Camila Vilas Shares Her Best Blogging Advice and How Her Content Has Changed Post-pandemic
Hi Camila! Thanks so much for meeting with us today, Tell us a little about yourself and your blog.
I’m Camila, an Argentinian-American gal living in Los Angeles and the author behind CamilaVilas.com. I’m always testing out new beauty products and finding the latest fashion styles to share with you. On my blog, you’ll find affordable makeup routines + recommendations, styling inspiration, and Instagram tips + tricks. My goal is to be your source of inspiration for all things fashion and beauty!
How did you get started blogging?
I first got the idea to start a blog during my sophomore year of college. I had decided towards the end of the Spring Semester that I was going to be taking a gap year to pursue acting and I wanted to find something to consume my time in between auditions. I decided to create a blog as a way to channel my creativity and incorporate my love for content creation, photography, beauty, and fashion. Since I didn’t even know where to begin, I joined some Facebook groups for new bloggers. Everyone in the community helped answer all my questions and get my site up and running.
Tell us about the mission behind CamilaVilas.com.
The mission behind CamilaVilas.com is to help inspire women by guiding them to discover their own chic personal style while still remaining true to themselves.
Share with us a favorite quote!
“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” – Dr. Seuss
What tools or resources do you use that help with your blog?
Pinterest is currently my main source of traffic so I’m going to have to say that’s my most valuable resource! It’s like a visual search engine and it’s a must-have for blogs. If you don’t have an account already, I 100% recommend it! As for writing, Grammarly has been a huge help. I hate typos and grammar mistakes, so I check my posts through Grammarly before they go up and edit any mistakes right out! It’s easy to use and it makes all the difference.
What social media tools can you not live without?
I love using presets to edit my photos, so Adobe Lightroom is my number one social media tool. I use it every single day.
I’ve also been using an Instagram planner app for years now and it’s essential to having a pretty feed! It’s called UNUM, and it lets you mix and match your photos on a grid to see what it will look like once posted. It comes in super handy – I even wrote a whole blog post about it!
What are some of your favorite beauty products at the moment?
I’m currently really loving the Lights Camera Lashes 4-in-1 Natural Mascara from Tarte. It leaves my lashes looking like falsies and I’m obsessed. I’ve also been loving The Better Skin Co. Lava Magik (which is an exfoliant), and the clear e.l.f. Lip Lacquer. The e.l.f. gloss is honestly the best gloss I’ve had. It comes in clear and a handful of other color options. I love it because it’s not sticky and stays on like a champ, plus you can’t beat the price! These three have been my beauty must-haves recently.
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Who are your favorite fashion brands?
At the moment, my favorite fashion brands include Princess Polly and Showpo. I tend to try out new clothing sites every once in a while so my favorites change all the time!
Who are some of your favorite bloggers?
My favorite bloggers are Caitlin Covington over at SouthernCurlsAndPearls.com and Daisy Green at WearDaisyWent.com! I’ve been following along with their blogs since I started mine and they’re a huge source of inspiration for me. They have very similar niches to mine; a mix of beauty, fashion, home, and lifestyle content.
What do you focus on most when it comes to creating content?
When I’m creating content, I focus the most on making sure that the topic I’m covering is something my audience will find valuable. I never want to post “filler content“ just to meet my weekly quota. My blog is something I’ve put so much work into that I want to make sure all aspects of it are of the highest quality.
Any tips you want to share with bloggers just starting out?
I have three huge tips for new bloggers!
1. Don’t sleep on Pinterest! It’s currently my main source of traffic and it’s very easy to get the hang of. You should post a few new pins every day (by new I mean different background images, and preferably different text as well) because Pinterest favors fresh content. I’ve taken Ell Duclos’ Pinterest Course, which thoroughly helped me understand the app better. So I definitely recommend you check it out if you want to dive right into marketing on that platform.
2. Don’t put off learning SEO! I’m currently working on getting a better grasp of it and I wish I had done it sooner. The reward is much larger than Pinterest because once you place on Google’s first or second page, you’ll have lots of traffic on that post without needing to continually promote it.
3. And lastly, join some blogger Facebook groups! They’re a great way to meet new people as well as have your questions answered by those who are in the same boat as you.
Where is your favorite place to travel?
Although I’ve only been once, Europe is my favorite place to travel. I went to Spain, France, and Italy in Summer 2018 and it was magical. If I had to pick only one country, I would go back to Spain in a heartbeat. Not only is it stunning, but the city is filled with so much culture and the people were so kind. It definitely helps that Spanish was my first language so I don’t have a language barrier, but regardless, it’s one of the most incredible places I’ve traveled to.
I read that you’re a fan of Gossip Girl! As a fan myself, I have to ask, Chuck, Dan or Nate – who was your fav?
Yes! I absolutely love Gossip Girl. I’ve rewatched it several times. I actually switched favorites halfway through the show, so I started off rooting for Nate but then Chuck and Blair’s relationship made me hop ships. So Chuck all the way!
What’s your favorite book?
I’m very interested in true crime, so when I was given In Cold Blood by Truman Capote my senior year of high school, I was instantly hooked. It’s a true account of the murder of the Clutter family, which occurred in a rural part of Kansas in 1959, told through a triple narrative. It describes the lives of the murderers, the victims, and other members of their town. Definitely a must-read if you like true crime!
What are some of the most popular posts from your site?
As of today, my top 3 posts on CamilaVilas.com are “11 Social Distancing Date Ideas”, “What To Wear On Your Virtual First Day of School”, and “The Best App To Plan Your Instagram Feed”.
All content relating to the pandemic has been gaining a lot of traction online. People are understandably searching for advice in these uncertain times, which is why I took that opportunity to offer some ideas of what one could do on a socially distant date. My favorite post though has to be the one covering outfit ideas for virtual school (or work!). And I’m so glad that others have been enjoying it too! I also write posts with different Instagram tips+tricks every so often and those have been gaining lots of views recently – my most popular one being about my favorite IG planning app called UNUM.
What’s the best blogging advice you’ve ever received?
The best blogging advice I’ve ever received would have to be to write for your audience, and not for yourself. Of course, you’re going to want to write things that you have experienced, as you should, but make it less about you and more about them. It makes readers more interested in your content, as they typically search for things that could help them in their everyday lives. Something you could begin implementing is creating post titles directed towards your readers. For example, instead of writing “My Favorite Beauty Brands”, you could write something like “The Top 10 Beauty Brands You Need To Know About”.
What do you love most about being a SHE Media Partner?
What I love most about being a SHE Media Partner is how encouraging everyone is. The experience is very personal, almost one-on-one, and they genuinely want to help everyone in their blogging journey, which I appreciate so much. The lovely ladies working at SHE Media also resolve any inquiries or tech support problems very quickly, so I know that if I ever need help, it’ll be figured out asap!
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