23 comments

How Condé Nast Salaries Stack Up With Blogger Incomes

IFB » Making Money, Working With Brands » How Condé Nast Salaries Stack Up With Blogger Incomes

Recently, Fashion Etc asked: How much do those Condé Nast editors really make? With a little research provided by Glassdoor, they were easily able to make a chart of the average incomes of Anna Wintours, the Grace Coddingtons, and the Anna Dello Russos (as well as the lowly editorial assistants, I might add). Here's how some of the employees over at Condé Nast stack up, according to Glassdoor:

Advertising Sales Assistant – between $30k and $41k

Senior Editor – between $60k and $150k

Assistant – between $25k and $38k

Associate Editor – between $35k and $60k

Art Director – between $90k and $150k

Marketing Manager – between $53k and $80k

Online Editor – between $45k and $99k

Assistant Editor – between $28k and $38k

Creative Director – between $115k and $200k

Most of these salaries don't really surprise me (yes, there are people only bringing in $25k a year while working at Vogue), but I wondered how bloggers' incomes stacked up next to these coveted editorial positions. While most bloggers, such as the experts at keep their finances under lock and key, I've seen my fair share of blogger/brand deals from both bloggers with agents and those without. The going rate for sponsored post on many mid-range to larger blogs is between $100 and $5,000, depending on the engagement, longevity of the campaign and traffic, leaving a lot of wiggle room for how much one blogger can make in a year.

Back in 2010, it was reported that big league fashion blogger Bryan Boy was bringing in “over $100,000” a year from advertisements on his site and appearance fees. If you use the figures given above, that's more than average Condé Nast online editor, and close to the same as a creative director.

Furthermore, in an article on Fashionologie in 2011, Leandra Medine of Man Repeller was reported saying, “When I’m working with other brands, my first question is, ‘What am I doing for you?’ and ‘Do you want me to blog about it?’ Because, if it’s attached to the blog, I’ll charge two to three times the amount. It’s all about setting benchmarks: I did one gig in May where I styled mannequins and made $5,000. I decided that I’m no longer going to do styling gigs for $500 or $1,000 if I can hold onto my guns and get more.”

The article also stated that she earned over $10,000 in two months from using affiliate links on her blog. Combine the two — not too shabby of an income, eh?

While those working at Condé Nast work through the ranks for years to get to their high level positions, bloggers are creating these positions for themselves. (However, the ethical standards of how some bloggers are making money are also being questioned.)

What do you think of the financial comparison? Will big name bloggers be trumping editors in how much money they bring in? Or will the ethics behind how some of them gain their income eventually trump their earnings?

23 Responses

M July 21, 2012

This reminds me of a comparison of establishment v entrepreneurs, not unlike (something I’m familiar with) NASA vs SpaceX or many of the other upstart space companies. Bloggers are truly the entrepreneurs of the fashion reporting world (and branching out to designing, styling, and retailing), and it shouldn’t be surprising that they have the potential to generate more income than the establishment. And interestingly, some of the establishment editors are moving out into designing and retailing themselves.

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Oby@ Fashion.Art.Crafts-Etcetera July 21, 2012

I’ll admit that some of the salaries above surprised me. But I think some people are willing to work for Vogue, etc., and make little to no money when you compare their salaries to working elsewhere & living elsewhere. Part of it is the notoriety associated with working for a place like Conde Nast. etc., but we all know that a name of a company along with average pay & below average pay (for some of the positions above), will only last but so long. I feel that after a person makes the necessary connections, he/she often move one to bigger and better things as he/she should. So in many ways it’s a quid pro quo relationship.

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Amber July 21, 2012

Yes, I think so because in entrepreneurship you make your own rules therefore you are able to control your income whereas working for someone else someone controls your income. Blogging just grows more everyday with more opportunities and there is no telling how much a blogger will make in years to come!

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Kholá July 21, 2012

Clearly some big name bloggers have already trumped some associate and assistant editors on salary. I think the trend will continue since bloggers are now making such an impact in fashion.

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One Woman's Style Evolution July 21, 2012

I think this is great news! Anything is possible with a blog, right? Hey, if I can make even 10% of Bryan Boy’s reported 2010 salary then I can can upgrade the blog from “hobby” to “side hustle”.

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Marisa Scott July 22, 2012

I could agree more with “One Woman’s Style Evolution” I find it quite exciting and hopeful especially since I’m a freelance art director, articles like these give me a gauge of the market and encourage me to stick to my guns when giving quotes. Great read!

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LWY July 22, 2012

Interesting, they don’t actual chart Anna Wintour’s salary, editor-in-chief is unlisted and no doubt that number will trump any other employee or blogger. The real question is, can one’s blog outlast a career like that? It’s a tough call that we’re all still till new to make.

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Heather Fonseca July 22, 2012

One of the reasons I have a blog is for the potential earnings. In my experience you can make a lot more money as a small business than you can with a salary. In companies some people make a small fortune, but most just make a good income with benefits.

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OyVeyMyLife July 22, 2012

There are really two sides to this. On one hand a blogger has more freedom as they ar their own boss, yet on the other hand one day the blogger will age or have a baby and the blog will no longer be successful. Therefore it just depends on ones ultimate goal.

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Samantha July 22, 2012

I’m too busy trying to contemplate living on 25K in New York City. When I lived there (just last year), no one would rent to you unless you make at least 40X the rent on an annual basis. That would be about 625 a month at 39K. You can’t even find a place in the Bronx at that price. You’d have to room up with at least two other people to afford a *studio* in Manhattan, and that would probably be in a fifth-floor walk-up miles from the subway, or in a hole-in-the-wall in a cruddy neighborhood. Maybe a one bedroom in some place like Rego Park or Bayside.

Sorry, I know it’s not really the point! It’s just shocking to me that a place like Vogue doesn’t even pay a living wage (for NYC).

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Albert De Castro July 22, 2012

I’m not sure how happy these editors will be if they see a comparison between their real job and bloggers. I wouldn’t pay 100 dollars for any blogger. And hey, I’m a blogger too.

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Albert De Castro July 22, 2012

A blog should be taken just as a step, no matter how much you make from it. This blogs fever won’t last forever and the most intelligent ones will collect as much contacts as they can for their next step. And this is where 99 per cent of the bloggers are unsuccessful, as they don’t nothing at all.

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allank July 22, 2012

Bloggers are starting to make a bit of money if your one of the high profile ones, I recently read an article mentioning that Scott from The Sartorialist could be soon making up to a million dollars from advertising and other jobs branching from his blog.
Compared to what the guys from Conde Nast that’s a lot of money.

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LibertyLondonGirl July 23, 2012

As an ex CN editor myself, one also needs to take into account the emoluments that come with working on a prestige title when analysing comparative incomes.

The access to sample sales, major discount, goodie bags, flowers, the piles of free beauty products, the countless free meals and entertaining in all the newest places…even when I was making less than £20k PA as both an assistant and as an editor back in the day, I cld lead a pretty nice life because I never needed to buy all that stuff – or cld get the high end stuff at the price of Zara.

Granted: I was flatsharing with never less than two other people in the arse end of Archway, and once with four others, and going home & eating baked beans on toast (the classic I’ve got no cash English supper), and never had any spare money, but it wasn’t such an issue because I got so much shiny stuff through work, and access to all the latest bars & clubs for free (in the days when I actually had a social life because I wasn’t running my own business!).

LLGxx

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WorkOfStyle July 23, 2012

It makes complete sense to me that bloggers can make more than a magazine employee as their blog can be as big as a magazine itself. Many blogs have more visitors every week or every month than some magazines have readers. The difference is that almost everything goes to the blogger (and maybe their small team) whereas there are many people working on a magazine. When a brand advertise on Vogue, it finances the whole magazine. When the brand advertise on Brian Boy, it all goes directly in Brian’s pocket. So that doesn’t surprise or shock me. That’s the power of bloggers and internet!

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Ana July 23, 2012

The freebies are a big part of bigger bloggers’ income.

They are not “salary” per se, and they can’t buy food and pay the rent with them directly, but they enable them to a. not spend the salary itself on shoes/clothes/whatever and b. earn money by having something to write about.
(And that applies to print people, too.)

I don’t find the fact that bloggers can earn that much surprising, but I did expect that print people were earning a bit more – I must have been affected by all the publicity they get.

Good for bloggers earning as much as they do 🙂 : as I said on the other article, I find most blogs more entertaining/creative/informational than most mags.

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Zoobia July 23, 2012

The comparison doesn’t surprise me. When high status advertisers are buying ad space, one can only imagine the type of money they can afford to spend to do just that. Blogs are more interactive than magazines in the sense that blogs with comments enabled allow outsiders to gauge the bloggers level of influence in a way that isn’t possible with print magazines. If I worked for a brand looking to buy ad space, I could easily check out the comments left on a post and see a very specific picture of how readers feel regarding content.

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Emily July 23, 2012

Compare with how much the Fellt.com girls are making – they’re getting free designer goods like A.Wang bags, Christian Louboutin clutches and flights/accommodation all expenses paid to go to LFW and NYFW, where I’ve heard that the cost of the banner ad costs $100,000 per month. It really isn’t hard to make money or charge a lot when you have an agent or proper goods to sell.
I admire these girls and know them personally and wish them all the best. Seeing other bloggers worldwide making it big becomes something I aspire to and I use them as role models and what can be achieved in this day and age.
Find your niche, find your passion and go for gold. Never give up 🙂

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Sweetpea July 24, 2012

Just in response to a couple of points made above…

“one day the blogger will age or have a baby and the blog will no longer be successful”…seriously?! Having a baby or getting older (as we all are every day!) should not – and does not – spell doom for a blog. If you’ve built up a readership those followers will likely grow with you through the years. Plus there’s plenty of examples which buck your prejudiced prediction…google bluebird blog or advanced style.

Someone also mentioned that blogging won’t last forever. I don’t believe this to be true. it certainly isn’t going to go away, but it will evolve. Blogs are becoming more sophisticated becoming full blown ‘websites’ in their own right, and the challenge now in a saturated market is to find a way to approach it slightly differently in order to stand out…or just do what you do REALLY well! If it aint broke don’t try to fix it, just improve it!

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StyleDestino July 24, 2012

its good for those who make that much… but many bloggers still have to make money from their blogs.

besides, getting paid as much as the creative director isnt surprising, considering those bloggers are putting just as much effort, influence the fashion world just as much and have the same level or maybe even higher following.

its not always about the designation or experience, but about what you got in you and how much you deliver.

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Joy July 31, 2012

There are so many ways to look at this, and I guess what it really comes down to is what you value, not just what you make. Publishing is a precarious world right now, but being associated with Conde Nast holds value in and of itself. On the other hand, if you put your creative freedom and life flexibility above all else, blogging (and freelancing in general) just works out better. After completing a program in publishing, I had two options: go to NYC and work in publishing (while flatsharing and scraping by), or continue freelancing (from anywhere, about my specific interests). I chose the latter because flexibility is what matters to me — but I have such respect for those who went into places like CN knowing that they’d have to endure low pay and brutal hours because of their dedication to that particular craft.

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Kenpatchi Rama-Sama February 25, 2014

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Jenny September 13, 2019

Super motivating stats!!! I’d much rather be my own boss!

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