Ten Things I Have Learnt as a Teenage Blogger

Teenage bloggers are increasing by the day, with more and more adolescents following this social craze and creating their own blog. Having started Daisies and Delights when I’d just turned 14 and still blogging now that I’m 17, I’m an accurate example of a teenage blogger. I’ve definitely learnt a lot over the years, with blogging impacting my life in both positive and negative ways. I’ve seen many different blog posts about the experiences of bloggers and what people have learnt from it, but they’re rarely focused on teenagers. I thought I’d do my own take on this idea and highlight what you can take away from blogging as a teenager.

#1 Attending Events Isn't Easy

Attending a blogging event is an amazing experience and is a great way to meet likeminded bloggers be recognised by brands and companies who support your work. Actually attending the events, however, can be a lot harder than it seems when you’re a teenager. It may be a struggle to get there as many teenagers can't drive, and event times may also conflict with school or college schedules due to many events taking place on a weekday. It definitely isn't the easiest to make it to events when you factor in all of these, but it makes the ones that you can attend more special and enjoyable.

#2 People Are Constantly Amazed

When people see well-crafted blog posts featuring outstanding photographs, their initial thought is that an experienced professional created it. When people realise that everything is in fact the work of a teenager, they will instantly be impressed by your expertise and blown away by the fact that you're so young yet producing content to a high standard. Just this recognition and acceptance alone should be enough to motivate you to blog, and it’s a great way to show what you’re capable of.

#3 It May Be Hard To Balance Commitments

As a teenager myself, I understand how busy it can be with many different commitments to manage. It's often hard to find a balance and blogging may take a backseat as school or college becomes particularly busy, especially during exam season. On the other hand, teenage bloggers may place more of an emphasis on blogging than other commitments, which is dangerous as it could lead to your grades suffering as a consequence. Blogging may definitely be a lot to manage in this respect and is a big yet rewarding commitment to undertake.

#4 Don't Rely On Advertising

One of the most obvious ways for bloggers to make money is through setting up Google Adsense and displaying adverts on your blog. However, since you have to be 18 to enable this, teenage bloggers are unable to monetise in such a way. Likewise, many brands will request bloggers that are over 18, which may put us teenagers at a disadvantage.

#5 You Will Gain Valuable Skills

Creating regular blog posts means that your writing is practised and thus improves, which is something that can be majorly beneficial in school, particularly in essay based subjects like English. Blogging also helps you to develop skills in other areas such as coding, visual design and social media promotion, which may assist in other areas of the curriculum as well as being a possible field of work for the future.

#6 You Know The Target Market Very Well

Blogs and Youtube videos alike appeal to many people, but a large proportion of their audience are teenagers and young adults. As a teenage blogger, you can easily relate to your readers and thus have a thorough understanding of your audience that will shine through in your content. Not only will this allow for you to produce relevant content, but it also means that you will be more credible and reliable as a blogger.

#7 There Are Many Others Like You

As a teenage blogger, you're definitely not alone and there are many people who share the same passion as you. Especially on social platforms like Twitter and Instagram, you will easily be able to find other teenage bloggers and make likeminded friends that have similar interests. The blogging community is very expansive and so there’s always someone to talk to.

#8 You Stand Out From The Crowd

Particularly at events, teenage bloggers may stand out from the rest of the attendants due to being noticeably younger. Although some people may initially frown upon this, believing that you’re too young and inexperienced to blog, most people will admire your passion and dedication to blogging at such a young age.

#9 You Can Easily Forge Relationships With Brands

A lot of my blogging opportunities and interactions with brands have been due to being a teenage blogger, showing how it may automatically give you a benefit. For example, I was able to review T-Zone skincare products aimed at targeting spots as I have teenage blemishes, and I've been able to review many young adult novels from the point-of-view of the target demographic. Teenagers can do this in a way that an adult wouldn't be able to achieve, writing from the perspective of the intended audience, which can lead to unique and special brand relationships being formed.

#10 Your CV Will Be Enhanced

Whether you're applying for a job, college or other position, blogging will definitely be a talking point and something worth bringing up. It'll make you stand out from the crowd, as it's a unique and unlikely hobby to have and the interviewee will likely be eager to hear more. Blogging is also demonstrative of many different skills, including responsibility and time management, which employers will definitely appreciate and will strengthen your application.

Overall, I feel as though being a teenage blogger definitely has many positives, being a way of having fun in your free time and find a passion that you thoroughly enjoy. I've definitely learnt a lot over the past 3 years and ultimately enjoyed all of the opportunities blogging has presented, making it a worthwhile experience.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post and if you're a teenage blogger, I'd love to know what you've learnt from your experiences of blogging down in the comments. Thank you very much for reading, as well as for the continual support, and I'll see you again next Sunday with another new blog post!

Love from Daisy x