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Simply Sona

Simply Sona

September 23, 2016

How to Start a Blog – FAQ #askSona

Lifestyle
Simply Sona shares her equipment recommendations and tips on how to start a blog.

I get so many questions from you guys about blogging that I thought I’d dedicate a whole post to answer your FAQ’s! I did a post a while ago on How to Start a Blog, but here, I’ll answer all the questions that you guys have asked me recently! I get lots of questions from social media and each day I really look forward to hearing what you guys have to say. You all have helped me so much along the way! I get lots of questions about my business as well as personal questions, but I thought I’d dedicate this post to blogging, my advice on how to start a blog, and some of the equipment that I use. In the near future I’ll share FAQ’s about my personal life, so if you have any questions, leave them in the comments below!

YouTube Vlogging Equipment: 

What camera do you use to film for YouTube?

I use a Canon 70D with a Canon 50mm 1.2 lens.

What camera do you recommend for beginners? 

I started with a Canon T3i Rebel which is relatively inexpensive and user friendly, but if you are just starting out you can use your phone’s camera. If you’re willing to spend money, the  Canon 70D or 80D are good options because they have autofocus for video. It’s important to remember that quality content is far more important than the equipment that you use.

What camera do you use for vlogging on the go while traveling?

I use a Sony a5100 or Canon G7X.

What is your lighting setup?

I use two soft boxes on either side of the camera and a ring light in front of the lens.

What microphone do you use?

My microphone is a Rode Video Mic Pro.

How long does it take to film and edit a YouTube video?

It varies for each video. Filming usually takes one to two hours and editing can take anywhere from a few hours to almost a day! On average it takes about six hours to edit. I tend to be a perfectionist, so I want each video to be just right before I post it!

How do you keep all your makeup organized for video shoots?

I keep all my makeup in three sets of Alex drawers from Ikea. Before each video, I collect the makeup products I’ll use in the video in a tray so they’re on hand as I’m filming.

What program do you use to cut and edit your videos?

To cut and edit my videos I use FinalCut Pro, but I started on iMovie and it’s great for beginners.

Filming and Photo Cameras:

On-the-Go Vlogging Cameras:

Lens:

Lighting:

 

 Photo Editing:

What’s your favorite camera to use for blog posts?

I use a Canon 5D MarkIII with a Canon 24-70mm lens or the 50mm lens that I use for videos.

What apps do you use to edit your photos?

I use VSCO (my favorite!), FaceTune, Snapseed, and Darkroom. I layer a few different filters so that each picture looks just right!

Blogging: 

What did you do before you started SimplySona?

My family owns an insurance agency and I was an agent there. Thankfully, I had the flexibility to pursue my love for makeup so I worked as a makeup artist at MAC. From there, I worked as a freelance makeup artist.

Where do you shop for your outfits on your blog?

I shop everywhere! I really like Storets, Revolve, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Urban Outfitters, and Free People.

When did you switch to become a full time blogger?

I’ve been working on my YouTube channel for over four years! I slowly transitioned from doing YouTube and working as a freelance makeup artist to just focusing on vlogging! I started my blog a little over a year ago.

How do you grow your following on social media?

This is a hard one! I try to be consistent and engage with followers. Having a pretty and uniform aesthetic also helps!

How do you come up with new content each week?

I listen to you guys! I get a lot of content based on comments and from keeping up with new releases and trends.

Do you run the blog by yourself? 

I don’t! I work with a small team. KB helps handle the business side of the blog and to manage a lot of the projects and collaborations that I’m working on. I also have a photographer and an intern!

What are your best tips for growing your blog?

Honestly, having a passion for what I do and a consistent posting schedule has been the best way to grow my blog! Sharing valuable content that helps others really works too, because you guys share it and that allows for others to discover my blog. Lastly, cross promoting my blog on social media and on my YouTube channel has also helped me a lot!

How can you turn blogging into a career? 

Your blog has to be something that you love and are passionate and knowledgeable about, otherwise you can burn out quickly. It takes a really long time to start making money and I think that passion and consistently putting out great content are really key to successfully transforming your hobby into a career. Hard work pays off!

How do you contact beauty brands for collaborations? 

I don’t contact brands for collaborations! Once you have a big enough following, brands will contact you! Make sure to post quality photos and use the brand’s hashtags when tagging them on social media so they can discover you.

What is the most important thing you’ve learned from being a blogger?

I learned how to manage lots of moving parts! From handling lots of projects to consistently updating the blog, social media, and YouTube, there are a lot of details! Since this isn’t a normal 9-5 structured job, it takes a lot of discipline, organization, and planning to make sure that everything is the best it can be.

What’s your best advice to someone who’s starting out blogging?

It’s never too late to start! A lot of people make the mistake of thinking that they need lots of equipment. You don’t need expensive equipment to start, you just need a passion and the ability to share it with others through writing and visuals! Don’t start out with the mindset of making money but focus your energy on delivering good content that readers will enjoy. Oh, and taking a photography class or having the passion to learn the basics of photography is a must!

I hope you guys learned a lot from this post about how to start a blog! Don’t forget to ask some more questions in the comments for my upcoming personal FAQ post!

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54 Comments

  • ReplyRaquel G.September 23, 2016 at 9:32 am

    I know it’s not a typical 9-5 job, but it sure requires double the effort, and it sure pays off!
    Those tiny details that you have in your videos were the things that attracted me to see your vlogs and blogs!

    My questions:
    -How do you see yourself in the next 5 years?
    -Has any makeup brand tried to contact you on a collab? (Your own makeup line or pallet)

    Thank you for your tips, as always :)

    • ReplySonaSeptember 23, 2016 at 11:59 am

      Thanks for your questions Raquel!

  • ReplyLa Bijoux Bella | by miaSeptember 23, 2016 at 9:36 am

    Beautiful tips and advice for the blogger in all of us. Essential and creative needs to start a little blogging journey. Simply nice! :)

    La Bijoux Bella | by mia

  • ReplyDeannaSeptember 23, 2016 at 9:49 am

    You’re amazing! Thank you for such Amazing info!

  • ReplyNati FungSeptember 23, 2016 at 9:57 am

    Loved this post so much <3 I admire all the effort and hard work you have made! It inspires me to pursue the work I want to do in the future as a designer. I love the fact that you're so transparent and honest about everything, it's like you definitely want to help other people to be successful in the future <3 Lots of love. #snapchatfam #hardworkpaysoff
    1. Have you ever thought int he future if you have kids how you're going to balance all the work you do and family? That is something I have been thinking myself because the creative field is such a changing and time consuming field I kinda wonder.

  • ReplyMarifer Aguilera RoizSeptember 23, 2016 at 9:58 am

    Wowwwwww!!!! I needed this post so bad! This is amazing! Thanks so much Sona! Such an incredible valuable information! ?? I’m starting a beauty blog on my instagram @marifer_roiz and hopefully soon I’ll get a website like yours! You are such an inspiration to me! Love everything you do and what you have accomplished! Love ya! ❤️

    • ReplyMarifer Aguilera RoizSeptember 23, 2016 at 9:59 am

      #snapchatfam ?

      • ReplySonaSeptember 23, 2016 at 11:58 am

        Thanks love! I’m so happy to hear that!

  • ReplyBlush & PearlsSeptember 23, 2016 at 10:04 am

    Thanks for the insight Sona – great tips for us newbies!

    Blush & Pearls

  • ReplyBriSeptember 23, 2016 at 10:30 am

    Great post, thank you. I know a lot of us had questions about the finances yet this topic was not addressed at all. Is this something you want to keep private or will you share in another post? Thanks!

  • ReplyJessicaSeptember 23, 2016 at 10:32 am

    Really loved this post and came at such a great time for me as I’m starting to create my own blog. We just bought a Canon 80D and love using it with the Nifty Fifty lens.

    My fiancé is a graphic designer and is helping me design and layout my own website! I’ve written a couple of pieces on his business blog as well.

    A question I have is did you have someone build you a website from scratch? Or did you use something like Wix? Also to blog are you using the WordPress plug in?

    Thanks for the awesome post ???

    • ReplySonaSeptember 23, 2016 at 11:57 am

      Thanks for the question Jessica! The website is built on a WordPress platform with some customization.

  • ReplyAngie PerezSeptember 23, 2016 at 10:59 am

    Thanks for this blog. This will be so helpful for my 13th year old. She wants to become a blogger. :)

    • ReplySonaSeptember 23, 2016 at 12:00 pm

      Yay! I hope it helps!

  • ReplyPraiseSeptember 23, 2016 at 11:02 am

    Thanks for the tips. Me and my sister want to start a YouTube channel and she interested in blogging as well so directed her here to this. I looked for an editing app and got iMovie nice to see a professional youtuber use it as well

    • ReplySonaSeptember 23, 2016 at 12:04 pm

      iMovie is such a great place to start!

  • ReplyMelissaSeptember 23, 2016 at 11:07 am

    i know this doesn’t have anything to do with the post or your future personal FAQs post, but would love to see a video tutorial on how to take flat-lays! what you need in terms of lighting/camera, how to shoot it, tips, advice on taking flat-lays in restaurants, etc. thanks!!

  • ReplyLilithSeptember 23, 2016 at 11:10 am

    It was very nice meeting you Sona?at the Grove…wish you all the BEST in your career..you are Very Beutiful, Genuine and Sweet person.

    WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BECOME A BLOGGER…?

    • ReplySonaSeptember 23, 2016 at 12:01 pm

      So great to meet you too! Thanks for coming!

  • ReplyPerlaSeptember 23, 2016 at 11:11 am

    Wow!! What a great post!! I love that you’re so humble and give these tips to your viewers!! Thank you .. not just for this post but for all of them!! It really shows the love you have for what you do and the fact that you do it with your hubby, I’m sure it makes it all that more fun! Love watching all your videos also! <3 #snapchatfam

  • ReplyPaghundaSeptember 23, 2016 at 12:15 pm

    Hi sona! I am a really big fan of yours. You are so gorgeous, I love your life style, fashion sense and ofcourse your makeup skills. Keep it up ❌⭕️❌⭕️
    My questions for you are?
    1.what’s your age?
    2.whats your height?
    Would ❤️ To know more about you dear ?

    • ReplyPaghundaSeptember 23, 2016 at 12:16 pm

      Also I am from your #snapfam

  • ReplyErickaSeptember 23, 2016 at 1:07 pm

    Hi Sona! I was wondering how you take care of your false eyelashes and how do you wash your Artis brushes? I just got a couple of them and I love them but want to keep them in top shape!

  • ReplyINDIRASeptember 23, 2016 at 1:59 pm

    Great post! I’m thinking of starting my own YouTube channel of my travels since I’m an avid traveler. I just purchased a Sony A5100 camera. I can’t wait to start vlogging.

    #snapchatfam ☺☺

  • ReplyRidhima SinglaSeptember 23, 2016 at 2:54 pm

    Amazing Post!

  • ReplyGeetha BalakrishnanSeptember 23, 2016 at 3:41 pm

    Hey I wanted to know how long did it actually take for people to start noticing your blog once you got started off ? And I read that you mentioned that brands start noticing once you have a good number of followers and you tag them clearly, but till you start making that money how were you able to afford buying products and outfits etc for the blog posts till then.
    Thanks !
    Geetha :)
    #snapchatfam

  • ReplyMarianaSeptember 23, 2016 at 5:44 pm

    Hi Sona,
    Thanks for this awesome post!!! I have a personal question and you don’t have to answer ;), but I know that a long time you were best friends with Teni and in fact that’s how I found out about her channel!!
    I was just curious because it seems you’re not friends anymore; what happened?
    Sorry if this is too personal I was just wondering because I think you’re both sweethearts!!

    Thank you!!

  • ReplyHawaSeptember 23, 2016 at 5:52 pm

    Hey Sona I love your channel especially your no-makeup makeup tutorials. I want to know how old are you?
    Thanks.

  • ReplyKimberlySeptember 23, 2016 at 6:06 pm

    Hi Sona! #snapchatfam
    I have been following your youtube channel for over two years now and blog for a year…Love the content you put up!
    Which is your absolute favourite makeup brand in drugstore and in highend? xoxo

  • ReplyIonicaSeptember 23, 2016 at 11:58 pm

    Hello!
    Thank you for the blog post, it is very useful. Wish you all the best ?

  • ReplyIramSeptember 24, 2016 at 6:42 am

    Thank you for the post Sona!

  • ReplyElizabeth VegaSeptember 24, 2016 at 9:51 am

    Thank yo so much for sharing this great information with us. It was amazing meeting you last Thursday and I was really waiting for this post to come out and learn from you about blogging. I have a quick questions, do you use a photo software for the photos you post on your blog? or just the editing app you mentioned in this article? Wish you all the best!

  • ReplySophie P.September 25, 2016 at 7:09 am

    Very interesting post !!! But however… I subscribed to your blog and your youtube channel as well but I don’t receive notifications when a new blog post is online :((

  • ReplyDEBORAHSeptember 25, 2016 at 10:05 am

    Omg! so many things, thank you so much for the tips, love you!!

  • ReplyAnshuSeptember 25, 2016 at 11:37 pm

    Love the post, it’s such an inspiration. Quick question, which is the silver and black Canon camera in the picture? It looks interesting and would love to look it up. Thanks!

  • ReplyZaraSeptember 26, 2016 at 12:42 pm

    Being a blogger is so cool! You get to work whenever it’s convenient for you and obviously getting paid for something you love to do must be so awesome.
    I used to write and have been thinking of starting a blog on books. Thanks for the tips. They were super helpful. Keep it up!
    #snapchatfam ??

  • ReplyHelenSeptember 26, 2016 at 2:16 pm

    Helpful! thanks for answering our instagram questions Sona :)

  • ReplyFatima-Zahra LamsSeptember 27, 2016 at 6:07 am

    Hi Sona,
    Thank you so much for sharing all those info, you’re a real PRO <3.
    My only question is how old are you? :D
    Mouah

  • ReplyIoana MihaiSeptember 27, 2016 at 9:50 pm

    Great infos, Sona! In my opinion, if someone wants to be a fulltime blogger/youtuber he need to a big investment. For example, in makeup area, a new blogger has to buy new products by his own money, the collabs come later. An youtuber has to buy good equipment for filming and vlogging because the quality is important for his subscribers. If blogging/YT is just a passion then you don’t need to worry about expensive equipment. I used to have a beauty blog and it was an amazing experience, I met a lot of interesting people, but for some reasons I had to quit blogging. However, I read blogs (especially yours because I absolutely love it) and I watch makeup tutorials (yours is one of my favourite).
    XOXO, Ioana

  • ReplyUrvaSeptember 28, 2016 at 10:10 pm

    Amazing blog as always!! It’s always so exciting to read a new blog! And it soo helpful!! Best blogger ever!

  • ReplyMiriam O.September 29, 2016 at 12:08 pm

    Gracias por compartir esos tips y datos con nosotras. He leído todo detalle a detalle apesar de que mi nivel de inglés no es tan bueno. Saludos desde Perú!

  • ReplyElina BagumyanSeptember 29, 2016 at 3:09 pm

    Even though I am not looking into starting a blog I still enjoyed this post! I really want to make makeup tutorial videos, just for fun..so maybe I will it out lol

  • ReplyDivyaSeptember 29, 2016 at 4:55 pm

    Not many bloggers tell how to start a blog or what products they use to take pics. This is such an amazing I shared it with couple of my friends who have been thinking of starting a blog.

  • ReplyAmnaSeptember 30, 2016 at 1:48 pm

    Thank you much , it’s really helpful. I just started my blog. Glamzeit.wordpress.com

  • ReplyRoxanne HernandezSeptember 30, 2016 at 4:36 pm

    Wow this is so amazing and handy ^-^ i love how you explained everything so perfectly it’s so lovely :)

  • ReplyMarina SchröderOctober 1, 2016 at 1:14 pm

    I think this is a very realistically but still nice and affectionate written report and this will help a lot when someone wants to start to blog. Thank you Sona

  • ReplyAdaleta AvdicOctober 6, 2016 at 4:38 pm

    I like this post a lot, but there was one question & answer that I wasn’t too keen on to be totally honest. I did a detailed post about how to work with brands and specifically how I myself work with brands, because I think it’s a little crazy to wait for brands to reach out to you. You have to be ambitious (which you totally are don’t get me wrong girl) but I say reach out to them when you’re smaller. I have an audience of about 100,000 between all of my social networks, and then a good readership on my blog but I find that a lot of success has come from working with brands where I reached out to them. There’s so many bloggers nowadays (everyone and their grandmother is a blogger) and I think it’s hard for brands to find the “big influencers” and I also think smaller influencers should get opportunities to, so I always advise bloggers & YouTubers to reach out to the different brands on their own accord. They have press & PR emails for a reason, and most of them freely have that contact info on their sites. Some of the higher end brands (like Dior Beauty for example) are ones that have to get in touch with you first, but I think your reply to that question threw me off a little and sounds a bit odd. I would say draft a detailed email, and go get em! Every brand is not going to be able to find every influencer. I’m sure some brands still haven’t found you, so I think it’s good to reach out to them and pitch ideas to them if you want to work with them in any capacity! I find it’s great to send an email to them introducing myself, my brand, example posts, and why I think I’d be a good fit for their ongoing PR list. Anyway, just wanted to add my two cents since I don’t know that the mentality of “once you’re big enough, brands reach out to you” is the most encouraging for those trying to make it in the space. I loved this post though, and definitely think you did a great job summarizing a lot of the most asked questions for bloggers in general. I may start sending people your way when they ask me questions ;) xx Adaleta Avdic

  • ReplyDay EllisOctober 27, 2016 at 8:20 am

    Hi Sona, first i want to tell you how mush i love your work and you :) It’s my first time commenting im very shy, but im pushing thru it lol! So happy you’re creating your own cosmetics line big congrats, can’t wait to try them. I wanted to ask, what you thought the best way to start a blog page would be. I would like to start one just as a hobbie, but im not sure what would be the best way though. Should i create the web page myself, should i pay someone to do it for me, what pages do you recommend on the subject ect. There is an overwhelming amount of options for the teach side of things. Thank you for your time ! lots of love your way :)

  • ReplyKirsty SchlemmerNovember 22, 2016 at 10:49 pm

    So so insightful!! I doubt I would ever start my own channel, but super interesting to read everything that goes into it as well… makes one appreciate the amount of effort you put into your productions and blog posts.

  • ReplyEricaDecember 6, 2016 at 2:18 pm

    Yesss #teamcanon all the way!

  • ReplyMerryn BirdDecember 28, 2016 at 1:24 am

    Hi Sona, or anyone reading this comment – can someone please tell me the best laptop for blogging and editing videos? Fly. This post super helpful ?Thanks in advanced xx

  • ReplyMelanieApril 11, 2017 at 5:54 pm

    I noticed in your snaps you have a moniter. Can you link that either on your social media or here on the blog? Thanks!

  • ReplyRileyJanuary 14, 2018 at 12:42 pm

    I love how you clearly laid out each product and tool you use for videos and blogging. As a blogging newbie, it made reading this post super easy! Thanks for sharing!!

  • ReplyStruggles of an Immigrant | Sona Gasparian | Beauty School MakeupSeptember 20, 2018 at 9:24 am

    […] How To Start a Blog: http://simplysona.com/2016/09/how-to-start-a-blog-faq/ […]

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