IFB - Page 7 of 9 - Independent Fashion Bloggers

What I’ve Learned in 10 Years Posting OOTD

ifb-fashion I've been posting outfits of the day (OOTD) for ten years. Back when I started, not a lot of people were doing it, so it was a relatively new phenomenon, and there weren't a lot of "rules" or stand...

The Independent Fashion Bloggers Guide To…Gifting and Product Reviews

As a fashion blogger, receiving products for review or as gifts can be a great way to try out new items and share your thoughts with your audience. However, it's important to approach this with a keen sense...

Advanced Affiliate Marketing: How to Negotiate for Higher Commission Rates

It seems like every fashion blogger is a part of an affiliate network now. From Skimlinks to RewardStyle, partnering up with a brand (or dozens of brands!) has never been easier. In case you haven't heard of affiliate marketing before, it can be broken down ...

How to Write a Standout Event Recap Post

Fashion bloggers have a high likelihood of receiving invites to various industry-related events, whether that's a new boutique opening, a private viewing of a designer's latest collection, or the big dance ...

Email Newsletter Tips for Fashion Bloggers Revisited

It's a fact, email newsletters drive a lot of engagement. Both my RSS emails and my bi-weekly newsletters bring traffic and comments to my blogs, and I can track purchases readers made via affiliate links. ...

How to Make the Most of your Next Media/Press Preview (+ a Special Invite)

One of the most popular ways publicists and brands seek to connect with members of the press, bloggers and other influencers is through hosting seasonal, industry-only press previews. Essentially a mix of browsing new collections, meeting the designers and...

10 Ways to Celebrate Your Blog Anniversary

We naturally find ourselves, in the last month of any given year, reflecting on our accomplishments, our trials and how often we hit the marks of personal and professional success and happiness. Whether you h...

4 Blogger Tools to Host Link-Ups & Share Links

What better way to engage your community, give other bloggers an opportunity to promote their own blogs, while promoting your own blog than a Link-Up? Now, Link-Ups have been around for ages in various forms,...

11 Super Handy Scheduling Tools for Bloggers

The Holidays are here. You may be taking your annual vacation to see family, or to go on an actual vacation. Hanging out at a computer may NOT be an option. Whether you will be far from an internet connection, or if your vacation itinerary is so full you won...

40 Fashion Films & TV to Binge on Netflix

You know what's great about Thanksgiving? Other than hanging out with your family and loved ones, the turkey, pumpkin pie, the National Dog Show (we always watch since no one in my house watches football). The ...

What Do YOU Want From Your Readers?

When you start your blog, you think about what you want from your blog. You think about what kind of content you want to create. You think about what kind of design you want, what kind of logo you want... all...

How A Personal Brand Pyramid Can Help Define Your Blog’s Direction

Last week we explored the idea of a brand pyramid as an effective tool in helping you to define and express your blog's brand. This week, we're looking at brand development from a slightly different angle, that of personal branding. If we assume that our b...

How to Make An Animated GIF from Video in Seconds

Ever been confused on how to make an animated GIF? Or do you not have Photoshop? Don't worry... imgflip makes animated GIFs from your videos in a snap! So if you have a favorite clip from a movie, or would like...

24 Fashion Blogging Lessons From Animated GIFs

What can you learn from animated GIFs? Plenty! 1. Get right to the point. (source) 2. Have fun with other bloggers. (source) 3. Don't waste your time judging other bloggers. (source) 4. Even if you're ad...

Hiring Help For Your Blog, pt. 1: Why Hire Someone and What Kinds of Jobs to Hire For

Note: This article is based on a roundtable presentation I gave at Blogalicious. You may not know this, but many famous or "big" bloggers have an entire team of people behind them. This invisible (but essential) support staff can number into the dozens, a...

22 Must-Attend Conferences For Fashion Bloggers

Here on IFB, we have a lot of tips for you on networking and how to make the most of conferences. Now, where to put these skills to good use? These days, there are a variety of conferences that either cate...

Why You Need a Brand Pyramid and How to Make One

Successful bloggers build strong personal and professional brands, and a brand pyramid is a visual device used by publicists and marketers to help their clients clarify the important aspects of a business ide...

How to Take Professional Quality Headshots of Yourself

Headshots. Believe it or not, they're not just for real estate agents and actors. Headshots are handy for bloggers as well. We can use them for "about pages," Twitter and Facebook profiles, LinkedIn profiles, press requests, conferences and I'm probably missin...

Introduce Yourself to a Fashion Publicist with this Handy Email Template

One of the questions I get asked often by bloggers is what exactly they should write when introducing themselves to a fashion PR agency for the first time, and it is one of the more common deliverables that I...

10 Places to Find Creepy Halloween Images

Halloween is in two days. I am hosting a Halloween party at my house and am frantically sewing, gluing, and putting everything together for the big day. But in the digital world, Halloween is an awesome time to...

13 Resources for Finding Local and Regional Bloggers

When we talked about the challenges facing new bloggers and how to break through those new blogger barriers, one suggestion that came up was networking with your fellow local and regional bloggers. While a lot of my blogging relationships are based online, ...

The Difference Between PR, Marketing and Advertising

By request, I thought we'd take a step back from all the 'how to work with PR agencies and brands," for a quick foundational course in fashion PR 101. With many bloggers coming into the space with dollar signs...

How to Write a PR Plan for Your Blog

If you are serious about growing your audience, building your reputation and turning your blog into a business, then the first step is to think about your blog as a business. How are you going to promote your...

21 Link-Ups to Promote Your Outfit Posts

Never has there been more places to promote your blogs, and particularly, outfit posts! While, "What are you wearing" communities ie. Lookbok.nu have existed for a long time, not as well-known, but equally effective in terms of building community and traff...

5 Types of Posts Fashion Bloggers Should Really Do More Often….

Ever get tired of the same-old, same-old posts? "Here's what I'm wearing today!" or "Look, this collection launched!" Yeah, I like those posts too, but I also like a little variety in my fashion blog consumpt...

8 Tough Challenges New Bloggers Face Today

IFB is great for many things, and I believe the best thing that our contributors have to offer is years and years of experience in the industry. That being said, our experience doesn't always help when it co...

Blogger’s Toolkit: 8 Things You Must Put on your Business Cards

Business cards are an often-overlooked tool in a blogger's marketing arsenal, but they can be extremely effective in introducing yourself and your blog to potential partners or readers offline. Including your blog's name and URL, a logo, your name, contac...

6 Ways to Get Products You Actually Want to Review for Your Fashion Blog

I love writing reviews. Every week, I write a review on Eat, Sleep, Denim about a different pair of jeans. It's a great way to get content useful content about fashion on your site, while still interjecting...

10 Tips for Maximizing Affiliate Income (Without Losing Your Soul)

Last week I addressed the Fashionista article which claimed that some personal style bloggers would earn up to $50,000 a month in affiliate commissions via RewardStyle. Then I countered with my own average af...

Blog Milk Now Has Beautiful Themes for Blogger AND WordPress

Ah, the question of Blogger or Wordpress. Both have been suffering from relatively nerdy designs lately compared to other platforms like Tumblr, Squarespace, and Virb. Even though Wordpress has a history of customizing themes, still finding a simple and fashio...

You Don’t Need a Massive Following to Make a Living Blogging

Most of you have probably already read Fashionista's article about "personal style bloggers raking in millions", but in case you haven't, the gist of it is that there are some fashion bloggers out there who mak...

3 Things No One Tells You About Being a Full Time Blogger

There's a lot of glamour associated with being a full time blogger. Many people think it's all fast money, sponsored trips, and fabulous clothes (if only!). While being a full time fashion blogger is absolute...

10 Modern, Mobile Friendly, Responsive (Free!) Themes for WordPress and Blogger

More people are checking in on their favorite websites and blogs from their phones, tablets, e-readers and other devices that aren't laptops or desktop computers. If you want some of that traffic, your best bet...

Where to Get Cool Blogger Templates for Fashion Bloggers: Jelly Design Studio

For those of you on Blogger wanting more designed templates to make your fashion blog stand out, it's not always so easy to find great designs as most custom templates are for Wordpress, Tumblr has some really ...

The Guide to Affiliate Companies Every Fashion Blogger Must Know

You probably already know that affiliate programs are one of the easiest ways to monetize fashion related traffic. Even if you only participate in affiliate programs to answer your own questions: how many clicks does it take before someone buys something? is...

The Ultimate Cheat Sheet! Post Titles for Fashion Bloggers

You have a fraction of a second to get our attention. Your post is inspired, your photos are gorgeous, your readers are going to love your post, but wait... what do you title your post? Believe it or not y...

How to Blog Like a Boss With an Editorial Calendar & Content Idea Bank

Here on IFB, we write a lot about your 'editorial calendar' and 'keeping your content fresh.' What does an editorial calendar actually look like, and how exactly does one keep coming up with new and fresh i...

Keep It Simple: 4 Tips for the Part-Time or Hobby Blogger

Many of the members in the IFB Community are hobby bloggers or part-time bloggers, myself included! I'm sure by now you've all realized that blogging can quickly take over your life if you let it and that maintaining a blog-work-life balance can be incredib...

The Fashion Blogger’s Quick Guide to Monetization

Now that you've figured out it's time to monetize your fashion blog, how do you do it? There's no "one" right way or the "best" way to monetize your blog, you'll just have to figure out what works for you a...

Are You Selling Anything Yet?

Ebooks, digital courses, consulting, t-shirts oh my! On your path to turning blogging into a career that supports you (day job not included), developing a signature product is a super smart way to go. Why? ...

Is Fashion Blogging Broken? 5 Issues Hurting Bloggers

It surprises me whenever I hear an authority in the fashion blogging community say things like, "The bubble has burst." "Things have changed so much, and it just doesn't work anymore." "The fashion blogging community has died... four years ago I di...

Make More Money From Your Affiliate Links By Learning These Terms

For bloggers looking to monetize, affiliate links are often the easiest way to start. While different networks have different requirements, it generally takes fewer visitors or pageviews to be accepted into a...

Monetizing Your Blog: How to Figure Out Your Banner Ad Rates

Despite the increasing popularity of new ad types like native advertising, advertising and programmatic ads, banners are still one of the most popular forms of advertising, and they're usually the first kind ...

Categories + Tags: What Are They & How to Use Them

Confession: I've been blogging almost 6 years, and I don't entirely know the difference between blog tags and categories. They always seemed like a redundant organization system... like, organize your posts by this and then organize them AGAIN! What's the p...

Should You Create an “About Me” Video for Your Blog?

Last year, my tiny living room was transformed into a makeshift studio with two cameramen, lights and a director who actually said "action." I was being interviewed for a documentary about fashion blogging, a...

Daily Inspiration: Energy flows where intention goes… Create your day.

Every morning when I wake up, I like to set my intentions for the day. Things I would like to accomplish, whether it be a task or to keep my cool during stressful times. Without taking the time to set intenti...

6 Tips for An Insanely Effective Blog Giveaway

Brands use contests and sweepstakes to drive engagement and to support new customer acquisition initiatives. Why shouldn't your blog leverage promotions in a similar way? Here are a few tips to help you set up a winning campaign- whether this will be your ...

Daily Inspiration: Creativity is Intelligence Having Fun

Mondays are always tough. You'd think after the weekend we'd all be rested and raring to go, but it takes a minute to get the brain back into it's groove. Which is why I'd like to kick off the week with th...

Daily Inspiration: People are going to judge you anyway…

As bloggers we're constantly putting ourselves "out there" as personal style bloggers we're putting our images out there, as fashion bloggers we're putting our opinions out there, it can get pretty personal s...

6 Ways to Figure Out Your Blog’s Brand Essence

A brand essence isn't something that is easy to communicate - instead, it's a few words (the fewer the better), that communicates the feeling that your brand evokes. Unlike your visual identity, or a tagline, your brand essence is the intangible, often ephemer...

Daily Inspiration: Don’t Quit Your Day Dream

How many of you like to day dream? I know, I sure love day dreaming! Some may think day dreaming is wasting time, but I like to think of it as exploring the possibilities. What does your mind want to accom...

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Daily Inspiration: Independence is Happiness

Happy 4th of July! Here in the US, it's Independence Day... which usually means a day off, fireworks, something off the grill... hamburgers or veggie dogs. I usually like to reflect on what it ...

Daily Inspiration: You will never influence the world by trying to be like it

One of the biggest pieces of blogging advice is to have a "strong voice" or to be "unique" or to "stand out." Advice easier given than put into practice. However, why is this advice so important? Why does it it stand the test of time? Well, because in order ...

Daily Inspiration: Well Shit, At Least You Tried.

I literally laughed out loud when I saw this image, followed by a deep feeling of, "Oh, shit. Well, it's true." As we get older, we expect to be perfect, knowledgeable, and experienced the moment we star...

Daily Inspiration: If You Think Adventure is Dangerous, Try Routine, It’s Lethal

As bloggers, we're encouraged to develop routines: post at the same time of day, the same days of the week. Create a brand, and stick to it through all social media platforms. It can be scary to think of ...

Former SEO Manager for ELLE.com Shares Biggest Rookie Blogger Mistake

A crucial strategy for any fashion blogger looking to go pro is increasing how many people come visit your blog each month. Impressive stats appeal to advertisers. They also give you major negotiating power when it comes to brand partnerships, landing that...

Daily Inspiration: It always seems impossible until it’s done.

At the beginning of any journey, the destination always seems so far away. Taking a road trip, running a marathon, graduating from college, having a baby, all seem so far off and maybe even a bit impossible...

Daily Inspiration: Don’t be pushed by your problems. Be led by your dreams.

It's so easy to get caught up fixing problems. Particularly on a Monday! Holy moly! But don't let your problems dictate where you go with your life. Sure, learn from mistakes, take your knowledge, but don't ...

Daily Inspiration: Whatever makes you feel bad, leave it.

When it comes to blogging, we're overloaded with messages, content, pitches, you name it. It's easy to feel like you're being pulled in a million different directions. So how do you deal? I used to read every blog that I found out about, or thought was ...

Daily Inspiration: Do something today that your future self will thank you for.

So much wisdom revloves around being in the moment and living for today. So why not hit two birds with one stone and do something today that will also benefit you in the future. Whether it be working on the...

Daily Inspiration: Your dream job does not exist. You must create it.

A few years ago, I went to a talk with Anna Dello Russo who advised everyone to "Invent your job!" The truth is, everyone has special talents that are useful somewhere in some way. We all have our passions,...

Daily Inspiration: Great things are done by a series of small things brought together

There is nothing like having a grand idea. I remember the first time I wanted to do a full day conference, even though had never done a conference before. I had thrown a few events, but nothing like orchestrating 25 speakers, getting people to at...

Why Every Blogger Should Send an Email Newsletter (Plus, What to put in it)

We've talked a little recently here on IFB about how important an email newsletter can be for driving traffic to your blog, but it's still not a tool many bloggers use. It should be. Besides search engine tra...

5 Ways to Find Contact Information for Fashion PR Agencies

Being connected to fashion publicists is great. You get the inside scoop on all sorts of great designer collections, events and opportunities to partner with brands for fun and fame and financial gain. However,...

Daily Inspiration: You’ll have a whole eternity to think inside the box.

Anyone can think "inside the box" it doesn't take much to come up with an idea that's already been thought before. But thinking outside the box? That's a challenge. That means taking risks. That's how progress is made. Don't worry about making mistakes or...

Daily Inspiration: Next to excellence is the appreciation of it.

When I saw this quote, I thought of two things... the amazing people who can spot excellence in a sea of mediocrity, and the people who complain when excellence is being appreciated. Finding beauty and goo...

7 Ways You Can Borrow Ideas from Others

I wanted to title this post, "Shakespeare and the Beatles stole from their peers, you can too," but that's a bit long and cumbersome. (And really, it promotes the wrong idea.) I'm a firm believer that there...

5 Ways to Weave Quotations into a Feature Article

by Chanelle Leslie of "Not So Naked" So you've found a designer that takes your fancy - let's call him Karl Lagerfeld - and he's agreed to have you interview him. You email over some questions, receive a reply, and now you're ready to write up an article...

3 Things to do Before Contacting a PR Agency to Send You Free Stuff

Let’s be real: one of the great perks of being a fashion blogger is the opportunity to connect with PR agencies and have them send you lovely things to wear and write about. Who doesn’t love getting goodies i...

10 Outfit Photo Locations You Can Find Amost Anywhere

Taking outfit photos can be hard work just by themselves, but finding a good location? That's tough, especially if you feel like you live in the middle of nowhere, especially if you are looking to find a VARIETY of places to snap the perfect outfit shot. ...

Daily Inspiration: The Key to Failure is Trying to Please Everybody

We've all heard you can't please everybody, and that you shouldn't try to be all things to all people, but have we ever thought about linking failure to trying to please everybody? When I read this quote, ...

12 Reasons You Won’t “Make It” as a Blogger

I've contributed for IFB for the past four years and have written a LOT of posts. I've also received thousands of comments over the years, so I feel like I have an idea of "what the IFB community wants." Su...

The Fashion Blogger’s Guide to Editing Photos Like a Pro

Have you been to a blog that had 10 large photos of the same thing? Did you find it overwhelming? Are you posting multiple photos because that's what everyone else is doing? When it comes to taking photos, the editing process is just as important as the pho...

Daily Inspiration: Time has a wonderful way of showing us what really matters.

Ever get caught up in something thinking it would mean the "end of the world" only to forget about it a month later? Maybe I'm just a drama queen, but yeah, that happens from time to time. The things th...

Daily Inspiration: Be the Best Possible Version of Yourself, and Don’t Settle

We've all heard people tell us, "Be the best you can be!" Hello, army! But what does that really mean? Some days my best is just making it to work, other days my best is pretty damn good. I like the idea...

10 YouTube Stars to Watch (& Learn From)

In the internet galaxy, YouTube is a universe unto itself. In just over eight years of existence, YouTube sees over 1 billion unique visitors who watch over 4 billion hours of video. PER MONTH. While the traffic is insane, it's safe to assume that your blog re...

Daily Inspiration: Life is a Story: Make Yours The Best Seller

My whole life I didn't know what I wanted to do, but it had to be extraordinary. Now, my life didn't turn out to be exactly "extraordinary" but so far, I've been able to accomplish most of my goals on some le...

5 Photoshop Tricks That Will Ruin Your Photos

The invention of Photoshop is at once one of the best things that ever happened to photography and one of the worst things. Now we have several options to edit photos, there are endless photo apps, Instagram b...

126 Niche Fashion Blog Ideas

Do you know your niche? Honing in on a niche for your blog can be difficult in the very general topic of fashion. Fashion is a glamorous, beautiful topic, and it's hard to decide which direction to take when there are so many avenues to explore. However...

Blogger Grammar Basics: Colons, Ellipses, and Dashes

Last week I talked about grammar basics with periods, commas, and semi-colons, and this week I'm getting into the fun and fancy punctuation: colons, ellipses, and dashes. These get used often by bloggers, b...

Behind the Scenes: How a Fashion Blogger Makes Money

I always appreciate getting a "behind the scenes" look at income breakdowns and the nuts & bolts of making a living as a blogger, so I thought I'd get on the other side of it today and give you a peek ins...

Daily Inspiration: There are always flowers for those who want to see them.

The amazing thing about perception is that it can be changed. You're having a bad day? Look for the good things? Blog not going as expected? Look at what's going right, look for the things that make you happy. It's amazing how when you look at the br...

Daily Inspiration: Kind Words Will Unlock an Iron Door

It's amazing what kindness can do. It can enrich your life, build the foundation for wonderful relationships. Even when meeting people, paying them a genuine compliment is a nice way to start a friendshi...

How to be a Fashion Blogger WITHOUT a DSLR & Other Things….

Have you ever been afraid to start something - a new blog, a new project, or whatever? Or told yourself you'd start when you have _______ (fill in the blank)? I know I have. We're so good at putting things ...

Daily Inspiration: Be a Voice, Not an Echo

We talk a lot about developing a "strong voice" here on IFB. It's the quality of a blog that's often cited as the single most important. Another way to think about it, are you voicing something original, or are you just echoing what you find to be the m...

Daily Inspiration: You are far too smart to be the only thing standing in your way.

When it comes right down to it. You are the only thing standing in your way. I know this speaking from experience. The times when I day dreamed about doing something more with my life, but didn't because...

Daily Inspiration: Successful people never worry about what others are doing.

Do we have to be overly concerned that other people are successful? Do other people's successes indicate our own demise? I hope the answer is "no." I find that when I'm heads down and working on my own stuff, I don't have time to get upset about what other ...

Daily Inspiration: Tough times don’t last; tough people do.

I don't know what this has to do with blogging, except that having this approach to life will make you a better blogger. Some of my favorite sayings are, "this too shall pass," and "the only thing you can ...

10 Ways to Build an Insanely Loyal Following

The internet is a fickle place. One minute you're hot, and the next minute... well, let's just say people move on quick. Building a loyal following can be difficult in a time where everything changes so quick...

Daily Inspiration: A Beautiful Thing Is Never Perfect

Perfection might be a virtue for some people... but in reality, how much do we really love perfection? Anne Hathaway is seemingly perfect, kind, talented, smart, and beautiful, yet all the gossip columns absolutely hate her. When Jennifer Lawrence tripped ...

Daily Inspiration: Every Artist Was First an Amateur

Yes, it is true, every one begins as an amateur. I would even go a step further and say, we suck at first. Maybe some have a gift and do something ok the first time. But for the most part, to really beco...

10 Surprising Phrases You Might Be Getting Wrong

Many of us bloggers may not have started our blogs out of our love for the written word. There are many bloggers who are "ideas" people-- those who love sharing information about a favorite topic. Personally, I started blogging in spite of the fact writing w...

Get Paid: Invoice Template for Your Blogger Services [DOWNLOAD]

The good news is, your blog is in business. You've got your first project approved by the client, and now what? You need to GET PAID! Sometimes business is done with a handshake, but for tax purposes, b...

7 Common Traits of High Quality Fashion Blogs

"Be so good they can't ignore you." ~Steve Martin I keep going back to this, because it's at once sage advice, and completely subjective advice. For bloggers wishing to become professional, getting noticed i...

The 6 Fashion Bloggers Personality Types

Fashion bloggers are an interesting mix aren't we? Who else takes photos of ourselves (often with a tripod) and posts them on the internet? Sounds strange when you say it out loud doesn't it? But somehow it's the most delightful escape, talking about outfits...