needed to improve and enhance the photos.
Social Media Skills – Social Media is a must for fashion bloggers as they need to reach potential new readers and share their content with them. This means they have to learn how to use Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, Google+ etc. and do it well. Making the accounts visually appealing and sharing their content to other people has to be done in order to grow their following.
Ad Sales – If a fashion blogger wants to turn their blogging into a job instead of a hobby, they will have to learn how to do ad sales. This includes making up a press pack to show their blog off and what they can offer, as well as general conversing with potential buyers and brands. They have to learn how to sell themselves and be confident with it. I’ve personally found that this is something that took a while to come naturally for me as I’m not generally a confident, bold person.
Public Relations – Much like ad sales, a fashion blogger will need to learn basic public relations skills as they need to build up friendships with brands and companies. It’s important to communicate properly and professionally in order to gain a relationship that’s long lasting and mutual between them and the brands. I’ve found being friendly and polite, but professional is the best way to be.
Website Design – Now, not all fashion bloggers need to learn website design as they might be willing to pay someone else to do it for them, but as I have personally found out in my many years of blogging, you need to learn the basics. Even if that’s customizing a theme that you bought or adding your personal touches to your website, it’s good to learn some of it yourself so you can do little tweaks here and there without having to pay anyone, and possibly breaking your website.
