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Tumblr Blogging Tips: What Makes For a Successful Fashion Tumblr

tumblr photos

We talk extensively about WordPress and Blogger when we discuss blogging platforms but what about Tumblr? Up 10% in US traffic this month, Tumblr is now one of the top 10 most-trafficked websites in the U.S, according to Quantcast. And, get this, it has a worldwide audience of nearly 170 million people. With this recent growth, we figured it was time to dig a little deeper into the world of Tumblr.

Quantcast Tumblr

Tumblr CEO David Karp states,

“You guys have earned an audience bigger than the biggest TV networks, and you continue to make some of the most thought provoking, insightful, inspiring, funny, diverse, and compelling content being created today.”

While it is a social network and content management platform, Tumblr is often regarded as a source for creativity and inspiration. Less about original content, more about content sharing. But that doesn't mean there aren't successful fashion blogs out there that are currently running on Tumblr. In fact, there are a few fashion blogs out there that are on Tumblr that we couldn't help but not take notice.

Girl With Curves, Wit & Delight, The Style Line and all use Tumblr as their choice platform, tweaking the designs appropriately and sharing original content that can be easily dispersed amongst the community. GirlSack, Well-Traveled Woman, Musings in Feminity, Lyla & Blu,  Spires & Gargoyles are just some of the more traditional inspiration-filled Tumblrs we have bookmarked.

What do all of these tumblr have in common? What exactly makes them so successful?

  • Diverse Content: From videos to photos to playlists, these Tumblrs all incorporate different types of editorial content, which keeps their readers interested. Think about it, if you keep seeing the same thing over and over again, you are bound to get bored. Capture your readers attention by keeping content interesting, fresh and diverse. And don't let your blogging shortcomings overwhelm your desire to try new things. You may not be a professional at video blogging but that doesn't mean you can't try.

 

  • Strong Point-of-View: Without a strong perspective, any blog will fall short, especially on a platform as big and broad as Tumblr. Don't let your Tumblr fall into an Internet black hole by always keeping your brand at the forefront of your blog. Wit & Delight focuses on design, Girl with Curves focuses on plus-sized fashion. What is your niche and how can you create content that has never been done before?

 

  • Consistency: Once again, with a community as big as Tumblr, you have to make blogging a priority and maintain a consistent posting schedule. The more frequent the posts, the more click-throughs, which, in the end, results in more traffic. Most of the more inspirational Tumblrs publish new posts multiple times of the day, making it easier for their reader to easily browse through their blog at various times of the day.

 

  • Clear Branding: Overall, the most successful of tumblrs, including those listed above, have clear, concise branding.  The photos have a certain feel, the content all ties together in a cohesive theme and the  blog's brand is displayed in everything from a blog header to a social media avatar. It's this kind of marketing thinking that can elevate a blog, bringing the brand to life. Without proper branding, a blog can just feel lost, and at the end of the day, your readers will lose interest because they aren't building loyalty with said-blog brand.

 

 Do you currently have a Fashion Tumblr? How have you made that space your own? Are their fashion tumblrs that we should add to our must-read list?

 

[Image credit: Girl with Curves, Dustin Fenstermacher and Quantcast]

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About The Author

Ana is a Travel Blogger and Blogging Coach at The City Sidewalks. With her expertise in online marketing, she's able to help other bloggers, creatives, and entrepreneurs grow their businesses so that they can achieve financial freedom to travel the world on their own terms.

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31 Responses

  1. Andria R

    I run a tumblr blog as an offshoot of my website and I will say that Tumblr can be a fickle beast. What people are inspired by today, they may hate tomorrow. Like you said, posting consistently has helped and tumblr has a queue option that makes everything easier.

    Andria
    Indie Punk Goddess

    Reply
  2. Diana

    I’ve always used Tumblr as my fashion blog. I think that Tumblr makes it quite easy for blogs to gain followers which is a positive, I got 20,000+ followers in my first year. I’m curently in the process of converting my Tumblr into more of a traditional fashion blog so if anyone knows a good theme, please message me 🙂

    Reply
  3. Crystal L Gardner

    I use tumblr for my blog and love it! I swtiched from WordPress. I love the sleek layout and ease of re-posting, not to mention I can be on the go and blog with the tumblr iPhone app.

    Reply
    • Malaina Carolei

      New fashion blog. Just starting out! Follow my Instagram malainacarolei

      Reply
  4. .

    I actually have two Tumble blogs in addition to my main blogspot. One personal, where I post exclusively my photography – all the blog post previews or the photos that don’t make it to the blog post; and one inspirational, where I reblog photos that I find inspirational. I’ve been on it since ’09, or early 2010 I believe and I love it! It’s very user friendly and can be a great addition to your main blog! I find it a bit harder to use it as a real blog with writing since it’s so fast and sharing oriented. But obviously it’s not impossible!

    xx

    Reply
    • purplebananasandfudgeballs

      The link you included for your personal tumblr doesn’t work…but I accessed it through your inspirational tumblr. I stumbled across your personal blog(blogspot) a while ago, and I must say, I fucking love your style and your simplistic, statement-making photos. Looove! www.purplebananasandfudgeballs.blogspot.com

      Reply
      • .

        Thank you so much lovely! I’m sorry I misspelled the link, for anyone else who might be interested, it’s http://www.whatminniedidtoday.tumblr.com !
        xx

  6. Rebekah

    Hi! I’ve run my blog on tumblr for almost 2 years now. I’ve though about switching but didn’t for 2 reasons:

    1: Aesthetic – There are some amazing premium themes with great customer support. I am a bit OCD with how my blog looks and absolutely love the layout, and how easy it is to update and modify.

    2: It is so easy to use, and has a great range of people from all over the word My blog is super a super niche fashion/lifestyle ( bikinis and beach lifestyle, based in Hawaii) But because of tumblr I’ve gotten messages from ladies in Venezuela, Kuwait, and all over.

    3: It has a great sense of community, i.e. I think it’s more of the visual artistic blogging platform, but you can also have a wide range of types of content.

    4: the drawbacks. I’ve read the google analytics isn’t accurate for tumblr sites, and if your posts are short/don’t require a click thorough your traffic isn’t properly documented. Also if you have a post reblogged a ton, it being the original source tends to get lost…and tumblr’s servers go down a lot, especially if you have a custom domain.

    5: So many designers have a tumblr, it’s a great way to work with them or simply be in spired by them.

    ..i’ll stop rambling, but really I LOVE TUMBLR!

    A few good ones to follow are: Sun-believable, chicgarden, and observando 🙂

    Reply
  7. Armand Cox

    I’ve been using Tumblr for a few months now and posting on mens fashion. With most of the blogs just posting pics of nice outfits, I wanted to take it a step further by helping guys understand the who, what, where, when, & how of mens fashion and how to make it their own.

    Reply
  8. Carla

    I will love to see more posts about Tumblr here! I will open my personal style blog on Tumblr because I feel my style will be more accepted there. I had blogs on WordPress and Blogger but I feel like it’s kinda hard to start something new since there’s not a ‘community’ like Tumblr. The interest of people on Tumblr is more genuine, if they identify with you they will follow! Right now I have two blogs to inspiration there and I just love that place!

    Reply
  9. imane

    Tumblr has been always my number one source of fashion insperations here chek out my blog and dive into the fashion world

    Reply
  10. Nasreen

    As a lover of fashion its hard to pick a specific niche! My tumblr is all about boho type fashion. I love taking personal style posts, talking about news in the industry, models, the latest trends and styling! the whole schbang!! I guess ill just have to find what Im best at 🙂

    http://lazyobsession.blogspot.com

    oh and since we’re talking about tumblr check mine out 😀 http://tumblr.com/vintage-feathers

    Reply
  11. Luciana Grimaldi

    my tumblr

    classic with an urban twist-a mix of my designs & inspirations

    Reply
  12. Angelica Lainis

    Hey! So glad you did this article. I have a successful tumblr (7000 readers) and I blog about street style and give style advice to anyone that asks basically. Tumblr is really diverse. I love it!

    afinefashionfrenzy.tumblr.com

    Reply
  13. Angelena

    I chose to switch to tumblr shortly after I felt Blogger wasn’t doing it for me. It seemed too cluttered and beefy. When I switched I redid my layout from scratch because there are so many great themes you can edit to make it look like a traditional blog. Many people have complimented me on the fact that my blog doesn’t have the “look” of a tumblr blog. But overall the ease of tumblr and the fact that reblogging exists allows me to gain followers easier and my content gets out there quicker. Although it’s still a struggle like some have mentioned because traffic doesn’t display accurately… I’ve found not being anal retentive about traffic accuracy and simply paying attention to my readers that I still feel just as fulfilled. Overall I don’t regret the switch… as I was a hardcore tumbler before I was a personal blogger. It was what initially inspired me to start offering others my personal content rather than massively reblogged content. But tumblr is definitely about visuals. If your visuals lack reblogging potential or look like something too “average” it can create frustration.

    Reply
  14. Paige

    I use Tumblr for both my personal work blog, http://paige-eager.tumblr.com/, and also my fashion blog. I love it as its simple to use and has a sleek design layout!

    http://fashxtile.tumblr.com/

    Reply
  15. Vanessa

    I think tumblr is really easy to use! It’s a cool way to share content! http://fashionmixtape.tumblr.com

    Reply
  16. Sarah

    I’m really struggling over whether I should switch from Blogger to Tumblr. I have a “tumblr” that serves as an inspiration board, but I also have my own blog where I post original content. I have tons more followers on Tumblr and I feel like the sense of community there (the reblogging especially) will help me promote my blog much more than on Blogger, where there really is no sense of community… At least from my standpoint. The only thing is that Tumblr themes aren’t exactly made for a traditional fashion blog. What’s a girl to do??

    Reply
  17. N/A

    Such great advice. My main blog is on tumblr. I have to agree, people can being fickle but they are some reall positives to it. All I wish was there more available themes that highlight fashion better.

    Reply
  18. cortne

    I have a successful fashion tumblr.

    I have a lot of loyal followers and love giving advice. I like the community aspect of it.

    Reply
  19. Brittany Lauren

    I have recently started on tumblr.com and I love how customizable the site is! There’s definitely a big of struggle finding original content, however, when it is found…it’s amazing! Please check my fashion blog out at lola-noir.tumblr.com : )

    Best wishes,

    Brittany Lauren

    Reply
  20. Maria Cho

    Hello!
    I am relatively new to the world of blogging. I lost all of my previous posts very sadly and recently started up my personal style and lifestyle blog a few weeks ago. This week I was started to doubt whether I had made the right choice with starting out on Tumblr, but I definitely feel encouraged and energized after reading this article! It is a work in progress and new, so I would appreciate any constructive feedback!

    http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/6564867

    -Maria

    Reply
  21. Afrodite Lovisa Wirén Konstantis

    I also use Tumblr as my platform for my fashion blog! I just started up and it’s great. I blog street style and added a search function so my followers and readers can search and get inspiration for their next outfit 🙂

    Reply
  22. Bian

    I have a fashion tumblr it’s more of a picture-only blog. The actual blogging is on my blogspot!

    Reply
  23. Sue B.

    Because I am very new to Tumblr, your article reassured me that I had made the right choice instead of having a presence only on Facebook. Since all I do is post original pictures and give the gals a bit of fashion advise, I don’t see myself using the reposting feature. Nonetheless your article was encouraging! Whether or not my blog is discovered by the masses, at least I now know it is in the right place where you indicated that the fashion world seems to be migrating. Sue B.

    Reply
  26. Erin

    New fashion blog! I’ve been thinking about doing this for a while so any tips would be appreciated! Thanks xxx

    Reply