From advertisements, sponsorships and brand collaborations to endorsement opportunities and even book deals — the world of blogging has turned hobbies into full-time careers.
Here are five females who have turned their blogs into profitable, fulltime businesses.
Jenni Radosevich: I Spy DIY
After college, Jenni Radosevich relocated to New York and landed an internship with InStyle magazine. During her time at the publication, she pitched her editors the idea of a monthly style column and was given a shot at it. This allowed Radosevich and start her blog. During the same year, a publishing company approached her to write a book, I SPY DIY Style and two years later, she had quit her job to focus full-time on blogging. She has been paid through her blog for brand partnership, advertisement, DIY services and more.
“Make sure you find a niche,” she advises. “With a million blogs out there, you really need to differentiate yourself.”
Kathie Wiehanne: BluChic
Starting a blog comes with an expense and sometimes that is creating a beautiful website. When getting started, people either choose to have a customised site or use a pre-made template or theme. BluChic creates WordPress themes and designed-to-match marketing kits.
“It’s my passion to help bloggers have an affordable website that fits in their business niche,” says Wiehanne. She adds that a common hurdle bloggers face is ‘wearing so many hats’, from running the blog, being the writer, editor, photographer, graphic designer and more.
Angle Laws: Concrete Loop
What started as an outlet for personal thoughts and interests has emerged into a top urban entertainment site. Angle Laws created Concrete Loop when she was still a college student.
“My confidence was low and I wanted a place to vent. I also noticed that there were no sites that catered to urban entertainment,” she says.
Describing herself as a ‘broke college student’, Laws used money she earned from her parttime job to help fund to help fund her blog. Two years into it, Rapper and Fashion Designer Kanye West endorsed her site — that recognition placed her on a national stage. Laws advises others to be authentic, create a plan and practice smart money management.
Andi Perullo de Ledesma: My Beautiful Adventures
What began as a way to share her travelling adventures with friends and family has turned into a full-time career for Photojournalist, Andi Perullo. She grew her blog — focused on luxury and adventure travel — into a full-time career within its first year. She says that she was ‘inspired to keep going’ after generating some income and minor-level sponsorship within three months of the launch.
She rarely pays for accommodations when travelling, as most hotels welcome the opportunity for her to review them. In addition to blogging twice a week, Perullo credits social media for growing her online presence, adding, “There is no easier way to draw traffic to your blog than through social media.”
Blair Culwell: Leap Marketing & Design and The Fox and She
Blair Culwell, who has designed over 100 custom blogs, says, “Having a professional design gives you instant credibility, as the web is such a visual medium.”
Culwell originally began blogging in college as part of a school assignment and later continued it as a hobby. As a design professional, Culwell recommends taking a basic class to learn Photoshop or any design programme.
“If you’re looking to take blogging seriously, then invest some money into it,” she says. She advises newbies and those looking to grow their presence to ‘make connections’ and ‘find your niche’. — USA Today
