a personal style blog by Lauren Pfieffer

Monday, April 25, 2011

I Need YOUR Help!

Hello there everyone!
I'm sure all of you have felt at one time or another the way I am feeling currently about my blog. I guess you could say disheartened is a good word. It seems as though I have been steadily losing followers for the past few weeks. Sometimes one every day. Perhaps it's nothing at all personal against me, but sometimes I take it that way by nature. The thoughts that come to my mind are, "What could I have done differently to make them stay...? What about my blog turned them off...? Is it just because they don't like me...?"

Sigh. I've been slightly unhappy with my blog for awhile now. I think it's because I am such a perfectionist and don't see perfection in my blog. Sometimes I don't know what I expect though from myself because I'm a seventeen year old girl in high school. Taking my own pictures with a tripod and $80 camera from Wal-Mart. I live in a place so small it's considered a village, and I barely have enough money to even afford thrift store clothes, let alone anything brand new and fashionable. The weather is never nice here: it's either raining or snowing. Not to mention one of my biggest downfalls would have to be technology, which my lack of knowledge of is present in my blog layout.


So often I have this picture in my mind of what I want my blog to be... Whimsical photo shoots in romantic vintage clothing with soft lighting and rounded edges. An extensive and sweetly designed blog layout easy to navigate, yet with cute, unique quirks. Large, high quality photos.
And the list could go on much farther....


I'm here to ask help from all of you. What do you believe I could do better with this blog? Make the layout cleaner? Increase my picture size? Post more content other than just outfits? Any suggestions you have I am open to and I would appreciate more than you can imagine. I cherish each and every one of my followers dearly, and I appreciate every single person that drops by my blog. Your feedback I take into extensive consideration, and every little piece of advice gets me closer to getting my blog where I want it to be.


Thank you ever so much everyone!
With much love, Lauren.
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18 comments

Sara said...

omg i have been feeling that way too! seriously! but i am kind of new still haha. hmm i think making your pictures bigger would be nice and just adding more color because thats always eye catching! but don't forget to stay true to who you are <3

http://sarassweetstyle.blogspot.com/

Mila said...

Ick I hate that feeling!! I go through it a lot, but my advice to you is to stick to what you want, not what others do, and the follower number will probably start climbing too. Just play around with the elements on your blog, like the font, the color, the header, etc. Try different settings for photo shoots, try different styles of clothes, and try new camera settings! Just have fun with it all, and soon enough you'll be out of your rut!:)

xoxo

Shady Del Knight said...

Lauren, it wasn't too long ago that you were excited about reaching the 100 follower mark. Now you have 140! That's twice the number that I have. I'd say you are doing very well. You take some marvelous pictures and most can be clicked to jumbo size which is a real plus. If you want my honest opinion there are two simple changes that you could make that I think would make your blog better. They have nothing to do with buying more expensive equipment or creating a more elaborate layout. They are actually things that you were already doing when I first discovered your blog several months ago. A few weeks ago when you changed to this fancy font style it made the blog more difficult for me to read. Perhaps other people find it hard to read as well. Changing it back to the font you used to have or one similar to it is one simple change that I would recommend. The other change that you made in recent weeks was to start posting a high percentage of serious poses along with those in which you are smiling. When I originally found your blog the first thing that I noticed was your beautiful smile which is second to none. I think you should use your serious expression much more sparingly and go back to dazzling us with that smile in the vast majority of your pictures. It is one of your greatest assets. Everybody loves a winner and when you're smiling, you really look like one!

Unknown said...

I love your style and pictures, they're still one of my favorites out of all the blogs I read!
Your fashion is timeless and even though you don't feel like you have a lot, you have some serious styling skills!

My biggest suggestion would be changing the font to something less ornate. This font can get quite difficult to read. People always like to read a little "life" with bloggers' style, to get to know them! Maybe write a little bit about the fun or random things you experience on a certain day?

Mary said...

Oh, Lauren, do I ever feel your pain! I try not to take it personally, but every. single. time. I lose a follower, I wonder who they were, why they weren't interested in reading anymore, and if I had to change something that I was doing in order to keep them around? I think that it's natural to wonder things like that, and it's just as natural to lose followers. Occasionally I unfollow blogs that just aren't for me anymore for various reasons, most of them completely unrelated to the blogger themselves! So I try to remember that when someone leaves my blog.
That being said, the best advice I was ever given by another fellow blogger was that style blogs are a dime a dozen-- you can literally find thousands of them all across the internet (if not more!) and that the thing that brings people to your blog is the unique content YOU provide. She told me that the only way I was going to gain readers was by bringing something to the table that no one else had-- and I totally think that you do. It sucks to hear because it's not really saying "do a, b, and c and things will fix themselves", trust me, I know. But I think the reason you have so many followers who ADORE your blog (I know I do!) is because you are always real, you are always you, and when you are writing about things you are passionate about or interested in, it SHOWS! So my advice to you is to follow your heart when it comes to blogging-- don't be afraid to be exactly you, bare as much or as little as you want. Write about whatEVER you want, whenever you want, and you will organically gain more and more followers because they are invested in you as a person, and not just your blog as an entity. And always remember that there are so many bloggers and readers out there who adore what you do and who you are and are so glad to have your presence as a blogger!
xox, Mary :)

Kathryn from Schoolmarm Style said...

I completely agree with both the font and smiling in pictures a more simple font and more of your lovely smile would make the entire blog much easier on the eyes. I definitely think you need to stay true to you- don't worry about the competition but do what feels good to you.

You should also remember that a bunch of "bigger bloggers" have recently posted about deleting their entire feed due to having "too many blogs to read". I wonder if that has started a bandwagon effect of deleting because that's what the cool kids are doing.

Louise (Fifth Sparrow) said...

You are smart, capable, gorgeous and kind. Now, repeat and repeat again until you believe it as much as you should! I only wish I had been like you when I was 17!

I know (believe me I do!) how much it sucks when your followers number goes down, or even when it stops climbing... but I always try to look at the reasons for it (and lots of times there are none) and have usually found it to be around the times that I haven't been posting from my heart. When I actually post something that is "me" I bring something new to the over-crowded fashion blogger party, but lots of times life/work/stress gets in the way and that's when I post just to say that I did it. It never fails that I don't feel awesome about my blog, and then I lose followers. I know that's not too constructive, I WISH there was an easy success plan, but I think that if you continue to post from your heart and that you actually enjoy your content then you'll attract the "real" followers- the people who don't just follow for the heck of it, but actually care about you and can't wait to visit you (and there are many Lauren, just look at your numbers!). You have a singular style and a sweet voice, you have a blog worth maintaining and you have some pretty big fans cheering you on!
Chin up lovely! xx

p.s the only thing I might add is that the fancy font is pretty, but a little hard to read... I know I'm guilty of skimming a few posts just because the font hurts my eyes (but also keep in mind that I have terrible eyesight!) What about having it for just the post titles? Just a thought. :)

aki! said...

I think your blog is romantic and whimsical. I love the content you have and I absolutely adore the old time look.

Bigger pictures would be awesome. And I have to say I agree with the others about the font. It's very small on my computer, very compact, and hard to read.

I think being involved in the blogging community is a great way to gain more followers and have an interesting topic to post about.

Good luck.

seven-percentsolution.blogspot.com

Miranda said...

Lauren, your blog is great! I recently went and looked at some of your older posts and realized just how many you have! You've put together so many amazing, unique outfits. And I definitely think finding a treasure at a thrift store and working it into your outfits shows much more style than buying some expensive thing that requires no creativity.
Visually, I like the way your blog is laid out. The only thing is that the font is sometimes hard to read. But other than that, I don't see anything you need to change. I think Fifth Sparrow summed it all up in her comment :)

Unknown said...

Hello,
I'd think adding color would def make it catch peoples eyes :)
As for Track i run a variety of events depending on how i feel in a day. Sometimes it's the 4x4 or the mile! lol, I also run Cross country so i have alot of miles on me.

Brenna said...

I don't comment much on the blogs I follow, but I do have to speak up now - you are my absolute favorite blogger at the moment, and I read MANY MANY MANY blogs on a daily basis. You are so very true to yourself in your style and your notes. I never would guess you don't have money for clothes, so you obviously use what you do have very well indeed. Your style is so sophisticated and mature for your age - you should appreciate that in yourself! You have something special in you that I'm sure NONE of your readers have ever seen in another 17 year old girl. And I concur with Shady - your smile is gorgeous and you should use it more often! =)
On a technical note, the font is a little hard to read. I'd still read your blog even if you didn't change it, though!
You're sweet and honest and an original. Don't lose that, and don't worry about numbers! Those of us who are still here care about you. =)

-=Brenna=-

Anonymous said...

I love your blog, and often wish my posts looked as good as yours do! I wish I was more inspired like you to take pictures...they always look so beautiful! The only thing I would say, is that sometimes the font you choose is a little tricky to read, but apart from that I think it's lovely :) I always enjoy checking your blog to see what you've put together, and like reading what you write. Carry on the good work, and don't get disheartened :D

OrigamiGirl said...

Hi,
I think your blog is great so please don't give up on it. I like your honest style and your varied photoshoots. The thing I would say is that your new font is kind of hard to read. It makes me less likely to stick around if it takes me time to decipher it. Its very curly and also quite small. Keep at it! I love seeing your cool outfits.

Emily said...

Feeling uninspired and blah happens to everyone, don't get discouraged!

Don't worry too much about having "the perfect blog." I honestly think that your blog is wonderful the way it is...you're accessible and don't seem to have your head in the clouds and nose in the air like some fancy wancy bloggers do sometimes. You're real. Your struggles are real. I think your followers respond to that. Sure, some people prefer the hyper edited photos and pretense, but there's something very artificial and commonplace about all of that.

Suggestion wise, I agree with the other comments about your smile - it's absolutely lovely! Pouts are a dime a dozen in the fashion blogging world and are more effective when used sparingly. Also, while it's an amazing show of dedication that you post your (super pretty!) outfits every day, you shouldn't feel restricted to just that. If you want to take a day to blog about something entirely different, or even take some time off to just pull your thoughts together, do it! Don't limit yourself...it's your blog and you should feel free to do as you please. :)

(P.S.: Thanks so much for the comment on my blog! You're too kind!)

Melanie♥♥♥ said...

Lauren, I love love love your blog! And I haven't been commenting for a while, not because I'm not interested (WHICH I AM) but because I'm taking a break from blogging.
:)
Your outfits are amazing, and so is your style. I love your blog sooo much!

Kezzie said...

Hmmmmm, I posted a comment here yesterday and it seemed to not have gone on! What I said was: I like your blog just the way it is! It's the blog I look forward to reading most because I never know what beautiful, classic outfit you will post and I am always amazed by your style, good taste, and amazing knack to find astonishing bargains! I wouldn't change anything about it except yes, a smile is always welcoming!

Victoria / Justice Pirate said...

YOu do a great job. I just have a lot going on so I'm always so behind in reading your posts (and everyone's). I recently cut out loads of blogs that I read each week because of how hard it has been for me to read any. I think that if people stop following you, it is probably not because of you. I lose followers too often, but I also think a lot of my followers no longer read my blog and I have only a select few 20-30 that are regular readers (and they are the ones that matter most). I think the same goes for a lot of those "huge" bloggers. Don't worry about it too much. You are great! i adore your outfits SO much and think you are a darling lady!

Midwest Muse said...

I love your blog. It's definitely in my top reads! I agree, the fonts are the only thing that is off putting. I would love to help you re-design your blog. I'd do it for free! Email me at imnoastronaut@gmail.com if you're interested. We can make it match the romantic whimsy in your head that would compliment your beautiful style.

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