What made you decide to start a fashion and lifestyle blog?
I had been contemplating starting a personal fashion blog for a couple years before I actually started to get serious about it. I had a number of friends say that I should start one. I never thought of myself as a good writer and so that really stopped me from pursuing it earlier. It wasn’t until I got married and moved to San Diego with my husband that I started to figure out the direction I wanted to take the blog and what I was going to call it.
Who takes your pictures for the blog?
My husband, Justin, takes my pictures for the blog but if he’s out of town then my mom will take them for me. Otherwise, you will see that I’ve tagged the photographer at the bottom of my post. Sometimes, it’s a professional photographer and other times it’s a fellow blogger and we’ve swapped snapping pics for each other.
What camera do you use?
We have the Canon Rebel T3 with the 55mm lens. I’m actually on the hunt for a newer camera as we’ve had this one for a while now. Suggestions are welcome!
How do you juggle your blog with a full time job?
For the past few years I’ve had a full time job as well as the blog. I’ve been able to keep moving forward on the blog by working on it at night after work and on the weekends. I’ll snap a quick picture of my outfits during the week so if we didn’t have time before the light gets bad to take the outfit photos for the blog I can recreate them on the weekend to shoot.
Are the outfits you feature on the blog ones you actually wear or just put together for the blog?
I kind of answered that in the question before. All the outfits I photograph are ones that I have worn for work, the weekend, or an event. The only times I create an outfit specifically for a blog post would sometimes be for a seasonal post like the holidays, valentines day, the 4th, etc. These outfits would be one that I would wear but as I try and give more than one option prior to the holiday I’ve pre-created them for the blog.
How do you continue to come up with content for the blog?
That’s easy, I create content for the blog off of my daily life. As my life changes, so does the focus of the blog. I recently gave birth to my first baby and the 8 months prior (Mason was born at 37 weeks) I was focusing on maternity style and pregnancy updates, along with prepping for his arrival. Now I’ve shifted gears to include motherhood posts on the blog. When I travel, I include travel posts and when I am at NYFW I post about the shows as well as what I’m wearing each day.
How do you make money on your site?
I make money two ways on my blog; I work with brands on sponsored posts and affiliates. If I’m being paid for a blog post, it will be disclosed within the post that it’s “sponsored.” If I’ve been gifted items that are included in my post they will be marked with c/o. I’m also a part of several affiliate advertising programs. This means that if you click and/or make a purchase through certain links on my site or my social media platforms (including Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest), I may make a commission from that click and/or purchase. I will only feature products and brands that I love so you don’t ever have to worry about authenticity. I turn down opportunities because it’s important to me to include and only show products and companies that fit my life and style. I select partnerships by this: if I wouldn’t have purchased it myself then I’m not going to have it on my blog. If it’s a product I love and in many cases already use I’m more than happy to partner up with that brand for a sponsored post.
What advice do you have for someone wanting to start a blog?
My biggest advice is just go for it! What do you have to loose? Either you will find that you are passionate about it and can’t stop, won’t stop or you’ll find it may be hard to keep it up. Blogging isn’t easy and takes a lot more time than one might think. But it’s better to give it a shot than always think “what if.” My biggest regret was not starting my blog sooner so if you’re just now thinking about starting one, go for it!! Also, consistency is key. When I started my blog I was posting five days a week and grew my following and traffic to the blog quickly. If you can’t keep up posting that frequently then decide what you can do and stick with it!
Have a question you would like answered, please send them in to laura@have-need-want.com.