The Key To Success

If I had a quid for every time someone asked me what makes a successful blog, I'd be off buying new shoes this very second. Whenever someone does ask me this I always feel disappointed that I can't offer them a solid formula but the simple truth is, I have no idea what makes a blog successful. Sometimes it just happens.

Of course, how one defines a successful blog is very much dependent on one's definition of successful. I think a blog can be successful on many different levels.

But here are some things to consider:

Vital Stats
Most people judge their blog's success on their hits. It was certainly very satisfying for us to see ours grow from a few hundred a week to several thousand a day. However I have come to view success on other levels. I realise that just because a blog has many hits, it doesn't necessarily make it a great blog. A hit can be a person who just happened upon the site whilst looking for something else. So I think success must be judged in other ways.

People
For me, the main thing that makes a successful blog are the people who participate. You can have a relatively low hit count, but if there are people on the blog who are all interacting and discussing then that makes that blog more of a success, than one which has 20,000 hits a week but no-one ever says anything.

I view our blog's success very much by the participants. I think we really lucked out with our commentors. Ours have intelligent, witty and observational things to say. I get so much pleasure reading the comments since they add value to this blog. It makes me consider things I hadn't before and has opened my mind to lots of different ideas and concepts. More importantly, I have a real sense of the people behind the comments. I feel this is because we have encouraged honest feedback, since we ourselves make no apologies for our opinions, and I think we get the same honesty in return. Which brings me to my next point.

Honesty Is The Best Policy
I can spot bullshit a mile away. I have an inbuilt radar which detects when people are lying. So we decided early on that we would be blunt and honest on our blog. No point in exaggerating for the sake of getting more readers since a blog is meant to be a personal view point. It's for this reason we have a very strict no advertising policy. We have had some great offers from huge company's to advertise and we always say no thanks because we want to be able to say we dislike something if we do. Yes, we could get some free trips, loads of free products but at the end of the day we prefer to be uncompromised in our opinions.

We are honest in our posts too and I think successful blogs are the most honest ones. They are certainly the ones I take the most pleasure in reading.

We are just as likely to post about something we don't like as something we do. This is important since it reflects who we are in real life. Afterall, who goes about their life liking everything? So a blog which never posts about stuff they don't like or find disappointing ends up reading like a press release. So yes, you may find us posting negatively about something, but that's because we have been talking about it to each other in the same way. What you read is what you'll get if you meet us.

We do try hard not to put in annoying 'dear diary' kind of personal posts which have nothing to do with fashion or style. Sometimes they slip in if we really are being bogged down with personal stuff which we feel will affect the blog's content, but generally we try and keep it all relevant. I think relevance is key to success. Let's be honest - a little mystery is a good thing.

Credit Where Credit Is Due
I feel a little bit like one of those people who blow the magicians secrets here, but don't be fooled into thinking all successful bloggers are really great at research and finding stuff that no-one else can - this isn't always true I'm afraid. The simple fact is we, and other bloggers, get emailed about labels and designers all the time. We are just very upfront about it. We will tell you if the label we are presenting came via an introduction. This is very important to us.  We don't want you to think we are ace researchers because just like you, we don't always have time.

Giving credit I think helps the success of a blog because giving credit where credit is due is not only a case of giving basic respect to your sources, it also opens a line of communication which gives you more blog content. This way, everyone is a winner.

Get Out There
Whilst we didn't do this, if you do have a blog then get active on forums like the Fashion Spot and talk up your blog. When we began KoS we didn't participate in forums really but I do think that's a great way to introduce yourself.

If you intend on posting outfits on your blog, then get involved in the What Are You Wearing kind of threads or sites. People like looking at clothes at the end of the day, and the most successful fashion/style sites include photo's of what people are wearing.

Those are the things that are most important to us and if ours is considered a successful blog, then I guess those come as close to tips as we can give you.

But as I said, there is no magical formula. In our heads, we still have only a handful of people reading our blog and to be honest, we are just as happy with that as we are when we check our real stats.

Queen Michelle

Comments

[Drusilla]

I remember a long time ago, there were loads of blogs around that essentially consisted of nothing more than yammering on about online shop products- more like wishlists than honest blogs, really. Nice to see I'm not the only one who gets bugged by those...

Kingdom of Style was one of the first fashion blogs I actually commented on- you do put together fantastic outfits and fab new designer discoveries, and I love how opinionated and funny you and Queen Marie are while doing it. And that's a really useful list for anyone who's considering starting a blog, or who's just started one :)

[Skye]

A dose of wit and intelligence and a sense of a blogger's personality are the key things which keep me coming back (oh, and the pretty pictures of clothes obviously). You have bucketloads of those things - all that and good advice too!

[lopi]

The thing I find most interesting in your blog is how different you and Queen Michelle are and that you still manage to co-exist and create something this good. And I also think the bloggers out there shouldn't worry so much about how successful their blog is. It's supposed to be something they do to express themselves, not to gain fame. Having readers visit and comment is just an additional perk.

[lopi]

Sorry, I meant "you and Queen Marie".
Please, don't order my decapitation!

[susie_bubble]

I get asked this a lot to which I answer back...'What is success...?' it's a very difficult question to answer.... if I went by blog stats.... mine gets absolutely nothing when compared to say the The Sartorialist.... it's just not that clear cut really....

[Womb4Improvement]

Thanks for that, very interesting. I started a blog a couple of months ago (not about Fashion though I read yours avidly). The other things I would add which almost goes without saying is only write a blog if you have something really pertinent to say about a subject others might be able to relate to. Mines about infertility (could you guess from the title?!) but just because I tell people about where the doctor shoved the last tube it doesn't mean they want to know what I had for breakfast or how I feel about my job.

[womb4improvement]

What I meant to say was:
Thanks for that, very interesting. I started a blog a couple of months ago (not about Fashion though I read yours avidly). The other things I would add which almost goes without saying is only write a blog if you have something really pertinent to say about a subject others might be able to relate to. Mines about infertility (could you guess from the title?!) but just because I tell people about where the doctor shoved the last tube it doesn't mean they want to know what I had for breakfast or how I feel about my job.

[lady coveted]

wow, several thousand? that's awesome... i think your success can also be attributed to the impeccable content.

[Lucy]

I'm not a blogger or even much of a blog reader - but your columns are the best of online journalism! Always intelligent, honest, funny, on top of all your amazing personal style and creativity - KofS is a true class act. Cheers me up every day, am always very grateful to you. I didn't realize that you didn't take ads, ahem, yes, now that you point this out - but it is also so nice to have none of those ugly, distracting things (look at me, look at me!), but instead just your clean design, on the site.

[sophie stiletto]

I'm not a blogger either but I cruise around my list of favourite blogs and yours is definitly up the top of that list,

Kingdom of style definitly has the personal touch, after reading this post, it was bought to my attention that indeed there are no adverts on your blog and I find this refreshing, it truely has a nice communtiy feel that has not been tainted by commerce, I'm being told, not sold. S.x

[Kirstles]

I've been reading your blog for a while and love it! Reading that you like the interaction and comments from readers prompted me to comment for the first time! For me, my little list of daily blogs I visit are mainly fashion based, but always relate to real life stuff too which I like and I always seem to go back to those ones e.g. when people are skint, stressed out with work and especially your post about not being bothered with fashion when mooching about at home in the day!

Its your combination of high end fashion, DIY and down to earth musings that you balance so well that I love - keep up the good work!

[Kristina]

I'd say I go back to certain blogs because of interesting posts and consistency, which is the big thing and my top favs, including this one are smart, visually and written interestingly and consistent so I of course keep coming back.

please check out my street style blog!
www.therebelwaltz.blogspot.com

[Jane]

Hey, this article is great. I'm just starting out a blog myself. I've been reading your blog for about a month and really enjoy it. Hopefully mine will develop into something just as good.

Jane

[Rowena]

That's really helpful, thanks. You guys do such a good job of it.

[Sister Wolf]

I think there is something ineffable about Kingdom of Style that I can only describe as the Delight Factor. Every time I come here, the experience is Delight. Your personalities, your artistic eye/s, your genuine air of friendliness, are some of the elements but there is just something magically fizzy that makes it great.

I used to read screenplays for a living and while it was always easy to say in exact terms why something didn't work, it was very hard to describe why other scripts come to life and sweep you away.

Your mention of me always makes my stats go sky-high. But I never learn from you: I am still mean-spirited and can't keep to one subject!
xoxox

[rollergirl]

Oh good post. I love two things about your blog - the words and the pictures. What I mean is, you put a lot into both, you obviously take time over them and it shows. Although I'm a highly visual person, I find I only add pics to the blog because I think people don't want just text. But the picture research and downloading pics from my camera do my head in - ugh, so TIME-consuming! If I knew how to do Photoshop maybe it would be different but I prefer to do the writing than the pics. But you, your writing is fantastic (both of you)! Is it as easy for you as you make it look? It's always spot on. And also I love the diversity of your posts.

[Jamie]

I've been reading your blog for a while now, and I may have commented a few times but I'm not sure. Now thats its been over a year since I've actually discovered the world of fashion blogs, I've begun to understand the importance of commenting on posts. So I just wanted to say that whatever youve been doing works, because I love your blog. Its one of many that I read, but I always look forward to it, and I have yet to get tired of it. I don't think I will any time soon.

[enc]

Kingdom of Style is the one of the first blogs I ever commented on. It's one of the few where I comment on each post, no matter what it is. I love it that much. KOS has really opened my eyes.

I never thought twice about what I said when I began commenting here. It wasn't until much later, after I'd been blabbing away on here (and subsequently on many other blogs) that I realized many people don't comment, and many people second-guess themselves, thinking that somehow their comments aren't "worthy" somehow I don't get that. Everyone is capable of making good points, and that's what creates the interaction you talk about.

There's only one blog where I've made comments that haven't been approved by the blogger. I can't imagine why. But I didn't let that stop me.

I ended up creating my own blog and joining the blogosphere, with a lot of support for the Queens Michelle and Marie, something for which I'm grateful.

I started with about two comments, then I got ten, then twenty, all from really great people with really great things to say. I'm there for them now, more than for myself, which was the original reason I started. I don't get very many hits at all, but the ones I do get are the best. Quality, not quantity.

I feel privileged to be a member of our section of the blogsphere.

[Prêt-à-Porter P]

im glad kingdom of style is out there. i enjoy discovering new designers via here and i find the way queen michelle mixes things up inspiring.

[Forever Amber]

Totally agree about the hits not making the blog. They can come from anywhere really (mine come from some very, very odd searches sometimes!), so I always think it's the reader-participation that makes a blog "successful" if that's what you want to call it. It's certainly what makes it rewarding...

[Manuel]

I really think you hit the nail on the head.

Much of what makes success, is infact the journey. To be on the top, is only a place for those that have no where else to go.

Who you know and how you look helps too. Image is everything on the net. But your words provide you the credibility of your humanity. (and intelligence)

I love your site for its honesty. Its owners attractive looks. ;) But most of all your words. They are the most powerful force that drives your style observations, that promotes your personality.

I'm a male, in his early twenties, who's guilty pleasure is fashion. I have yet to come out publicly as a 'fashion' lover. Not an '-ista' but I love to absorb all that is fashion.

I wonder if I'm the only non-gay guy following you blog. :(

[Edith Purdy]

It's nice to hear you say that a successful blog is not just about hits. I've only just come to this realisation myself.

When I started blogging a few months ago I quickly became obsessed with getting more hits on my site. I felt like I had to post everyday and comment on other peoples site to drive traffic. It became stressful. It made me grumpy!

Anyway, I decided to take a step back, post less and just enjoy it. I have chosen quality posts over quantity. Although I don't have thousands of visitors daily (yet!), I get really nice, supportive comments and I have found that I really love blogging. It's not about raising my profile anymore. I'd write it even my boyfriend was the only person who read it.

[Sybil Thompson]

You are 2 amazing queens. For sure.
It has been a fun few days for me reading your blog as though it is a book.. A book that I cant put down because you grrls make me scream laughing.. now and again i choke up....
Truely i wish we were neighbors! There are great clubs in Detroit. :))
We could dance all night!
But what keeps people visiting you once they find you is probably the fact you speak from the heart. Your wit is a deep rooted thing in you.. and you let vulnerable moments be mentioned as well.
I am in love with this blog.
You are 2 of the coolest chics that I havent met in person.
hahahahahaha

Please keep it real.
:))