I’ve been sharing my creativity, tutorials & love of sustainable style online for awhile now and have definitely learned loads about the ins & outs of blogging.
As I often receive requests for advice from those new to the blogosphere as well as bloggers who respect and enjoy what I’m doing and how I present it, I thought it would be helpful to share the important lessons I’ve learned thus far and let you have look behind the scenes of what actually goes into my Confessions of a Refashionista.
Let’s kick off my peek at the backstage of blogging series with one of the most frequently asked about topics:
Blogging: Time versus Money.
It is A LOT of work to make a blog appear effortless & fun. A fact that no one outside of the full-time blogosphere understands or sadly seems genuinely curious about.
Unfortunately many people lump all types of bloggers together which is simply unfair. Someone who hobby-blogs on a free blogging platform once or twice a week for fun and has no interest in presenting their posts, photographs & blog in a professional manner or improving their blogging abilities should not be compared to a blogger who works 12 – 14 hours per day, 7 days a week, pays all of the costs involved for their own self-hosted blog and is constantly learning new skills in an effort to provide the most interesting, easy-to-follow & attractive site possible. Is someone who enjoys preparing a meal for friends on the weekend the same as a restaurant chef?
The time it takes to read & enjoy a blog post vs the amount of time & work that went into creating it are very different. My personal post creation times are as follows:
A Confessions of a Refashionista post that takes 30 seconds to read took 3 – 6 hours to create.
A Confessions of a Refashionista post that takes 1 – 2 minutes to read actually took 8+ hours to create.
Confessions of a Refashionista videos, indepth tutorials and articles can take days or even weeks of work.
In my humble opinion bloggers should be incredibly proud when they’re able to single-handedly present a professional looking, easy to navigate and understand site to their readers however those readers must start realizing and appreciating the amount of unpaid, behind the scenes work that goes into an “effortlessly fun blog”.
For some strange reason bloggers are supposed to work for free. (unsurprisingly, this way of thinking applies more to female bloggers)
I cannot comprehend why it is that we are expected to provide an excellent service (for free), work longer hours than a full-time job (for free), single-handedly do all of the tasks involved in an office with 10+ employees (for free) and somehow pay bills and live on the few nice comments & “likes” that slowly roll in.
It appears that the general public believes that blogging full-time is “fun”, bloggers are only doing what they “love” and therefore do not deserve to earn a living from it.
That logic is just bizarre. Does that mean that ANYONE who loves parts of their job shouldn’t be paid?
Blogging is identical to any other type of employment: it takes skill, talent, time & know-how and there are aspects that are enjoyable and those that are difficult, uninteresting & dreaded.
“But no one asks you to be a blogger so why should you be paid for it?”
I have seen this lovely little gem in the comments under every blog post that I have ever read about blogging as a living and have even had it snarked at me in person.
Did anyone actually ask you to do your job? Nope. You most likely applied for it, interviewed more than once (if it is a professional position) and were eventually hired and had fewer responsibilities and a lower pay rate than the people who had been there longer than you. However once you’d been working there for a while, honing your skills and wowing your employers, you most likely received a raise in pay and were asked to take on more responsibilities. Additionally, you most certainly were paid an hourly wage + benefits from your very first day on the job – bloggers start out working for free, paying for all of the costs involved in creating a blog and most are never paid a cent during their time blogging.
Blogging is no different. Starting a new blog is like being interviewed for job – but instead of having to answer a few questions from a potential employer, new bloggers must create clever and unique content to impress the internet and find their niche audience.
Full-time blogging is a continual learning curve involving everything from design & photography to editing & html coding + so much more – during which time the blogger must also be frequently creating and uploading interesting and attractive posts to continue gaining and keeping that all important audience.
The fact is that just like a regular job, once a blogger is seen to be popular & skilled at what they do, wealthy international companies absolutely do ask them to write about products and services – the difference is that at a regular job you’d expect to be paid for your time & talent but bloggers are rarely offered anything other than a mention on social media or a freebie product as compensation. (grab my thoughts on working for “exposure”)
These kind of unsolicited “job offers” fill my inbox every single day. It’s baffling that they expect me to not only endorse & recommend their products (many of which are completely against the clear upcycling & sustainable style message of my blog) but also spend a minimum of 4 hours creating an eye-catching, interesting post for free and simply be grateful for the offer. Really? Really wealthy companies? Come on!
I can’t comment on monetizing a blog with random affiliate links as I have not seriously tried them nor do I intend to. As my blog is all about upcycling, refashioning & re-using I refuse to endorse ads & links to “new” products that I wouldn’t actually purchase myself and have nothing to do with my blog topic.
So how the hell do I make any money from my blog?
The truth is, I don’t make enough money to pay for anything from my blog alone and honestly didn’t start blogging as a way to earn a living. I make bits of money from my refashionista services, refashionista boxes, e-book series and Refashioning 101 book but most of my meagre earnings come from special “made-to-measure” orders, graphic design and content creation for others as well as organizing and teaching local workshops.
The bulk of my blog visitors are from the U.S yet in the entire time I’ve been blogging I’ve sold less than 10 physical items to U.S customers which, although a bit disheartening, isn’t any cause for alarm at all as I would think that most of my blog visitors are here for the groovy free tutorials, articles, tips & inspiration to create something themselves, not to purchase me-made garments and accessories. (2016 update: that may change now that I live in Canada and the exchange rate is in favour of U.S. dollars. 2018 update: oddly, my sales have actually decreased since I moved back to Canada – humph!)
I still have a long way to go before I can say I earn an actual living wage from blogging but I am constantly working to improve my skills & create new ideas to make myself even more well-known in the hope that one day (sooner than later) my hard work, perseverance, talents and skills will lead me to financial success.
Being seen, discovered, enjoyed & shared is the only way a blog can achieve success. Creating consistently interesting, easy to follow and attractive posts, providing a welcoming, friendly and enjoyable environment and utilizing/updating every single possible form of popular social media are the only economical & cost-free tools a blogger can use to market themselves. Of course, collaborating with other bloggers, being featured on popular blogs/sites and just generally getting yourself (& your links) out there online in any way possible helps as well.
If you’re unable or unwilling to support your favourite bloggers by purchasing their products or services then give them some encouragement and a traffic boost, it’s as easy as 1 – 2 – 3!
1. Comment. I don’t think there’s anyone online who doesn’t appreciate a kind comment, especially when so many of us are the victims of trolls. Let bloggers know that you enjoy what they do and acknowledge their hard work – it’s an awesome feeling to discover that our creativity and dedication is indeed helping others and not going unnoticed.
2. Like. It takes less than a second of your time to hit that little like button but it really does go a long way in this fast-paced online world and can even help push those all important behind the scenes stats!
3. Share the posts you love with your own online circles and encourage others to do the same.
Have a scroll through my backstage of blogging series and feel free to request a behind-the-scenes topic that you’d like to learn more about in the comments below.
Want to transform your entire wardrobe for pennies? Grab all of my groovy CoaR tutorial collections right here:
Thanks for sharing the behind-the-scenes! I’ve been working on blog posts, but was feeling discouraged that even small posts took so long, like maybe I was doing it wrong.
I just discovered your page via a first post you made on the ReFashionista blog. I’ve really enjoyed your posts!
Thanks very much and welcome to my wonderful world of eco-fashion & sustainable style! With my behind the scenes of blogging series I hope to shed some honest light on what actually goes into full-time blogging for those outside of the community 😉
I feel this pain, but since I’ve been working for the length of my illustrious career, I think I’ve learned a little bit about the other side of it, too.
The first thing I see on listicles like “10 SUPER OBVIOUS TIPS ON HOW TO BE A SUCCESSFUL BLOGGER LOL” is “1. Don’t start a blog for the money.” This makes me so angry. Who the hell starts a blog for money? I don’t think anyone who has started a DIY or fashion blog has ever gone into it for the sake of making extra cash, at least not at the start. Anyone who starts a blog for the money is an idiot.
Banner ads and affiliate links don’t bring in very much money, anyway. I don’t get a phenomenal amount of traffic, but I’d confidently say that my site brings in more traffic than the average fashion blog. I’ve had ads on my site since December, and so far I’ve made a whopping $40 from it. Which means I can buy, like, a sandwich here in NYC.
It is definitely harder to make money from blogs that are thrifty or centered around saving money or inexpensive goods. For example, I like The Man Repeller, which is sort of the end-all-be-all goal for most fashion bloggers (as well The Blonde Salad), but every time I read it I think, “who the fuck can afford these thousand dollar purses?!” Well, someone can, because they sure as hell aren’t making money off of affiliate links to Michael’s Crafts.
As far as the “you should get paid for your effort” thing goes, I totally agree with you. It’s frustrating when you put hours and hours of work and your hard earned cash into something that isn’t bringing in any funds. It’s espeically hard for me to work up the motivation to start shooting a video and editing it, because for 12 hours of work, I’d normally charge about $500 to a client. That makes it 100x harder to open up my editing program.
Generally I never like to use the excuse “that’s just the way it is,” but in terms of this business, it unfortunately is true in MANY situations, though not all. A lot of companies that reach out to me are small and probably don’t have cash to pay for marketing campaigns, so I get it. People have done a lot of free work for me. Recently a videographer did thousands of dollars of work for me for free, which I really appreciated. I would pay him if I had the money! But if a big company reaches out to me (**cough cough ModCloth**) and asks me to give them free publicity for no money and not even a product in exchange, fuck that.
In the end, although the system isn’t perfect, you have to be motivated by yourself and yourself only. In a perfect world we’d all be able to do this and make a living off of it, or at least be able to pay for the money we put into it. But I also see why it isn’t like that.
That was quite a ramble on my part. But you catch my drift.
Fabulous ranting and oh-so-true!
Unfortunately one of the reasons the big companies think bloggers should kiss their arse and call it ice cream when offered a freebie “opportunity” is because so many bloggers do just that instead of questioning why the hell they shouldn’t be compensated for providing a service. I have yet to be contacted by a small company and have to constantly cackle at the sheer stupidity of the “marketing professionals” from the international companies that write to me – most from bloody unethically produced fast fashion brands, erm…do they ever bother to take a quick peek at my blog before asking me to shill their products?
With my behind the scenes of blogging series I hope to not only shed some honest light on the topic(s) for beginner-bloggers but also show readers exactly what goes into creating the blogs they enjoy (& expect frequent new content from) yet somehow can’t find the time to let the people behind blogs know that they appreciate what they do – for free.
Confessions of a Refashionista is my groovy home online where I can share my knowledge and experience with an ever expanding audience, connect with like-minded bloggers-of-awesomeness + it’s a fantastic tool to use as a showcase for my talents on the road to achieving my amibitions – soooo much better than the giant portfolio & show reel video I lugged to auditions in the 90’s 😉
Your posts are ALWAYS the ones I consistently save to Pinterest & when my in box is way too full & I need to just do a mass ‘delete’ I NEVER delete your posts until I’ve had a chance to read them, look at all the pics, follow all the links, etc. Your blog always brings a smile to my face & your creative fearlessness & style have provided me with inspiration & courage to just be myself many times. Thank you for doing what you do! I’m sorry for not telling you so before this!
Thanks for that Kathy! I’m delighted that I’m able to creatively influence you to create your own personal style, it truly is an amazing feeling to discover that my work does indeed inspire others to step outside of the dictates of fashion, be themselves & proudly wear their uniqueness!
Hi Sheri!
I ‘m from the US and I love you and have purchased all your books! I had a hobby blog and stopped because I didn’t have time to maintain it so I appreciate bloggers that keep content fresh. I have always thought if someone was able to earn a living from blogging that they should go for it. I love reading about your adventures in upcycling-you are hilarious and wonderful. Your outlook on life is so funny and cheerful and has made me smile on many a dark day. I will make it a habit to comment more on blogs that I appreciate like yours in the future. Thank you for the insight and one question-will we be able to see your interview in the future?
Thanks again,
Robin
Cheers Robin! As I mentioned in my previous post about blogging my real-life is far from happy but I’ve found that sharing my creativity and quirky humour online really does help me during this difficult time.
I’m guessing you purchased my books through Amazon Kindle? Unfortunately after all of the cuts & fees I receive an incredibly small percentage of the actual selling price and when those remaining pennies get converted to Euros the amount I’m paid out is hilariously tiny. Disappointing but true, however as I always try to see the positive side of a situation I look at my kindle books as yet another accomplishment to be proud of + a big “hooray” if my bargain priced books can inspire & encourage others to begin/continue their refashioning journey!
To answer your question: Fingers crossed that I’ll be sharing something a lot more exciting than my interview in the future! 😉
An intriguing topic for all the blogging community! And, as you know, one I’ve thought about more and more in the past months. You are very right, it is hard to monetize a blog that stands for reuse and sustainability. It’s a struggle I tackle every day. What I’ve also realized is how much harder it is to monetize a blog outside of the US. One would think that a blog is a blog, and the audience is more important than the location, but really, most of the media networks that offer sponsored content opportunities only accept US bloggers.
And, also DIY blog readers are far more unlikely to buy anything we produce, because they have the same mindset as us – not to buy, but DIY.
What I’ve realized though is that there are more ways to earn a living from a blog than just advertising, but I’m still at the very beginning of that journey, so we’ll see how that goes.
This also reminded myself to comment and share more often as a blog reader. It’s easy to get lazy after a day of work and not feel like investing that little extra time, but I really should do it more often. Because I too know how heartwarming it is to receive a kind comment, and how lovely it is to connect with my readers, instead of feeling like I’m writing into a black hole.
I think the behind the scenes of blogging is a discussion that needs to happen. Just to raise the awareness around this new emerging industry, if nothing else.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Sheri!
You’re very welcome Hanna, thank YOU for reaching out and planting the idea for the behind the scenes of blogging series in my head!
As I never intended or even attempted to make money from my blog I’m not at all discouraged that it hasn’t. My ambitions have always been rather huge and my blog is just one of the fabulous perks of modern technology that I am able to use to reach my groovy audience, share & showcase my talents and achieve my goals! 😀
Thank you for putting in all that time and effort for us! I love your posts. You’ve inspired me to start refashioning myself.
Fantastic Angie! I’m thrilled to find out I have inspired you to start refashioning! Be sure to share your creations on my Confessions of a Refashionista page: https://www.facebook.com/ConfessionsofaRefashionista
Well someone had to finally present this topic. Who better than you to write about it in such a quirky upbeat manner. And visuals as well, just a hoot. Thank you for validating my thoughts, I feel so much better that I am not alone.
What’s also amazing about you Sheri is that you are the ‘real deal’ appearing to me from personal experience that you have no lofty expectations of your audience other than good manners. Maybe people do not know what good manners are when related to on-line engagement, anyone who reads this blog post should know now. And how easy is it just to read a blog or facebook post and press like? Even a quick comment is not difficult, surely.
I too have a full time on-line presence 7 days per week, across a wordpress blog, a couple of facebook pages and groups that keeps me very busy creating and curating content. I am not paid and do not want to get paid. I prefer to be a free agent without content control.
What I find interesting is people I socialise with ask me what have I been doing. I find this question silly. Where would they like me to start specifically? If I was in “regular” employment I think the question would be different. From here on in I have decided to return their question with a question and ask them what specifically they would like to know as I do a lot of things.
I would be interested if you get the same question from people and if yes, what do you tell them.
Finally, thank you for bringing me, a fellow blogger and Facebook Groups’ Administrator some reassurance that I am normal, with a genuine desire to reach out globally and share.
Thanks for that Karen. I have quite a few Behind The Scenes of Blogging posts planned on the topics I feel are important to shed some honest light on & bring into the public eye.
As I have absolutely no social life I’m rarely asked what I’ve been doing. As I wrote in the post though, I have been on the receiving end of the “Blogging is not a real job because it’s fun” comment more times than I care to remember – to which I reply exactly as written in the above post including the lengthy list of all of the jobs I actually do each day to keep Confessions of a Refashionista going & growing. Most of the time the response I receive is a rather shame-faced “Sorry, I didn’t know…” 😉
I know exactly what you mean! But rest assured that other bloggers should appreciate just how much time and effort one solitary blog post takes.
I also get inundated with ‘amazing offers’ to collab on products that have no fit whatsoever with my blog…. most also ‘unfortunately have no budget for this promotion’… hmm.
I for one love the blog – keep up the excellent work missus! 😀
Cheers my dear!
I’m positive that all self-hosted bloggers know exactly what goes into creating interesting, attractive posts and the behind the scenes involved in maintaining an online presence however I think it’s important that those who read & enjoy blogs but do not blog professionally themselves start to understand and appreciate just how much work it actually is to create that post they’re so quick to pin & save and perhaps take a second to hit that “like” button or better yet, leave a kind comment or a simple “thank-you, I really enjoyed that post” 😉