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Interested in becoming a blogger? Lifestyle With Kris features tips and resources for newbie bloggers and digital content creators that you will find helpful and want to check out!
Countdown to Cuteness: Getting Ready for Baby #2 (Insider)
Hey there! This second pregnancy has been a bit of a rollercoaster, but I’m grateful to be past a tough first trimester. I’m now in my sixth month and super excited about our new addition to the family. I’ll be sharing quite a bit of baby and pregnancy updates, including a special gender reveal. If you’re as eager as I am to find out who will be joining the Buchanan family and how prep is going for their arrival, keep scrolling for more baby cuteness and beautiful surprises!
The countdown to cuteness continues below.
DISCLAIMER: Just a heads up! Some of my posts contain affiliate links. If you purchase through one of those links, you won’t have to pay extra, but I’ll receive a small commission. Your purchase helps to support the work I do. Thank you!
Getting Ready for Baby Cuteness During the Second Trimester
Similar to my first pregnancy, I’ve been feeling a sudden surge of energy and productivity during this second trimester. It’s been easier to stay healthy and active in the fourth and fifth months by sticking to a balanced diet, getting some exercise, and staying hydrated. Doing this has allowed me to focus on getting ready for the baby in other ways. Some things, like finalizing my birthing plans, arranging maternity leave, and preparing the baby’s older sibling for the new addition require a lot of planning and organization. And setting up the baby’s nursery has been a bit overwhelming, however, it’s an essential part of getting ready for baby #2. Converting my office into a nursery and decluttering the space has been an intense project!
See Related: My Life Lately: The Sequel
Getting the Nursery Ready: Painting Baby’s Room
I’m super excited to share that the nursery is almost 90% decluttered! When I learned I was pregnant, I couldn’t wait to start working on the nursery. After discovering I was having a girl, I picked four adorable paint colors and let my family vote. We all agreed on the color “Lotus Flower” for my little girl’s room. This color was cuteness overload! The only thing I needed to do next was grab the paint and accessories and start painting!
Products Used to Achieve Baby Room Cuteness:
Baby Girl’s Room is Cute and Almost Ready!
Painting the nursery was a super fun family project. It was a wonderful bonding experience and a great way to share our growing excitement about welcoming our baby girl into the family and her new room. It took an entire weekend to paint the nursery. You can watch us paint her room and get everything ready for our baby girl in this cute little video I shared on Instagram to announce her gender. Now that the nursery’s painted, I can focus on decorating her room with furniture, bedding, decor, etc.
Cute Painting Gender Reveal Ideas
If you enjoyed reading this post and learning about how my family and I decided to reveal the gender of our baby, you may also find it helpful to explore other paint gender-reveal ideas. Most gender reveals can be grandiose, awe-inspiring, and elaborate. But if you are looking for something simple and cost-effective, below are a few ideas that make even the smallest gender reveal just as magnificent as those over-the-top special occasions. This compiled list of Gender Reveal Ideas (for painting) is creative, unique, and super cute for anyone preparing for their newborn.
- Paint Photoshoot – Keep it classic and simple with pink or blue handprints on a white shirt during the family photoshoot
- Paint Toss on Canvas – Reveal the gender in a one-of-a-kind way and create a keepsake that can displayed as art in the baby’s nursery
- Umbrella Paint Pour – Grab an unmarked paint can and a see-through umbrella for an epic reveal (super fun activity to do with the baby’s siblings)
- Super Soakers Filled w/ Paint – Fun for clothes or canvases; fill the Soakers up with pink or blue paint and make a splash
- Paint the Nursery – Pick a color of your choice to announce the gender
The Countdown Continues: Preparing for Childbirth
As of this latest life and baby update, things continue to be underway in preparation for my sweet little girl. My focus remains on staying calm, relaxed, and enjoying my pregnancy. I am so grateful to be surrounded by a supportive family. The next update will be what life has been like in the third and final trimester as I inch closer to my due date. Make sure you’re following me on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter for more pregnancy annoucements and updates!
My Life Lately: The Sequel
It’s been a while since my last review. A long while. An entire year came, dropped many bombs, and left me to deal with its aftermath. The only thing I knew to do, then, was to retreat and revise. Just as I geared up to make my return to product reviews and entertainment blogging after an almost two-year hiatus, my life had a(nother) major bomb getting ready to strike. This is my life lately (maybe even frequently): the sequel.
“Story Still Developing”
The truth is that I continue to have setbacks that cause me to take time away from blogging as frequently as I need to. I was proud and fortunate to have the freedom to focus on my writing, reviews, social media presence, however, I needed to go back to work full-time to be able to continue feeding my passion. After I started managing and getting used to my work-life balance, the plan was (and still is) to pivot to then incorporate my product reviews back into my weekly routine.
Then, May 2024 came and all my plans were put on pause. I found out that one of life’s best products was preparing for a February 2025 release date and I was expected to review it. Such a huge and major opportunity was coming my way and I needed time to dedicate to this product, and this product only. Life has trusted me to handle this kind of product before, so I was ready to accept the responsibility. What would this be like (this time)?
I am still preparing for the launch of this product. A product of love, unity, and joy. Although it won’t be revealed until next year, I am happy to share an update and announce that my family is growing by two feet! Baby Buchanan will arrive February 2025. Myself, family, and friends are still shocked by this exciting news and this life update / story is still developing. We are all very eager to shower our new addition with lots of love.
To my readers, thank you for your patience as this sequel continues. I do plan to return, sooner than you may realize, to continue sharing my reviews and to update you as much as possible with the latest developments in this story. A shift is coming soon.
With Love ❤︎,
Krissy Bri
30 Self- Love Affirmations from Beyonce’s Renaissance
Beyoncè Giselle Knowles-Carter is one of the greatest entertainers in the world. We notably recognize her for her vocal ability and contributions to music. She is an inspiration for so many women everywhere, and we can’t get enough of how much joy and happiness she brings to millions of faces. Her music is motivating and uplifting. She makes women feel seen and understood. She encourages women to love and believe in themselves. Renaissance is an album full of self- love affirmations and bad bitch energy. Let’s explore 30 self-love affirmations from the critically acclaimed studio album Renaissance.
Renaissance is about feeling good, releasing stress, and finding joy in life and love. Beyoncè is a forever mood. Beyoncè reminds us that we are all unique, deserving of love, and to embrace love with grace. Above all, the best love is self-love! Her latest album, Renaissance, is her latest effort to lift happiness, boost self-confidence, self- love, and appreciate the minds/bodies/spirits of the modern woman today.
Renaissance Self- Love Affirmations
I’m That Girl
Beyoncè starts Renaissance with a declaration: “I’m that girl.” The intro for this album commands you to recognize who you are and to take up space! It’s the perfect song for chanting and reciting positive statements to affirm that you are the best to do it and don’t forget it.
- “I’m that girl.”
- “From the top of the morning, I shine.”
- “I pull relief in.”
- “These motherfuckers ain’t stopping me.”
Cozy
One of the best things about self-love is appreciating who you are and being comfortable in your skin. Loving yourself means many things, but for this moment, let’s focus on how beautiful you are (inside and out). This song reminds you to be comfortable with how much you love yourself. Might we suggest nobody mess with you, sis?
- “I am confident.”
- “I am lethal.”
- “I am comfortable in my skin.”
- “I love myself, goddamn.”
- “I’m so cozy.”
- “I love me.”
- “I’m a God. I’m a hero.”
- “I’m swaggy, effortlessly.”
Alien Superstar
Alien Superstar is the song to play from the Renaissance album if you’re looking for something that’ll help you express all the bad bitch energy you possess. It encourages you to celebrate your radiant beauty, elegance, and unique ability to stand out from the rest of the world. You are the standard and the bar!
- “I’m one of one. I’m number one. I’m the only one.”
- “No one in this world can think like me.”
- “Bad bitch, I’m the bar. Alien Superstar!”
- “I’m too classy for this world. Forever, I’m that girl.”
- “I’m too classy to be touched. I paid them all in dust.”
- “Baby, I’m unique.”
- “Eyes on me when I perform.”
- “Eyes on I when I put on.”
Break My Soul
If you’ve been under a lot of pressure lately and feel like you’re about to explode, it’s time for you to find a solution for release. The first step is to remain kind to yourself. The second step is to reclaim your time. Next, stand tall and firmly cement your feet in place. Finally, let go of all the stress and forget the rest!
- “Release your wiggle.” (repeat with different actions!)
- “You won’t break my soul.”
- “I’m going to find a new drive.”
- “I’m on a new vibration. I’m going to build my foundation.”
More Confidence and Self- Love Affirmations from Renaissance
Church Girl
Sometimes life forces us to ride rollercoasters with twists, ups, and downs. In times of uncertainty, we usually long to be and break free from those dark spaces. We want nothing more than to put it all behind us and get back to the way things used to be before the chaos. Church Girl is the flame for the ignite to bring life back into women’s bodies and is their safe haven for liberation.
- “I’m going to let go of this body.”
- “I’m going to love on me.”
- “I was born free.”
- “Let it go. Let it out.”
- “I’m finally on the other side.”
- “I finally found the urge to smile.”
Heated
After all the self-work and self-love you’ve poured into yourself, you deserve to show off this new version of yourself to the world! Everyone needs to see your glow and your abundant shine! It’s all about confidence and believing in yourself. *Grabs fan* nothing and no one can tame you!
- “Never met a girl with a mind like this.”
- “My face card never declines.”
- “I want to flaunt it.”
Pure/Honey
Self-love is 100%, pure love. It’s not reliant or dependent on someone else, and you don’t have to wait for someone else to give you what you need. Loving yourself (inside and out) is one of the best gifts to give your mind, body, and spirit. It can take a lifetime to perfect, but repetition is the best technique to apply. Doing this act will make it easier, and soon you’ll be giving self-love effortlessly!
- “It should cost a billion to look this good.”
- “I make it look easy because I got it.”
- “I ain’t never felt a feeling like this.”
Self-Love Affirmations for Success and Abundance
The entire Renaissance album is full of self-love affirmations. Listen to Beyoncè’s latest album on Apple Music to repeat these affirmations along with the songs. Be sure to listen to all 16 tracks to discover more self-love affirmations and other mantras for motivation, inspiration, and manifestation.
Want more affirmations? Check out Powerful Words of Affirmation for Success!
How To Use Influenster: An App Review Guide
Influenster is the #1 go-to app for consumer product reviews and discovery. It is a platform known for showcasing honest reviews from real people in real-time. People love to use Influenster to share their experiences with hundreds of thousands of products. In short, Influenster changed how consumers share reviews and create user-generated content. Additionally, the popular review app underwent a facelift earlier this year and made vital changes to its platform. This post is your guide to navigating the all-new and improved Influenster app! Here you will get a glimpse of how to use Influenster. Let’s learn how the app works, how to leave product reviews, and how to get the surveys that lead to free products. Let’s get started!
Disclaimer: Heads up! My posts contain affilate links. If you buy something through one of those links, you won’t pay a penny more, but I’ll get a small commission, which helps keep the lights on. Thanks!
How To Sign-Up For Influenster and Join the Review Community
Did you know that anyone can join the review community for free? First, you’ll need an email address to get started. Then, once you’ve created a profile, start digging into other consumer reviews to discover new products on the Influenster app.
Welcome to the Influenster Home Page
After you’ve created your new profile, you will then be able to explore the app in detail. The first tab that you should get acquainted with is the home feed. This page will show any tier progress, daily tasks, and a product discovery feed.
Tier Progress
When you complete certain required activities, you will earn tier points. These points will allow you to unlock higher tiers. The higher you go, the better your chances of getting free samples and qualifying for campaigns.
Daily Tasks
To put it simply, completing tasks earns you tier points. There are a variety of activities that Influenster will ask you to complete. Some examples of activities include:
- writing reviews
- answering questions
- referring friends
- completing profile info
- making suggestions and recommendations
- creating polls for feedback
Feed
Your home feed will have recommended reviews based on your interests. You’ll see all of the top-rated products, participate in polls created by reviewers, share your expertise by responding to consumer questions, and connect with the brands you love.
How to Use Influenster to Search
You can use the search tab to look for specific products on the app. To search, type the name of the product or brand. You can even search for a product by barcode. Additionally, you can use the search bar to discover your friends on the app and follow each other.
Find and Follow Me on Influenster!
Since you discovered the goodness that is Influenster by reading this post, you should definitely check out my reviewer profile. I am an active member of the Influenster community! Click the above image to follow me on Influenster to enjoy awesome, fascinating new products and read my reviews.
How to Get Product Samples
Influenster sends thousands of hand-picked samples to its members every month. If you get chosen for a sampling campaign, it’ll show under the sample tab. Moreover, Influenster selects members for product campaigns based on their interests and responses recorded in surveys. In conclusion, it is absolutely critical to complete those profiles after sign-up!
Influenster Profile Set-Up
Customize your profile by adding an avatar and personal details. An email and home address are crucial for receiving free samples! Connect your new Influenster account to your social media channels to amplify your reviews. Next, review your recent activity, interests, and badges, and invite friends to sign-up directly from your Influenster profile.
The new changes to the app made it easier to navigate Influenster. Influenster absolutely knows how to make shopping easy. The new features make it simple to leave reviews and qualify for free stuff. I can honestly say that shopping is convenient when you use the Influenster app. Check out the new and improved website today to see what I mean, and start digging into those reviews!
Sharing product reviews is a special way to connect and engage with online shoppers just like you! The LEWK Digest is a weekly product guide newsletter for consumers to research buying options.
Subscribers receive exclusive product details on many popular beauty, household, and lifestyle products. They also receive store locations, discount codes, promotions, and special pricing on select products delivered directly to their mailbox for free!
18 Things I Learned From Reading Will Smith’s Book
The 18 things I learned about Will from reading his book are what make me thrilled to be a fan forever.
Will Smith is arguably the biggest entertainment superstar in the world. He has starred in over a dozen films, sold millions of records, and is one of Hollywood’s highest-grossing actors. Now Will Smith is writing a book. Will Smith fans everywhere are intrigued and inspired by his constant ability to win.
I am one of them.
If you pull my Will Smith fan card, you will see that I am an active member since 1990. I grew up watching Fresh Prince of Bel-Air & listening to “Summertime”. I forced my mom to take me to the movies summer after summer to see films like Men In Black & Wild Wild West. I even begged her for the Willennium album. I fully commit to my WS membership and have been for decades.
Before I go any further into this post, the reader should note that this post is not about that thing. Yes, the controversial moment of the 2022 Oscars thing. If the reader is looking for my opinion, the reader should note that I did not judge Will Smith for doing that thing. I recently read his memoir book. So that means I may have processed my feelings about that thing differently than others. My feelings about Will Smith did not change after that thing, but they did grow after reading his book.
I love him even more than before. Will (the book) tells the story of his incredible ride through music and film. He enlists Mark Manson (author of Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck) to help tell his story. Will by Will Smith is an instant #1 New York Times bestseller.
Related: GoodReads: Book Recommendation For Your Reading List
Will Smith has not always been confident.
He has always thought of himself as a coward. He grew up afraid of any and everything. He has since learned how to “hide the coward”, but Will Smith would be something he struggles with his entire life. Most of his fear stemmed from being afraid to stand up for his mom when she needed him to.
Will is a master storyteller and will make you believe any story
I would have never believed that a man with such a great work ethic as Will Smith would be into fantasy and make-believe. I guess from a creative standpoint, it totally makes sense. Fantasy allows you to create any character or story in your mind that will do anything you want or need that character to do. Will Smith lived in a fantasy world growing up to protect himself from the things, ideas, and people he feared.
He has an obsession with the TV show Dallas
Now, this is something that I was not expecting to learn about Will Smith from reading his book. What is it about Dallas? (note: I was born nine years after this tv show aired for the first time) Southfork, the Ewings family house, later became an inspiration for the Smiths family house, Her Lake.
Hip-Hop and humor allowed Will to find his voice
Will Smith has heavily relied on comedy throughout his life. Humor is his power. Growing up, he figured that cracking jokes made people happy. That made him feel safe. He began to equate humor with safety. Hip-Hop and humor together made him untouchable. He soon started freestylin’, rhyming, and landing his scorching hot punchlines everywhere in West Philly and beyond.
His parents just didn’t understand
Will Smith started making a buzz as a rapper around Philadelphia, but Will still had to go to school. He was in his senior year in high school when his first song hit the radio airwaves. He would graduate from high school and had promised his mom he would go to college (before he knew where music would take him). Mom was not giving up hope on Will going to college, so he had to make a deal with his parents. He would commit to pursuing music for a year. If that plan did not work? He would be going to a college of moms choice.
Russell Simmons and Lyor Cohen managed his rap career
Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff were hot like fire in the hip-hop industry. Russell Simmons, founder, and member of Run DMC had heard about them and even toured with the duo. Russell eventually reached out to label management for Will and Jazzy Jeff to see how he could help manage them. The management deal came together when Will and Jeff untangled themselves from a bad contract deal.
Will Smith won the first Grammy ever for a rap category
In 1988, Will Smith and Jazzy Jeff were nominated for a Grammy. It was also the first year that the Grammys would include a category for rap performances. Will and DJ Jazzy Jeff would go on and win the best rap performance for their song, “Parents Just Don’t Understand”, but would miss the actual event. They chose to boycot the Grammys that year after learning that their category would not air.
He always sought the approval of women
Will Smith loves the women. He loves women so much that he dedicates most of his time protecting and providing for them. To some women this is the dream. In his mind, as long as a woman has the necessities of life (plus a little luxury) that she will always be happy. He has since learned that protection and being the provider are not enough for a woman’s approval.
Will went broke after the success of his debut album w/ Jazzy Jeff
Living out your dreams can come with some harsh realities sometimes. Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff fans wanted more of their music, and the label agreed. Smith and Jeff went to work on their follow-up album and barely fulfilled their contractual obligations. I would say that they both got big heads and thought they would be easy to make another hit album. However, a flop album will make you rethink if you are really ready to be a musician for the rest of your life.
Will auditioned for Fresh Prince role @ Quincy Jones’ party
Imagine receiving an invitation to a birthday party, showing up, and finding out that you’re really there to audition for a role. This scenario unfolded in Will Smith’s life in a matter of minutes. He did not have time to prepare and had never acted before. In the end, he decided to take a chance because there was no paralysis through analysis. He took 10 minutes to look over the script and landed his first-ever acting gig.
One of Will’s favorite books to read is The Alchemist.
If you have never heard of this book, The Alchemist, by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho, you will after you read this memoir. The book is about a shepherd boy named Santiago who gave up everything in his life to follow his heart to pursue his destiny. Now I have never read this book. However, after reading Will’s summary, I want to check it out. A tale about following your heart to pursue your dreams sounds like something I can relate to.
The world almost did not get to hear “Summertime”
This fact is the biggest shocking revelation while reading Will Smith’s memoir. I have always figured that the story of how Summertime came to be would be one of those where everyone involved in the creative process was just in the studio vibing together. Instead, I learned that Will Smith almost turned down the opportunity to record the song. He had a busy schedule and was in the airport headed to LA when he listened to the track that Jazzy Jeff and other producers had slipped in his bag. If his flight were not for a delayed flight and if he did not pull the disc labeled “Untitled” from his bag, who knows if the world would have ever gotten the chance to hear “Summertime”.
Will really was jealous of Tupac
It was not because of Jada Pinkett Smith. Will Smith was jealous of Tupac because… well… that’s ‘Pac. Tupac was the opposite of Will Smith (when it comes to fear and cowardice). “Tupac had a fearless passion that was intoxicating, a militant morality, and a willingness to fight and die for what he believe was right”. Will hated that he was not “what he was in the world” and he wanted Jada to be able to witness those qualities in him.
Jada wanted to get married; she did not want a ceremony
Now I know that this review centered around Will Smith and his memoir, but Jada Pinkett Smith is a big part of his life. There has always been so much chatter about the Smiths’ marriage. People seem to believe that either party (or both) is miserable in their marriage. The Smiths have been married for more than two decades, and they continue to ride for each other. When it was time for the couple to wed, Jada wanted no one at their wedding and to do a non-traditional ceremony. She wanted to marry in religion and through God, but not by pastors or the government. Gammy Norris played a significant part in getting the Smiths to the altar in a traditional wedding ceremony New Years Eve (1997).
Big Willie Weekend was epic
You had to be there. Will Smith managed to secure the best weekend for movie releases. He tested the “Will Smith Cinematic Success Formula” by releasing several of his films during the biggest summer holiday, the Fourth of July weekend. Reading about the success of his summer blockbuster films just let me know one thing: I was not crazy for begging my mom to let me go to the movies every summer. The hype of the Big Willie Weekend was incredible. (Note: this was during the time when there was no escaping Will Smith, he was everywhere. From radio to tv to the box office.)
Will originally said no to the Muhammad Ali film
Will Smith considers Muhammad Ali the greatest of all time (just like the rest of the world). He did not want to be the dude who ruined the portrayal of Ali’s life and legacy. He refused and turned down the role several times. He said no to management and the producer of the film. His mind was made up. Can you believe that he was set to tell Muhammad Ali no when Ali summoned Smith to visit him? The conversation that took place between Will Smith and Muhammad Ali made him realize that he might be able to pull it off. Yes, he said might pull it off.
Will Smith had 8 movies open at #1 within 6 years
The “Will Smith Cinematic Success Formula” worked to Will’s advantage. He had mastered becoming Hollywood’s most bankable star (according to Reuters). Men in Black II, Bad Boys II, I Robot, Shark Tale, Hitch, The Pursuit of Happyness, I Am Legend, and Hancock opened at #1 at the box office, and grossed over 1 billion dollars domestically and over 3.3 billion globally.
Jaden and Willow Smith weren’t forced into the entertainment industry.
There have been lots of rumors all over the internet blaming the Smiths (Will and Jada) for getting them involved in music and film, but the truth is their kids grew up in the industry. They were around it 24/7. They liked it. They asked their dad if they could explore music and film. It would be after they became involved in the industry when Will pushed his kids to follow their hearts and pursue their passions.
Shop the memoir, Will by Will Smith, online everywhere now!
How To Outline A Blog Post in 15 Minutes
How long does it take you to write a blog post? This question is one I see bloggers ask each other all of the time. I’ve even googled it out of desperation and curiosity to figure out the answer. It takes a blogger approximately 2-3 hours to write a quality blog post. I started comparing my writing performance to the responses of other bloggers. How to outline a blog post efficiently? Is two hours enough time to brainstorm a blog topic, gather thoughts, and still have enough time to write it?
There are many ways to outline a blog post!
Some bloggers do not take as much time as others to write their blogs. Don’t worry. The last thing you should do is compare yourself to another blogger’s writing schedule. The best advice for figuring out your writing schedule is to create a consistent timetable that works for you.
I would not recommend adopting another bloggers’ writing schedule, but I would recommend learning the strategies that helped them develop the blogging schedule that works for them. This blog post highlights one of the best tools bloggers use to publish quality blog posts — blog outlines.
Blog outlines are simple tools for bloggers to draft, write and organize their ideas for a blog post before publishing.
this guide will cover:
- how to spend less time planning out a blog post
- what to outline for your blog post
- examples of blog outlines
- how to outline your next blog post in 15 mins
How To Spend Less Time Planning Out A Blog Post
If you are spending more than the average amount of time it would take to write a blog post, you are most likely doing this:
- struggling with coming up with topics
- researching while you write
- not passionate about the topic you chose to write about
One thing that will help cut out much of the time you spend writing is to start drafting your blog posts in advance. Developing a blueprint for your blog posts gives you more ideas for what you will be discussing in your post. It can not be easy to juggle all our ideas for one topic & without drafting or jotting them down, we will forget them. Start sketching your blog posts & researching topics thoroughly before committing to writing the post.
Need help brainstorming topics you should write about? Check out this list of 350+ blog topic ideas for any niche!
How To Outline For Your Blog Post
Are you looking for ideas for what to write on your blog post outline? First— you will need a topic. The topic you chose needs to be something you can talk about comfortably and freely. Next, you will need:
- Key subheading content points
- Supporting statements for that subheading
- Affiliate links for any suggestions for readers
- List of keywords and tags for search engine optimization
You can even take it a step further and create a checklist/to-do list for each step in your writing process. To-do lists and checklists for your blog post will help you remember to edit, format, schedule, publish, create pictures, etc. Here is an example of what a blog post outline should look like:
example of a blog post outline A Simple Blog Post Outline
Ready to start outlining your next blog post? I have the perfect blog post template for bloggers planning out their blog posts. I created this template to help with organizing and writing ideas for quality blog posts. The Blog Post Template is a digital pdf that you can download and save to any digital planner or notetaking application. This digital template is designed to help bloggers brainstorm post titles, publish dates, related posts, call-to-action, and key content points. The digital blog post template has checklists and to-do lists to keep bloggers on track with outlining, writing, editing, formatting, and scheduling their blog posts. The template also includes space for tracking tags, links, and keywords.
Click the jump to get your blog post template and start planning your writing content today.
Never have to worry about writing quality blog posts again! To keep your readers engaged, your blog posts have to be cohesive, entertaining, informative, and easy to read. It’s easy to write and have all your thoughts jumbled at once while you’re trying to remember to get all of your ideas out!
Use this Blog Post Planner template to avoid never having to worry about jumbled thoughts, incohesive paragraphs, and sloppy structures ever again! This Blog Post Planner template was designed to help bloggers and writers get their key points across, create blog outlines before writing, and checklists for blogging tasks.
Bloggers should be using outlines when preparing to write quality blog posts. Using an outline before you write helps you create thought-flowing, entertaining posts & cuts down on how much time you would usually spend writing your blog posts. You can easily create an outline for your next blog post in 15 minutes! Outlines are another tool to help you stay consistent with blogging & they will also help with coming up with ideas for additional blog post topics!
Was this helpful? Leave me a comment below.
What Is Seo And Why Is Seo Important For My Website?
Search Engine Optimization is a vital digital marketing tool.
Picture this. You own, manage, and run your own website. Your website is filled with entertaining, informative, and valuable content, but no one is reading it. You’re stressed because you’ve spent so much time, energy, and money invested in your website. However, it’s not thriving due to low or no traffic. You want to know how to increase your website traffic because you are passionate about seeing your business succeed. You landed here because you discovered SEO during your research, and you have no clue how to increase your traffic. You’re also not sure if you really understand how SEO works and how important it is.
SEO consists of many elements. Knowing what they are and how they work is key to understanding why SEO is so important.
Search engine optimization is crucial for your website because it helps make it more visible. This then equates to more traffic, builds brand awareness, and positions you as a trustworthy expert in your niche.
This post discusses the importance of SEO for your website and how to use SEO to rank on search engines. You will have a better understanding of how SEO works and a step closer to increasing traffic to your website.
Quality Content is what Search Engines Look For
Content is the most vital part of Search Engine Optimization. It is what the people will see first when they visit your website. The content you create is what you use to reach and engage with your target audience. You most likely know by now that you should be creating and posting content that readers will find valuable. Quality content varies in many forms for many website creators (blogs, videos, podcasts, e-books) and needs to be shared consistently to rank on search engines. A lot of content = a lot of chances to increase your website’s online visibility.
For example, website pages and posts should have a minimum of 500 words for search engines to crawl the content on your pages. Even then, depending on which SEO expert you’d ask, they would say 500 is considered to be generously low and should really be around 700-800 minimum words. Valuable content is just one key element to increasing traffic with SEO.
Keywords Will Help Search Engines Find Your Content
Your content will also need to feature some keywords to rank higher on search engines. Keywords are words and phrases that consumers use to find what they are looking for online; and that brands can then use to connect with prospects looking for their products and services.
Finding out what keywords you’ll need for search engine optimization is not a simple task. A general rule of thumb is to look for keywords with high search rates (but low competition). Choose short-tail keywords (such as kid), long-tail keywords (such as adolescent children’s books for sale), and local keywords (such as children’s books for sale in Biloxi) to work into your content. Use keywords to optimize your titles, URLs, and the usability of your website. All this work you are doing to optimize your on-page SEO content will be crucial to improving the visibility and traffic of your website.
You Can Create SEO Opportunities Off-Page
Off-page SEO refers to actions taken outside of your own website to impact your rankings within search engine results pages (SERPs). Backlink building is a popular tool for establishing off-page search engine optimization. There are many tactics for backlink building. Some of the current best practices include guest blogging, advertising, creating a lot of high-quality content to be shared, and using influencer marketing in your content. You will need to network to start building backlinks to your website. Networking and backlinks are great ways for your target audience to find out about who you are and what you do. Take advantage of collaboration opportunities!
Search Engines Love Websites With Quick Load Times
A responsive and speedy website will make a user-friendly experience for all your mobile and desktop visitors. By increasing the load speed of your website, readers will be able to browse longer, decreasing your website bounce rate. You should find out what your website’s load speed is before you decide to make any changes for search engine optimization. If it ain’t broke, do not fix it!
Word of advice for pages with low load speeds: if your load speed is low, take steps to improve your speed by optimizing high-resolution images, fixing JavaScript issues and excessive HTTP Requests, and bad hosting.
Think about it: you have spent a lot of time putting content on your website. It would be a disappointment if your audience cannot access (or gives up waiting to access) the content because the website/page does not load.
Some things to remember about SEO:
- SEO does not happen overnight
- search engines are not perfect
- You do not have to be an expert to optimize your website content
I recommend researching and using SEO tools to continue learning how to use search engines to increase website traffic and brand awareness. Websites like Moz and Semrush have been extremely helpful for me and my journey to understanding SEO. There are plenty of SEO courses and e-books to help you create a consistent SEO strategy plan for optimizing your content, increasing traffic, and reaching your target audience.
I have been working to understand how SEO works for years, and each time I learn something new about how important it is to rank (and rank higher) on search engines. The more elements of SEO we incorporate into our growth strategies, the more opportunities for increasing brand awareness, visibility, and site traffic.
What do you think about SEO and its importance to organic website traffic? How will you use SEO to help grow your website? What else do you think is important to know about SEO and search engines? What advice would you give someone who wants to rank higher on search engines and increase website traffic?
Leave me a comment below.
350 Blog Post Ideas For Bloggers Discovering Their Niche
What should I write about on my blog?
Coming up with ideas for blog topics to write about after starting your niche blog can be rough. If you are a current or newbie blogger or someone thinking of starting a blog but not sure where to start, I have a few ideas to help you get started writing quality posts for your blog that your audience will love. This list of blog post ideas is here to supercharge your creativity!
The best blog posts are the ones you can write from personal experience. Writing from personal experience can be instructional, informative, and entertaining for your target audience. For example, business owners and entrepreneurs use creative writing to highlight their brands, products, and services. If you are thinking of starting a blog or changing your blog niche, one of the questions to ask yourself is what experiences or daily activities do you enjoy that your readers will also find value in reading?
So, what are some good blog post ideas for niche bloggers? We will discuss everything you should consider when choosing a niche and share a few blog post ideas for niche blogs today!
This guide will cover:
- what is a niche blog
- types of niche blogs
- popular topics amongst niche blogs
- 350 niche blog post ideas
- examples of niche bloggers
Use these blog topic ideas for inspiration in choosing your niche and writing your next (or first) blog post!
What is a niche blog?
A niche blog is a blog where writers record activities, thoughts, and experiences to use their writing to market a specific topic or category. Niche blogs may appeal to “geographic areas, a specialty industry, ethnic or age groups, or any particular group of people.” Niche bloggers write content inspired by personal interests, daily activities, hobbies, etc. It is an ongoing debate that every blog is a niche blog in some form. However, when it comes to learning how to market a blog, it is different for every niche blogger. Niche bloggers often use their websites to promote and sell products/services, land sponsorship or affiliate programs, and make money writing about personal interests, daily activities, and hobbies.
A niche blog is not a personal blog. Niche bloggers may share personal stories, but the content they create is not always in journal-entry form — the focus here is on the activities and the interests of the writer (with the audience in mind).
How to start a niche blog?
The first step you’ll want to take in starting your blog is research. Research all the different types of niches to get an idea of what you want to be the focus topic of your blog.
What topic will you be comfortable discussing?
There are over 100 popular niches for you to make your decision. Choose one that you are passionate about and comfortable with, and start prepping for blog post ideas! Once you start writing and growing your audience and reach, you get even more ideas to maximize your content.
Social media plays a major role in blogging and increasing your blog’s visibility. If you aren’t using platform tools like Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and Pinterest to market your blog, you will need to decide how you plan to promote your niche blog.
Example: A Food and Beverage Blogger uses Instagram to post pictures or videos of their foods/drinks and tells their audience to visit their blog for the recipe.
Types of Niche Blogs
Here are 14 popular and profitable blog categories to consider:
- Lifestyle
- Beauty/ Skincare
- Food & Drink
- Holidays
- Organizing/ Planning
- Reviews
- Self-Improvement/ Self-Help
- DIY, Crafting, and Decorating
- Mom/ Parenting
- Family
- Work-From-Home
- Blogging
- Life Coach & Motivation
- Wellness
There’s nothing like having a little inspiration to get you started. Check out some of these amazing niche bloggers below.
Examples of different types of niche blogs
Buckle With Jo: Inspiration Blog
Jody-Ann is an inspirational lifestyle blogger who is passionate about motivating women to live abundantly. She inspires women to conquer new beginnings and create new memories along the way. Jody-Ann and I have collaborated quite a few times in 2021 & her posts continue to inspire women like me to get out of my comfort zone and try new things!
That Lemonade Life: Lifestyle Blog
Sarah is a cozy lifestyle blogger who is a big fan of making life as cozy and comfortable as possible! If you love food, home decor, reading, and more coziness in your life, then you’re in the right spot!
All Day Britney: Mommy Lifestyle Blog
All Day Britney is a safe space for moms who want to prioritize their self-care journey (no matter what that looks like) in order to show up in the best way for themselves and their families. It’s also where Britney shares her favorite Black-owned businesses that have helped me in my own self-care journey.
Coffee till Champagne: Women’s Lifestyle Blog
Coffee till Champagne is all about women! Their vision is to be a no holds barred, judgment-free, “damn, I can’t be the only one”, sanctuary. The conversations on this blog are dedicated to who women are, how they think/feel, and what infuriates them, and sometimes has us saying, “is this my life?”.
Jodetopia: Family Blog
On Jodetopia you’ll find travel adventures, children’s books, and advice for new moms. If you are thinking about starting a family lifestyle blog, Jodetopia has a lot of great content for blog post ideas.
Jupiter & Dann: Food and Family Blog
This lifestyle blog is all about food and family. Jupiter and Dann often cover things our children are interested in, places we’ve visited, and reviews of interesting products. Check out this blog to get ideas for posting food recipes, reviews, and family fun. There’s even a section on Jupiter and Dann where they share ways to learn all about SEO and how to get your blog to rank on search engines.
Good Life Detroit: Lifestyle Blog
GLD is a lifestyle blog created by Jennifer Harma. Good Life Detroit covers topics related to DIY crafts, culture, family life, recipes, things to do in Detroit, and well-being.
The Lifestyle Blogger UK
Becky is a UK lifestyle blogger based in the heart of the Cotswolds. She has a passion for health & fitness, veganism, and sustainability. Becky often writes about these topics. She has been featured on Channel 5 News, Express, Metro, and The Daily Mail.
Plaid + Sugar Blog: DIY & Crafts
Plaid and Sugar is a DIY, lifestyle, and sewing blog with the purpose to aid readers live a more colorful, creative, and fulfilling life. Learn how to make life colorful and fun while on a budget.
With 350 blog post ideas to choose from, finding a few content ideas to write right now should make picking a niche easier 😍. These topic ideas are perfect for any niche blog. Check them out below, and be sure to tag #lewknewtopics if you decide to use them. I want to see your writing and share it with other niche bloggers!
Blog Post Ideas
Lifestyle
- Top 10 things to do in your city or regional area
- Your tips for growing an Instagram account
- A round-up of life hacks
- 5 favorite accessories in your closet and the best way you use them
- Date night ideas
- Your workout routine: how you stay fit
- How to let go of negative thoughts and feelings
- Ways to get better sleep
- Home decor tips for fall/winter/spring/summer
- Top 10 ways you save money
- 10 books to read this year
- 7 apps to download for fun
- Shows worth watching on Netflix/HBO Max/Hulu/Paramount Plus
- Life lessons you learn before your 30’s
- Difficult changes you’ve made in your life
- Morning routine ideas
- Why you decided to start a blog plus your progress
- How you found your purpose in life
- Habits of successful people
- Your favorite hashtags for social media
- Share a personal story to motivate readers
- 7 things that make you happy all the time
- 3 books that you recommend
- List of inspirational quotes
- Party theme ideas
Beauty/ Skincare
- A review of a new product you purchased (foundation, perfume, lipstick)
- Your morning skincare routine
- Your evening skincare routine
- How to apply skincare products
- A round-up of new products for hair/skin/make-up
- Best shades of lipstick for fall/winter/summer/spring season
- How to pick the perfect foundation
- How to make lashes look longer
- The best drugstore dupes
- Simple make-up swaps to save you money
- Hauls (Sephora/Ulta/Fenty Beauty)
- The hottest looks to try this spring/summer/fall/winter
- 5-min, 10-min, 20-min make-up routine tutorials
- The perfect make-up for work/school/date night
- How to determine your skin type
- What’s in my make-up bag?
- My daily skincare routine
- Beauty guide for beginners
- 5 beauty essentials you can’t live without
- How to make face masks
- My beauty wishlist for (year)
- A round-up of favorite nail art
- How to find the right SPF for you
- Beauty gift guides
- Host a giveaway
Food & Drink
- A round-up of recipes
- Try a trending Pinterest/TikTok recipe and share the outcome
- How to cook (food) in 5/10/15 minutes
- Review a local restaurant, bar, or bakery
- Create recipes based on a single ingredient
- Share your favorite cookbooks
- Why you started/love cooking
- How to meal plan
- How to organize your kitchen
- Your favorite cocktail recipes
- The best cocktail recipes
- A drink/food pairing guide
- Local winery, distillery, or brewery guide
- “Wine Wednesday”
- Holiday food guides
- 10 ideas/recipes for healthy lunches
- Share your favorite go-to meal
- 5 affordable and tasty celebrity-owned wine brands
- 7 best foods to cook under 30 mins
- A beginner’s guide to cooking/baking
- How to prepare or store foods
- 12 must-have cooking essentials
- School lunch ideas for kids’ lunchboxes
- Healthy snack ideas for kids
- Try-it Tuesday recipes
Holiday
- 15 days of craft ideas for the holiday
- Christmas gift guides for him
- Christmas gift guides for her
- Holiday bucket list ideas
- 10 best tips for traveling during the holidays
- Holiday games for adults
- Ultimate (year) review
- Mistakes I made in (year)
- My new year goals for (year)
- Home decor for the holidays
- DIY Valentine’s Day gift ideas
- Best tips to save money around the holidays
- Must-try holiday desserts this season
- Thanksgiving table decoration ideas
- Holiday series: 10-holiday tradition ideas
- Christmas gift guides for small kids
- Holiday destination ideas
- List of new year affirmations
- Best make-up gift ideas
- Write a holiday travel guide for a local city
- Holiday gift guides for mom under $____
- Dollar store decoration ideas
- Fourth of July menu list
- 5 festive drinks for Cinco de Mayo
- Black Friday holiday shopping guide
Organizing/Planning
- How to clean makeup brushes
- How to save money while shopping
- 8 ways you save money
- How do you stay organized?
- Share your daily routine
- Share your favorite planning apps
- 11 ways to manage time/ time-management tips
- Best goal-setting planners
- Your top productivity tips
- Time-saving tips for weekly activities
- Best tips for a great start to the day
- How to set realistic goals
- Habits of successful people
- Tips for spring cleaning
- Make-up/skincare organization hacks
- Best time blocking tips
- How to avoid distractions
- Wedding planning tips
- Baby shower planning tips
- Tips for eating healthy on a budget
- Ways to clean your pantry
- How to clean your garage
- How to pack a suitcase for days/weeks/months
- Minimal packing ideas for traveling
- Cleaning hacks
Reviews
- First-time user reviews
- Book reviews
- How to hands-free control your Apple Watch
- A beginner’s guide to buying (product)
- How to write a helpful review online
- Baby/infant product reviews
- Music reviews
- Beauty product reviews
- 5 things to consider before buying a product on Amazon
- Apple/ Android product review
- 20 trends in home decor you must try
- How to identify legit and honest product reviews
- Jewelry/bags/accessories reviews
- Everything you need to know about (product)
- A round-up of your favorite reviews
- Best cameras on the market for vlogging
- Sports reviews
- How to find the best home furniture deals
- 5 products to buy if you’re a (product/brand) enthusiast
- Why I recommend (product)
- Thoughts about (product) then and now
- Digital product reviews
- Pet product reviews
- How to choose the right cooking pan for better cooking
- 5 tips to consider when buying (topic)
Self-Improvement/Self-Help
- Simple goal setting: how I set 1 goal in 10 mins and changed my life
- How to say no without feeling guilty
- 10 green smoothies to give your brain a boost
- How a positive mindset helped me lose 7lbs in a week
- Gratitude habits that will drastically improve your life
- 7 ways to get out of your comfort zone
- 8 powerful lessons to learn from failure
- The 10- minute solution for getting your thoughts under control
- I stopped worrying about money. You should too. Here’s why.
- How to start your own business with no money
- 7 awesome apps to help you achieve your goals this year
- 15 mind-blowing facts that will make you change your sleep habits
- Why journaling is a quick way to inspire creativity
- How to deal with difficult people and protect your energy
- Quick and easy breakfast/lunch/dinner ideas to boost your immune system
- 10 ways to raise your vibration when you’re feeling low
- 30 ways to boost your self-esteem
- Is low confidence ruining your career?
- A beginner’s guide to meditation
- Can mindfulness ease anxiety?
- How to achieve financial freedom with goal setting
- How to stop procrastinating
- The best self-discipline tips you can follow
- How to recognize negative thinking
- 5 ways to motivate yourself
DIY, Crafting, and Decorating
- Write a craft book review
- Share your favorite DIY projects from other bloggers
- Round-up of previous DIY projects you created recently
- Create a DIY series using one specific product or theme
- 5 must-have craft tools
- DIY home organizers & hacks
- A Valentine’s Day craft tutorial for kids
- DIY tutorial for making wreaths
- Best tips for selling products at craft shows
- How to make DIY candles
- 5 Beginner Tips for Scrapbooking
- How to knit/sew
- 10 Crafts you can make and sell
- Recreate a craft from Pinterest
- 10 Easy crafts for toddlers
- Where to shop for the best craft supplies
- How-to sell crafts on Etsy
- 7 Tips for Online Craft Sellers
- How to make DIY beauty products
- Cricut tips, tricks, and hacks
- Fall/Winter/Spring/Summer craft ideas
- Interview your favorite craft blogger
- Beginner’s Guide to Cricut/Cricut machines
- DIY spa day
- 15 crafts kids will love
Mommy/Parenting
- Healthy eating with and for toddlers
- How to get the baby sleeping through the night
- 3 tasks you accomplish during baby naps
- WFM/ SAHM daily schedule
- List of chores little ones can help out with
- 12 exercise ideas for kids
- How to make self-care a priority as a mom
- Mommy hacks you use on a daily basis
- Fun ideas for family day/ night activities
- Parent/ child date ideas
- Tips on traveling with children
- Pregnancy hacks you wish you knew when you were expecting
- Tips for parents expecting their first/ second/ third child
- Tips for amicable co-parenting
- Wishes that every parent has for their kids
- Toy reviews and why you love them as a parent
- Share your best day as a mom
- Share your worst day as a mom
- How do you get your children to listen to you
- Parenting lessons you learned from your parents
- Tips for raising boys/ girls
- Favorite/ best books for children
- How to teach children manners
- Family bonding ideas
- Important life skills every child should learn
Family
- How to keep kids entertained while you WFH
- How to talk to your teenager
- Meal prep ideas the whole family will enjoy
- Tips on saving for buying/building a house
- How to tell if you’re ready for another child
- Parent date night ideas
- Sibling bonding ideas
- Screen-free activities for families
- Budgeting ideas for large families
- How to talk to your in-laws
- Tips for maintaining a strong marriage after kids
- How to set boundaries in relationships
- Setting 5/10/15 year goals with your spouse
- Tips on how to adopt or foster a child
- Favorite movies to watch as a family
- Share a problem your family is currently facing
- Family-friendly things to do in your local area
- How to set a family budget
- A Beginner’s Guide to meal-prepping
- How fathers can help their partners around the house
- Overnight camping ideas
- Tips for raising kids in multi-generational households
- Benefits of Having a Dog as part of the family
- 10 Benefits of packages from grandma, grandpa, or other loved ones
- Staycation ideas for parents
Work-from-Home
- How to leave your 9-5 job and start working for yourself
- How to avoid online distractions and focus on work
- Your favorite WFH outfits
- Share what your WFH schedule looks like
- Tips for decluttering your home workspace
- Share how you get motivated to work
- How to make money from home
- How to WFM with kids
- Talk about any freelance services from home
- Time-blocking tips
- 3 biggest challenges you struggle with WFM and how to overcome it
- WFH tips from a thought leader
- Interview someone on how they started their business and career
- Beginner’s Guide How to work from home
- Top industries that hire remote workers
- Work for yourself or work for a company?
- Roundup or list of available WFH job boards
- How to create a work/life balance at home
- 7 WFH gifts under $10
- Skills you can quickly learn for a remote career change
- How to become a virtual assistant
- 6 biggest mistakes remote job seekers make
- Simple tasks you can do today to start WFH
- Can you search for remote jobs on Indeed/Glassdoor/LinkedIn?
- Networking tips for remote job seekers
Blogging
- Share 10 bloggers who motivate you
- Gorgeous fonts for bloggers and social media mavens
- Tips for social media
- Favorite blogging groups
- Favorite blogging books + courses
- Writing tips
- Essential blogging tools you can’t blog without
- Tips for guest posting/ blogging
- A round-up of your best posts
- SEO essentials
- Ways to build online relationships with bloggers
- Free social media technology tools to promote your blog
- Favorite hashtags for social media
- What motivated you to start a blog?
- 3 biggest challenges you struggle with as a blogger and how to overcome it
- Best tools for creating blog images
- Interview a blogger and share a success story
- 6 Perks to Blogging & Making Money
- How many hours do you spend running your blog?
- Why you need a blog planner
- Favorite Instagram Lifestyle Bloggers to follow
- What tricks/hacks to use to grow your blog
- How is your blog different from others?
- Blogging Course Reviews
- How to be consistent with blogging
Life Coach/ Motivation
- Collection of inspirational quotes + why you love them
- Personal growth tips + goals
- 5 Ways to motivate yourself
- How to pursue ambition in your life
- How to let go of negative thinking
- 9 things that make you happy all the time
- How do you get inspired?
- Share a personal story to motivate readers
- The best lessons you’ve learned in your life
- 7 Ways to Show Appreciation & Gratitude
- Share tips about self-improvement
- Share a failure and what you learned
- How-to stay calm
- 5 Habits of successful people
- How to stay motivated when things get difficult
- Tips for a stress-free life
- 10 things that make you happy right now
- How to have a winning mindset
- How to unlock your passion
- Mindset blocks you didn’t know were there
- Ways to get out of your comfort zone
- How to turn a weakness into a strength
- 10 Gratitude habits that will drastically improve your life
- 12 things you could do every day to live fearlessly
- 7 Apps to Help you Achieve your goals this year
Wellness
- 15- min workout routine
- Workout routines for (topic)
- How to eat healthy on a budget
- Tips for intermittent fasting
- 5 Ways to live a healthy lifestyle
- Ways to get better sleep
- Beginner’s guide to meditation & mindfulness
- Health and fitness guide for busy entrepreneurs
- 10 healthy foods to eat daily
- Share a fitness challenge that you’re doing
- Everything you need to bring to the gym
- Are multivitamins good for you?
- How to lose belly fat
- How to calculate your BMI
- What you need to know about the keto diet
- The best workouts to do at home
- Beginner’s guide to meal prepping
- Ways to get your steps in
- The best apps for tracking calories
- How much weight can I lose per week?
- A round-up of workout music playlists
- Beginner’s guide to yoga & stretching
- Common myths about dieting
- Review meal box services (Hello Fresh)
- The best workouts for arms/legs/glutes/hamstrings
Related: What is SEO and Why Is Seo Important For My Website?
Which of these 350 blog post ideas will you write about first? Have a blog post idea that should’ve made this list? Share your thoughts in a comment below.
Starting The New Year With Hope And A Radiant Glow
Happy New Year, friends! I hope you all are doing well and off to a positive start to your year. I am feeling renewed after a much-needed relaxing break during the holidays. The break gave me a chance to rest, sleep in late (if you consider sleeping until 7 am late), catch up, and spend time with my family after not seeing them for most of the year. Honestly, I enjoyed doing nothing but lounging around each day of my break. It was so calming and therapeutic that I did not want it to end. Nonetheless, I can say that it feels great to be back to the basics. I am ready for this new year and all the prosperity and blessings that 2022 will bring!
I am full of hope about what’s to come next for me this year.
As I reflect on 2021, I realize that I spent a lot of time building my brand and not enough time taking care of myself. My two-week break taught me that I am too much of a control freak, I should stop putting expiration dates on everything, and I still struggle with setting unrealistic expectations. No wonder I was burned out by the end of the year. I was putting too much pressure on myself, but I’m grateful I realized it before continuing to carry that energy into 2022. What I needed was a work/life balance. I want to secure the bag and the happiness at the same time.
Although I did not find that balance last year, my goal is to accomplish that this year. I wrote down and set realistic goals, worked out a strategy to execute them, and prayed over each one of them. I have a plan for self-improvement, business growth, gratitude, and I have
new hope in a jar.
Hope In A Jar has given me such a radiant glow this year. I have become more optimistic about the rest of the year and what’s to come. 2022 will be a year filled with abundance, growth, limitless opportunities, and success. I am hopeful that everything is going to be okay. I am optimistic that all my efforts will be fruitful and multiply. Most importantly, I have faith that I will walk in my purpose and fulfill my passions this year.
This radiant revelation started with my hope in a jar.
Hope In A Jar is living with optimism. Hope In A Jar is this smooth-glow multi-tasking moisturizer that helped me renew not only my skin but my tired thought process. It became the first thing that made me feel better about maintaining a healthy work/life balance in 2022. Yep, a moisturizer did that.
What is the radiant Hope In A Jar?
The Lewk Digest is your go-to newsletter to owning your look. The Digest has a product guide to Hope In A Jar ! If you want to try out the product mentioned here on the website, check out The Lewk Digest. These guides are put together to help make shopping easier. Each product guide has
- Features and Benefits
- Honest reviews
- Prices and Store Locations
- Promotions, Discount Codes, and Coupons
I use it only in the mornings after cleaning and treating my skin. It’s soft and smells great. My skin is already showing signs of radiance and clarity. It’s routine maintenance and self-improvement. Hope In A Jar and I get along great. It’s given me what I needed to start again (or to keep going).
2022 is all about hope.
2022 is all about optimism.
2022 is all about renewal.This Is What My Stay-At-Home Mom Schedule Looks Like
I never believed that this would be the life for me. The life of a stay-at-home mom. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that the stay-at-home life would be something that I could afford to do or that it would be something that I could get comfortable doing. The pandemic forced me to see that I could create a stay-at-home mom schedule. I literally lost my job and became a stay-at-home mother overnight! Before this, I used to spend most of my time at work. Away from my family. Since 16, I have worked countless jobs for financial stability and security. While all the while, I was missing out on quality bonding time and precious milestones. Then four years into my son’s life, I suddenly became more accessible and available.
So I was at home, all of the time, 24/7.
Related: Social Distancing: Choosing to Self-Care & Keep the Faith
Subsequently, I have been dedicated to a stay-at-home mom schedule that allows me to work from home, start and build my business, complete household chores, and devote time to my husband and son.
The ultimate goal for my stay-at-home mom schedule was to have time to do it all.
Having no extra help made me realize that I needed to follow a schedule that could keep me organized and focused on my priorities: starting a business and being there when my family needed me the most. A flexible stay-at-home mom schedule would become my secret weapon, and it continues to be a routine that brings contentedness and peace. My daily stay-at-home mom schedule works well for me, and I want to share it to help other stay-at-home moms figure out a rhythm to juggling everything at home.
5:15 am
I set my alarm to wake up 45 minutes before Landon gets up. Starting my day earlier allows me to get mentally and physically prepared for my day. I like to use this time for prayer and quick stretching exercises. Then, I will start ironing school uniforms and making Landon’s lunch to take to school. I will use any remaining time to let our family pet, Pablo, outside to use the potty and put food in his bowl.
Early mornings set the tone that I am ready to tackle anything. It also allows me to finish all my tasks at a reasonable ending time. I don’t even sleep in late! To be honest, I can’t sleep past 7 am without feeling unproductive. I like to maximize my time in the mornings by choosing not to waste a single minute.
6:00 am
I wake Landon up and make him breakfast. I’ve got to brag that I do my best gentle parenting in this hour. I want to make sure I am helping my son start his day with some positivity. There’s lots of hugging, smiles, and I love you‘s exchanged during this time. In conclusion, 6 am is one of my proudest hours of the day.
Related: 20 Affirmations for Abundance & Success
6:50 am
It’s time to drop Landon off at school for the day. Morning drop-offs are usually 10-15 minutes long. While we are in line, waiting to make our way to the front, Landon and I will practice repeating daily affirmations. I like to encourage Landon to have a great day, believe in himself, give his best effort, and commit to learning new skills. This type of encouragement is the final preparation before he walks through those school doors to begin his day as a Kindergarten student.
7:15 am
After drop-off, it’s time to get started with work. Before I shift into work mode, I take 20 minutes to eat a light breakfast, let Pablo outside again, and do those things that I might have skipped earlier (prayer, stretching, meditation).
8:00 am
After that, it’s time to dedicate myself to my brand, my business, and evolving as an entrepreneur. From 8 am to 1 pm., I give my all to writing new blog posts, creating YouTube videos, Reels, or TikToks that could help increase awareness about my business, scheduling or creating content, reviewing products, editing, etc.
I maximize my time during these hours because I can complete the bulk of my tasks without any distractions. No one is here to disrupt me or feel like I am not giving them any attention. I am prioritizing my business and my clients. I will schedule all of my consultations, client calls for social media management, and brand strategy between these hours.
1:00 pm
At this point in my day, I realize that I’m either hungry (if I’ve skipped breakfast) or feeling like I need to take a break. I usually make myself some lunch and watch something on tv, catch up on social media, or take a nap. Just because I can’t sleep in late doesn’t mean that I don’t know how to go lay down somewhere in the middle of the day.
1:55 pm
After a much-needed recharge, it’s now time to get Landon from school. School dismisses for each day at 2:55. However, parents of car riders line up an hour early to prepare for dismissal.
In conclusion, sometimes your schedule will have events that throw curveballs in your plans.
Expect this. It’s okay.
For example, waiting to get my child home from school takes an hour out of my day, but I choose to look at this differently. Instead of viewing this as me losing out on time, I will use this time to finish up something that I was working on or do something that I haven’t had the chance to do yet.
Examples of Time Fillers for “Lost Hours”
- creating captions for Instagram posts/ reels
- researching blog topics and ideas
- researching youtube video topics and ideas
- pay a bill online
- watch an episode of a tv series
- digital planning
3:00 pm
I’m back at home and back to full-time mama status. This hour belongs to Landon. He usually has so much to tell me about what happened at school! We also have snacks, do homework, and go outside to play before it gets too late.
4:00 pm
It’s almost time to end my work for the day. I wrap up anything that I didn’t finish that morning. Every day is different. On some days, I can say that I finished my workload by 5 pm, and on other days I can’t. Wrapping up the day helps me understand what I’ve already accomplished for the day, what’s left to do, and where to pick up the next day.
4:30 pm- 5:00 pm
It’s time to start making (or buying) dinner. I’ve never been into meal prep, but perhaps it’s time that I start; because I never know what’s for dinner! Most of my dinner ideas come to me throughout the day. At 5 pm, I am cooking dinner or asking my husband to grab something on his way home.
7:00 pm After everyone has made it home and had dinner, I get a little bit of free time. It is the ultimate hour for relaxation and chill time. I dedicate this hour to doing whatever I want to do.
- conversations with my husband about his day
- bonding time with my husband, Landon, and Pablo
- taking a nice hot shower
- browsing social media
- listening to music
- preparing for the next day (pulling out school uniforms, making lunches, cleaning up)
8:00 pm This is Landon’s wind-down hour. His dad bathes him, and after bath time, we read a 15- minute bedtime story. I appreciate this time to be able to take a break and regroup.
9:00 pm It’s Landon’s bedtime and his parents’ bonding time. Both mom and dad are exhausted by now, but we still make time for each other. We have to because we hardly have any time earlier in the day to make it work.
10:00 pm If I want to get up for my 5:15 am alarm, I need to be in bed no later than 10 pm.
More Tips for Success
- Don’t get wrapped up in exact times! These are the hours that work best for my life at home, and I provided them for structure.
- Find your rhythm and rhyme for your reason. You’re crafting the ideal schedule for your life and goals.
- You can still be productive throughout the day even if you don’t stick to a strict routine.
- Plan around family bonding time. Choose the repeat times throughout the day for consistent, fun times with your loved ones.
- Most importantly, don’t stress on days where following your schedule does not work out.
Celebrating 50: 10 Bonafide Favorites
It’s time to raise our glasses and cheer because it’s a celebration! I am very excited about this accomplishment that I’m getting ready to announce, and I couldn’t wait to share the news with you, my friends, so that we can celebrate together. Its The LEWK is celebrating 50 published blog posts! Subsequently, I’ve officially shared 50 lifestyle blog posts with you, and I could not be any happier and prouder of this achievement. In short, for the past two years, I have shared content on my blog with the intention to help and entertain women and provide valuable advice, tips, information, and solutions.
I must say thank you to you, the readers, for reading and your support! I am grateful for every single comment, read, share, and view. In honor of you, my friends, let’s take a look back at some of your favorite posts on the blog so far.
CONGRATS ON REACHING 50!
We’re celebrating 50 published posts on the site! Will you celebrate with me? Then, help me celebrate by joining the LEWK community by subscribing to the blog. Firstly, enter your email address below to subscribe and become a part of the Members Only community. Then, you will need to confirm your subscription to the blog. Members receive exclusive monthly newsletters, freebies, and discount code offers. In conclusion, members receive special notifications and alerts when new posts become available on the blog.
Celebrating 50: Popular Blog Posts
Building Backdrops for High-Quality Content
This post is an easy how-to guide to building a backdrop to enhance digital images and videos. Backdrops are a cute and fun way to bring aesthetic value to your digital content.
Influenster Product Reviews
If you enjoy product reviews, you’ll love Influenster. Influenster is a product discovery app that allows consumers and influencers to review and discover new products. In addition, this app also sends free products to consumers and influencers to review and post on social media. In short, this post serves as a product review of my first ever Influenster voxbox, the reviewer platform, and how it works.
Self-Care and Stress Management Strategies
If you are looking for suggestions on ways to unwind, manage, and let go of everyday stresses, give this post a read. Most importantly, you will learn how to identify signs of burnout, when to find time to care for yourself, and ways to self-care and feel better in stressful situations.
Reach New People and Make an Income on Instagram
In the world of social media, Instagram is one of the most popular platforms out there. Users post pictures and videos daily for personal enjoyment, exposure, and business opportunities. For example, entrepreneurs and business owners use Instagram to reach their target audience, client, or customer for their business. If you are a business owner/entrepreneur, I recommend making a business or creator account to help you grow your business. There are over 1 billion monthly active users defining their audience.
Life-saving Habits and Practices
The road to self-improvement can be a long journey that requires routine maintenance. Learn how to stop and redirect negative energy, healthily express thoughts and emotions, and give yourself grace.
Manifest and Attract the Life You Want
People use affirmations daily to attract confidence, abundance, love, success, and happiness. To clarify, affirmations are short and powerful statements that people can use to promote positive thinking. They allow us to be in control of our thoughts and shape our realities. Individuals can repeat affirmation statements until they become new beliefs. This blog post will provide insight into what affirmations are, what the laws of attraction mean, and how to incorporate these things together when motivating ourselves through self-care practices.
Create an Income With Affiliate Marketing
Companies are looking to work with content creators daily to reach consumers through sponsored advertising. In addition, many Bloggers and Influencers use sponsored posts to generate more traffic and get link clicks to their website or social media. To sum up, sponsored posts are just one of many ways you can create additional income online and monetize your blog. If you aren’t using sponsored posts as a way to reach bigger audiences, drive website traffic, and increase your engagement on your website or social media, you are missing out!
Discover At-Home Body Waxing Techniques
A product review about Veet’s 3-in-1 at-home waxing kit. I had quite the experience with body waxing and having to do it myself during the pandemic.
How to Set Goals and Get Organized
Here are three great resources to help anyone looking to buckle down and get serious about executing their goals, consistency, and organization.
Discovering Friendships & Sister Circles
This featured post from guest writer BuckleWithJo is about maintaining friendships and sisterhoods. Read about her experience in sister circles and how she made genuine connections, identified red flags in friendship behavior, and stayed clear of the drama.
Celebrate With More Posts!
Thank you for celebrating 50 published posts with me! Are you enjoying reading the content on the site? Then, make sure you visit lifestylewithkris.com every Friday for new blog posts! In the same vein, you can check back daily to catch up on previous posts and reviews.
Please comment on which post has been your favorite to read on Its the LEWK. Let’s celebrate together! I’ll be following everyone who leaves a comment below.
125 Of The Best Fall Hashtags For Instagram 2021
Fall is such a fun and festive season for indoor and outdoor activities. There are many activities to celebrate and enjoy in the Fall. Many people look forward to county or state fairs, festivals, pumpkin patches, and Halloween fun with their loved ones. Thanksgiving, harvest season, buffalo plaid, cooler weather, etc. Fall is easy, breezy, and beautiful. If you’re planning to participate in the Fall fun this year, statistics show that you’ll definitely post about it. Moreover, you may need some fall hashtags to sum up how you’re feeling (or what you’re doing) this Fall, and I’ve got you covered.
It’s time to take your Instagram posts to the next level. If you are searching for hashtag inspiration then look no further. Firstly, I’ve got 125 Fall Hashtags that are perfect for your Instagram captions.
Secondly, I’ve broken down the list of Fall hashtags for Instagram into different activities and events. This breakdown will certainly make it easier to find hashtags quickly. However, I am recommending these hashtags for nano and micro Instagram accounts.
Accounts with a small following (1000) to large (10,000 +) can use these hashtags to reach more people. All hashtags in this list have about 10,000 – 300,000 people who use them every day on Instagram.
Are you ready? Let’s get into it!
Before I reveal the Fall hashtags, do you need ideas for what to post on Instagram? What good are hashtags if you don’t know what to post? If you are stuck trying to figure out what to post on Instagram, check out 10 Ideas for Creating and Sharing Engaging Content on Social Media to help you with your in-feed posts, stories, and reels.
Types of Fall Instagram Posts
Here are a few of the best ideas to inspire you for your Instagram posts during the Fall:
- cozy-at-home
- Trends: Fall Makeup (Is The NEW Celestial Odyssey Palette Worth Trying?)
- More trends: Fall nails (These Pinterest Finds Will Make You Want Ferocious, Stunning Nails This Fall)
- Family Portraits/ Photography
List of Fall Hashtags
Home Decor
#fallcandles #fallhomedecor #fallfavorites #autumndecorations #autumnfoliage #autumnwreath #falldecorating #falldecoratingideas #fallaesthetic #fallcenterpiece #fallflorals #pumpkindecor #pumpkindecorating #halloweendecorating #thanksgivingtable #thanksgivingdecor
Fall Beauty and Fashion
#fallnails🍁🍂 #fallclothes #fallmakeuplook #autumnmakeup #autumntrends #autumnhair #fallfashiontrends #fallfashion2021 #fallfashions #fallfashioninspo #fallstyles #fallhairstyles #fallsweater #falloutfitideas #fallboots #bootweather #falllooks #hoodieweather #scarfweather #autumnstyles #autumnmakeup #cozysweater #falljacket #autumndress #autumnlooks #fallnailart
Fall Activities and Events
#fallactivities #fallharvest #fallwinter2021 #autumnfair #fallroadtrip #falltravel #fallcleanup #fallweddings #cornmaze🌽 #applepickingseason #applepicking🍎 #fallwalks #fallfestivals #autumnwalk #autumnactivities #harvestseason
General Fall Hashtags
#fallthings #fallessentials #fallready #fallinlove #fallmood #fallvibes🍁 #fallvibes🍃🍂 #fallvibes🍂🍁 #fallbucketlist #fallisintheair🍁 #fallismyfavorite #fallismyfavoriteseason #fallismyfavoritecolor #fallishere🍁 #fallisthebest #fallisthebestseason #fallisfinallyhere #ilovefall🍁 #ilovefallmostofall #falldays🍁 #autumnadventures #autumnquotes #autumnfeed #autumnessentials #autumnvibes #fallcolors🍁🍂 #falltime🍁
Family and Love
#fallfamilyphotos #falllove #falllover #falllovers #autumnlover #fallfamilyfun
Fall Weather and Nature
#beautifulfall #beautifulfallday #cozyfall #autumnsunshine #autumntrees #autumnnight #autumnsun #fallleaves🍁🍂 #falltrees #fallsky #fallsunset #fallmornings #autumnleaves🍂 #sunnyfallday #beautifulautumnday #autumnsunset
Food
#thanksgivingfood #thanksgivingmeals #turkeytime #thanksgivingturkey #comfortfoods #thanksgivingrecipes #thanksgivingdesserts #fallfoods #fallbaking #falldrinks #fallcocktails #pumpkinpies #pumpkinspicelattes #squashseason #falleats #soupweather
Comment below if you use these hashtags and find them helpful!
Follow me on Instagram at (@krissybri)
Leave me a comment on one of my posts that you’re following me and I’ll follow you back! 🙃
8 Blogger Groups to Help You Master Blogging
Are you a newbie blogger, business owner, content creator, or influencer looking to meet and mingle with other content creators within your niche? Are you looking for a networking community where you can promote your brand and learn about brands and businesses? One of the ways to build your tribe and community for your brand or business is to join online blogger groups.
Photo by Designecologist on Pexels.com Blogger groups have been helpful for me because I’ve learned from competitors about the dos and don’ts of being an online business owner. I’ve learned how to grow my business and generate website traffic by adopting marketing strategies and planning out content. Additionally, I’ve learned how to land collaborations and how to engage with all types of niche brands.
This blog post will provide tips to newbie bloggers, business owners, influencers, and content creators who want to start networking and find blogging groups to join. This post also contains 8 Blogging Groups that I have recommended that will help you get comfortable navigating and engaging in online groups and communities.
Finding Blogger Groups on Facebook
Facebook is the #1 platform when it comes to searching for blogging groups to join online. I know that some people are skeptical about if Facebook groups are worth joining or if they work. I have had more success than bad experiences. Facebook is one of the best platforms for marketing and advertising your business, and it is easy to connect with content creators and business owners. Most blogging groups contain threads that will have discussions to allow you to ask questions for advice and support.
There is a range of people who use Facebook groups to connect– from newbies to advanced experts. You must take advantage of the tools and resources given in discussions and topics posted in the blogging groups that you plan to join. These tools and resources will help you grow and promote your business online. I’ve tripled my followers, likes, and views on social media by networking in Facebook blogging groups! I’ve seen influencers land 3-6 figure brand deals with brand companies. The possibilities and opportunities are THERE. Just look at what other business owners, content creators, and influencers had to say about their experience with blogging groups:
How To Join Blogger Groups
So, how do you get involved and start networking? You can:
- Join the conversation
- Give & receive feedback
- Take advantage of opportunities
- Follow, engage, and subscribe to competitors
Start with searching groups on Facebook to find one that will fit your goals and to achieve them. After you join your first group, agree to the rules of engagement and begin jumping into community discussions. It’s okay if you want to observe what’s going on first, to get an understanding of how the engagement group will work. Introduce yourself and your brand! You can instantly start following, engaging, and subscribing to brands that respond to you. Leave comments on social media posts and YouTube videos! There are some great conversations taking place and you should want to be a part of them. This is a great idea for influencers who are interested in landing brand deals and partnerships. Brand companies look everywhere online for influencers to be a part of their influencer campaigns!
To help you get started building your online networking community and discover engaging blogging groups, here is a list of 8 Facebook groups that I would like to invite you to join:
Black Bloggers Community
This group is a created private space for Black bloggers, influencers, and content creators to interact, connect, and network their creativity.
Boss Girl Bloggers
If you’re looking for a place where Lifestyle, Beauty, Fashion Boss Girl Bloggers interact, collaborate, & help each other with their growing blog success, then this is the group for you.
BossBabe Engagement Tribe
Although the name of the group is “Boss Babe”, this group is a safe space for women & men to connect with one another, grow your Instagram, encourage one another and learn/ask questions! 💕
Digital Boss Hub
Welcome to The Digital Boss Hub, here, we level up. This space was created for bloggers and NEW entrepreneurs to get access to tips, resources and support to successfully market, network, increase engagement to start or grow their brands!
Black Women Who Blog
This group is for Black Women Who Blog or are just getting into blogging. Here you can share your blog links, find other bloggers to collaborate with, and get insight and opinions on subjects you may want to post about. If you are interested in joining this group, please read the thread posting schedule and complete the mandatory questionnaire before your request to join the group will be approved.
Influencers Only: Learn and Grow as an Influencer
Influencers Only is a group made for social media influencers to discuss brands, sponsorships, and give all the tea on personal experiences with influencing.
SEO for Bloggers
SEO tips for bloggers + training. Learn how to use SEO on your blog! A community for bloggers who are in search of SEO help. Inside the group you will find SEO tips for bloggers and SEO tips for beginners.Come on in!
Women in Instagram Marketing: Social Media Engagement
Women in Instagram Marketing is a group designed to support and empower women to make connections, build engagement, and learn how to earn money through Instagram marketing.
There are several blogging and engagement groups out there on Facebook and other social media platforms. This list was created to help you figure out where you should start in networking and marketing your brand and business. I hope that you will STOP limiting your reach and maximize every platform that could help your business grow by networking and engaging with your peers.
Get out there and meet new people! It’s time to spread those social butterfly wings and soar.
Did you find this blog post helpful in the decision to start marketing your brand or business in blogging groups? How do you currently advertise your business online to make sales and boost website traffic?
Comment Below.
How To Get Sponsored Posts On Instagram
Have you ever wondered how to get sponsored posts? Sponsored posts are advertisements created by a brand or business for a product/service. Companies are looking to work with content creators daily to reach consumers through sponsored advertising. Many Bloggers and Influencers use sponsored posts (also known as promoted posts) to generate more traffic and link clicks to their website or social media. Sponsored posts are just one of the ways you can create additional income online and monetize your blog.
In the past, I worked with brand companies such as Amazon, Jenell B. Stewart’s DCU affiliate program, Influenster, and The Raw Dosage. I continue to work with businesses on collaborations through sponsored ads and partnerships. In this blog, you will gain insight into how sponsored posts work and how to get sponsored posts. Are you ready to generate website traffic and revenue for your website, blog, or social media? Let’s get started!
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Affiliate marketing is designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to brand websites. This is at no additional cost to you!
Photo by Olya Kobruseva on Pexels.com UGC is Key to Sponsored Posts
It is important to remember that when promoting a company’s services and products through sponsored posts, you are introducing your community to brands that they’ll be interested in purchasing from and learning more about how they can benefit from them. Brands are looking to reach communities and audiences through UGC, user-generated content. You want to collaborate with brands related to your niche to create the authentic, quality image and video content that brands are looking to use to attract consumers.
For example, my blog is a lifestyle blog. I am inspired to create content around my interests and daily activities. I create brand awareness by sharing content from companies who express interest in reaching consumers with interests in many topics (beauty, health, wellness, finance, travel, food, etc.). I love to promote products and services that are relatable to my everyday life and my brand.
How To Get Sponsored Posts With Influenster
The bulk of my sponsored posts are from my collaborations with Influenster. Influenster is a product discovery app that allows consumers and influencers to try products for free; in exchange for an honest review of the product on your website or social media. By signing up and becoming a member of the Influenster community, I save money by not spending it on products, connected with lots of cool brands to establish long-lasting partnerships, increased traffic to my blog, and gained followers on social media. Let’s look at some of my favorite campaigns that I have been a part of so far:
TurboTax Ambassador Campaign MAC Cosmetics Campaign Are you ready to land sponsored posts to gain website traffic and grow your business? Are you ready to land sponsored posts as a way to generate a source of income? It’s time to figure out what your next steps should be. Here are 4 ways that you can get started today:
4 Ways To Get Sponsored Posts
Start a Blog or Create a Social Media Account Now!
Having a website is a no-brainer decision. It’s time to start building your online platform if you haven’t already. Online marketing is crucial for brands in 2021. I recommend beginning with a blog to share quality content that you know your audience will want to see. Do research. Learn. Apply what you learn! Establish what you want you think your niche should be and create good content. If you aren’t on social media already, the decision to join is something that you will want to make soon. It’s free to create an account on all popular social channels (TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter) and most blog platforms (WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, ).
Pitch Ideas to Brands
If you have an idea for a sponsored post, it’s time to pitch that idea to the brand or business. Don’t let imposter syndrome set in! Pitching content ideas is one of the ways that you can start landing brand partnerships. Create a media kit before reaching out to brand PR to showcase yourself and your business. Most media kits contain:
A list of services that you offer
Statistics (website/blog stats, engagement rates, followers/subscribers)
A bio (one for yourself and your brand biz)
Network Within Your Niche
Most collaboration opportunities come from networking and meeting other business owners and content creators. It’s time to get comfortable with the competition by getting to know them. There are opportunities out there for everyone! I have met some amazing content creators in online groups and through taking blogging courses. Blogging and Engagement Groups are great ways to learn about partnerships, sponsorships, and collaborations. Facebook has a wide variety of blogging groups for you to research and join.
Join Influencer Marketing Platforms
There are several influencer marketing platforms online that you can join to help you get sponsored posts that can help you grow your business and generate traffic to your website. I recommend researching each one to find out which works best for you. Most of these influencer marketing platforms will allow you to join for free; after approving your website and social media accounts. I compiled a list of the influencer marketing platforms that I have had success with so far. These websites allow me to generate traffic to my blog, grow my brand, and make money. Click the jump to download the list.
FREE DOWNLOAD
Did you find this post helpful? Leave a comment below. Tell me your niche and what brands you are interested in collaborating with.
6 Best Thrift Store Fashionable Finds
I recently went shopping to find some cute little summer outfits to take pictures in. Thrifting is one of my favorite ways to pick up fashionable threads for less. Whenever I need to search for statement pieces for a photo shoot, something to wear while vacationing, or maybe for a summer event like a barbecue, I can always count on finding unique threads at the thrift store. During my recent shopping experience, I found six creative and trendy looks for the summer. I traveled to three different stores (two Goodwill Stores and one America’s Thrift Store) and found six cute outfits under $20 each! I was impressed that I was able to find clothes that have never been- worn before. Markdowns on items already marked down! I even found a great pair of gently used shoes!
(more…)7 Ways to Boost Your Confidence
In a world that is constantly innovating, challenging and competitive, taking risks is paramount. Taking risks builds confidence and uproots you from your comfort zone. In addition, risk takers are more likely to take a stab at other endeavors that they were once afraid of doing. Let’s explore some good examples of ways to boost your confidence.
Story time. If blogger and author, Jody-Ann, played it safe, she would have allowed her talents to waste instead of publishing her blog and writing her first book in 2017. For way too long, she’s allowed fear to get in the way. Stepping out and doing what she was afraid to do has been liberating.
If fear and doubt are getting in the path of starting your business, publishing your book, or trying something new, here are a few things to tips from Blogger Jody-Ann Buckle that start to boost your confidence and be the first steps you take in getting out of your comfort zone.
Thank you, Jody-Ann Buckle, for contributing this post to lifestylewithkris.com!
(more…)10 Creative Post Ideas for Social Media
You’ve started a business, you’ve created a brand. You’re ready to start marketing your business/brand on social media, but there’s so much overwhelming information out there. Everyone is telling you that you should post at least 3 pieces of social media content per week, post to your social channels every day, and create high-quality content, but where are you going to find inspiration to post interesting, engaging and relevant things to share with your audience? Here are 10 creative post ideas for social media that can work for you!
Thank you Tracey Jones for contributing this post to lifestylewithkris.com
(more…)How to Use Instagram to Grow Your Audience
In the world of social media, Instagram is one of the most popular platforms out there. Users post pictures and videos daily for personal enjoyment, exposure, and business opportunities. For entrepreneurs, it’s important to reach your target audience, client, and/or customer for your business. This post contains everything you need to know about how to use Instagram for business. Anyone can grow an audience on Instagram! There are over 1 billion monthly active users, with accounts, defining their audience.
With The Five C’s Contingency Plan, you will be able to organically grow an online presence. You will be able to use this contingency plan with any Instagram algorithm. This Contingency Plan is a combination of strategies that I use regularly and simultaneously to reach new readers and subscribers to my blog, sell gratitude journals, and land brand partnerships. I used the 5 C’s Contingency Plan and reached over 60,000 accounts, receive over 400 new followers, and increase content interactions within 90 days in Q1.
What is the ‘5 C’s of Contingency Plan’?
- Connect
- Consistency
- Comment
- Commit
- Create
Connect & Network
Connecting with people can and will help you to grow your audience. You should be following more people and engaging in conversation. Get to know the competition, but do not compare too critically! Networking is an easy way to land new opportunities and business deals. Collaborations happen every day on Instagram.
Note: You should NOT be following “overwhelming accounts” that can trigger emotions like imposter syndrome or self-sabotaging doubt.
Consistency Is Key
Post consistently to your feed and Instagram stories. If you are inconsistent with posting, how will you truly be able to cultivate an audience? When will your audience know when or where you post? Everyone’s posting schedule is going to be different. Your posting schedule should be based on the peak days that you receive the most views. Using your insights and metrics, you will be able to figure out what is the best time for you to post your content.
My peak days of the week are Monday through Friday (9 am-9 pm). That’s a twelve-hour window for me to post my images and videos and maximize the views I receive during those times of the day. Although Saturday and Sunday are not the best days for views, according to my insights, I still find the best peak time of the day whenever I’m looking to post on the weekends. Enjoying this post? Check out more Social Media Tips & Tricks
- 125 of the Best Fall Hashtags For Instagram 2021
- 8 Blogger Groups to Help You Master Blogging
- How To Start YouTube Channels & Earn Money
- 10 Creative Post Ideas for Social Media
I’m 100% certain that commenting and liking posts will help you grow your audience on Instagram. After you leave a comment on someone’s post, their followers can see your comment and now have the option to engage with you! This type of banter often leads to clicks on your profile, clicks to the link in your bio, and someone else learning more about you. I hold plenty of conversations with brands in their comments! I’ve also pitched to brands for sponsorship post opportunities via email just through conversations that developed in the comment section.
Note: Pinning comments is good exposure for your business, and can be small examples of CTAs when guiding your clients to make a purchase or subscribe to a newsletter.
Commit to Quality
Commit to sharing quality pictures, videos, and graphics. Use Canva to create your graphics and use photo-editing apps like Lensa for brighter and high-quality pictures. Image quality is important to increasing user engagement and decreasing your bounce rate, which means more traffic and higher rankings! Commit to making content with value! When recording videos, try to find spaces in your home that will make great aesthetic backgrounds. Committing to sharing quality images will help you create content you know your target audience would want to see.
Create The Content They’ll Love
Always remember to create content with value when creating engaging content. When you’re ready to share the content that you’ve created, you’re going to want to create captions that will grab the audience’s attention. OMG, did I just make a scroll-stopping caption? Be sure to also include CTA (call-to-action) statements in your caption and use relevant hashtags. Additionally, if your post contains a product, tag the brand in the post and the caption. Ideally, it would help if you were using one CTA and at least five hashtags per post.
You want to avoid asking your audience to do too many things in one post. Why? Your audience won’t know what you want them to do first and they will do the exact opposite of what you wanted. Lastly, do not use hashtags that are already being used by too many users or will cause your post to be shadowbanned.
Note: Shadowbanning is the practice of blocking a user or their content online from being seen or shared.
There’s no doubt that when (not if) you incorporate the ‘5 C’s of Contingency’ into your social media strategy, you will begin to see an increase in your engagement on Instagram, new clients or customers for your business, new subscriptions to your blog, and more. Using these methods are ways that you will learn to navigate any algorithm and help you grow your audience!
Follow me on Instagram for more tips and strategies.
What do you think about the ‘5 C’s of Contingency’ Plan and how will you use it to grow your online presence on Instagram?
3 Tools For Goal Setting and Excellent Planning
It’s been super important for me to get organized with my ideas and goals because I’ve got all these great, big ideas floating around in my head, but no clear thought on how to execute them. It’s not enough for me to just come up with an idea (nor should it be enough for you). I need to find tools for goal setting and planning. The only way to see the outcomes of these ideas is to plan them out.
What am I doing? How will this work?
My impulsive thinking can sometimes lead to a load of inconsistency in executing these ideas. I get so excited that I rush or skip several steps in the execution process. This is how dreams get deferred and ideas get crushed. When you know better then you’ll do better.
That’s why I am sharing three tools I use to assist me in setting clear and concise goals through planning. Keep scrolling to learn new ways to help you stay organized, plan out ideas, and develop strategies for executing your plan.
Necessary Tools For Goal Setting
Tools for Goal Setting: Gratitude Journaling, Planning, Organizing
Journaling is the #1 source of where my ideas and goals begin. Through self-reflection prompts, I construct a list of 3-5 personal and professional goals I want to accomplish for the week. I also set monthly goals and daily affirmations using a gratitude journal. I find appreciation and gratitude to be instrumental in planning and setting realistic, attainable goals. The Daily Expression Gratitude Journal that I use comes with a “Gratitude Garden” that contains mindful questions and notebook pages for me to jot down my emotions and thoughts. I created it as a way to live with gratitude and appreciation. It’s available online for purchase and on sale for $7 here.
Goal Setting Tool #2: Planner
Having a planner as a tool is necessary because this is where I can sort out goals and figure out how I will meet them by listing small tasks that I can complete. Sunday- Saturday, I fill my planner with productive activities related to my weekly or monthly goals.
Let’s use an Instagram Reel as an example. The objective will be to create an Instagram Reel for the week.
I pick a day during the week that I can research reels to trigger inspiration, days that I can prepare for creation, and then the day that I want to post it. Making a reel does NOT just happen in five minutes! I realize that there may be intricate actions that I will need to take before it can happen. I may need to learn audio (lyrics and dialogue), rehearse dance moves, and sort out a look. Some of the questions I ask myself:
- Where will I film this reel?
- What should I wear?
- What is the tone?
I maximize a lot of my time by using a planner. The mom life is sporadic and chaotic. It’s easy to feel spread thin and busy. Honey, that’s the quickest way to burn out! Using a planner is beneficial to productivity. I’m able to juggle all of my many hats (human, wife, mom, teacher, writer, etc.) and not feel like I’ve completely exhausted all my time. It all gets done through time blocking, sticky notes, affirmation stickers, and lots of colors.
TIP: Use markers and colorful pens to list your tasks in your planner.
Goal Setting Tool #3: Google Calendar
The last tool allows me to schedule my tasks into a digital calendar, and get reminders and alerts when it is time to execute them. Once I learned from other digital content creators about all of the magic that Google Calendar has, I started using it for purposes other than birthdays. I use Google Calendar to
- help me figure out what time I have available to get things done.
- stay on track with time blocking
- celebrate accomplishments
- remember what’s planned for the day
- follow a schedule
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com Was this helpful for you? How do you set goals and execute them? What tools do you use to help you execute your goals? How do you hold yourself accountable? Comment your thoughts on this topic below.
Check out more planning and organizing posts like this one:
Brilliant Moves: What Do People Use Blogs For
What do people use blogs for? Well, for me, blogging is something that I have always been passionate about (see: Introducing Life + Style With Kris). Blogs are a great way to express my thoughts and control my own narrative. After successfully starting a college blog in 2008, I never discovered love as deep as the one I have for writing. Above all, I blog because this is a career I want to pursue full-time. So why did I stop? What made me start back ten years later?
(more…)35 Things I Want To Do Before Turning 35
With everything that is happening in the world right now, I can’t help but sit and reflect on the things I want to do. Life has a funny way of slowing you down. It’s been forcing me to really sit down and put some long thought into what I reaaallly need to be coming to terms with. What’s that? So glad that you asked. Life is short and if you let it, it can pass you by.
Time waits for no one.
I know you know the sayings, just like I know the sayings. We’ve heard them quite a few times throughout our lives, but is it just a saying or is it really that real? While I have been choosing to isolate myself at home by way of social distancing, I’ve been thinking of all the things that I should be doing. That I have been putting off or simply making excuses as to reasons why they can’t be done. I’ve let myself get distracted from meeting my goals, guys!! I’m thirty-one years old and there’s still so much that I want to do. The younger me thought that I would’ve been “settled” and boyyyy was I wrong.
Hold up! Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been enjoying life but I’ve realized that there are things that I have not had the chance to do yet; that I thought I would have by this stage in life. I haven’t and will not give up on them, as there are other things I want to experience again because it makes me happy. Who doesn’t want to experience something that made them once happy over and over?
So, I’ve decided to come up with a list.
A list of things that I would like to do before reaching the next “major milestone” in my life. I did the math. I’m thirty-one now. In four years, I will be thirty-five. Four years should be enough time to knock off a few goals, right? Did I come up with realistic ideas that can be achieved? How much can one achieve in four years? It’ll at least give me some things to look forward to doing. As long as I am manifesting my goals, I can keep being the driving force in actually accomplishing whatever it is I want! I’ve attached my list below and included a few that I’m working on already, to give myself a head start.
List of 35 Things I Want To Do Before 35
- Become a successful blogger
- Travel or vacation in Miami, Florida
- Buy or build a House
- Travel or vacation outside of the U.S.
- Renew my vows
- Relocate to a new state
- Take online courses or go back to college
- Go on a cruise
- Increase my net worth
- Upgrade my car
- Lower my debt/ increase my credit score
- Partner with a major corporate brand
- Travel or vacation to Los Angeles, California
- Attend a concert or festival
- Successfully own a business
- Become a member of a church
- Own a creative space
- Redecorate/ Interior decorate my home
- Learn a new skill
- Spend more time with family and friends
- BE HAPPIER!
- Support a hobby or extracurricular activity of my son’s
- Attend a Paint ‘N Sip Party
- BE HEALTHIER!
- Take my mother on a shopping spree
- Splurge on a shopping spree for myself
- Go to therapy
- Create a meditation schedule
- Chase my dreams
- Gain 25 pounds
- Establish a tribe
- Read 10 different books
- Make/ create a new project
- Exercise two times a day
- Go to a ball/ gala
Check out more goals/ inspiration posts:
- Getting To Know Me: Shocking Secrets Revealed
- 3 Tools For Goal Setting and Excellent Planning
- 5 Proven Tips For Starting Your Online Store
Have a bucket list of your own? Maybe you’re inspired and want to make your own list now. I want to hear about all the things that you have yet to do/ want to do. Let’s motivate each other. Leave me a comment below so that I can follow along with you!
Secrets Exposed: Black Girl Culture Is The Moment
The day that I decided I was going to get back into writing again, I did a little bit of exploring for inspiration. For some creative minds, when you haven’t been practicing with your craft/talent, it’s likely due to falling out of love with your passion. I started taking the beginner steps necessary to change my life. I stumbled across BGC, (Black Girl Culture) a blog engineered by black women, for black women. Pop Culture, Politics/Activism, Lifestyle, Music, Health & Beauty, Fashion–all curated by Black women.
After hours of reading posts and drawing inspiration, I saw that this blog was looking for writers for the winter. Moreover, they were looking for writers for any topic, wanting to center their voice. My inner voice started speaking to me and I said, “Hey, girl! Let’s do this!” Let’s get out of our comfort zone! This could be life-changing for me. Sometimes, you have to stop holding yourself back.
I submitted my writing for what was considered the application process.
The Culture Is You, Black Girl!
See what happens when you… leap? Faith can bring many things your way when you just believe. Now, your girl will write weekly blog articles for Blk Girl Culture, from January 2020 to March 2020. I will be starting and continuing conversations in Health/Beauty for an audience of 100,000+ readers. Blk Girl Culture also has posts featured in magazines and new sources like Complex, Teen Vogue, CNN, BBC, and Blavity among others.
I am so excited about this opportunity! My life is changing and pulling me in the direction of my passion. I was only looking for the light to spark a bit, and with opportunities like this, the passion came right back. I hope you get to catch some of my posts!
Get to know me:
Leave me a comment and tell me which posts are your favorite!
7 Lessons Learned in Life
There are so many lessons that have been taught to me over the course of my thirty-one years of existence on planet Earth. It’s hard to even recall all of the lessons that many people have taught me, or the self-taught ones that I’ve learned over the process of trial and error. What I’ve come to find out, is that the most recent lessons that I’ve learned are the ones that have shaped and molded my self-improvement journey. I decided to share them with readers, in no particular order. To clarify, these are seven valuable lessons learned in life (mine).
List of Lessons Learned in Life
- love
- trust
- self-care
- speak up
- passion
- education
- validation
Photo by Katerina Holmes on Pexels.com Life Lessons #1: LOVE YOURSELF
Although I said earlier that my list is in no particular order, perhaps this is the best way to start; with yourself. You are important, you are beautiful, you are talented, you are deserving of love. The most beautiful thing about loving yourself is that if you’ve mastered self love, you can then be able to pour that love into the ones around you that you love the most (ie. family, friends). Be proud of yourself and your accomplishments or your falls! Own it.
Life Lessons #2: TRUST GOD, NOT MAN
This one may go over a few heads, but it’s really quite simple. Yes, if you know that you will never let yourself down, please place trust within yourself. However, people can sometimes disappoint. That goes for everybody, no one person is exempt. Family, friends, spouses, business partners. At some point, you will find yourself in situations where you have to question “can I honestly trust this person?”, and you need to be prepared to know a few things. Not everyone is YOU. People will lie, mistreat, abuse their power in your life. When you place your faith in God and also yourself, you run a decreased risk of disappointment.
Life Lessons #3: TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF
Your body is truly your temple. Your mental health is just as important as physical health. Do your research to find out the best practices for self-care, that work best for you. Everybody has a different vice but there are many different options. Exercise regularly, visit a therapist, meditate! Most important, pay attention to your triggers and know when you need to take that moment for yourself. A big gem that I learned here, is that deep breaths really do work.
Life Lessons #4: SILENCE IS NOT ALWAYS GOLDEN
You have a voice, use it. Especially during conflicts and conflict resolution. Learn to express yourself and your feelings in color. Learn how to communicate loudly and effectively, but without raising your voice or getting too angry. You should be able to convey your thoughts concisely, in healthy dialogue.
Life Lessons #5: PASSION DOES NOT EQUAL ANGER
You just care a whole, whole lot. That’s okay! You’re not an angry Black woman, contrary to what the masses say. You care about particular things and people way more than others sometimes, and that is what makes us all unique. No one person is the same. Passion will eventually help your creative process, with being able to figure out new way(s) to express your thoughts.
Life Lessons #6: OPINIONS ARE NOT FACTS
Why do people care so much about what others have to say? Stop seeking for others to validate you, and validate yourself. People will always talk and have solicited and unsolicited opinions, but why let it dictate your life? Tune out the naysayers and do you. It can start to add unnecessary anxiety and stress that you may not even realize exists until after you’ve listened to what others have to say. Just remember, if it’s not fact, it is fiction. If it doesn’t apply, then let it fly!
Life Lessons #7: EDUCATE YOURSELF
The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.– Socrates
Educate yourself. Research, research, research! Read lots of books, browse the internet. Especially if you want to be an entrepreneur. Every thing is not always taught in school, we can learn in so many other ways!
See Related: 3 Powerful Books Recommended for Self-Help
I hope that by sharing what I’ve learned in life, helps any of you that’s been looking to change your thought process on how you view life. Hopefully we are all on a journey to improve ourselves and become happy humans, enjoying life. Who would have thought that these are things we have to learn? Some of you may have already learned these lessons, and that’s great. I hope that by paying it forward, it will reach someone that may be struggling with any of these lessons that affect our day-to-day operations.
See Related: How To Reduce Stress and Self-Care Everyday
What are some life lessons that you’ve learned? Leave a comment below. If you know of anyone who this may benefit, share/ reblog!
