Photo: Rich Tong

Part of the appeal of fashion blogging is its tangibility. There’s the feeling of intimacy with the author, but also the sense that anyone has a shot at celebrity—that you actually have a chance at becoming the next Tavi (well, if you’ve missed the 13-year-old age mark, perhaps the next Susie Bubble). Granted, fame probably isn’t the driving factor in your desire to get your words out there, but you must admit: recognition has its perks. Increasingly, those looking to share their style sensibilities are turning to Tumblr, and they’re smart to do so—the four-year-old blogging service is known for its largely photo-focused content and avid user engagement.  ELLE talked with Rich Tong, Tumblr’s Fashion Director, about the best way a fashion blogger can market herself on the platform and how to become a key player. Here, his essential tips.

1. First, choose Tumblr. Not to highlight the obvious, but there are certain opportunities and advantages to being part of the community. Part of Tong’s job is reaching out to fashion brands, developing new features for fashion bloggers, and managing fashion week initiatives, which is rare (and awesome) for a tech company. Another bonus: the re-blog feature lends itself easily to publicity. Explains Tong, “Your posts are much more likely to be re-blogged and shared, providing you more exposure than you could get anywhere else.”

2. Be consistent. “This is key in maintaining a follower base,” says Tong. “You want to train your readers to know when or how often you’ll post. Make sure to ‘like’ and re-blog others’ posts.”

3. Make the pic pretty. Tumblr users get off on beautiful photos so either take hi-res photos (people especially love highly saturated images) or re-blog quality pictures (always giving credit where needed, of course).

4. Create your voice. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to write from a first-person perspective or post pictures of yourself. “It’s easy to be anonymous and still curate one of the most beautiful fashion blogs on Tumblr,” says Tong. Another tip: answer questions (using the ask feature).

5. Learn and follow others who already do it well. Some of Tong’s suggestions: “Jamie Beck (fromme-toyou.tumblr.com) has done an exceptional job marketing herself, ever since she joined Tumblr’s fashion week initiatives this past season. She’s gone on to work with some absolutely incredible people including Oscar de la Renta, Coco Rocha, and Christian Louboutin. Jessica Quirk (whatiwore.tumblr.com) is also another terrific example, as she’s now in the process of publishing her first book based on her blog.” You can also find top players in Tumblr’s fashion feature section (http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/fashion). Getting in here will guarantee that you’ll amass some followers, so be sure to tag your posts and give credit where needed. A hint: original content gets attention.

6. You can always rely on buzz-worthy topics. Unsurprisingly, Tumblr users are  obsessed with what we’re all obsessed with. “Gaga, McQueen, and Alexa Chung. Always Alexa,” says Tong.

Also: “If you need to resort to it, photos of puppies and kittens. It doesn’t matter that they’re not fashion-related. They’re cute.”