One of the first questions I get asked after, “How is the blog doing?” is usually, “Do you make any money?” At first it seemed like a rude question. I mean, I don’t typically go around asking people how much money they make at their job because frankly, it’s none of my business. But then I quickly realized that most people don’t understand how blogs work or how influencers make a living out of running their Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube and blog pages. It’s a profession that is deeply misunderstood. People think bloggers take cute pictures, post them and move on with their day. Wrong. There is so much more behind-the-scenes that nobody sees.
Today, I will break down the mystery around running a blog and how we plan to turn it into a lucrative job. Yes, it’s a job.. not in the traditional sense but we each dedicate a significant amount of time every week working on content, reaching out to brands, responding to emails and questions on our social media pages and researching topics that interest our readers. We know that over time, we will hopefully continue to gain followers if we put out consistent, real and honest content and this job will only get more and more time consuming.. but that’s what we want! Right now, it is 100% still a hobby and we are in no way, shape or form comparing ourselves to the successful bloggers you see on Instagram! We are not there yet but we hope to be!
Some days it feels like no one is reading anything we put out there and we get discouraged. But we push ahead and stay motivated because you don’t make money overnight. Of course our goal is to make this a career. A brand. A full-time job that makes us money. And we know it’s going to take years. But this side hobby that we started because we needed a creative outlet has started to make a little bit of money.. it might be pennies in comparison to the big bloggers out there..but it’s something and we’re proud of it! So here’s what we’ve learned so far about blogging and how we plan to make a living out of it:
Affiliate Links: For fashion+lifestyle bloggers, platforms like ShopStyle Collective and Reward Style (the LikeToKnowIt platform) are the avenues to making money. I wrote all about Reward Style and the LikeToKnowIt app in this blog post. Basically, we get a percentage or “kick back” if you click on a link within our blog post or on our LikeToKnowIt page and buy something from that retailer. It doesn’t have to be the exact item we linked but let’s say you click on this pair of jeans and end up buying 4 other random items off of Nordstrom’s website, we get a small percentage. The Reward Style platform links to thousands of major retailers, brands and products and that’s where we are currently making our money. Brands like Amazon have their own affiliate platforms (of course they do.. they have and do everything) and most of them are free! So you don’t have to be a “fashion” blogger to make money off of a blog because a number of companies have affiliate link programs you can sign up for and earn money.
Advertising and Sponsored Content #ad #sponsored: You’ve seen the hashtags all over Instagram and whenever I see a blogger wearing Jockey Underwear or promoting Pantene Pro-V shampoo, I immediately look for the #ad. Like, I know you aren’t actually using Pantene on those locks, girl. But do you. Make that money. Companies want to get their products in front of potential customers so they use influencers with large followings to do that. The difference between a sponsored post and an ad is that sponsored posts are where a company gives us free products in exchange for a post on our social media channels. We aren’t paid except with product. An ad is when someone is actually paying you to promote their product. While Alix and I have been contacted to promote products and get paid, we have often turned down collaborations because they don’t fit in with our everyday lifestyle. We have received free products from companies we love like Drunk Elephant because we use it. We love it. We want our followers to know about it. But we aren’t being paid by Drunk Elephant. See the difference? Alix and I will continue to be extremely picky about the brands we collaborate with because we want you know, to feel, to trust that we are authentic. The other day we were approached about a “healthy” marshmallow to snack on. Errrrr, no thanks. An energy drink company wanted to send us products to give to our kids. What?! Hard no. But we have started to reach out to brands we know and trust in hopes to collaborate down the road as we gain viewers.
Digital Products: We aren’t in this space (yet!) but many bloggers are coming out with their own digital products like e.books, e.courses, online classes/workshops on how to create a profitable blog, etc. We’ve also seen a number of them create their own “presets” in Instagram to filter photos. We bought presets from Marina McEvoy, a successful blogger we admire. I recently bought a PDF from a blogger who created her own 1/2 marathon training guide. The opportunities are endless here. Maybe one day Alix will have an online guide to healthy eating/meal planning, how to transform your pantry or her own fitness guide.. who knows! But we know there is a market for us and for our talents.
Services: Bloggers use their area of expertise and get paid when others hire them for speaking engagements, virtual assistance or by providing in-person services (like cooking, organizing, decorating – depends on what your blog is geared toward). Here’s another one where we see opportunity down the road. I would love to help someone decorate their home or build out their work wardrobe. Or purge their closet.. yesss #TOSS. Sleep training is another area I am passionate about.. want me to sleep train your baby for you? I’d seriously do it! Alix has the capability to transform someone’s life from the inside out as a Registered Dietitian and used to own a private practice. I could see her hosting events in Seattle (or wherever) like the Tone It Up girls do and speaking about her journey to a health-related career and how she approaches wellness, eating, diet and exercise. I could even see her teaching classes again (she used to be a Pure Barre teacher, folks). Again, so much opportunity for growth and we see all the possibilities.
Now, what actually goes behind running a blog is a whole other topic that I’m not quite ready to tackle because we aren’t there yet. People think it’s a quick picture, upload it, link some clothes and close the computer. If you want to know what really successful bloggers have to do behind the scenes, read this. It’s the best description I can find about what bloggers do behind the scenes and debunks the myth that fashion bloggers just buy cute clothes and take pictures. That frustrates the hell out of me when people think this is just a cute little project for us. It’s hard work.. that we love.
Now, this post took me about 4 hours to write because I was coming to it, leaving it to do school drop offs, pickups, run errands and take care of three stinky boys. There is nothing in this post that will generate any revenue for us as a blog. I did not link anything (besides the jeans to give you an example above). But I wrote it because I think it’s an important topic for those who just “don’t get it” or questioned why we started a blog. Well, now you know a little more.. hopefully 🙂
xx, H
