It’s surreal that I’m sitting here writing a post about blogging. Last month marked one year of blogging for me and I can’t help but laugh (and cringe) at how much I did NOT know when I started. I mean I knew NOTHING, you guys! I thought I knew about blogging when I started One Love by Alex but after looking back on the past year- I had no idea what I signed up for. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE doing this. Wouldn’t trade this for anything type-of-love! Love, love, love. I just can’t believe how many misconceptions there are about blogging that I used to believe.

I get so many questions about blogging/influencing and while I’m NO expert- I thought I would try and answer them, share what I’ve learned, and a few things you may not know!

Why I started.

I started following blogs in college and from the very beginning, it was one of those things that I just KNEW I wanted to do. I can’t really explain it but if someone mentioned blogging to me I just had the strongest feeling about it. We’re talking lightbulb moment, the sign you’ve been waiting for your entire life, type of feeling! But for some reason, I suppressed the feeling and talked myself out of it every time I thought I would start a blog. I wasn’t scared of what people would think, but I was afraid that I would fail. Which was stupid.

At the beginning of 2016, our family went through a really hard time and Andrew and I both agreed I needed a hobby that I would enjoy. He suggested that I finally start that blog I kept talking about, and so I did! We laughed at how it had been a dream of mine for a long time and now it was slowly becoming a reality.

The awkward beginning.

I have to admit that at first, it was extremely uncomfortable. It felt like everywhere I went people avoided talking about it. I wasn’t expecting this and I think that’s really what no one tells you about blogging. It’s not a very well-known industry, and people who know you (especially your friends who don’t follow bloggers) may be extremely confused by why in the world you are posting a photo of your outfit on Instagram.

It gets better.

Over time, people just accepted it and then some people even started liking it! Ha. Then with time, more people start following you that GET IT- and you find your people. So if you ever start a blog: Keep going!! Keep pressing through that uncomfortable phase because it’s so worth it!

Do you get things for free?

If I had a nickel for every time I got this question. So here’s how this works! You’ve heard the saying, “nothing in life is free” I assume? The principle stands true here.

If a brand sends me a product, there are always strings attached. Always. 9 times out of 10 there is an agreement that I will share this item either here on the blog or on my Instagram. So that is why I NEVER accept pieces or products that I don’t already love and want to recommend to you! I would rather pay for something and be able to give you my honest opinion than being forced to recommend a product that I don’t like because I accepted it for “free”. I don’t need free things. Your opinion is much more valuable to me!

How do you get paid? Wait, do you even get paid?

Everyone asks this! As cliche as this is about to sound: I didn’t start a blog to make money, I started a blog because I felt that it was part of my purpose, *cringing at how lame I sound* but seriously! In the beginning, blogging was a hobby, and then (by my choice) it grew into a business. To this day, I am proud that I can say that I still don’t do this for money because if I just wanted to make money, there are one million other jobs that would pay me way more! Lol! HOWEVER, keeping this website/business going requires money- just like anything else.

There are so many different ways bloggers can make money, but I usually get paid in two ways. Personally- I either get paid through affiliate links or through sponsorships. I focus on these two methods because I find that they allow me to authentically stay true to myself and the content I want to create (aka you will never see a pop-up or banner ad running on my site!).

Sponsorships are when a brand pays an influencer to create content for them and call that brand out in particular. This is usually denoted as a #ad or “paid partnership” on Instagram. For a blog post, I always disclose this at the end of the post. Similar to gifted items, any sponsorship I participate in is always something that I genuinely LOVE and want to recommend to you! I turn down sponsorships more often than I accept them. Again, your trust is worth more than any paid partnership!

How do these brands find you?

Not entirely sure! Lol! Brands usually reach out to me via email and I have my contact info in my Instagram bio and on my blog. There are also quite a few online platforms that brands can register with to find influencers. RewardStyle is one of them, which is LIKEtoKNOW.it!

Who takes your photos?

I’ve shot with a few photographers but usually, it’s just Andrew or my mom! Lol! And while I’m typically not one for selfies, I do love a good mirror pic 😉

Do you have a schedule you follow?

Uh, ya girl. I live for a schedule. And I eat, sleep, and breathe by my planner! I start my morning with my planner and reference it all day long. I don’t necessarily make my schedule on a particular day of the week or a certain time of day- because I literally do this all day long, lol. I use Trello for planning blog posts + try-ons, and my planner for everything else!

Any advice for someone that wants to start a blog?

YES. Even though I learned the logistics of blogging this past year, when I look back on the past year of blogging, what I most recall is how much I had to step outside of my comfort zone to get each and every answer and I WISH I had done that sooner. When you challenge yourself and step outside your comfort zone, that’s how you learn! That’s how you grow!

For anyone that wants to make a change or start something new (whether that’s a blog, a youtube channel, new job, new workout plan, etc.) you have to MAKE YOURSELF step outside of your comfort zone. If you start something new and you’re comfortable the entire time, you’re doing something wrong! If you stay comfortable, you will never grow. Challenge yourself, and get comfortable being uncomfortable. 😉

All my love,

Alex