How to Start a Conscious Blog and Make Money
How to Start a Blog and Make Money
Would you like to start your own sustainable and ethical fashion, green beauty or zero-waste blog? As someone who has been doing this for several years, I would like to share with you how I started and provide you with some easy tips to launch a successful blog and earn income from your hard work!
Sustainably Chic turned six on 7.7.14 - yes, six years old! I can hardly believe that what started as a fun activity has now become a full-time job. When I created my blog, I never imagined that I could make a living from it. I always thought of blogs as a hobby, and while I enjoy what I do, it doesn't make sense to work for free. My passion for sustainable fashion remains strong, but working for free is not sustainable.
Blogs come in different shapes and sizes. Some are just hobbies where bloggers create posts at their own pace without any income. Then there are bloggers who rely on advertising and sponsored content as their primary source of income. These bloggers often create content for brands and need to be paid for their time and expertise. I have always advised content creators to demand fair compensation when a brand approaches them to promote their products.
In full transparency, Sustainably Chic receives approximately 70,000 unique visitors per month and earns around $7,000 per month from a combination of sponsored content and affiliate links. However, this number does not include monthly expenses for the website, contract work, etc., so the actual profit is lower. I am also paying myself back for the first four years when I made less than $20k per year. We can discuss the financials and costs of running a blog in another post!
Starting a blog requires a lot of hard work, and you cannot expect brands to pay you right away. You need to build a following and trust first. It may take some time, but if you are serious about your passion and want to make it sustainable, we can help you get started.
Creating a Blog
Pick a Topic
So, what do you want to write about? There are enough traditional fashion blogs, beauty blogs, etc. What makes your topic special? Finding a niche is essential.
Pick a Name
I have heard some people say that choosing a name for your brand or blog is not that important because you can always change it later. But in my opinion, it is everything because it is how people remember you and your work. A name that is hard to pronounce or remember won't stick in people's minds. When I was coming up with a name for my blog, Sustainably Chic, I spent some time brainstorming and wrote down five options. However, as soon as I wrote Sustainably Chic, I knew it was the perfect one. This process may take some time, but it is crucial, so don't rush it. Also, make sure to check that no one else is already using the name. I have seen many 'Sustainably Chics' pop up over the past few years, but luckily, I have trademarked my name. I will discuss this more later on.
Buy a Domain
Yay, you choose a name! Now, buy the domain link. I personally use GoDaddy for all of my domain purchases. This is an easy step, but it’s important because you don’t want to have your blogging platform showing in the link.
Choose a Blogging Platform
There are many different platforms you can use to host your website domain. I use Squarespace for mine and have since the beginning. WordPress is probably one of the most famous and widely used in the world of blogging, but I’ve always preferred the simplicity and ease of using Squarespace.
Pick a Template & Make it Unique
This was always fun for me. Squarespace has a lot of simple-to-use templates where you can manipulate to fit your aesthetic. My blog looks nothing like the Template I use. I think establishing a certain look in the beginning, makes for better consistency for the readers.
Write Your First Post
Easy enough, right?! For your blog posts, they should always be over 500 words, and I try not to go past 2,500 because most people don’t want to read all of that from a blog. To me, blogs have always been more of a snippet of a book - like 2-3 page chapters. If you look at my brand features, you can see how I have a format for each post. It’s personal at first, then goes into why you should love the brand, what I’m wearing and where to buy. Consistency, as I stated above, is key.
Create a Newsletter
The people who really like what you do, want to keep up with your new content. Make sure you have an email sign-up for them to leave their info so you can send weekly newsletters. I use MailChimp!
Create a Contact Email
This is so important for brand inquiries. If brands want to feature their product on your site, they need somewhere to send you the proposals (and NOT through Instagram, please - hah, social media is another story for a different day). Make sure to create your domain name with your website, so it isn’t going to ‘@gmail.com’.
Link Up to Social Media
I’ve started to spend more time away from social media, but some people still really love to use it. I think it’s important to share what you are working on with whatever social media platform you can. It helps bring in different people other than google searches. Currently, I only use Facebook and Instagram to share Sustainably Chic posts.
Repeat
Just keep it up!! You can start at one post a week and work your way to 2-3, which seems to be the norm in the blogging world. We are starting to post every day, Monday-Friday - and I say WE because I am no longer the only one behind this blog. At some point, you can’t keep up with everything on your own, but you can find really amazing people out there who have the same energy and thought process as yourself.
If you have created a following of 3,000+ visitors a month, it’s time to take things more seriously!!
If you notice an increase in traffic and have over 100 unique visitors a day, it’s time to start charging for your time when brands reach out to you. Even if you don’t necessarily write about brands - let’s say you give tips on how to be less wasteful - there are brands out there who are going to want to put their eco-friendly product on your blog.
*ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS, only take on what you genuinely believe in. While you should always be paid for your time, you must be honest and truthful to your viewers and choose to work with brands that align with your ethos. It’s not about the money. It’s about transparency and building trust on your platform.
Making An Income
Brand Partnerships
This is probably the most straightforward way because it’s up-front money, and you usually have a pretty solid plan on what you need to produce for the brand. I suggest creating a Media Kit which features all your analytics and a pricing sheet for your services. Working with brands is a whole other long topic I can save for a future post.
Affiliate Marketing
Adding affiliate links to your site is incredibly easy. An affiliate link enables you to earn a small commission if a reader clicks on it and makes a purchase within its cookie length. Platforms you can join are ShareASale, Skimlinks, AvantLink, Bead&Reel, CJ, Pepperjam, Awin, etc... the list goes on and on. So, how do you know if a brand you love has an affiliate program? You can usually find this information on their website or a quick google search, and you can always send them an email to find out more details.
Sitewide Ads
You don't earn a ton of money from this if you don't have many views. Still, there are a few ways you can go about creating Sidebar Ads (these ads can also be between blog content and on the footer/header of every page, but, personally, I'm not too fond of that look - it can look like ad overkill quick). 1) You can offer the Ad space. 2) You can use AdSense, which is available to any amount of traffic. 3) If you receive more than 50,000 sessions a month, you can apply for Mediavine, which I what I use instead of AdSense.
Want to Learn More?
I could add so many things to this post, but this is an overall view of what your beginnings would entail. You will learn quickly that people always want to receive something for free. Even in the sustainable fashion world, you will run into this. Never feel obligated to do anything, and always stick to your values!
I know I would have loved to have read something like this when I first started, so I hope you find this helpful, and I wish you the best on your blogging journey!!
Bis,
Natalie | Creator of Sustainably Chic
