Meet the Blogger: Isa A. from Lifestyle Prism

As much as I love writing blog posts for you full of blogging, search engine optimization, and Pinterest tips, it’s also important to me to build a platform that helps other bloggers/digital business owners grow as well. As a blogger, it’s important to always find new ways to be visible online and to find opportunities to be discovered by new readers.

That’s why I decided to start a recurring item on She Can Blog called Meet the Blogger! I will interview bloggers/digital business owners about their blogs/businesses and experiences. Who are these bloggers/entrepreneurs, what type of blog/business do they run, what drives them, how do they drive traffic to their websites and what else can you learn from them?

Featured on this Meet the Blogger:
Isa A. from Lifestyle Prism

Who are you and what type of blog do you have? 

Hi, I’m Isa A. I’m a Content Creator from Pakistan. A very warm welcome from “She Can Blog”! I first want to thank you, Angie, for giving me the opportunity, and hosting me on your blog!

Well, about my blog; it is called “Lifestyle Prism”. My blog saw a few adjustments in niches. Fashion, and beauty remained fixed, but the lifestyle niche. I kept it there first to narrow down later which exact passions I wanted to share with my audience. So down the lane, I dropped the generic term and replaced it with home décor, and gourmet chocolates. Any other topics may include art and design, because I’m artistic, and have an innate interest in architecture. Now it is only four specific niches. Fashion covers all, but fewer trends reports. Beauty includes skincare advice, makeup tips, and product reviews. Home décor embodies an element of interior design. Chocolates include reviews and insights.

Why did you start blogging? 

I thought of blogging for the first time in 2017 but took it up in 2020 during the covid lockdown. I’m creative with a critical eye for detail. I used to try lots of makeup techniques and beauty products, and I design my clothes. This led to the idea.

I decided to share my passions, and provide meaningful information to my target audience. In the hope that they either get inspired or influenced to try out the things I talk about. I set my aim to market globally. That is why my content centers on international markets. And so it began!

What makes your blog stand out compared to other blogs in your niche?

Clearly, “Quality over quantity!”

Need I say more? I don’t keep pushing out content for the sake of it, neither do I do affiliate marketing, or run ads on my blog. Although I do intend to earn from my blog and convert it to a full-time business, but marketing only for the sake of money or landing collaborations, isn’t my norm.

I’m now at the stage where I’m getting at least two offers a week, since August 2021. But as a matter of fact, about 40 percent of the offers aren’t a good match for my blog, so I don’t accept them. This is a reassurance for my audience that even after working hard on my blog and pulling up stats, I would not bring them content only for the sake of getting collaborations. I stand by this norm and ethic, and I want to be recognized, and acknowledged as such by the target market, as well as the audience.

Which aspects of blogging do you like the most? Which aspects do you dislike?

I have learned a lot during the first year of blogging. I made connections globally and made friends on social media. I enjoyed seeing them create their content and I enjoyed reading their content as well. The ease of textual communication is that one can better express, and with freedom. I saw people talk about their struggles, experiences, and wins. Listening to them made me a better person, more considerate, humble, and broadened my perspective. I started to express more in my writing.

My priorities changed this year. I also reserved more time for other hobbies – sketches, and creative writing. Yes, the latter is a talent I recently discovered I had. And now I’ve developed that skill a bit. It’s amazing, all the things one can do. With human ability, the sky’s the limit. I played with words and created live prose on Twitter, and it really felt like an accomplishment. I have now created a new personal tab on my blog, called “Shorts”. This has nothing to do with brands or fellow bloggers. It even has commenting disabled. But, if any writer or author wants to read it, she is more than welcome.

The least enjoyable aspect of blogging is to feel demotivated. And it’s so easy to feel demotivated as a blogger. Blogging is usually more of a hobby because it does not bring you bread and butter. The expectation to earn from it is the demotivator. The reason many people quit blogging, is because they don’t see the results of their hard work. For me, the two hindrances have been – no access to PayPal in my region; and high shipping and disposal charges. Because of that, I could not earn from my blog so far. If I have felt any demotivation, it was due to this.

“The reason many people quit blogging, is because they don’t see the results of their hard work.”

Isa A.

Which social media platforms do you use the most to promote your blog posts? And how do you leverage these platforms to attract blog traffic? 

I mostly promote my content on Twitter. I am comfortable with it. I tweet my content and ask for engagement. It is an easy way to drive traffic to your blog on a daily basis. Most of my social traffic comes from Twitter, and the remaining part is organic traffic coming from Google.

I’m not happy with Instagram. I have worked hard on Pinterest, but it has given me nothing but a barren land – no traffic. I recently made a Facebook page and signed up for TikTok to prepare for 2022. Facebook, to my surprise, gave me good engagement. So, let’s see how much traffic these new accounts will bring to my blog in 2022.

Which strategies do you use to get more eyes on your content?

For organic traffic, my two SEO tricks are on-page SEO and keywords. If you’re able to rank on Google, you’ll get organic traffic from the search results.

I haven’t run ads on my blog so far. Whenever I check any site with ads, it is difficult to scroll, and read. Oftentimes I end up closing those sites even before reading. It may bring money, but is not a good user experience. I also don’t use my blog space for community posts i.e. blogger award nominations and tags. Such posts are usually aimed at supporting other creators. I do support fellow bloggers but in other ways. But this is not what the audience is looking for on the internet. So I focus my content on how and where I can bring value to them.

Also interesting: 20 inspiring bloggers to follow in 2022

Do you have any brand expectations?

Yes! I hope relevant brands add in their business strategy, to either market in my country, Pakistan; and, consider working with bloggers outside US and UK. To put it simply, consider working more with Pakistani bloggers too. Blogging seems to have a big market in Europe and US, and an ever-increasing one in South Korea.

I did a blog post on shopping challenges last year. Since then, a lot of online fashion retailers, and beauty stockists have emerged. There is a growing awareness, and demand for them such as K-beauty, that shopping sites run out of stocks in no time. If potential prospects would read this interview on your blog, and gauge the potential market they could meet, it would open many doors for me and I’d be happy to welcome them. Blogging and global outreach have made me understand their pulse. Know that I would be the best fit to reach out to, for quality content marketing, and copywriting for relevant brands.

My target audience is global! I can help brands to promote within their regions. I wish brands surpass the PayPal and shipping charges issue and become more willing to work with me.

I hope relevant brands add in their business strategy, to either market in my country, Pakistan; or, consider working with bloggers outside US and UK.

Isa A.

Any advice you’d like to pass along to beginning bloggers?

Know your blogging goals, and know your limits!

Looking back, and saying this from my experience. The first six months is the time to experiment with what could work for you. Also, identify your limits, so you can work around them.

While you’re doing all that, don’t forget to enjoy blogging, and keep learning.

What’s in store for 2022?

I will be doing more collaborations. One of my favorite brands is already in pipeline.

Like I said earlier, it’ll be one of the brands I love and intend to present to my audience. I intend to bring the best of value to my readers, so they can take something from it in their lifestyle choices.

I also intend to convert my blog into more of a business and will become a full-time content creator. So, let’s see how 2022 transpires.