What do craft bloggers do anyway? (Behind the Scenes)

Behind the scenes of a craft blog | craftingfingers.co.uk

Write a post, snap some pics, and hit publish. Bam! Done! Right?

Or not. Blogging is rarely so simple. Craft blogging has its own little quirks, too. I thought I’d share a behind-the-scenes peek of what it takes to go from concept to published post.

If you’re a blogger I’d love to hear your process, too!

Behind the scenes of a craft blog | craftingfingers.co.uk

The Idea

Even the simplest tutorial or roundup has to be planned.

I use notebooks to sketch and plan DIYs. Before buying anything I sketch out the proportions, materials, and the gist of how to construct it.

Most ideas sit on the backburner for a while. I won’t commit to a DIY post unless it’s:

  • Useful and/or practical. A cushion you can’t wash isn’t worth the time or materials!
  • Something I’ll love. One of the joys of a personal blog is making what you want.
  • Something new. If the idea’s overdone, I’ll share my favourite tuts instead.

For roundups and other posts I ask: is it inspiring? Is it helpful?

Once I’m happy with a DIY design, it’s time to make it and take pics!

Behind the scenes of a craft blog | craftingfingers.co.uk

The Photography

Step-by-step my approach to blog photography usually looks like this:

  1. Plan & take step-by-step photos
  2. Style the project with some pretty props and snap (Repeat 50x)
  3. Edit the photos to correct any lighting/colour/etc problems
  4. Choose a header image + add text with my chosen blog fonts
  5. Save as optimised JPEGs for the web with descriptive file names
  6. Upload to the blog!

A lot of my photos are taken in the kitchen. Wherever there’s sunlight!

I take photos for posts before writing. Tutorial photos are half the story, and it’s so much easier to describe the steps after you’ve taken the photos. In winter I usually have to take the step-by-step photos and the styled shot on different days.

Some of the tricks I use to get photos done:

  • I use a tote to carry everything to whichever room has the best light or setting for the post.
  • In winter, I’ll set up the shoot the night before so it’s ready to snap.
  • For tutorials I keep a checklist of all the photos I want to take. It’s hard to go back later!

Behind the scenes of a craft blog | craftingfingers.co.uk

The Post

The hard work has been done: the DIY is complete and the photography finished. Writing is the easy part! When I’m making a project and editing photos I’m already drafting the post in my head.

(I often mutter to myself when editing pics. This is called ‘writing’.)

I start putting the post together by popping in the photos and, if it’s a tutorial, the materials list. All the photo descriptions get optimised for Pinterest.

When I write the post I keep a few things in mind:

  • Is it easy to scan the post to get an idea of the project?
  • Are the steps written as clearly and in as few words as possible?
  • Are the links, names, and pics correct and all in the right places?
  • Will new readers know how to find other relevant posts?

Behind the scenes of a craft blog | craftingfingers.co.uk

Spreading the word

After I hit publish I use Twitter, Pinterest, Ravelry, and CraftGawker to share projects.

Sometimes a post I’ve spent hours on will flop. Going through old posts to see what works and what doesn’t (and updating pics & old links) is a new routine of mine. Sometimes all it takes is a different photo. You never know which page a reader sees first!


Behind the scenes of a craft blog | craftingfingers.co.uk

So why blog? For me it’s about sharing the joy of making.

Start sharing your own makes with the “How to start a blog in 5 minutes” series on Blogtacular.

Got a blog? Link me in the comments below!

Lots of crafty love,
Anna