If you’re a fashion blogger, it goes without saying that you are going to be in front of the camera all the time. But as a blogger in other niches, like DIY or home decor, it’s natural to stay behind the camera as you shoot gorgeous rooms and DIY projects. That’s where you would’ve found us 99% of the time during the first few years of our blogging journey.

The Importance of Stepping in Front of the Camera

Staying behind the camera makes total sense for most bloggers outside of the fashion world, but we are here to tell you that it’s time to step in front of the camera. The focus of your content does not have to change at all, we just think it’s extremely important for both your blog and your brand that you show your face on camera as much as you can and here’s why.

Your Readers Will Recognize YOU

Early in our blogging years, chances are our readers and followers had no problem recognizing “The DIY Playbook” as a blog, but some of our “casual/occasional” readers probably would not have been able to select us in a lineup.

Okay, maybe they would recognize our headshot from our sidebar, but did they know which one of us was Casey and which was Bridget? We rarely stepped in front of the camera, so we definitely don’t blame them! The reason we weren’t in a ton of pictures was not that we were nervous or scared. Honestly, it was because we didn’t see a need and therefore never really thought about it.

That was a mistake.

We quickly realized that our readers should be able to identify who we are when they saw our photo outside of our headshot. It didn’t mean we needed to become fashion bloggers or change our content, it just meant we needed to get in front of the camera MORE.

We came to this conclusion and immediately made a goal to try to jump in photos more often. That way our readers would not only recognize The DIY Playbook, but they would start to recognize the voices behind this blog. Once we made this change, we were shocked at what came next…

Your Readers Will Connect With You More

Our connection with our readers started to get stronger and stronger and we think a lot of that came from stepping in front of the camera. Because readers recognized the two of us individually (and eventually our husbands too!), we were able to make better connections with them. Readers started to feel like they knew us as people, rather than just our projects. They were then able to relate to what we were talking about so much more.

These new connections were well worth any of the awkward feelings that came with getting out from behind the camera and stepping in front of it. Putting yourself out there on the blog or on social media for others to judge can be hard! Really, really hard. But making authentic connections makes that adjustment worth it.

You Will Become a Part of Your Brand

Building your blog is extremely important, but it’s also important to build your brand. This is an extension of the blog that includes your social media and any other channel showcasing your work. You should be a staple part of this brand, but if you’re not in front of the camera enough, your face will not automatically be associated with your brand.

In fact, on our Instagram feed we always try to be within the top 9 photos. That way if a new follower checks us out they can instantly see some friendly faces and not just pictures of DIY projects or styled spaces. 

Building a brand around you will help your audience continue to connect with you even as your content/style evolves. The blogging world is constantly changing and having a consistent presence will lessen the need for your readers to struggle to keep up. They will feel comfortable with you regardless of what direction technology, style, or your content goes. You will always be there for them and they will immediately be able to recognize (and support!) your brand because they recognize you!

Your Readers Will Become More Invested

Possibly the most important benefit of getting in front of the camera for a blogger is that your readers will become more invested in you. Instead of just connecting with your style, they will start to connect with you as a person. Once these readers feel connected to you as a person, they are far more likely to become loyal and long-lasting readers. These readers feel like you’re their friend and they genuinely care what you’re up to. We say this not as bloggers, but as avid blog readers ourselves.

We LOVE seeing our favorite bloggers decorating and DIY-ing, but we also love following along as they take on everything life has to offer. Marriage, motherhood, travel– you name it, we are excited to hear about it. We’re invested in their style but more importantly, we are invested in them as people.

You Can REALLY Showcase your Home

We always love seeing beautifully styled spaces, but we’re even more excited when we see those spaces being lived in. A home is nothing without the special people who live there, and that’s why we try our best to hop in some of those room shots.

It doesn’t happen quite as often as we would like. Heck, it’s a rare occasion when both our homes and ourselves are camera ready. But showcasing a space being lived in can completely change a room shot, making it feel much cozier and inviting. So we’re gonna keep on trying to hop in those DIY project and room reveal shots when we can!

Put Yourself Out There… It’s Well Worth it!

So if you’re a blogger, or even a business owner looking to build your brand, we hope you consider stepping in front of the camera every now and then. This will strengthen your relationship with your readers (or customers) and will make everyone feel a lot more connected for the long haul. And to us, that’s the best part of this online community!!

Bridget&Casey