Has back to school shopping inspired you to take a crack at fashion blogging? Before you remove the tag and throw away the receipt on that new blog, here are some pointers from the pros:

Forge a unique point of view

“I think it’s important to have a clear point of view, whether it be your writing, style, or photography,” says Helena Glazer of Brooklyn Blonde. “If you’re a style blogger, it’s not necessary to have the same handbag or pair of heels that everyone else is wearing. I love when I see an original piece, or something that’s not all over the web.”

Build your brand (and traffic) through a consistent social media presence

“Get your social media set up and congruous, and make sure you have the same hashtag for your blog, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, all of it,” says Natalie Decleve of Natty Style. “But don’t do anything you can’t keep up with. You don’t need to be on every single possible outlet. Pick the ones that you feel are most relevant to you. For some people that’s Pinterest, for some it’s Instagram; find which ones you can do well and just do them.”

Don’t hire a photographer, but use some helpers to get the perfect shots

“I ask whoever is with me to take pictures and I take a lot to get a good one. A lot of bloggers don’t have their own photographer—sometimes using a friend, boyfriend or husband is much more convenient anyway,” says Marianna Hewitt of LifeWithMe.com. Alternatively, you can “use a self timer or remote. I know this sounds crazy, but I know a lot of people who use this. If you have a camera, you can set it up on a tripod. If you’re using an iPhone, use the self timer. One person told me they did this for years and would Photoshop the remote in their hand to look like a pair of keys.”

Post early and often

“Try to post as often as possible,” says Chiara Ferragni of The Blonde Salad. “If you do it every day in the morning it will be best because people will think about your daily posts as a way to start the day.”

You don’t need twenty shots of the same outfit

“Edit your content, says Lulu Chang of Lulu and Your Mom. “If you’re a personal style blogger, avoid putting up fifty pictures of the same outfit shot. It’s repetitive and boring. Create a strong visual narrative by including detail and environmental shots. It’s about quality over quantity.

Spend time deciding on a great name

“Coming up with a name is one of the hardest decisions to make when creating your blog,” says Katelyn Cheek of Katalina Girl. “Take your time, and choose wisely. Pick something that defines you and your niche. It’s always a good idea to self-title or include your name. That way readers can build a relationship with the person behind the blog.”

Pick a theme that makes images the star of your site

“Nearly all of the fashion blogs that you’ll come across feature either a snazzy design that’s image-focused and content-heavy, or a minimal one that exudes refined elegance,” says Charlie Livingston of ATHEMES. “That’s just what works in the fashion industry.”

Don’t clutter up your layout

“Blog layout is really important to make your blog more compelling to visit,” says Claire Geist of De Lune. When setting up your blog’s layout, it’s important to make your posts the center of attention to show that you really take pride in them! Try to keep your sidebar minimal and instead of using banners, try link lists instead. It’ll open up space on your blog and will keep your readers focused on your posts! Try using clean fonts and centered images, too.

Be true to you

“Be yourself, and be passionate,” says Joelyne Karan of The Sydney Girl. “I think the most fantastic blogs out there, are by those who you can see are truly passionate about what they blog about! They are true to themselves, and they shine because of this.

Find a unique angle and stick with it

“I decided to create Not Official to show that you could be beautiful and have enormous style without [weighing] 100 pounds and having a million dollars,” says Amy Vosejpka of Not Official. “I also felt—and still do feel—that emerging designers and brands do not have a place to be represented or heard. I made it one of my main goals to have Not Official be a platform to showcase this amazing talent.”

Make it snappy

“All too often, I’ve visited blogs (psst…Blogger in particular is notoriously slow) that took so long to load, I just hit the back button and went on my merry way elsewhere. If this is your blog, this is not good,” says Kristina of Pretty Shiny Sparkly. “Generally, site pages need to load in under 15 seconds before people will give up on you. You can thank broadband and our worldwide instant-gratification culture for that. So, optimize your loading times. On PSS, I implement the use of excerpts on my index pages. That means that readers get a) faster load times, b) the ability to quickly scroll through my content and scan for any posts they may have missed, and I get: doubled pageviews.”

Got a favorite fashion blog trick you want to share with your fellow fashionistas? Share it in the comments below.