Think about it: a person’s blog is the cultivation of their creativity and the window into their life.

A blog isn’t just a web address in a search bar, and it’s certainly not words or visuals created without a purpose. Blogs are beautifully crafted, rose-colored glasses that give the audience just the right view into your world. Essentially, your blog is an extension of you.

Blogging for Voiceover Artists

As a voiceover artist, you want to lend those glasses to your readers and, most likely, to brands. You want readers to connect with your blog so they come back – and you want brands to connect so they’ll see how your voice reflects their own. You should want to make your blog the best it can be, and that entails understanding the difference between a good blog & great influencer.

As I noticed in my early research before drafting this article, more voiceover artists started, rejuvenated, and/or continued writing blogs in the past year than in any I’ve noticed since I started in 2014. Why? I’m sure there are as many reasons as there are bloggers now putting pen to paper, er, fingers to the keyboard, for the increase.

Most voiceover artists started their blogs for the sole reason that they had a burning passion to be a voiceover talent and they wanted to share the ride with others. They weren’t concerned about SEO and web presence. Top voiceover agents and coaches figured that if you provide content that others want to read and WILL continually visit to read more, you’re taking care of your SEO and web presence anyway.

Their mission for writing voiceover blogs is still the same as it was on day one, and you can still read it at the top right corner to this day:

Using Social Media to Educate & Entertain About the Profession of Voiceover

That said, there are actually many beneficial reasons to write your own blog, and there are a few skills you should work on along the way. I found this infographic the other day, and it still spells out many of the benefits, questions, concerns, and skills I’m asked about by others who are ‘thinking’ about writing a blog for their voiceover business.

A good blog is pretty, and a good influencer uses his or her beautiful blog to tell a story and show us who they are. A great influencer knows their blog is more than just visuals. It’s a creative color scheme, a well-designed layout, and easy navigation. At my SEO agency, we check out blogs all day, every day, as we build blogger-brand relationships and continuously grow our blogging community. We look at blogs the same way readers or brands do and ask, “Can we tell who you are and what perspective you have to offer right away?” Are your social buttons easily visible? If we move quickly between posts and social channels to figure out what you’re all about, know that your readers and brands do too.

There isn’t one recipe for influencer success. The trick is finding what works for you and your brand. The voiceover industry has so many incredible influencers, each one of them unique with their aesthetic. But it's always interesting to see examples of general or niche-based blogs to spark your creativity.

1. Curated by Courtney keeps her blog minimally designed but maximally stunning. With neutral colors on a white layout and single images, viewers don’t just see pretty outfits on a blog. We experience Courtney telling story after story of her out on the town, living a fun life in beautiful clothes. Bloggy bonus points go to any influencer with an easily accessible search bar and a mini-feed for your top social platform.

2. If you have a strong Instagram following, why wouldn’t you want to highlight your feed in your blog’s sidebar, like Lipgloss and Crayons? Maybe Twitter’s your go-to social platform – show off your most recent thoughts.

3. When we see influencers like Glam Dapper, we know what they’re about right away. We love reading each post and checking out their social, but we don’t have to search for their personality. From the beginning, we see a couple that loves their family first and style as a close second.

4. Influencers like Dinner, then Dessert make you hungry just by looking at their blog. Sabrina, the woman behind the blog, has given each recipe its own focus. Her images are as attractive as her layout is sharp. You definitely don’t have to be a style blogger to have a blog with style.

5. Parenting bloggers like Good Morning Loretta can attest to that. Between her clearly labeled menu bar and her list of topics users can choose from, Good Morning Loretta has created a place where readers can easily interact with and get what they want from the blog.

6. When we pursue influencers to become part of blogging collaboration, we know that the term influencer isn’t synonymous with blogger. Does the caliber of visuals on your blog mirror that found on your Instagram? Does your voice speak loud on Twitter? Some influencers don’t even have a blog, but they do have the numbers and visuals to create a following and attract brands. Deddeh Howard is one kind of aesthetic we suggest to inspire the brands we work with and what we look for in Society members. Each Instagram post is its own visual gem, telling a unique, beautiful story. Tech Savvy Mama blogs about technology, family, and education. Even if you don’t typically seek out tech or education content, her Instagram is visually engaging enough that you’ll become a fan.

Here’s a secret between us: if you’re an influencer with a blog, have a media kit. You’re instantly more attractive in brands’ eyes. Think of it this way - your media kit tells those brands exactly why you’re the perfect fit to tell their story – without you having to answer all the little questions about your stats and history. You get to show them who you are, why other brands work with you, and what exactly you’re going to do for that brand. It’s like wrapping your influence in a bow and presenting brands with the gift that you are. Clare Reeves Voiceovers has a delightfully simple media kit, but it’s her, perfectly summed up.

The beauty of blogging is that you have complete control over the way you present yourself. You create the story you want to tell, run with it, and along the way, you’ll find the brands and readers that want to be a part of that story. While you’re searching for those brands, become more than the pretty blog they stumble upon – be the deliberately crafted influencer they need.

Give it a look! And, if you’ve got a blog, or are in the process of starting one, let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.