It's no secret that Snapchat has quickly become my platform of choice (I'm advinfashion, in case you're wondering) — it's quick, interactive and, as far as this can be true of social media, it's real. Plain and simple. But the beauty of Snapchat doesn't just lie in its ability to give you living room access to Kylie Jenner's life — it can also be a powerful tool for bloggers looking to increase their traffic as well. Now I'm by no means a Snap expert (or Snapspert, if you will), but here are a few tips I've discovered for making the platform drive traffic to my blog and increase overall engagement.

It can be really hard to showcase your personality on other traffic-driving platforms like Instagram (all about the photos) and Twitter (too abbreviated), which is where the beauty of Snapchat comes in — people get to see and hear you in real life situations. They get to see your mannerisms, get to know your sense of humour, hear what music you're listening to, see your pets in action, etc. etc. I can't tell you how many bloggers I've come to love (and follow incessantly) based on their Snapchats, so let your personality shine through, and you'll be amazed by how many people you'll convert into hardcore followers. 

The handy thing about Snapchat is that you can show snippets of your blogposts while sharing a little anecdote or musing to help pique your readers' interest, encouraging them to check out your site to see more. You could do this by scrolling through your post quickly while talking, or by taking a picture of the post and writing the url across the screen. Either way, I'm always surprised by how many screen grabs these kind of Snaps generate.

Building off my last point, a great way to promote your blog and create excitement around upcoming posts is to share behind-the-scenes peeks into your workflow. For example, if you're shooting an outfit post you're really excited about, try sharing a piece of the look on Snapchat, letting your followers know when the full look will go live on your blog. If you're collaborating on something fun with other bloggers, be sure to include them in your BTS snaps, teasing toward what you're working on (and share their handles, of course!). I like to show the reality behind my shoots, be that products shot on marble wrapping paper to fake the look of the real thing, or Anton and I freezing in the car in between shots during the winter... #keepingitreal

I try to always respond to the snaps people send me (unless, you know, they're inappropriate), because I really want them to know how much I appreciate them following me. Being interactive with people only makes them want to support you and all your various platforms more, so don't forget to get social... after all, you wouldn't ignore someone in real life (I hope), so why should online be any different?