Emma Brooks | Digital Media Enthusiast

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For Day 13, I’d thought I’d mix my style up a little bit by approaching a blogger I have been following for over a year and asking her if I could pose some interview questions. She graciously agreed.

Zephyr has been writing CollegeFashion.Net for over 2 years now. I initially found her blog when I was doing research into fashion bloggers for work but continued reading as a fan because I loved her articles, her fashion style and how she ran her blog. To me, she epitomizes all the “right” things a blogger should be doing if they wish to move their blogs from part-time hobby to full-time employment.

Without further ado, I give you the questions I posed and her answers…

1. To start, would you like to tell us what your blog is about in your own words?

College Fashion is a community of college girls who love fashion. To me, the “blog” part of things is secondary to that. I write about fashion, style, beauty, and college life, but CF is about so much more than that – it’s a place where readers can talk about fashion, ask questions, get involved, and learn about fashion, style, and everything in between.

2. How did you get started with this blog?

I started College Fashion in March of 2007 when I realized there were NO fashion sites out there specifically for college students. Everything was either aimed at women with thousands of dollars to spare or 16 year old high school students. I decided if it didn’t exist, I might as well create it, and College Fashion was born.

3. At what point in this blog’s history did you realize this could actually become a full-time job for you?

To be honest, it’s always been a full-time job in terms of the workload – I’ve pretty much been working 40+ hours a week every week since I started it! I’ve even been known to skip class to work on my site (bad, I know, but it’s the truth). Running a blog is SO much more work than people think, and running a successful blog is pretty much always a full-time job. In terms of when I started making a full-time income from the site, it was probably mid 2008 before I started seeing that.

4. How have you managed to keep up the creativity with your blog?

Staying motivated and creative is something I’m constantly trying to improve at. It’s not always easy and there are definitely days when I feel like I have nothing creative to write about. But I’ve learned to just push through that and keep going anyway. Also being in love with your subject matter helps a lot. I don’t think I could write creatively about sports every day!

5. Were there any posts/themes that you expected to be popular and weren’t? Or posts/themes that you didn’t think would garner much attention but did?

I wrote a post about the fashion on Gossip Girl when it first started, when the show wasn’t that popular yet and didn’t expect the article to be popular. Instead, it got a HUGE response! It’s one of the most popular posts on my site to date. I had no idea the show would be such a big deal and I think my site benefited from that.

6. What are some of the perks of writing a fashion blog? The cons?

Perks include free stuff (beauty products, clothes, accessories, etc., etc.), getting to interview celebs, opportunities to attend events I wouldn’t normally be invited to, doing things I love as a job (writing and talking about fashion), and being able to work from anywhere. The cons include 40 hour plus work weeks (I barely even remember what a weekend is supposed to be like), constant pressure to update, a perpetually out-of-control inbox, dealing with negative comments, and working for next to nothing for a year or two before your site gets established.

7. Do you have any advice for someone starting out with trying to move their blog to a full-time employment opportunity?

Work hard and don’t expect success to come overnight. So many people start blogging because they think it’s a “get rich quick” thing, and nothing could be further from the truth! To be honest, I think blogging is one of the LEAST easy/quick ways to make money online. You have to work really hard, write well, motivate yourself, stay creative, and update as often as you can to see success, and even then success isn’t guaranteed. It’s definitely not for everyone – you have to be willing to work hard for next to nothing for a few years before you’ll see real income.

8. Where do you see the future of your blog going? Or even blogging in general?

I have no idea! That’s part of what makes it fun. I’m sure the site will change quite a bit in the future as blogging and technology changes, but right now, the future’s an open book.

9. You recently changed the name you went by online to your real name. Has there been any fallout from that move?

Not at all and it makes me wish I had gone by my real name sooner! Everyone has been super nice and supportive about it, and people have even been saying they like my site more now that I’m using my real name. Zero backlash whatsoever.

10. What would you say is your favourite fashion piece at this moment?

Oh god, it changes daily. I guess if I had to pick I’d say my J Brand dark wash skinny jeans. They’re so comfy, work for day or night, and go with pretty much everything.

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And that’s it! I think Zephyr has made some really good points about expectations for new bloggers and those who want to make blogging their primary means of supporting themselves. Nothing comes overnight, especially success and monetary gain!

Thank you so much Zephyr for taking the time to answer my questions! I truly appreciate it. If you’d like some great fashion advice, well-written articles and where to find great online deals, please check out Zephyr’s site at CollegeFashion.Net.