Keeping a fashion blog is the perfect way to share your view of the fashion industry, trends, designers, styles, brands, collections with the world, while earning the status of a fashion expert and achieving financial independence.
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Fashion blogger, who is it?
A fashion blogger publishes articles, notes, photos and videos on the topic of the fashion industry. For example, she talks about styles, shares successful combinations in clothes, reviews collections, highlights trends, posts interviews with designers. Keeping a fashion blog is helped by attending shows and parties, reading books on the topic and articles in industry publications, meeting and communicating with industry representatives. Personal sites, Youtube channels, accounts on Instagram and other social networks become platforms for publications.
In a previously published article on the link, we talked about the features of such work and how to become a successful fashion blogger. Today we will share tips on naming, choosing a niche, recommendations for monetization, ideas for content and ways to stand out from the competition.
How to choose a niche for a blog?
The first step in a new endeavor will be choosing a niche, i.e. you have to understand what you want to blog about, what materials to publish. Brainstorming will help answer the following questions:
- Your future blog in three words?
- Who is your ideal reader? Where does he live, what are his interests, how old is he?
- What does the blog offer to the target audience?
- What area are you strong in?
- Are there any fashion bloggers or influencers you admire?
Next, do your research to find out what competitors you have and how they perform. After analyzing other people’s blogs and answers to your questions, it will be easier for you to understand how to stand out from the rest and find a unique niche – topic, presentation style, content, design.
How to choose a good name?
Starting from the chosen topic, start looking for a suitable name. It is worth stopping the choice on an easy-to-pronounce and endowed with meaning option. Worthy names are Sea of Shoes, A Beautiful Mess. Many turn to various neoplasms from the words fashion and style. There is no need for this, especially since such options are too commonplace. If you intend to share subjective opinions and strive to create a personal brand, consider adding your first and/or last name to the title.
Where to start a fashion blog?
Successful fashion bloggers know where to start a blog. Top recommendations for free platforms and social networks, including Blogger, Livejournal, Tumblr, Instagram, Vkontakte, YouTube, Facebook, plus WordPress templates, Joomla and Squarespace. Once you get reader/follower acceptance and start making money from your blog, it’s worth considering building your own website from scratch.
How to make a blog?
When giving advice on how to start a fashion blog, it’s impossible to bypass the theme. We are talking about the site, not pages on social networks. Think about organizing your blog space. All important sections should be placed in a prominent place at the top of the page, or highlighted in color. Give preference to a simple design, the main thing in a blog is content. Nothing should distract attention from the content of articles and videos. Crowded pages with visual elements negatively affect the perception of information, it is easy to get tired of them. High-speed Internet tempts fashion bloggers to place photo and video sliders on the main page, mercilessly devouring user traffic. Are you sure that readers will want to spend time and gigabytes downloading unnecessary content?
What to write about?
Blog content is king. You have chosen a unique niche that will help you stand out from the competition. Think about the main topics you are going to cover. Don’t take on everything at once, such as reviewing magazine footage and publishing translations of news from industry sites like BOF. Decide on the main topic of the blog, for example, you can become an expert on boots, discuss the shortcomings of organizing Fashion Weeks, talk about salaries in the industry, share interviews with experts, publish reviews of creative design studios.
Not all reference blogs stand out from the rest with exclusive content, some rely on design or presentation techniques. For example, WhoWhatWear publishes collages with images of people and prices for these outfits, and Fashion Gone Rogue has created a special section with editorials.
How to create your own fashion blog that will stand out from the competition?
- Uncover celebrity style secrets. People love to follow celebrities and want to dress like them, so they spend long hours on the pages of fashion blogs in search of interesting information.
- Give preference to images with clothes at affordable prices. If you want to inspire people with your own style and fashion vision, get closer to your readers/followers. Using affordable brands in clothing will allow them to identify with you.
- DIY projects (do it yourself) are always popular.
- Share your unique perspective on fashion with the world. Fashion bloggers have chosen the theme of fashion shows and glamorous parties. While everyone is discussing the collections of designers presented at Paris Fashion Week, work on a material about the extravagant images of the public who came to the show.
- Shoot video. This does not only apply to fashion blogs on Instagram and Youtube. Video content opens up a lot of possibilities. The format is reader/viewer friendly as frees from the need for reading and is distinguished by clarity. Take a review of the new collection of your favorite brand, take a walk around the showrooms of the city with a camera, show some stylish looks.
- Meet the designers. Rare bloggers bring this idea to life. Make acquaintances with designers, interview them, talk about their work and collections. Provide materials with exclusive photos and videos taken in the process of creating the next thing.
- Take quality photos. Text is important, but many people skim through articles looking for a visual that catches their eye and provides answers to questions. Use different locations and backgrounds to diversify your content. Do not forget about the high quality of the source and image processing.
- Regular publications. Competitor research will allow you to understand trends in the publication of materials. In fact, if you want to attract more readers or viewers, aim for frequent blog updates. The more actively you publish content, the higher the traffic. According to Hubspot, blogs that posted 11 or more articles per month received twice as much traffic compared to blogs that posted only 1-2 posts/videos. Regular content updates cause search engines to identify your site as active and relevant.
Ideas for interesting posts for a fashion blog
List articles
Readers love this format, but the Internet is littered with monotonous collections that differ from each other in a couple of points. It is important to create unique content. For example, when compiling your own list of extraordinary designers of the 20th century, share your personal opinion with readers. The rating should reflect your vision. Lists and tops capture the attention of readers/followers if they reflect a unique perspective and expert approach.
Practice Guides
Once you’re well versed in a particular topic, you can share your experiences and create practical guides for readers: how to create a basic wardrobe, how to get caught up in street style photographers, and so on.
Interview
We have already talked about the value of publishing an interview. Don’t limit yourself to talking to designers. Interview fashion industry professionals (buyers, photographers, marketers, CEOs, models), fashion connoisseurs, loyal brand fans, etc.
Reviews
Do not forget about the possibility of earning and popularizing the blog through reviews of brand collections or showroom assortment.
News
People are hungry for news. The competition in this area is high. A fashion blogger should share news from primary sources, provided with personal comments and opinions.
Personal experience
Why not talk about your experience? Share with readers the story of your love for the fashion industry, write about your first steps in the blogosphere, tell about interesting cases from your life. Thanks to personal articles, the author becomes closer to the audience, it is interesting to watch him.
Debunking Myths
The fashion industry is full of myths. You can work on exposing them. Are models really dumb and Anna Wintour the devil? Is a designer a creative profession? Do editors just go from one party to another?
how to monetize a blog?
According to Business Insider, fashion brands will spend up to $15 billion on blogging by 2022. Why not take a bite out of the big pie? Experts told how to get money from a fashion blog.
affiliate marketing
Publish on the pages links to the products you like in the online stores of partners. All conversions are tracked, and you get a percentage of each sale.
Display advertising
Google AdSense allows you to show ads on your blog pages, the higher the traffic, the more income.
Sponsored posts/stories/videos
If you successfully run a fashion blog on Instagram, YouTube or other platforms, brands will pay attention to you and want to order paid advertising in some format. You may have to review the collection, recommend certain products, share your opinion about the philosophy of the brand close to you.
Sale of branded goods
Having gained popularity with subscribers / readers, it is easy to start selling a branded product. If you write about sustainable fashion, order eco-friendly shoppers with your own logo. You might want to sell stylish throws or mugs, basic t-shirts, or other merchandise.
Paid membership
If you have become an expert in the field of fashion and have achieved recognition from readers / subscribers, understood the secrets of how to run a fashion blog, consider introducing premium content that will be available through a paid subscription – membership.
Paid consultations or online courses
Another way to earn money for experts. Have you become a guru in creating images for publication? Do you know the secrets of entering some kind of fashion profession? Give readers the opportunity to learn from your experience, conduct paid online courses or consultations.
Brand Ambassador
Become an ambassador for your favorite brand by getting paid to promote their products and philosophy.
