Yay for the first blogger ‘spotlight’ post! For those of you who are just starting to follow or reading this blog; This is a new post series where I’ll be interviewing bloggers that I personally love – a blogger each month.
The reason why I thought of starting this series was simple. Let’s be honest for a second. There’s tons of blog in the blogosphere and everyday new blogs are created. Sometimes it is hard to find new blogs to read as the big blog-connecting sites like Bloglovin or Feedly only seems to promote bigger blogs or blogs with large number of followers.
Over here, on my blog at least, I wanted to bring up blogs that you may or may not heard of, however, doing a fabulous job! Again, this is my way of showing the love in the community. And plus, who doesn’t like to get recognized for their awesome work?!
To start off this series, I’ve asked Sarah some interesting questions a while back. Sarah, for those of you who may not know, is the main content editor at More Than Adored. She works with lovely other bloggers and writers and offering handful topics from beauty to lifestyle. It is definitely one of my favorite blogazines! The best part of her site is that even though we refer it as a blogazine, unlike those other bigger blogazine sites, Sarah and her team work hard on communicating with readers and even trying to reply to all of the comments.
Can you tell us a little about yourself, where are you from, where do you live at present?
I’m currently based in Bendigo, which is a small-ish city in Victoria, Australia, but my hometown is a tinie tiny country town a few hours from here. I live with my boyfriend Isaac and when I’m not blogging I work part-time in retail management.
How and why did you get into blogging?
The story really isn’t that glamorous. When I first moved away from that tinie tiny country town it’s safe to say I struggled. I had a major health problem, was living alone, enrolled in a course I ended up not loving and it just wasn’t a good time. I start More Than Adored as a distraction and my love for blogging grew from there.
What do you find most challenging about blogging about your topics?
Finding new ways to create content that is unique. There are so many beauty blogs out there posting similar content so I find it hard to bring everything together in a unique way.
Do you have any productivity tools you use to keep yourself efficient, which may help our readers?
I have Grace to thank for installing the ‘Edit Flow’ plugin on MTA – if you’re with WP and looking for an incredible organizational plugin that’s the one! The calendar view makes my life a whole lot easier. Apart from that I make a lot of lists, plan ahead and do it all the old school way – on pen and paper!
Do you have a dedicated office space and what is the importance of having this?
Yes! Finally after a year and a half of running MTA from the couch, my bed and kitchen table I finally have a separate office. Even if you don’t have the room it’s important to have a dedicated space so that when you’re there you are working and when you leave you clock off. When I didn’t have the office I was working far too much and it started to take over my life!
Any pictures of your office space?
Nooooo! My office has a desk and that’s about it at the moment. Maybe in a few months.
What makes a great work environment for you?
Lots of space and some background noise. My office has a clock that ticks super loud and it really helps me stay focused…. That’s weird isn’t it?!
Tell us about some of the people you’ve met while working on your blog?
I’ve been super lucky to attend some awesome events as a blogger and the stand out has easily been the H&M launch in Australia last year. Rubbing shoulders with lots of local stars was very exciting!
How would you or someone describe your blogging style?
I’m an organizational freak and I think Isaac would say that too! I’m pretty laidback with my writing style and I like it to be that way because that’s what sets us apart from traditional press – we get to chat about things without having to be as concerned with a sentence structure or if it sounds perfect. Even though I’m sure that annoys a lot of people!
How much time do you spend each day on your blog?
I spend 2-3 full 10 hour days a week on the website and then any day I’m working my other job I probably spend about 2-3 hours on it before work.
How often do you post and communicate with your readers?
I post daily and communicate with readers over social media daily as well. I just got snapchat which is a cool way to chat to readers one-on-one informally and get to know them better (without sounding creepy).
What do you do when you aren’t working on your blog?
Work on my blog…. Blogging daily takes up most of my spare free time but otherwise reading books, watching Netflix and scrapbooking are all hobbies of mine.
What networking do you do that you feel helps your blogging business?
I am a member of a few affiliate programs that are great for an extra layer of income. On MTA I like promoting small businesses so working with small business owners one on one is what I do mostly. I don’t have a problem approaching people through email or events and building a relationship with them before even asking if they’re interested.
How do you keep coming up with material/content for your blog?Many people struggle with coming up with different articles/posts.
This is something I’ve never struggled with. I’ve just posted a ‘Tips for creating and awesome blog schedule’ and I think that really sums up my personal method of creating a schedule.
What’s your strategy with your blog in general?
I always remain honest and I think that’s important.
What are a few sites you admire and why?
No 21 Blog obviously. The design is always incredible and I love the laidback nature of the content. The Daily Mark for the unique idea of bringing beauty, style and tech to one website. And so many more! The bigger bloggers like Lily Pebbles and Lily Melrose also are sites that I really enjoy reading.
What’s the best thing a blogger can give to the readers?
Being relatable and honest.
A lot of people are interested in blogging for the money earning potential. What are some tips for people interesting in making money from blogging? What are some realistic expectations in regards to what can be made?
It’s interesting because a lot of people assume that blogging can be easily monetized very quickly and for some that is the case. Some people get lucky but most have to work for years before it’s even an option to make any money from their blogs. I think it’s important to focus on your content and creating a space you’re proud of. Build trust with your audience and don’t take every single offer you get because sometimes they’re not suited for you. As for realistic expectations as to what can be earnt – it’s not much. Most if not all bloggers do not rely on their blogs as a main income source. You’ll find most have other day jobs, youtube channels and/or small businesses alongside blogging. You have to be smart and not put all of your eggs in one basket.
Everyone has a favorite/least favorite post. Name yours and why?
Any post I’ve ever rushed I don’t love. I feel like the quality of my photography and writing isn’t where I want it to be when I’m rushing around. My favourite posts are any lip swatch posts I’ve done. They’re so fun to put together!
What things do you NOT like to do in general?
The dishes and pedicures.
If someone was interested in blogging, what would be a few things you would suggest?
Start basic and don’t expect to have a huge following in five minutes. Work hard to create an online space YOU enjoy and others will see that. Be interactive and get involved with Twitter chats and comment on other people’s blogs to get your name out there (without being spammy) and just generally love what you do!!!!
