Behind the Scenes of Blogging: Your Questions Answered

For quite a while now, I’ve wanted to write a post like this. Not because I’m an expert on the subject (far from it!), but because I get questions from time to time about blogging and I wanted a place for the answers to those questions to live that could easily be accessed. I want to be as open and transparent with y’all as possible, and I know blogging is such a new career path that people have a lot of questions about it. I recently put a question box on Instagram for people to ask anything, and I’m answering a bunch of the questions below! Grab some coffee- this is a long one.

dress | sandals | bag | necklace | sunglasses

photos by Ban Avenue Photography

BLOGGING BASICS

What blog platform did you use to start and did it cost money?
Not a lot of people know or remember this, but prior to Hello Honey there was Fun with the Fullwoods. I started that blog right after I moved to Houston as a way to share our happenings with family back home. More on this later, but I used Blogger to create that blog, which is free. If you’re wanting to blog just for fun or as a hobby, I’d recommend going that route. If you’re wanting to start a business or build a brand, I would recommend Squarespace or Wordpress. I use Squarespace for Hello Honey and it’s been great- no complaints except that html is a little harder to figure out on here than Wordpress. It didn’t cost any money up front but I own my own domain, and it’s an auto-drafted $100 per year to keep it.

How did you approach starting your blog?
I thought about it for awhile before launching Hello Honey; I wanted to do it the right way. I felt that if I took it seriously, maybe other people would, too. If you’re strategic about it, starting a blog doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Hire an up and coming graphic designer, or one who’s in college looking for work. Don’t pay thousands of dollars to have your website designed in the beginning, but do make it look as professional as possible. My friend Aimey is a photographer and she took my photos for free in the beginning to build her portfolio (thank you, Aimey!). I know not everyone has a photographer friend, but maybe you have a good camera and can take your own photos. Also a lot of photographers offer bloggers discounted rates. If you’re just going the Instagram route sans actual blog, a lot of social media influencers only use iPhone photos. Set a budget and only spend what works for you. If you’re really serious about your brand, a little investment in the beginning will be totally worth it in the long run. You want brands and followers to know you mean business from the start.

What is something you wish you would’ve known while starting out?
This is such a great question! There’s a lot, but the main thing would probably be that people are going to be mean. Even the biggest bloggers get trolled, and the more you put yourself out there the more you’re susceptible to people’s (sometimes not so nice) opinions. If I could go back in time, I’d try to develop a thicker skin before blogging but I’ve learned not to let the occasional mean comment get me down. For every unkind comment or message, there are thousands of genuinely nice ones and I’m so thankful for this community.

How do bloggers make money?
There are 2 main ways: partnering with brands and through affiliate links (LIKEtoKNOW.it in my case, or some bloggers prefer ShopStyle). Brands can either offer bloggers an upfront rate or pay through sale commission. I don’t typically ever work with brands for commission based sales, so we agree to a rate before I ever create content. Every time you “swipe up” on an Instagram story and make a purchase, or click on a hyper-link in a blog post that leads to a product, bloggers are most likely earning a very small commission off whatever you purchase. It doesn’t cost you anything more, and we can’t see what exact products are purchased through our links (or who bought through them). An interesting thing you may not know is that if you swipe up on an Nordstrom shirt I link on stories, and add it to your cart that already has 5 other things, I will get commission for all 6 items. Again, doesn’t cost you anything more! Win win for all :).

Do you use any apps to track likes, who is viewing your page, unfollow/follow, etc.?
Several years ago, I used an app called InsTrack mostly to see who unfollowed and keep track of my total following number. I realized pretty quickly it wasn’t that healthy to see who unfollowed me (if it was a friend or acquaintance, it was hard not to take it personally) so I deleted the app. Because I have an Instagram Business Account, I can see my exact number of followers, how many followers I lose on a particular day, etc. The only thing I can’t see there is exact account names of who unfollowed, and I’m fine not knowing that. I don’t use any other outside apps to track likes or who is viewing my page (I’m not sure if they even have this?!).

Do you use an app for scheduling posts?
I don’t schedule posts ahead of time, but there are two apps I use daily for blogging. The first is UNUM, which I use for planning out my feed. I’ll shoot anywhere from 3-8 outfits on a “shoot day”, and then won’t shoot anything for 5 or 6 days. I upload the photos into UNUM and play around with what I think looks best aesthetically. This also helps me see “Oh, I am scheduled to post this Walmart image Thursday and I’m standing in the kitchen. So I shouldn’t post this other image in my kitchen Friday; I’ll wait and share it Monday”. It gives me a visual idea of when things should be posted. I also use the Unfold app almost daily to create fun story content (like weekly top sellers, group giveaway graphics, etc.). Both apps are free, but I did pay a few extra dollars to get an extra design bundle on Unfold.

How did you get started? How long did it take to get a following/make money?
As I mentioned above, I had blogged as a hobby for a few years before starting Hello Honey. I had no idea during that time that blogging could be an actual business; I just enjoyed documenting our adventures, crafts, recipes, etc. But I’ve always loved fashion and over time the desire to start a fashion blog was something I couldn’t ignore pursuing. It took about a year of blogging to reach 10k followers (back then it was easier to grow organically) and I got my first paid collaboration around that time as well.

How do you gain followers, but not in a spammy way?
I wish I had a great answer to this question! Honestly, it used to be a lot easier to grow followers organically on Instagram. Over the past few years, the algorithm changed and as you’ve probably heard, it’s very difficult to gain followers just by posting consistently (which used to be key), adding relevant hashtags, or really any other method. Instagram stories have really taken over, and lots more people view stories than actual feed posts. One way to gain followers is by posting a lot of engaging stories- asking questions, polling your audience, etc. A lot of bloggers grow mostly through group giveaways, which I know is a taboo subject. I have grown in the past from doing “share weeks”, where I partner with 3-5 other bloggers and we each do a try-on on a specific day and promote each other all week. To me, that feels more organic than regular giveaways and followers seem to enjoy it. I’m sorry I don’t have a better answer for this!

Could a very private person do this job?
For sure! 5+ years ago, it was really easy for a private person to do this job. There were no Instagram stories or TikTok or Reels, it was just you and your blog and you didn’t have to share as much of your life in real time. Now, it’s a little more challenging to be a private person as an influencer, but I do think it’s possible. I consider myself an introverted extrovert and a pretty private person, and only share what I’m comfortable sharing. My followers seem to respect and understand that I’m not someone who’s going to be taking a family trip and sharing 87 stories a day. I like to enjoy the moment too much for that.

What programs/software do you use for the business side of things?
I’m ashamed to say none really. I have a business Paypal account I use for creating invoices and a lot of brands pay bloggers this way (or via direct deposit or mailing a check). Earlier this year I got my LLC, so Hello Honey is officially a licensed business. Years ago, Zach set up an Excel spreadsheet for me to keep track of payment information and brand collaborations, but I was terrible at keeping up with it. I need to get back in the swing of staying organized but that part of the business takes so much time. I need more hours in the day!

Do you find you make more money the longer you do this or is it really just because you build followers?
I think there’s a natural flow of things, so I guess most influencers make more money over time as they learn how best to monetize their blog/social media. It took a while, for me at least, to really understand how to use LIKEtoKNOW.it and for my followers to use the app. Building followers 100% helps a blogger make money, for several reasons. A- More followers usually means better engagement, which means more brand partnerships. And B- More followers means more eyes on your content which translates to more sales via affiliate links.


BEHIND THE BLOG

How do you make time for family and work?
When you own your own business, especially one that’s so social media driven, it’s really hard to know when to “shut it off”. Especially because times that most people unplug like vacations or holidays are the times when bloggers need to be working the most. Vacations=new, exciting content that people like to see. Holidays=biggest sales of the year. Lately, on the weekends I really try to put my phone down more. If you follow us on Instagram you’ve probably noticed that my stories are much less on the weekends, as I’m trying to unplug more and focus on family those days. We always say no phones at supper so we can enjoy time catching up with each other without electronics. If I notice the boys seem frustrated with me on my phone, I put it down and give them my full attention. This is something I’m always trying to improve, as it’s a difficult balance when you run a business and have a family. But family always comes first.

How do you juggle having two kids and working?
This is challenge for all working moms, I know, and especially in 2020. Zach helps a lot; we help each other out while the other has deadlines. It’s a juggling act most days and sometimes a struggle, but we make it work! During the summer, I was staying up until 2 or 3am most nights, finishing work while the boys slept. Now that school is going, I can’t stay up that late so we’re trying to get back into a somewhat normal routine. Bear is really self sufficient since he’s almost 8, so Boone is the one who needs a lot of attention. Most days I take my laptop up to the playroom and the boys play while I work. Some days, I get nothing done; I give myself grace and try again the next day.

You all hype other bloggers. How do the groups work?
This made me laugh and it’s so true; bloggers hype other bloggers. From my experience, it’s an authentic thing. Maybe not always, but in Houston we have a really tight knit “blogger family”. One reason I think we easily become friends with each other is because we get what each other does so well. For example, friends from my “mom group” would think it was ridiculous to spend 3 hours at the pumpkin patch taking photos and changing clothes 9 times in the car. My blogger friends totally get it, and would be down to come and shoot photos for each other. We share career goals and every day happenings that not a lot of other people do or understand, so we bond over all the craziness that blogging entails.
As far as how the groups or cliques work, I think a lot of influencers become friends with other influencers in their particular niche (i.e. fashion bloggers with other fashion bloggers) because of shared interests similar to what I just explained. Also, groups tend to be formed based on each other’s size which is something I’ve always found to be kind of silly but I do understand. From a brand standpoint, it makes sense to be posting and promoting other bloggers around your same following-size so it’s mutually beneficial for both brands. From a personal standpoint, friendships shouldn’t have anything to do with the size of each other’s following. I think most of my local blogging friends are around the same “size” because we all starting blogging around the same time. Shelbi, Margret, Dawn, Roselyn to name a few are all some of my good friends and I’ve loved to watch their brands grow over the past 4.5 years.

How do you organize with the kids and the blog? Would love to start one! Schedule tips!
I’m a “writes everything down” old school type of person. I stay organized 2 ways, by keeping a regular planner for all our normal activities/appointments and a big desk calendar for my work deadlines. On the desk calendar, I keep a running tab on the side of all the collaborations I have that month and mark them off as I go, so I know what we still need to shoot. I keep both the planner and calendar out on the kitchen counter at all times, and check them first thing every morning. I don’t really have any scheduling tips since the boys have been home since March; we’re just winging it most days. When they were in school and MDO, I tried to get as much work done during that time as possible.

How many hours do you work per week?
This really depends, but I’d say anywhere from 40-60 hours during a normal week. Some weeks more, some weeks less.

Pet peeves of the industry?
Probably my biggest one would be that some brands really rush bloggers, then take 3 months to pay them. This happens all the time. I’ll get a collaboration with a brand, and they’ll want content created and submitted for approval within 2 days of receiving product. Sometimes the weather doesn’t cooperate and I feel really rushed to make turnaround, but then once I’ve finished my part the brand goes MIA. I know this frustrates a lot of bloggers, so we try to protect ourselves on the payment side through our contracts (like agreeing to net 30). I once worked with a brand 2 years ago that was extremely pushy, and I still haven’t received payment from them.

Do you still have assistants?
Back in January, I hired two assistants to help with both Hello Honey tasks and watching Boone. When Covid hit, the girls weren’t able to come watch Boone and we just put everything on pause. I’ve been working on my own since March but would love to bring back an assistant in the future. There comes a point in blogging when you realize delegating tasks just makes the most sense. I miss the girls!

Is there one moment that you would say really defined your career in blogging?
This is a great question! I’m not sure if there’s a particular moment that defined it, but there’s one I feel kick-started it. Back in February of 2016, I had several influencer friends who were attending a Blogging Conference called Thrive here in Houston. I decided to go, and there I made some of my closest friends and learned a lot about the industry. I was able to meet the marketing team of Francesca’s there, which led to my first paid collaboration. Had I not decided to go to Thrive, I never would’ve had that first opportunity that led to many others. If you have the chance to attend a creative conference, I highly recommend going! You can learn a lot, make new friends, and do vital networking.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve had to overcome with your career?
I feel pretty fortunate to have had a positive experience for the most part. I think a big challenge is having people take what you do seriously, and I get that. Blogging is so new and an unconventional profession, it’s hard even for me to grasp sometimes. I find that some family members and friends don’t get it or think it’s just a hobby, and it’s really hard to explain so I usually just don’t. Talking to my grandma about it is always hilarious. From the outside, blogging (especially fashion) can seem so superficial and simple. Even my assistants in those first few weeks were like “Oh my gosh, I had no idea so much goes into all of this”. Our job as influencers is to make it look easy, but I think as more and more people become influencers, society is starting to grasp the concept more.


WORKING WITH BRANDS

How did you start working with brands?
The very first thing I did was create a media kit. I bought a template for $7 off Etsy and did my best to sell myself to brands. To this day, a lot of companies still ask to see my media kit so I have to keep it up to date with stats/pricing/etc. In the beginning, I would pitch myself to brands and work in exchange for product. I’d reach out to small shops mostly and would try to send 10-20 pitch emails per week. Of those, I would hear back from a few and I learned a lot about communicating with brands that way. After about a year, I mentioned above that I went to a blogging conference and landed my first paid partnership with Francesca’s. That gave me the confidence to pitch more brands with pricing and later that year, I landed a management company for Hello Honey. That only lasted a year, but they handled all of my collaborations which freed up more time for me to create content. Probably by year 2 of blogging (I’m currently on year 5!), I stopped pitching to brands altogether as I was getting a steady stream of offers in my inbox and just didn’t have the time to pitch anymore. Early on, I think you have to be really determined and put yourself out there. Get some experience under your belt, even if it’s not a paid opportunity. The paid gigs will come if you truly put in the work.
I also got some sponsored posts by tagging brands in my Instagram posts. I used to wear Dillard’s all the time, and I would tag them every time I did. Their social media manager noticed and messaged me, which led to several partnerships with the company. It was a win/win, because my followers already knew I loved the store and shopped there. You want your collaborations to feel as organic as possible.

How do you reach out to brands when just starting? Like I’m expecting and would love to partner with brands I already plan to use but unsure how to reach out.
I had a pitch email drafted up, and I would just change a few things to fit whomever I was sending it to. You want to make the pitch personal so the brand knows you’re not just copying and pasting the same email to 100 others. I did pitch Chicco now that I’m thinking about it to get a car seat/double stroller before Boone was born. I was honest with them in my email, saying that we’d used and loved their infant carseat and stroller with Bear. Mentioning to a brand that you already use and love their products (be very specific! why you love them, even attach a photo if you have one of the product in use) is really helpful in getting their interest. If I’m pitching a brand for product such as Boone’s car seat/stroller, I never ask for compensation and I’m very upfront about what I’m willing to do in turn for the product (such as stories with swipe up/tag, 2 feed posts with tag, etc.). Be concise when pitching (don’t give them your life story) but include enough information that they fully understand what you’re asking for and what they can expect to receive in return. I always end an email like that with “Please let me know if I can answer any questions you might have”, and I send a polite follow up email if I haven’t heard back within 5-6 days.

Do you approach brands or do they approach you? How does that work?
The first 1-2 years, I did most of the approaching. Now, brands approach me. The more you grow I think this organically happens for all influencers. RewardStyle also brings me most of my brand partnerships these days, which I’m really thankful for.

Best way to start getting paid once you have your blog?
Apply for RewardStyle once you’ve been blogging for a few months, and start linking as much as possible! Reach out to brands, take great photos that companies will value and be willing to pay for. Know that it will take some time, as I’ve said it was about a year of consistently blogging before I ever made a paycheck.

How much money do you make?
You guyyyyyyyyyssssss, I can’t answer this! Hahaha. I definitely understand the intrigue behind it, but all I can say is this: If I weren’t blogging I would be teaching, and I make quite a bit more blogging. I also work more hours, but I’m able to stay home with the boys. I’m incredibly thankful that I get to do my dream job every day.

Can you break down the collaboration process?
Yes! A process it is. Sometimes it’s very complex and sometimes it’s smooth sailing, it just depends on the brand and situation. Normally, it goes something like this (again, every collab looks different!): A brand emails me, asking if I’m interested in a partnership. We email back and forth a few times, discussing details, payment info, and all terms of agreement. Once everything’s been agreed upon, the brand sends over a contract for me to review and sign (usually through docusign, but sometimes it needs to be printed out and scanned back over). I brainstorm and come up with content creation ideas, and send my final idea to the brand to review. Once they’ve agreed to the direction I want to go (sometimes this takes a few tries!), I typically have 1-2 weeks to create content. This usually involves ordering whatever we need for the shoot and hiring a professional photographer. Instagram stories are part of 90% of my collaborations now, so after the shoot I’ll usually spend another hour or so filming for stories. Once I get the photos back from the photographer, I create mock-up posts to send to the brand for approval. I spend a minimum of 3-4 hours doing this depending on what the collaboration entails, since brands typically want to see stories/blog posts/Instagram posts in exact posting form down to the specific brand hashtags prior to posting. Once I’ve submitted for approval, it’s usually a few days (sometimes weeks) before I hear back. Usually, I get the green light to post. A few times, the brand wanted something slightly different and we do the shoot all over again. After posting, the brand will ask for analytics to review (either 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week after posts go live). I’ll screenshot all analytics and send to the brand, then create an invoice with all necessary information and send to the brand. They pay, and the collaboration is complete.

That was a lot of info! If you made it this far, I’m impressed. Whether you’re thinking about starting a blog yourself or just curious how it all works, I really hope you found this post helpful. I’m always happy to answer any questions y’all have and want to be an open book/resource. You guys are the best and I’m so thankful for you!
xo, Britt