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59 POWERFUL WORDPRESS TIPS AND TRICKS FOR BEGINNERS AND EXPERTS

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By Steve Allen

Need some WordPress tips to make the most out of the popular CMS?

No problem.

In this blog post, we’ve curated an exhaustive list of 59 things you can do with WordPress.

These powerful tips will save you time and make you a better WordPress user.

Let’s dive in.

WORDPRESS TIPS FOR HOSTING AND DOMAINS

Selecting a quality WordPress hosting provider and setting up HTTPS redirection are crucial steps for optimizing site performance and security.

1. CHOOSE THE RIGHT HOSTING

Choosing the right WordPress hosting provider will significantly improve site speed and prevent security issues.

Iridium Hosting is our preferred choice because it’s optimized for WordPress sites. Plus, it comes with an SSL certificate, free setup, and is one of the best managed WordPress hosting companies available today.

2. SET HTTPS REDIRECTION

HTTPS redirection ensures the secured HTTPS version of your site loads correctly.

The best WordPress hosting companies will include this feature as standard. You can also use an HTTPS redirection plugin to resolve any media issues.

WORDPRESS TIPS FOR THEMES AND CUSTOMIZATION

This section provides practical tips for enhancing your WordPress site.

3. CHOOSE A LIGHTWEIGHT THEME

A lightweight WordPress theme offers robust security and customization. We like GeneratePress because it’s fast and offers incredible support.

But be sure to check out the best WordPress themes for beginners for more options.

4. CREATE A CHILD THEME

Installing a child theme is always a good practice for your WordPress site.

It will keep any changes you make to theme files intact when the main theme gets updated.

You can easily add a child theme with the child theme configurator plugin.

5. USE A CUSTOM HOMEPAGE

Switching the default blogroll page to a custom static home page will make your site look more professional.

Simply add a new page and change the Reading settings:

Then you can customize the design using Gutenberg blocks or a WordPress block editor plugin like GenerateBlocks.

6. FIND OUT WHAT THEMES YOUR COMPETITORS USE

WordPress theme detector will reveal the WordPress theme of any WordPress website you like.

It will also look for any plugins the site is using, which can help you replicate the look and feel.

7. STICKY SIDEBAR WIDGET

This sticky sidebar WordPress plugin will glue any widgets as you scroll down the page.

This is great for enhancing user experience or showing visitors important content.

8. CREATE A STICKY HEADER

Making your header stick to the top of the page is a great way of providing access to important navigation links.

You can enable this with the Sticky Header plugin. Or you can create your own by adding sticky header CSS to your WordPress theme.

9. CREATE A CUSTOM 404 PAGE

Help visitors find their way back to your content with a custom 404 page.

Some themes (like GeneratePress) will let you build your own, but of course, you can always simply use a WordPress page builder.

10. SET A CUSTOM GRAVATAR IMAGE

Welcome website visitors with your face by setting a custom gravatar image.

Create your account here and assign it to your email address.

Alternatively, use a WordPress plugin to override the Gravatar service and upload the image directly to your user profile.

11. ADD CUSTOM CSS

This handy WordPress tip shows you how to add additional CSS to your WordPress site. This is great for making web design changes.

You’ll find it in the theme customizer by navigating to Themes > Customizer > Additional CSS.

12. ADD CUSTOM POST TYPES

Custom WordPress post types are great for organizing quality content on your site, like photo galleries or book reviews.

Custom Post Type UI is an excellent WordPress plugin that makes this easy. You can then use ACF to add custom fields such as book author.

13. ADD A DROP-DOWN MENU

Add a WordPress dropdown menu to your navigation by indenting menu items like this:

Most themes will add a dropdown menu automatically, but you can enhance them with a plugin. Max Mega Menu will do the trick.

14. ADD A SEARCH BOX TO THE NAVIGATION

Adding a search field to your header helps users find your content faster. Some of the best minimalist WordPress themes come with this feature.

Or the Ivory Search plugin will give you way more options for customization.

15. CHANGE THE NUMBER OF BLOG POSTS SHOWN

You can change the default number of articles shown on the blog roll from 10 to whatever you like.

You’ll find the setting in Settings > Reading:

16. ENABLE BREADCRUMBS

Breadcrumbs can improve the navigation and indexibility of your WordPress site, especially on WooCommerce stores.

To add one, SEO plugins like RankMath or Yoast SEO will give you this option. All you have to do is copy the code they provide and add it to your theme.

WORDPRESS SEO TIPS

Enhance your WordPress site’s visibility in the search rankings with these optimization tips.

Adding internal links between related blog posts is a great strategy to increase organic traffic from Google.

And to save time, Link Whisper will automate this process for you.

Make sure you set the permalink structure to something more inviting. Post name or /blog/ structure works well here.

Also, make sure you add your primary keyword in the URL slug too.

19. INSTALL AN SEO PLUGIN

Installing an SEO plugin has a ton of benefits for WordPress sites. It improves the appearance of your rankings and optimizes things like social media posts, and schema mark-up.

One of the best WordPress SEO plugins is RankMath, offering a generous free version.

20. OPTIMIZE THE META TITLE AND DESCRIPTION

Improve CTR SEO by optimizing the SEO title and description.

An SEO plugin like RankMath or Yoast SEO will help you do this.

21. BULK EDIT TITLES AND DESCRIPTIONS

Customizing the SEO metadata can be a drag. But with an SEO plugin, you can update these quickly in bulk.

Yoast SEO does a great job of this, RankMath also offers this feature.

22. OPTIMIZE YOUR CATEGORIES

Enhance the topical authority of your WordPress blog by categorizing your content.

Also, add a category description to add more context to your category pages.

23. REFRESH YOUR CONTENT

This WordPress tip involves updating your content regularly. When doing so, make sure to update the date.

Doing so provides up-to-date information for readers and ensures it gets picked by search engine bots.

24. USE LARGE QUALITY IMAGES

To optimize for Google Discover, one of the best things to do is use large quality images.

Specifically making them at least 1200 pixels will help them get picked up for a Google Discover traffic boost.

25. ADD A TABLE OF CONTENTS

A table of contents sits above blog content and helps people navigate to specific sections.

Adding one of these with a plugin will also help search engines understand your site for better rankings.

26. MONITOR SEARCH CONSOLE IN WORDPRESS

Want to access search console data inside WordPress? Then give Rank Logic a try.

This tool helps you monitor how well content is performing to continuously improve your blog content strategy.

27. ADD XML AND HTML SITEMAPS

Submitting an XML sitemap to Google Search Console is a good practice for search engine optimization and improved website architecture.

You can add one with most SEO plugins, which will also add an HTML version.

These are also great for visitors and search engine spiders to find all your content.

28. USE 301 REDIRECTS

If you ever change URLs, make sure to redirect the old one to the new one to prevent 404 errors and SEO issues.

The RankMath plugin or Redirection plugin does this well.

WORDPRESS TIPS FOR CONTENT MARKETING

Leveraging WordPress effectively can significantly enhance your content marketing strategies, making the following tips indispensable.

29. COLLECT EMAILS AND START A NEWSLETTER

With a WordPress email marketing plugin, you can grow an email list and grow your business.

You can build elaborate optin forms with Convert Pro and even start an email newsletter using FluentCRM.

30. ADD A CONTACT FORM

A contact form lets your visitors send you an email directly from your WordPress website.

Adding one is super simple with a plugin. FluentForms or Gravity Forms are great options.

31. IMPROVE EMAIL DELIVERABILITY

To send emails from your site or get your contact form working right, you’ll need to set up SMTP.

There are lots of SMTP plugins to choose from, but WP Mail SMTP or FluentSMTP are great options.

Installing one of these will send emails through a secure server instead of the unreliable PHP sender.

32. OPTIMIZE THE COMMENTS SECTION

The comments section is great for encouraging readers to engage with your content. But You’ll want to update the settings for the best results.

These settings will get you started:

They require moderation and an email address, stop pingbacks and trackbacks, and enable nested comments 5 levels deep.

33. ADD GOOGLE ANALYTICS TRACKING

Google Analytics tracking is one of those WordPress tips that can’t be ignored. If you want to monitor site traffic, this is essential.

Use a Google Analytics plugin to add the tracking code. Some will even show site statistics inside WordPress.

This will also give you detailed reporting to see which affiliate links perform the best.

Make affiliate links look less spammy by cloaking them with a plugin like PrettyLinks.

Note: Avoid cloaking Amazon Associates links since this violates their terms of service.

35. ADD SOCIAL MEDIA SHARING BUTTONS

Encourage readers to share your content on social media with social sharing buttons.

There are a few plugins that offer these features, such as Hubbub Lite and Social Warfare.

36. AUTOMATE SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING

Instead of posting your content to social media manually, save time by automating it.

FS Poster or Social Media Auto Publish are good options to help you automate your content marketing strategy.

SPEED AND OPTIMIZATION TIPS

Check out these speed and optimization tips for a superior user experience.

37. OPTIMIZE SITE SPEED WITH A PLUGIN

Adding WordPress caching improves the site speed by storing and loading a static version of your site.

Plugins like WP Rocket or WP-Optimize will also minify files and optimize the database for better performance.

38. REMOVE WORDPRESS BLOAT

WordPress is great, but it can also generate a lot of bloat, slowing down performance.

The PerfMatters plugin aims to remove WordPress bloat and also improve security, providing an optimized user experience.

39. OPTIMIZE DATABASE

The WordPress database is where all your site’s data is stored, from content to plugin settings.

Optimizing the database is good practice for maintaining performance. One of the best plugins for this job is WP-Optimize, which lets you do this for free.

40. OPTIMIZE YOUR IMAGES

One of the biggest culprits for slow page speeds is images. That’s why it’s important to optimize them.

You can do this by manually compressing them on a site like TinyPNG or using a plugin such as Imagify.

41. USE A CDN

A CDN stores a version of your site on multiple servers around the world for faster loading times.

Hosting your site through Cloudflare is one option, or you can use a service like BunnyCDN.

42. KEEP THEMES AND PLUGINS UP TO DATE

Did you know you can enable automatic plugin updates? Just click the Enable auto-updates option from the plugins screen:

Just make sure you have regular backups in place. Keeping plugins and themes is essential for optimization, but also for security reasons.

47. BLOCK BAD BOTS

Bad bots are web crawlers that don’t provide any benefits to your WordPress site. They can take up server resources and reduce performance.

To block bad bots in WordPress you can use the popular Blackhole for Bad Bots plugin.

The linked article above has some other options for blocking bad bots.

43. DELETE UNUSED PLUGINS

Removing plugins you no longer use is a great way to keep your site running smoothly. It can also protect your site from security threats.

Just check which plugins you aren’t using and deactivate and delete them in the WordPress admin.

44. SET IMAGE DIMENSIONS

If your featured image dimensions are being scaled down inside the browser, this can eat up valuable resources.

You can fix this by setting the default height and width inside the Media settings to match your theme design.

WORDPRESS SECURITY TIPS

In this section, we explore essential security practices to safeguard your WordPress website from potential threats.

45. ADD A SECURITY PLUGIN

Security plugins help prevent your site from being taken down by hackers. They add several features that make it a lot harder for hackers to break into your WordPress dashboard.

A popular option for WordPress security is All-In-One Security. This plugin offers features like:

  • Limiting login attempts
  • Two-factor authentication
  • Preventing DDOS attacks
  • Changing the database file prefix
  • Removing the WordPress version

46. BACKUP WORDPRESS AUTOMATICALLY

One of the most important WordPress tips on this list is to keep your site backed up.

Many web hosts will have this feature, but it’s also worth taking backups to an external source.

WP Database Backup is a great option for automatic backups to Google Drive, Amazon S3, and Dropbox for free.

48. PASSWORD PROTECT THE ADMIN

Instead of only requiring one username and password for the WordPress admin, why not add another?

You can set additional password protection in most web hosting services or you can add the code in this post to your admin .htaccess file.

49. CHANGE THE ADMIN URL

Another great WordPress tip for protecting your site is to change the admin URL altogether.

Some security plugins have this feature included, such as All-in-One Security or the dedicated plugin WPS Hide Login will do the trick.

50. CHANGE THE AUTHOR URL SLUG

Security plugins will often change the database file prefix, but not the author URL slug.

This can present an issue if any of your authors are also a WordPress admin because the username can be seen in the URL bar.

The easiest way to hide the username URL slug is with All-in-One Security or the Edit Author Slug plugin.

WORDPRESS TIPS FOR GUTENBERG

In this section, we’ll explore the most useful WordPress Gutenberg editor tips to streamline your workflow and enhance your website editing experience.

51. INSERT BLOCKS WITH SLASH AUTOCOMPLETE

Quickly access Gutenberg blocks by typing forward slash. You’ll see a list of commonly used blocks and you can search for the one you need by typing:

Press enter and it’ll be added to the post or page

52. USE KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS

Keyboard shortcuts allow faster access to different features inside Gutenberg.

For example, pressing “Ctrl+Shift+,” will show or hide the settings sidebar.

Other shortcuts include:

  • Save your changes: “Ctrl+S“
  • Make the selected text bold: “Ctrl+B“

You can display a list of Gutenberg shortcuts with “Shift+Alt+H“.

53. DUPLICATE PAGE

If you want to know how to duplicate a WordPress page to speed up your workflow, this WordPress tip is for you.

Simply add the Duplicate Page plugin or another option is to copy and paste the content from one page to another.

54. DOCK THE TOOLBAR

If you don’t like the way to text toolbar hovers over the editor, you can dock it to the top.

Just click on the three dots in the top right corner and click Top toolbar:

55. ELIMINATE DISTRACTIONS

Eliminate distraction with Distraction free mode:

Click the three dots in the top corner and choose the Distraction free option, or use the shortcut “CTRL+Shift+“.

56. CODE EDITOR MODE

Want to edit the HTML of your page or post?

Hit “Ctrl+SHIFT+ALT+M” or navigate to the three dots to switch between visual and the code editor.

57. REMOVE PRE-PUBLISH CHECKLIST

The Pre-publish checklist is set by default in Gutenberg which lets you review things before publishing.

You can turn this off from the preferences menu in the three dots and Preferences:

58. BLOCKS LIST VIEW

If you want to see a list of all the blocks on your page or post, click the document overview button:

You’ll see a list of all the blocks which makes it easier to drag and drop, delete, and duplicate.

59. REUSABLE BLOCKS

Reusable blocks have evolved into what’s now known as Patterns. These are saved blocks you can reuse across your site.

To create a Pattern, click the three dots on any block and click Create pattern:

Name the pattern and assign a category. You can also select whether you want to sync changes you make to the block or save it as a template.

WORDPRESS TIPS IN CONCLUSION

These WordPress tips are perfect for beginners and maybe even a few experts. Bookmark this post for quick access and become a better WordPress user.

Now, if you want to learn WordPress like a pro, check out our post on the best WordPress courses.

Good luck!

By Steve Allen

Steve Allen is a niche site builder, writer, and all-around WordPress wizard. He enjoys personal development, entrepreneurship, double espressos, and making things work better than they did before.

Sourced from Niche Pursuits

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Seven deadly-difficult client types, and how to deal with them

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By Tom May

When it comes to working for brands and companies, have you ever had moments of tearing your hair out? Here, creatives share their client horror stories and offer tips and advice for anyone encountering the same situation.

It’s almost Halloween, a time of spooks, sprites and devils. But you don’t need to look at the world of the supernatural to give yourself a fright. Anyone who’s worked as a creative freelancer will have experienced clients with monstrous qualities, ranging from the power-mad to the downright criminal.

Don’t get us wrong: most clients are decent human beings. And even when they’re being particularly difficult, it’s more a case of poor communication and lack of understanding of what freelancers actually do. Part of our job is to meet them halfway, guide them through the process, and put systems in place, including watertight contracts, so everyone understands their responsibilities.

“I find that the best way to deal with clients is to be clear on your plan and way of working while also being clear on what’s expected of them,” says creative director Martin Homent. “I’m my experience, most clients seem like a nightmare because they don’t quite understand what the process is and don’t want to show themselves up by stating they don’t know something.

“Creativity can sometimes seem like a complete mystery to some clients,” he adds. “Even the ones who are trained marketers. So always let them know your process, and guide them with where you are along the way.”

This approach will work in the vast majority of cases. But unfortunately, not all. Because the sad truth is that some clients are pretty impossible. In this article, we identify seven types of deadly-difficult clients and offer advice on how to deal with them.

1. The ego drunk on power

This type of client isn’t just misguided or out of their depth; they’re fundamentally unpleasant and enjoy lording themselves over others.

Manchester-based photographer Enna Bartlett offers a typical example. “At an event where I was the photographer, one of the attendees kept putting their hand in the air, clicking their fingers and going ‘You, photographer, we need photos’. Even though they weren’t anything to do with the team who briefed me on the job.”

Martin Homent shares a similar tale. “I once had a client who stopped our presentation two minutes in to ask who we were and why we were there,” he recalls. “For context, he was new, and our agency had worked with his company for over a year. He then insisted we sat outside while he discussed our work with his team and made them deliver the feedback while he was silent.”

When you get treated this way, keeping your emotions in check and staying professional is difficult. Sometimes, though, it’s possible to cope with an oversized ego simply by appealing to that ego.

Illustrator Ben Rothery describes such a client. “She’s like Anna Wintour x Ursula, the sea witch,” he says. “She screams, swears and changes her mind a lot… she’s a real peach. But she generally gets managed by telling her that any idea we want to push through was originally hers.”

2. The zero-integrity

Ego-driven is one thing, but what’s even worse is when a client lacks all integrity. Artist and Illustrator Carina Lindmeier gives a shocking example. “Once, a client tried to force me to copy a fellow illustrator,” she explains. “I said NO, even though the budget was good. It’s important to always stay true to your values.”

When illustrator Sarah J Coleman, aka Inkymole, was in a similar situation, she found sticking to her guns and having representation helped resolve the issue. “The client relentlessly repeated: ‘If you could just make it look more like X’s work’,” she recalls. “To which I relentlessly replied, ‘Nope. You hired me: if you wanted X, you should have hired X.’ Ultimately, my agent bollocked them, called time, and I got paid in full.”

When a client has absolutely no scruples, though, often the only thing to do is say goodbye. Illustrator Rachael Presky gives a startling example. “I had someone say, ‘I don’t want to sound bad, but I only want skinny European people – meaning white – in the illustrations because that’s what we all aspire to’,” she says. “I walked away very quickly after that.”

Unfortunately, walking isn’t always the end of the matter. “We had a client that wanted to use images from Google despite copyright licences,” says artist Ranjit Sihat. “We were met with harassment, so politely told her we could not work with her, didn’t take any more payment, and returned all her prep work. She threatened to take us to court. Luckily, because we stopped replying to the harassing emails, the client stopped.”

3. The scammer

We’ve all had this happen. A client commissions you to do work, then deny you payment on grounds so ridiculous it would be funny if it didn’t leave you out-of-pocket and worried about how to afford your food, rent and bills.

“I had a client that asked me to vectorise their sketch into a useable logo, then refused to pay me as they weren’t happy with the design,” recalls illustrator and album cover artist Paul Phillips, aka True Spilt Milk. “Even though it was their own design!”

Art director Tim Easley tells an equally shocking tale. “One client of mine lied about their identity and stole loads of my work for their own portfolio, then didn’t pay me,” he explains. “I had to make a small claim against them. And so my tip in this situation is: don’t waste your time chasing things up politely when it’s obvious they won’t pay.”

Designer James Kindred highlights another common way freelancers are scammed. “Once, we had a sizeable pitch for a local transport business,” he explains. “We were told we had won the pitch, but they wouldn’t pay us for the work as it had ‘already been done and they didn’t need any changes’.”

Dishonest clients pop up everywhere, it seems. Currently art director at Apple Music, Sanchit Sawaria once had a client who asked for a ‘Covid Discount’. “Then, in the middle of the project, during a candid conversation, they slipped up that their company wasn’t affected by Covid,” Sanchit reveals. “Later, they changed the brief in the middle of the project. I lost money and, most importantly, time.”

The biggest takeaway from such stories is that if a client seems off in any way, it’s worth following your gut and checking them out. “I was recently approached to work for free – in exchange for publicity – to an audience that’s not remotely like mine,” says artist Berenice Howard-Smith. “So I looked up the parent company, who have filed at Companies House, and it became clear that they make enough profit to pay me if I decide to work with them. Which I do not.”

She adds this tip to avoid scam clients. “My code of conduct has reduced the chancers, which means the above is very rare,” Berenice says. “This sets out when and how I communicate – email, Zoom, never WhatsApp – as well as my ethical approach, expectations, and other FAQs. It sets us all up for success in a non-aggressive way.”

4. The terminally lazy

Clients who purposely set out to screw you are just evil. But there are also clients who don’t pay you simply because they can’t be bothered with the admin.

“I once waited six months for payment from a job with a major sports brand,” says photographer Steven Jones. “I eventually found that the person I worked for, who’d since left the company, had never bothered submitting my invoice. Luckily I had a PO, so eventually, I got paid. Always get a PO number!”

Graphic designer David Dooley gives an even more exasperating example. “I once worked freelance with a company for a few months and had trouble getting payment from them,” he recalls. “I ended up joining them full-time, and it STILL took four months to get a bunch of invoices paid, despite me sitting beside the accounts department the whole time.”

And spare a thought for one-man creative studio Stckmn. “I took a nightmare client to court for using all the project assets but refusing to pay,” he says. “After two years of back and forth, court appearances, legal fees, I won the case… then the client died.”

5. The wallet-clutcher

Another type of client thinks they’re entitled to withhold cash simply, well, because they want to. Illustrator Lucy Engelman offers an example. “I delivered six different iterations of one project. The client refused to pay because they ‘didn’t like how it turned out’, then insulted me until I stopped asking for payment. In future, I had to add ‘Client has to pay for finished work regardless of personal feelings about the work’ to my contract. Every misadventure makes the next one a little easier.”

Often these problems come down to client education. But sometimes you really have to wonder what planet people are on. Take this anecdote from brand and editorial designer Luke Tonge.” A client signed off a print project from their ill-timed winter beach break,” he remembers. “Then, when they got home, and the publication arrived, they decided they didn’t like it anymore and expected me to rework and pay for a full reprint. That alone would have cost more than my tiny fee. I explained politely: no way José!”

Similarly, Sarah J Coleman namechecks: “The client who let me finish the many lettering pieces in a project, only to invoice the agreed fee, and be met with ‘I’m not paying that, for what’s basically glorified graffiti’. I read him a Guide To Lettering For The Hard-Of-Thinking, and yes, he paid in the end.” If you ever find yourself in a similar situation, read our article on How to get paid by clients.

6. The utterly baffling

Nightmarish clients come in all shapes and sizes; some are just plain weird. Branding, website and interaction designer Neil Holroyd recalls how: “Once had a client tell me the circles on the design presented weren’t round enough.”

Graphic and book designer Nathan Ryder can match that. “I had a client who didn’t like lowercase L’s,” he explains. “So he used uppercase i’s throughout four manuscripts of over 160k-180k words in each. Not as straightforward as ‘just’ doing a find and replace, I can tell you!” But Nathan had a strategy for dealing with such clients. “As a youth, really difficult clients got ‘hidden’ extras in their artwork.”

And how’s this for an informed critique? “I was working on illos for a book,” recalls illustrator Maggie Stephenson. “Everything was going well, a TON of time invested, all illos approved. Until the client’s kid, who was about eight or so, wanted it all changed. That was a quick farewell.”

7. The totally inappropriate

Most advice on dealing with clients assumes they are, under the surface, reasonable human beings. But sometimes, that just isn’t so.

Visual designer Anna Negrini gives an example of how client behaviour can tip from being ‘difficult’ to ‘weirdly inappropriate’. “There was one client who used to leave feedback as vocal messages on WhatsApp, despite me asking him to write emails instead,” she explains. “There were tons of these messages, mixed with the reportage of his wonderful holiday in Botswana, so I had to listen to all of them.”

And just hear what happened to Tim Easley. “I had a guy approach me to do some work by drawing one of my illustrations himself, commenting on how it looked like his version had a cock, then offered to buy me cupcakes and take me to Rome,” he explains. “He then stalked me at a meetup I’d said I was going to on Twitter but stayed a good hour or so before he actually said who he was. I refused to work with him.

“My main tip here,” adds Tim, “is that if there are red flags, it’s best not to work with someone. Either that or get payment up front and agree on terms in writing, so you’re not losing anything from it. And remember, you can fire a client if they’re being a nightmare.”

Here’s when the joy of freelancing really kicks in because you always have the option of just walking away. After all, no money in the world is worth being made to feel worthless. If you decide on that option, read our article on How to dump a difficult client for more advice.

By Tom May

Sourced from Creative Boom

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‘Done is Better Than Perfect’ & Other Social Media Tips to Master

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By Nikki Brown

It’s easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle of social media. So much so, that we sometimes forget how to do something as simple as to be ourselves. And if you’re a creator or business owner, the basics, such as consistency, can just as easily fall by the wayside. We recently asked some of our VOTY 100 honorees to share the best piece of social media advice they’ve ever received and their responses may ease some of the anxiety you have around sharing content. Alternatively, these tips may be confirmation that you’re already headed in the right direction.

Whatever the case, read on for advice you’ll want to commit to memory.

“It’s essential to be intentional about social media and to know your ‘why’ before starting to spend any time on it. Given how externally visible social media is, it’s easy to get caught up on vanity metrics that will cost you a lot of time, energy, money and can even jeopardize your mental health while not doing anything (or at least not enough) for you business or personal development and relationships.” –Gesche Haas, Founder & CEO of Dreamers & Doers

“I was once told that the best missions are in the present leading to the future and are meaningful to all audiences. I not only try to apply this to social media but to all of our work at Remake. Whether launching a new advocacy campaign or sharing a breaking story, it’s a really good reminder to always make sure that what we put out there is not only in line with what we want the future of fashion to look like but that it resonates with those who follow us.” –Ayesha Barenblat,  CEO & Founder of Remake

 

“Unfollow accounts that make you feel like sh*t! I think we often forget that we’ve curated our entire experience on social, and we can cut anyone or any accounts out who don’t serve us and our mental health.” –Ali Kriegsman, Author & Co-Founder/COO of Bulletin

“Don’t get caught up with the numbers. Engage with the followers who found you and love your content. I am grateful that people take time out of their life to check out what I’m doing or saying. I send a Thank You video to every single new follower. Why? Because a Follow is free and so is a Thank You!” –LA Dunn, Owner of Black Girls Eat

“Don’t focus on vanity metrics (likes, followers). Evaluate what your true desire is and create a clear call to action to bring your audience to the destination you’re creating. And whenever possible capture the data so that you have a direct line of communication to your audience.” –Rhonesha Byng, Founder & CEO of Her Agenda

“Done is better than perfect.” –Monica Stevens, Owner of MoKnowsHair LLC

“Everybody starts at zero, and the only way to grow is to show up consistently, and people will start to expect you. It’s hard at first, but if you are consistent that will offset almost anything.” –Tiffany Aliche, The Budgetnista

“I know this seems counter-intuitive but don’t worry about the numbers. They are an ok metric for how you are doing overall and maybe from time to time but they are not what really matters. What matters is the impact that you are making and the lives you are able to touch. Even if that is ONE person on any given day, that is a blessing.” –Nitika Chopra, Founder of Chronicon

“Never, ever get into a fight on social media. The world is too complex to be argued via 280 characters.” –Kathryn Finney, Founder & CEO of Genius Guild

 

“The best piece of social media advice I ever received was to be more present. Pre-pandemic, I wasn’t as present on our social media but learned quickly that our followers wanted to see the face behind our small business. Once I overcame my insecurities with being on camera, video content became much easier to churn out. My ability to showcase my personality and our struggles resonated with people and we reached organic growth so quickly after that.” –Aurea Sanabria Molaei, Founder & Creative Director at Flower Bodega

“Tell YOUR story. Not someone else’s.” –Denise Woodard, Founder & CEO of Partake Foods

“Be honest (from my brilliant friend and partner in I am a voter, Raina Penchansky).” –Mandana Dayani, Creator & Co-Founder of I am a voter.

 

“[Don’t] compare yourself and your journey to anyone else’s.” –Candace Junée, Digital Marketing Maven & CEO of Epic Fab Girl

“I can’t remember who, but I remember early on, someone told me to shoe the entirety of myself in my advocacy. It’s taken a lot to get to this place, but I worried a lot in the beginning that the version of myself I presented online had to follow strict guidelines in order to serve the mission, but it has been through being seen as a person that I have fostered the most impactful community. I am grateful for those who have accepted me as I am.” –Imani Barbarin, Digital Disability Advocate & Communications Director

“If you want people to be invested in you and stick around to hear what you have to say, remember the 3 Es of content creation: Entertainment, Education, or Enrichment. If your content doesn’t entertain them, educate them, or enrich their lives in some way, why would they continue following you?” –Ashley Renne, Environmental Activist & Influencer

“TAKE A BREAK! Don’t let it run you and that was given to me by Denzel Washington!” –Danielle Young, Journalist, Producer, Host & Content Queen

 

“If it’s not fun, you’re not doing it right. It should always feel fun. And when it feels like a marketing device, or it feels like a platform that you’re standing on, it’s not what it needs to be: your honest perspective of the world. And we’re all brands. Your brand is the truth, and if you live in the truth, what you do will be what it needs to be. All that said, take as much time away from it as you can. (I say you, but I need to tell this to myself.) Don’t always be on there, just be in your life, and when you feel called to be on there, go.” –Jessamyn Stanley, Author & Body Liberation Advocate

“Capture in the moment and share after the moment. I see so many influencers spending precious bonding moments trying to capture the perfect IG moment. Which is fine. That is our job. But your audience doesn’t need that RIGHT now. It’s ok to share after you’ve enjoyed the moment.” –Ty Ålexander, Wellness Educator & DJ

“Don’t be impressed with your social media presence unless your bank account exceeds your follower count.” –Karama Horne, Culture Journalist & Content Creator

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“Be yourself and be intentional and know your purpose on the platform. When you’re clear about why you’re using social media you can tell your story more clearly. There’s so much content being pushed out every day that it can be overwhelming or make you feel like you’re not doing enough, but the key is to always stay true to your who and why and the rest works itself out.” –Briana Thompson, Founder & CEO of Spiked Spin

“It’s better to get a small group of people to love you than a big group of people to like you.” –Polly Rodriguez, CEO & Co-Founder of Unbound

“Creating content is a lot easier when you stay true to your voice. Topics in the skincare world always evolve and sometimes it’s in a realm that’s hard for us to write about. We’ve found that sticking to our personality, quirky humor, and general viewpoint makes it way easier.” –Gloria Lu and Victoria Fu, Co-Founders of Chemist Confessions

 

“You’re a being, not a gadget, your community will honor your humanity for taking a break from social to reset, in turn, it will reinforce their permission to do the same.” –Tracy G., Wellness Artist, Podcaster & Radio Host

“Just be yourself! And put yourself in your viewers’ shoes—ask ‘what would I want to see?’” –Trinity Mouzon Wofford, CEO & Co-Founder of Golde

“I just remember balance…let the good and bad hold the same weight…and I don’t get caught up in praise or negative feedback, I remember that it can go away at any minute…so I don’t let it consume me, and I don’t read the comments.” –Marsai Martin, Artist, Executive & Producer

By Nikki Brown

Sourced from BLOGHER

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Proven Influencer Marketing Tips For Those Just Getting Started

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By Will Robins

Influencer marketing can be a powerful way for businesses to connect with consumers. Today’s brands are leveraging the power of influencers in mutually beneficial ways. Fortunately, this is a great time to get involved. Here are a few reasons why:

• According to Reuters, 27% of consumers in the United States use some form of ad-blocking software on a day-to-day basis. Antiquated ad models are no longer working, and companies are turning to influencers to reach their target markets in more humane ways.

• According to a study conducted by Collective Bias, 30% of consumers are more likely to buy a product that is recommended by a non-celebrity blogger. Additionally, non-celebrity influencers are 10 times more likely to drive in-store purchases.

• Linqia, an influencer-focused marketing company, found that 39% of marketers plan to increase their influencer budget in 2018.

Stats are great, but how do you apply influencer marketing to your brand?

Don’t just focus on growth. Finding the right fit for your product is the first step in the process of building meaningful relationships with influencers. Focus on the fit. This should be easy at first. If you are a health-related company, engage with health-related influencers. And don’t underestimate the power of microinfluencers; they make for a great testing ground when you first begin.

What do you need to know to get started?

Starting is easy. Begin surfing the web. You can use a lot of different tools, but here are my favorites: I use the search function on YouTube to find influencers in my niche. Next, I document on a Google Sheet their social media stats and contact information. Many creators have their business emails listed in their Twitter profiles — I’m not sure why, but I’ve noticed it is a common place to find contact information.

How do you know which influencers to work with?

Testing is the answer to everything. While you may not be able to judge performance and results in the beginning, use data to your advantage throughout the process. Start by looking at the percentage of views the influencer has in your country. That will be the first number to use for all calculations. Use that percentage to calculate how many people are going to see videos that the influencer will share for your brand.

In my experience, YouTube videos have a longer life cycle than other channels. Videos gain views over time, and that helps attribute for the cost of the engagement.

How can you leverage influencer relationships for mutual benefit?

Look for influencers in your market to ensure brand alignment between your company and the influencer. It is better to micro-niche down and work with influencers who have smaller but engaged communities. Don’t try to hit home runs — hitting singles is a great way to engage customers over time. Here is a quick list of action steps to get started:

• Start by working with five smaller influencers and test.

• Know your numbers for conversions on your website. Views become site visits. Site visits need to convert. These numbers will inform the results you expect from your influencers and how much to pay them.

• Have continuous outreach efforts.

• Look for deals. Who can you work with at a discounted price?

• Influencer marketing isn’t just a visual medium; ask the influencer to include copy in the description and comments of an Instagram post or YouTube video.

• Create a campaign document that outlines phrasing and copy to be used when describing your brand, and hold your influencers accountable for that language.

• Ask to view every video first before it goes live for any errors or off-brand comments.

• Get meaningful feedback early on and adapt.

• Channel into different sub-niches. For example, instead of the general “health” niche, consider keto, paleo and fitness influencers.

• Build an influencer page for your brand — I get new domains from NameCheap.com for $0.88. Then, create an email campaign and send out the site link asking for signups and directing people to “pitch you.”

What is the pay structure of an influencer like?

I get this question a lot, so I wanted to address it in this article. A survey conducted by Later, an Instagram scheduling tool, found that 66% of brands pay under $250 per post. However, the bigger their follower count and engagement, the more an influencer will be able to charge. After all, it’s not uncommon for influencers to be paid $50,000 for a single post.

When evaluating how much to pay, focus on engagement and potential return. Look for smaller influencers (with less than 100,000 followers) and do a test campaign at an inexpensive price. Track the results; if it performs well, then engage the influencer for multiple videos.

The most important part of the pay structure is the ask. Don’t be afraid to test first before you commit to a relationship. Stacking up smaller wins is more important than signing on for one huge deal with higher risk. Once you know your numbers, you can go for bigger deals — they aren’t as risky once you have a proven model.

Final thoughts: How can you ensure influencers and subscribers actually like you?

Don’t just think about the numbers. I know, I know — I base all of my decisions on the numbers. But it is just as important to engage in meaningful conversations with the influencers with whom you are working. Don’t be all promo all the time. Let them promote you while you engage their fans.

You can do so by buying ads to promote the video of your brand on their channels. Watch and comment on their videos. It takes time to have a relationship. Make it fun, but remember that the human element is the most meaningful way to stand out. When influencers and followers realize that you are a likable person who really cares about other people, then everyone in the community will relate to you more. That is when your influencer marketing can start to soar.

Feature Image Credit: Getty

By Will Robins

Organic Marketing Director at Manscaped.com, Overseeing SEO, influencer marketing, and branded content.

Sourced from Forbes

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Three Things Reality Television Taught Me About Personal Branding

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By Vana C. Koutsomitis

When I was preparing to go on The Apprentice, I was constantly thinking of how I wanted to be portrayed. This was one of the biggest sources of stress for me prior to going into the house for filming. Not only did I have to mentally prepare to surrender my phone, computer, and all personal items, for 12 weeks in a house with complete strangers, I had to consider how they would film me and edit me when the show went live. Needless to say, I was nervous about the experience of living with strangers in a competitive environment; but I was even more nervous about coming across well on national television.

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Photo Credit: BBC

During my preparation period, I thought about the reality television shows I had seen in the past and how outrageous some of the individuals seemed. Reality television stars tend to be exaggerated and the characters can seem pretty extreme. I did not want to be portrayed that way.

1. Be true to yourself.

This is crucial because authenticity is key to your personal brand. If people think that you are not being true to yourself, they question you and don’t trust you. Trust is an integral part of your personal brand because it makes you more reliable in the eyes of others.

2. If you don’t have something important to say, it’s better to not say anything at all.

Social media is a tool that you can use for your personal branding. You can choose which messages to share and what posts to publish. It’s easy to get caught up in the trend of posting often but reality television taught me that it’s important to only share information that you think is high quality and critically relevant. Quantity is not better than quality. The people on the show who tried to hog the camera time and speak as much as possible suffered the most in the final edit. It’s important to know when to speak up and when to keep your mouth shut.

3. Send a very clear message.

When we were filming The Apprentice, the directors often interviewed us individually and asked us questions about our views and opinions. Sometimes, these questions gave us in indication of what the storyline would be. This taught me the importance of consistency in your message. People don’t want to decipher what you are trying to say. They want you to tell them clearly who you are and what you believe in.

For example, if you’re an animal rights activist and you want to highlight this in your personal brand, people don’t need to hear all about your views on music and fashion. Instead, it’s more beneficial to curate your content based on the image that you would like to portray. Focus mostly on content about animal rights, policies and news.

Reality TV taught me that the bulk of your communication should be related to your end goal. If you want to send a message, you need to repeat it over and over again for people to fully grasp it!

 

By Vana C. Koutsomitis

Serial entrepreneur focused on connecting people. CEO of DatePlay online dating app, and VinobyVana, the low-calorie, fruit flavoured wine.

Sourced from HUFFPOST UNITED KINGDOM

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