1 Year Of Blogging: What I've Learned + THANK YOU

One. Whole. Year.

Shop my outfit + balloon HERE!!

365 days have gone by since I first clicked publish on my Blog and Instagram. Still in shock, as I type that. This past year has been one of the most challenging, rewarding, and humbling years I have ever had. THANK YOU for being here. THANK YOU for helping me follow my dreams. When I clicked publish for the first time, I had no idea what I was doing or what this could turn into. Now I have a nearly 9,000 person community, make supplemental income, and, most importantly, created the ideal community that I was looking for (positivity, fun, normalizing average, and advocating for others through fashion, beauty, and lifestyle!)

I originally started this space as a creative outlet for myself when I wasn’t feeling the complete satisfaction of my full-time Child Life Specialist position. I knew I wanted to be a resource for other *average women* like myself. I love other influencers/bloggers, but a 10 step skincare regime that totals $750, or a morning workout followed by a cooked breakfast just ain’t for me and my lifestyle. I wanted to make a community for the normal ladies like myself. Now, I can’t imagine my life without this space and community I have created. I could not have gotten here without the help of others; that is what helped me grow after all!

To celebrate 1 year of blogging, I asked on my Instagram Stories (FOLLOW ME HERE!) what questions you had about blogging+ I’m answering all of them! I want to be a resource for others, after all, that is why I started this thing in the first place!

What is your favorite part about blogging?

100%, hands down, the community that I have created here. I feel like y’all are my girlfriends. NOT my followers. Y’all share just as much with me as I do with you!

How do you decide what to blog about? What is the best way to come up with blog post ideas?

I knew I wanted to be a lifestyle blogger from the start. I love fashion, beauty, my child life career, and all things home/knickknacks. So with that being said, I share my real life, my favorite things/brands, and what I’m trying out! I will ALWAYS give an honest review. You can count on that. I think you should just go for it and share what you love—fashion, beauty, sales, DIY, home decor, Disney, your career, etc!

How do you find the time to balance full-time work, family life, and a blog? You’re killing it!

Well, first of all, thank you, that means a lot to me! I literally have everything planned out about a month in advance. I make sure that I have at least 13 days of content planned per month, and then as opportunities come up I add them into my calendar. I’m busy all the time, honestly. I don’t know how I get it all done, and I definitely wouldn’t without being as organized and proactive as I am.

How do you gain 10k in a year? + How to grow a following?

Going to start off by saying, 1. I don’t even have 10k on Instagram yet (lol oops) so not the expert on that… and 2. if your goal is only about a follower count you are not in this for the right reasons and need to take a hard look at your WHY you are blogging/influencing. With that being said, # of followers and engagement are what brands/companies look at when working with a blogger/influencer. So while it isn’t about the number. . . it helps the blogger/influencer become more successful. My tips for growing your account is authenticity, relatability, and consistency. Also, engage with your community!! Respond to DMs, reply to comments, get to know them!

How to gain LTK followers?

Similarly to above, it is not about the numbers. I share my LikeToKNOW.it link in my Instagram profile and my blog. Once you start sending people to that link and they like your content, they will follow! LTKit uses hashtags and a search bar to help consumers find the item they are looking for, if you have that item and they like your style —they follow. Don’t just post a photo with a link, use the hashtags, and give a thoughtful caption. Also, support the heck out of your fellow blogger/influencer friends and they will do the same for you!

How do you make money from blogging?

You can make money through affiliate links (think rewardStyle LikeToKNOW.it) and collaborations (gifted, paid, etc.). Each time you shop my link I make a *small* commission, at ZERO cost to you. With collaborations, I am either gifted an item to promote (I always insist on trying the product for a set amount of time before promoting + if I don’t like it, I always offer to pay the brand the price of the product and cancel the post) OR I am paid for the content I produce. When you think about it, a blogger/influencer plans, creates, shoots, models, edits, and promotes the final content created so we should be paid a small amount for our time.

What are your best tips to blogger/influencer success?

Be authentic + consistent! CREATE A COMMUNITY, not a following. I will never ever consider my community my followers. Y’all are my equals. I’m not your “God”. I’m just here to make gal pals while normalizing normal + promoting positivity through fashion, beauty, and lifestyle!!

What is your favorite brand you have gotten to work with this past year?

Wow, I don’t think I could pick just one! Let’s do categories:

• Wellness: Vital Proteins

• CBD: Green Life

• Fitness: Fabletics

• Beauty: Lique

• Skincare: Sacred Mama Organize

• Wine: WINC

• Fashion: Pink Lily, Mint Julep Boutique, Shop Indigo Closer

• Small Businesses: Shop Navy Blue, Rame Boutique, Southern Señoritas

• Accessories: Teal In Love

How to get on a blogging schedule?

I have a very detailed content calendar that is SO helpful. I even color-coded mine. Then on the side, I write what I need to order and what I need to shoot (in order). Would you be interested in seeing a post on this?!

One thing you thought about blogging that turned out to be wrong.

I thought it would be easy—HA! The joke was on me. This takes time, money, effort, consistency, reliability. Wouldn’t change it for the world, but it is NOT easy.

What is your #1 piece of advice for someone starting out?

JUST GO FOR IT! Start out and keep pushing. Be yourself and focus on your community rather than other bloggers/influencers. Do this because you love it! Don’t have crazy expectations BUT have goals!

Pros and Cons for someone thinking about starting a blog?

• Pros: you create the best community, you get to share your passion with others, a living archive of your life, you can make supplemental income

• Cons: time-consuming, costs money to create content/share products, there is a crowded market (I believe there is room for all of us though!!)

How much do you invest a month?

I’m not sure if you meant time or money—so I can touch on both. I’m super transparent about this, even though others might not be.

• Time: I batch shoot all my content over 2 weekends a month. So i would say I average around 5 hours each of those days. Plus the time it takes me to write captions, write blog posts, respond to DMs, respond to comments, send links, research sales, and create/send links—maybe 2 hours a day? Oh, and creating graphics, updating my media kit, and working directly with brands—at least 2 hours a week! So in total maybe 80ish hours a month or around 20 hours a week. Wow, that is so much haha.

• Money: I aim to spend less than $100 a month on ALL blog related things (I currently average spending about $60-75 solely on blog things). BUT I really only share things I love and wear/use on the reg. . . so it is more of an investment for my own wardrobe, skincare, beauty, or home products and I just share them with y’all! One month I might splurge on an item and the next I might not buy anything. For example, I made 3 orders totaling less than $250 combined (Pink Lily, Mint Julep, and Amazon) for all of my planned content in January, February, and half of March. I also will reuse pieces over and over again. But remember, I do get discounts and gifted items that I share too. That is how I am able to post more and more often.

Thoughts on giveaways?

I love giving back to my community! It is HUGE to me. You are helping me reach my goals and achieve my dreams, and this is the BEST way I know how to give back. In 2021, I aim to do more share weeks/smaller group giveaways. I am also starting my monthly gifting that lasts 1 week each month! Super easy to enter + fun prizes!!

Do you want to make this your career?

I would LOVE that (one day), but it isn’t why I started this + it isn’t my main goal. I do this because it is fun, it is a creative outlet, and I love the community I have created. I will probably leave my role as a Certified Child Life Specialist, but I may change the time (maybe part-time or PRN) or the capacity (private practice or professor) that I work in as a CCLS.

Have you had days where you wanted to quit? What do you do on those days?

I would be lying if I said no! Have you ever had a bad day in your job and wanted to quit? Yup? It is the same thing! This is my side job and it is HARD. When brands say no, or say very hurtful things (I can share more on that if y’all want), it feels oddly personal. Because this space is like an open book of your life—AND it is just a highlight reel of your life!

Has there been a moment when you felt really successful as a blogger for the first time?

I honestly don’t know if I can say I have ever felt REALLY successful! I think when I started seeing a steady amount of sales coming in per month, I felt like “wow I could actually do this!” Imposter syndrome is real, and I still don’t know what the heck I’m doing most of the time. I will say I felt like I was doing a good job when I got my first paid partnership and when I got to work with some bigger brands that I LOVE.

Things People Want To See More Of:

• My Love (aka Mitchell!)

  • Mitch is the man behind the camera, my MANager, my future husband. BUT he doesn’t *love* being in front of the camera. He didn’t sign up to do this as a job, but I did. I definitely want to share with him more BUT only with what he is comfortable with.

• Things I love about Charlotte

  • I will do an entire post on this soon!

Thanks for sticking with me this year, I can promise if you follow me into year 2 there will be BIG and EXCITING things to come! Cue allllllll da wedding stuff soon!

Thank you again, I wish I could do more to repay you!

Disclaimer: Some links contain affiliate links. When shopping my links I may make a *small* commission at NO cost to the consumer.