Are you cultivating a community on Instagram?

BlackGirlsWhoBlog turned three last Saturday. In the world of social media, where the life span of a tweet is about 18 minutes, Morgan Pitts, the heart and soul of the hashtag and Instagram account, did the unimaginable with one tweet.  Today — 1,576,800 minutes later — her tweet still lives.

Hearing her story,  I can just imagine her three years ago, staring at her computer,  her fingers hovering over the keyboards trying to figure out what hashtag to use with her tweet. Then slowly typing out #BlackGirlsWhoBlog. Three years later that hashtag still has a life with an Instagram account of 61.1K followers.  Morgan created a community of loyal and engaged followers. I had the opportunity to interview Morgan this week. Here’s her story:

When you first started Black Girls Who Blog did you envision what it is today?
No, not at all. I had zero expectations and didn’t really envision much of anything because it all is what they call a “happy accident.”

In what ways do you feel that BGWB has helped black female bloggers?
I feel BGWB has given black girls connections that they may not have made otherwise in terms of community and establishing relationships. Additionally, I feel BGWB has served as a source of inspiration and confidence booster for black female bloggers.

Networking is critical for brand development. What advice do you have for those who shy away from social engagement?
Get someone (on your team) who isn’t shy to engage on social because it is critical as you said in these times.

There are many other forums/blogs similar to yours cropping up today. How do you differentiate your brand?
I keep doing me and not really looking at what everyone else is doing. If I’m my authentic self, I’ll always be different because there’s only one me.

What 5 steps do new bloggers need to take to be successful?

• Do it for the right reasons. Do not go into blogging because you want followers, fame or fortune because you will be disappointed. It will never be enough if you aren’t blogging because your heart is in it.
• Share your work. How will people know it exists if you don’t?
• Be consistent. Schedule posts with a series or theme to prevent from writer’s block. These could eventually become a signature of your blog.
• Quality over quantity. It’s better to have one, great post per week than three sub par posts a week. Also, proofread and get a friend or family member to be a second pair of eyes for any grammatical errors. Typos aren’t cute!
• Stay true to yourself. Inspiration is great, but imitation actually is more annoying than flattering

What are 5 things we don’t know about you?
1. I’m an extreme homebody and “social introvert.”
2. My immediate family and boyfriend are my best friends.
3. I’m something like a product junkie, but you probably couldn’t tell looking at me.
4. I’m an aspiring stay-at-home mom.
5. I oftentimes prefer the healthier alternative to food options. Not always though.

What 3 things are you passionate about?
1. God.
2. Fashion.
3. BGWB.

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