A Career as a Fashion Blogger

Today I thought I would share a little bit about my 'career' as a fashion blogger. Whilst there are plenty of fashion bloggers out there, fashion blogging as a career is not something that many people might consider. I can however be a real proper job that you make money from. To avoid rambling too much I have broken it down into a series of questions and answers which I hope other budding professional fashion bloggers will find useful.

Can fashion blogging really be classed as a career?
I have had a reasonable amount of difficulty getting people to take my job as a fashion blogger seriously. Many of my friends and family are only just coming around to the fact that this really is my career in that it is my job, I spend a large proportion of my time doing it and it pays the bills etc.

Do you just blog?
No. I run a business Heathcote Communications Ltd which offers a variety of online fashion marketing services which include blogging and writing. Fashion blogging accounts for about 50% of my overall income and I spend about 15 -20 hours a week writing for fashion blogs including my own.

How do you make money from blogging?
I earn money with regular writing for a number of blogs owned by fashion retailers, fashion related social media websites and designers. I also make money through advertising and affiliate marketing on my own blogs and websites.

How many blogs do you write week?
I usually write between 20 and 30 blog posts per week.

How do you find work as a fashion blogger?
It is all about being pro active. My own websites all act as an advert for my writing and marketing services, and I get customers that find me through these. I also keep my eye out for any opportunities or companies that might be looking for my services and contact them directly. I actively market myself online and network both online and offline. The other online marketing services that I offer, often result in writing or blogging work as blogging is part of many companies online marketing strategy and I can also show how blogging can help.

What are the best things about a career in fashion blogging?
Definitely being able to spend all day writing about something that I love. Then there is the flexibility and working from home which fits so well around family life. I also love working with other fashion bloggers as they are also so friendly and supportive. Last but not least I love the clothes that I occasionally get sent to review.

What are the worst bits about a career in fashion blogging?
There are not really any bad bits but as with any hobby that becomes a career, come the deadlines, the client specifications to work to and the finance side of things including raising and chasing invoices and tax returns. Writing for a business is quite different to writing for your own personal blog, you may for example have to write enthusiastically about clothes that are not really your cup of tea. When I spend the whole time writing about clothes, the temptation to go and buy the clothes can be overwhelming. I also find it quite frustrating that I get invited to so many fashion events but due to not having enough time and the distance I live from London, I rarely get to attend any of them.

What are the biggest challenges?
My biggest challenges are managing my time. I have to write to client deadlines as well as regularly posting to my own sites. I provide a continuous writing/ blogging service that is not affected by holiday, weekends away or Christmas. Generally I write every single day of the week often including whilst on holiday. It sometimes takes a some creative planning to ensure that I do find some time to relax. Writers block can sometimes be a bit of a challenge, I try to get together ideas before sitting down to write to avoid wasting time.

What advice would you give to anyone wanting to start a career as a fashion blogger?
The first thing you should do is to start your own fashion blog. This is by far the easiest way to get work experience and showcase your writing to prospective clients. Think about a particular niche that might work for you, whilst it is always good to be flexible in what you write about, this will help to differentiate you from all of the other fashion writers and bloggers out there. Offer to write for free to start with, this is a great way to build up your portfolio and C.V.

Get a good understanding of search engine optimisation and online marketing in general and experience of using different blogging tools and platforms as this just adds to services that you can offer. Be reliable and consistent, ensure that your posts are always well written, grammatically correct and free of spelling mistakes. If you are serious about a business in fashion blogging, write yourself a marketing plan. Consider how you will market yourself including a blog and/ or website, social media, newsletters to potential clients and PR opportunities.

The route I have taken to a career in fashion blogging is just one way you can go. There are plenty of others who work as a fashion blogger purely writing for their own blog and making money from the advertising, working for just one fashion retailer as a writer or using their fashion blog to promote another business perhaps as a personal stylist, a fashion retail website or ebay or Etsy store.

I hope I haven't bored you too much, but I really love what I do and wanted to share it with you. If you have any more questions that you would like to ask, please leave them in the comments and I will do my best to answer. Also if you work as a fashion blogger or writer, I would love to hear your thoughts or experiences.