It’s 2018, & this year marks my 10th year of blogging. IS THAT NOT CRAZY? You can read my full story of how I started & what led me to blogging here– but today I want to focus on how things have changed THEN VS NOW.
I mean, when I started, Instagram was not a thing & there were only a handful of bloggers actually making an income from this (Chiara Ferragni, Rumi Neely, BryanBoy, to name a few). I was a hobby blogger & literally the only person reading my blog was my Mom. Social media consisted of Facebook, which at that point in time, was still a platform for college students to connect.
I am in that weird generation where I have really gotten to see technology change & social media unfold. From when I was a kid & we got our very first CARPHONE (holy shit, that sounds ancient), then pagers, then fancy flip phones with CAMERAS (!!!), & now we’re all waiting in line for that iPhone X.
I DIGRESS though- this is not a post about the evolution of the cell phone (although, I’d like that cause I’m nostalgic af & really miss my sidekick). The point is, things have changed in general & more specifically- the blogging industry is VERY different. SO let’s get into it.
wearing: Rachel Zoe ‘Betty’ double breasted blazer dress | wooden heeled booties (I got these AGES ago, but found some similar styles here & here) | Vetements socks | shield sunglasses ($10!!)
**BE SURE TO CHECK MY INSTAGRAM TODAY FOR AN EPIC $500 GIVEAWAY TO LAB 25, WHERE I GOT THE BLAZER DRESS!**
Blogging Then vs. Now
SOCIAL MEDIA
THEN: as mentioned above, we had Facebook. No business pages to share content, no Facebook groups, just Facebook with friends. You were considered odd if you shared anything other than photos of the latest dress up frat party you went to. When Instagram launched in 2010, it looked completely different & you posted for your friends. There was also an app called Periscope for live video. We also had Twitter, but no one used that really.
NOW: Instagram, Snapchat, IGTV, Facebook business pages, Facebook groups, Facebook live, Instagram live, Twitter, IG LIVE, etc. etc. We have every app you could imagine to connect. The main difference though is how people use these apps for business. Social media then was about connecting with friends, now it’s about making money.
PHOTOGRAPHY
THEN: back then my photos were taken with either a shitty point & shoot or my phone… and they did great. The content itself was plain. I could take a picture of a pair of shoes & it’d do fine. When I started posting my “looks of the day” I would stand in front of WHATEVER & have a coworker take one or two photos of me. They’d go on the blog & I’d call it a day. No editing other than the Valencia filter when Instagram launched.
NOW: majority of bloggers have an on call professional photographer, a REALLY nice camera, & some really great editing skills. The content itself is also insane- gone are the days where you can just snap a photo & move on. Instagram photos these days are magazine photoshoot quality. There are props, insane backdrops, artsy angles, etc. etc. As for the editing- I can remove a CAR from a photo if I wanted.
CONTENT
THEN: I used to have a feature on my blog called “This & That” & I posted about it every Monday. It was TOTAL fluff content, but it did good. I also post 6 days a week. It wasn’t the most quality content, sometimes I would just post a photo & share some links, but back then people wanted quantity.
NOW: because we have social media now & we can share EVERYTHING on that- blog content has definitely changed. It’s all about LONGER, deeper, more valuable content. People have everything at their fingertips with Instagram, so to get them to your blog you really need to provide a good reason to take that extra effort to go to your blog. Also- it’s definitely more about QUALITY over QUANTITY these days. If you don’t have a great post for the day, don’t force it. If you can provide 3 good posts a week, you’re killing it.
MAKING MONEY
THEN: back then, bloggers made their money selling ACTUAL AD SPACE on their sites & affiliate commissions… but we didn’t have the affiliate networks we have now. For me to find an affiliate link back then, I was signed up for many networks (Pepperjam, Shareasale, CJ… any of these ring a bell?? probably not…). Also, we are looking at like $20 a week if you’re lucky.
NOW: brand partnerships, Shopstyle Collective, RewardStyle, sponsored Instagram posts, sponsored stories, design collaborations, Instagram takeovers, & then some. Unlike back then, the money now is much BIGGER & more lucrative. Influencers have managers now to help make deals. Gone are the days where only actresses landed huge Pantene commercials… now it’s Chiara Ferragni!!
TIPS FOR BLOGGING IN 2019
As you can see, the world of blogging & influencing is always EVOLVING & changing. In 2019, keep your eye on the latest trends in the world of blogging. If there is a new app people are talking about, don’t hesitate, be an early started & adjust as you go.
Keep your content STRONG & RELEVANT- no more fluff! People also want more of a real life look at your life, so be sure to be present on Insta-stories and/or Snapchat (wherever your audience is!). Blogging & influencing has gone in a direction of storytelling & REALNESS. You can’t just post pretty pictures & move on with your day, keep your audience involved & invested.
& speaking of realness, be honest with your audience. Don’t try to paint a picture of a perfect life with lots of lavish vacations, unboxing ALLL the gifts sent to you (snooze)- be honest, talk about your problems, use your platform to actually connect with people/show them they are not alone in their struggles.
[ PHOTOS BY ARIELLE LEVY ]