A reader recently submitted the following questions to me via email and I thought that they might be questions others would be interested in hearing the answers to—and so this post was born. If they happen to spark any new thoughts, by all means, feel free to start a conversation in the comments! And a big shout out goes to Mallory Benedict for the photos in this post.
I actually use both platforms—one to operate the blog (ProPhoto—and WordPress, of course) and the other (Squarespace) to run my digital portfolio for Carrie Waller Creative. Both are incredibly user-friendly, but I’m much more heavily immersed in ProPhoto/WordPress since my blog updates almost daily. Which reminds me that my portfolio is heavily out of date…But I digress. Although I know several people who operate their entire blog out of Squarespace, I tend to appreciate all of the extra bells and whistles that come with ProPhoto/Wordpress.
The magical link between my freelance roles is a complete immersion in all things creative. Whether I’m naming products for Lulu & Georgia or creating features for Glitter Guide, it’s all about thinking outside of the box and pushing myself and my thinking to the next level, which is why I think it works as well as it does. Each role feeds off of the next one because the content creation and idea generation is constant. It’s a beautiful, beautiful roller coaster of colors, light bulb moments and word-smithing. To say that I love my job is a gross understatement.
In terms of securing said freelance positions, these actually all happened organically! I was referred to Career Contessa through a friend, approached by Artfully Walls through my blog to do copy writing, etc. It all comes down to three avenues: by referral, by brands directly approaching me through my portfolio or blog, or by a personal pitch made by myself for roles that I feel particularly passionate about.
I actually don’t deal much with ads. Maybe I should, but it’s the one thing that has never really been part of my priority list because I just don’t seem to have the time to manage it. The only exceptions are affiliate links. Although I haven’t had a chance to add them back since relaunching the new site design, the banner ads that you used to see along the sidebar were all affiliate ads run through a site called ShareASale. I’ve had a great experience with them thus far, and get to personally choose all of the ads that I publish.
I’ve tried Feedly in the past, but it never really stuck for me. Instead, I have a sort of silly/rudimentary process. If I want to start following a blog, then I click and drag the URL to my Safari Favorites bar, then I file all of my favorite blogs away in a Favorites Bar folder that I’ve created and called “Daily Blog Reads.” Whenever I want to catch up, I can either click the drop-down and choose a particular blog from the list, or I can hold the Apple key on my keyboard and click on the folder, which then opens all of the individual blogs into separate tabs. It may not work for everyone, but it does the trick for me.
I made the decision mid-way through last year to only work with brands who allow me to use my own photos. Barring the odd wish list or Pinterest roundup, I live by the philosophy that you guys want to see and read authentic reviews, and if I can’t physically feel or experience a product that I’m sharing on behalf of a brand, I don’t feel like I can truly be authentic. I also am a control freak when it comes to original content. I want 99.9% of Dream Green DIY to be my own work, and I’m proud to say that I’ve been able to hold up my end of that bargain—now to work on getting more sleep…
I think the thing to really focus on before hammering down the doors of your favorite brands (although I am TOTALLY guilty of doing that), is to instead focus on the content that you’re creating. While it may seem a little roundabout, brands are going to make a split decision whether or not to work with you based on what they see on your website and how engaged you are with your followers. I’ve learned that organic collaboration happens (and happens much faster!) when you focus on creating above and beyond content, photos and graphics. When brands see what awesome results they can get from you, they will come to you!
That said, I have definitely been compelled to reach out myself a time or two with a thoughtful cold email or tweet. It all comes down to a personalized—yet concise—introduction that quickly explains who you are, what you can offer and why your idea deserves their attention. My last piece(s) of advice? Learn from my early-on mistakes—always address the person by name and check your spelling!
Yup! Photoshop is where I do all of my graphic design (with the exception of InDesign for a few working templates). I learned everything I know through a combination of on-the-job work at the newspaper way back in the day, self exploration and through Blogshop. If other bloggers or designers would like to offer their alternatives to the Adobe suite, please feel free to do so in the comments!
While I wish the answer to this was a little more organized, I have to admit the opposite. My various freelance jobs/duties all fall onto my calendar on an as-needed basis and are sorted by deadline. For example, one week could be dominated by a project assignment from eHow, whereas another could be all about a particular template overhaul for Career Contessa.
To keep track of it all and to manage my editorial calendar, I use two apps: (1) Google docs and calendars, which sync between my computers and iPhone, and (2) the Todoist app on my phone. I recently started building out and editing the coming week’s posts for both Dream Green DIY and Career Contessa on Fridays, which has allowed me to enjoy my weekends again—there’s no better feeling!
You can read more about my personal journey and progression as a blogger (coming up on four years this March!) over on Career Contessa.
(photos courtesy Mallory Benedict)
What a fun, insightful post. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Jessica!
Carrie
I cannot express how much I appreciate you taking the time to share your experiences, knowledge, and best practices on blogging. It is very true that some things work better for one person than another. I hope to be as creative, driven, and full of opportunities someday! 🙂
Happy Friday!
Thank you Caitlin! I have no doubt that TONS of fun opportunities are just around the corner for you =)
How do you make money off of a blog? From my research, it doesn’t seem lucrative enough to support oneself, especially because of taxes. The only folks I’ve heard of that actually made a sustainable living and successful living were the YoungHouse folks (and they also had a book and several lines of decor). I guess what I’m saying is, are you solely existing off of this blog? And if so, how do you do it? I’ve heard ads don’t make bloggers very much money. And, websites only pay $50 to $100 per post these days, which is a pittance. How do you pull it all together to make it work for you?
Well, without disclosing too much of my financials, I charge more than $50 for my sponsored posts. I base my rates off the time it takes to purchase/gather supplies, style the project, complete the project, photograph it, build it into my blog and to write the actual post itself. I also have a number of hourly paid freelance projects on the side, which add to my income. It’s certainly not a rich lifestyle, but it’s MORE than sustaining =)
You charge people to post on your blog? Or you charge them for you to write about them?
What kind of freelance do you do on the side to support yourself aside from the blog? Do you think that freelance lifestyle is do-able and self-sustaining? I’ve been thinking about going out on my own, but it’s scary come tax season. Do you have a job on top of this or is this what you do full-time? I work a full-time job and do 20 to 30 hours of freelance work on the side every week. It’s so much work! I’m jealous that you get to do this full-time and make it work. What a blessing. I’m saving up for the day when I can make it work for myself!! I don’t want to put it all on my husband to support me.
I charge a sponsorship fee to post authentic, real-life reviews of brands, if that makes sense! I don’t accept guest posts at this time, so all the writing and opinions are my own. I am a freelance writer (magazine articles, website feature writing, copy writing for retail sites, etc.) and also provide editorial direction for a couple of sites—all are paid either hourly or by a set monthly stipend. The freelance lifestyle is definitely doable for me and sustains me as any other career would! It takes a lot of work and definitely isn’t a 9-to-5 type job, but I love it. I have an accountant to help with taxes. I hope that helps!! Good luck!
Gottcha. Yeah, a colleague of mine changed paths and started freelance writing for magazines. Her first year she only made $19k, even though she was writing for national publications. $19k! Now, a few years later she makes about $50k, which is awesome. She sticks to print though because it pays much better than the web. Magazine websites pay about $100 for editorial content (which I know is much different than sponsored advertising posts on blogs like your own).
I can’t wait ’til the day I can sit at home and write about anything I fancy! For now it’s the 9 to 5 and freelancing on the side. Hopefully the 60 to 70 hours a week will pay off in the end. It’s an inspiration to see people pull it off and have such authenticity behind what they write and the ability to sustain themselves.
Thanks for the support!! I know you’ll make it if you put your mind to it, which you sound like you are =) Just a note though, I’ve found that the digital end of at least SOME magazines do pair fair rates well above $100. I guess it’s just about finding the right one!!