Today, I wanted to share a little bit about fashion blogging. I decided to dedicate a post to it since I often get questions about what a fashion blogger actually does. There is actually so much more to it than I ever imagined!
Fashion blogging has been an unexpected surprise for me. If someone had told me just three years ago I would be blogging about fashion, I would have never believed them. You can read more of why I started a fashion blog in my About Page.
I am truly loving every minute of fashion blogging! While it can sometimes be a very challenging job (especially for someone who is not technically inclined like me), I love the whole creative process, learning something new, and even overcoming the challenges.
I am also in awe of all the lovely women out there who have fashion blogs. These ladies are tremendously smart and savvy entrepreneurs.
Here are some of the things that a fashion blogger does behind the scenes:
Website/Graphic Designer – A website designer creates a template or theme which is the framework of your website. This theme dictates the way your website looks and operates. They must understand and know how to write computer code. They help maintain websites and trouble shoot technical problems.
There are bloggers who have designed their own sites. For those of us who don’t have this skill, there are website templates/themes that are free or that can be purchased. They typically come with styling options you can set up without having to know any computer code. Styling options for free themes are limited while higher priced themes have a lot more design choices. You can also hire a designer to create your website’s theme for you.
There are also many types of software (actually called plugins) that you can add to your website to enhance it or perform certain functions. I read where one blogger called them apps for your website. Just like themes, there are apps that are free to use and others you must purchase.
SEO Expert – This stands for search engine optimization. SEO is making sure my site or blog posts show up in search results whenever you are searching for a topic online related to one of my fashion posts. There is a whole science behind getting your posts to show up on Google or in other search engine results. This is something I’m learning and work on with each blog post.
Marketing/Branding Strategist – A fashion blogger has to be able to promote her blog and find an audience who enjoys reading it. I also see a lot about branding. Like with other businesses, a blogger will often have a custom logo and colors that are uniform across all media platforms.
Affiliate Marketing – Fashion blogging for some is a hobby. For others, it is their full-time job or side job. Like anything else, running a successful website takes some monetary investment. Most fashion bloggers use affiliate marketing. This means when you click the clothing links that take you to the store where an item is sold, the blogger may earn a few cents. If you actually buy the item, the blogger earns more or may earn commission. Fashion bloggers also earn money when a clothing brand pays them to write a post about their products. A good fashion blogger will only recommend products she trusts and loves. Another way bloggers earn income is by placing ads on their sites.
Social Media Strategist – I frankly wish I could just write my blog and not have to post to social media. It can take up a lot of your time. Also, these platforms are always changing their formulas. Thus, it can be very hard to get your content seen on them which makes it hard to gain followers. Ultimately, you hope these followers will become regular viewers of your blog. Often, they target a specific audience too.
Also, many clothing and beauty brands want to see that you have large followings on social media as well as your blog. Presently, I am trying to focus more on Pinterest and Instagram. A healthy Instagram account is essential to fashion blogging these days as many people follow bloggers and shop that way.
Photographer – I knew very little about photography. This is something I’m working on with my husband since he takes most of my outfit photos.
Photo Editor – I wish I knew enough about photography to capture the perfect picture in any environment. Since I do not, I’ve gotten pretty good at editing my photos to get the lighting and colors to look as natural as possible.
Many bloggers will create their own unique style or look for their photos with editing or by using filters – especially when it comes to posting on Instagram.
Personal Shopper/Stylist – As you all know, it can take a lot of time to find a great outfit. A fashion blogger is not just shopping for outfits for one specific person but for a lot of different people viewing their posts. While I like shopping, this part of the job can be a little stressful. Ha! I want to find great outfits that all of you would like and wear while staying true to my style and what I wear. Plus, I am always watching for the latest style trends, looking ahead to the next season, and searching for good quality items for the best prices.
Modeling – Something I would have never, ever dreamed of doing. LOL! I will say it is not an easy job. There is an art to being comfortable in front of the camera. I take dozens of photos to make sure I get at least a few good ones.
My Writing & Purpose – One of my goals is to get more consistent with posting and working ahead with an editorial calendar. Most serious bloggers have blog content planned for months in advance. That way they are not scrambling to come up with ideas for a post at the last-minute.
As for the devotionals, I’ve been praying and doing a lot of soul-searching lately as how to go ahead with them. Sometimes, they come easily, and other times they don’t. While I don’t think each one needs to be long to be meaningful, the shorter ones are often harder to write than the longer ones. There are times when I am inspired to share a personal story while other devotionals are more closely tied to a biblical passage. My husband has reminded me not to get too preachy at times, and believe me when I say that is not my intention. If anything, I am preaching to myself in all of this sharing my own struggles and shortcomings.
I also used to feel very stressed out if I didn’t have a devotional at the end of each post. After all, there are a lot of Christian blogs out there posting daily devotionals. I’ve since learned to give myself a break. Writing takes a lot of practice, and I have not been doing it very long. Also, some of these blogs have a team of writers, or the blogger may focus on only publishing devotionals. For now, I want to continue doing the fashion posts too. I enjoy that side of it, and feel I can connect with a wider audience.
Of course, there is so much more that falls under the job description of a fashion blogger. There are so many things to do and keep up besides writing your posts. It can get very overwhelming at times, and technology is always changing. Many successful bloggers are able to eventually hire outside help to design their websites, help with SEO, and take pictures. Some also hire a virtual assistant.
If you want to start a fashion blog, you need to really love doing it and be very dedicated. It takes a lot of time and financial resources to keep a fashion website operational. While a few bloggers will become successful within the first few years, it takes much longer for most others.
If you would like to get even more insight into fashioning blogging, I recommend reading Ways You Can Support Your Favorite Bloggers by Jo-Lynne Shane. It gives a lot more detail into how a fashion blog thrives and affiliate marketing.
I will share more about my outfit in today’s photo in my next post. So, stayed tuned! If any of you have any questions or comments about blogging, feel free to ask or share. Thank you for reading and supporting Dressed In Faith!