06/03/18

Meet Coco From Blog Darling

Hey guys! I have another interview for you today with Coco from Blog Darling. This fellow girl boss is driven, hard-working, and has already accomplished so much with her blog since launching it only 9 months ago! I hope you enjoy getting to know Coco and make sure you check out her website for tons of helpful tips! – XO, Cathrin

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Hello! My name is Coco and I blog over at Blog Darling. On my site, I write about blogging, social media, and blog monetization strategies. My main goal is to help others turn their blog into a profitable business. I am very transparent and love to share everything that I am learning about blogging along the way!

Why did you decide to start your blog?

I had wanted to start a blog for a while because I love to write and I love to read other blogs – mainly travel bloggers. After months of research, I finally launched my own travel blog. However, I quickly realized that while I love to travel, I don’t love writing about it as much! So that blog was pretty short-lived.

I had spent a ton of time researching how to blog, ways to make money blogging, etc. in preparation for my travel blog, and I finally realized that I was much more interested in that aspect of blogging… so I decided to start a blog about blogging instead!

How did you come up with the name Blog Darling?

I was just playing around with name ideas, and I settled on Blog Darling because it’s short and sweet, and I felt that it fit in with the branding I was going for. I love all things pretty, pink, and girly (which you can probably tell from my blog) so it was the perfect fit!

How long have you been in the blogging world?

I started Blog Darling last September, so about nine months now!

What was your biggest struggle when you were getting started?

The biggest struggle I faced when I was first getting started was overwhelm.

There was just so much to learn about blogging, and for some reason, I felt like I had to rush to learn it all! My issue was that I was comparing myself to other bloggers who had already been at it for a few years, and I felt like I needed to “catch up” so I could be successful like them.

Once I realized that blogging was not a race and that it takes time to grow your blog, I felt a lot less stressed.

What do you believe to be the most rewarding part of your work?

The most rewarding part of blogging is definitely getting emails or comments from my readers saying that I have helped them with blogging or inspired them to start a blog!

As you continue to grow with your blog, what was one of the biggest learning curves you faced?

The promotional/marketing aspect of blogging has definitely been a huge learning curve for me to overcome! When I first started blogging, I didn’t realize how much went into it. I kind of thought blogging was just writing a post and then hitting publish!

But that’s just a tiny part of it. I have definitely developed some new skills since starting my blog: email marketing, sales funnels, social media marketing, SEO, and more.

I think the major takeaway is that if you want to run a blog, you need to be prepared to learn some new skills. There are a lot of great resources and tutorials for bloggers out there, so my best advice is just to dive in and learn as you go!

What has helped you the most to continue to grow your blog?

Pinterest! I get about 80% of my blog traffic from Pinterest and I think it’s a platform that all new bloggers should be using.

I always thought Pinterest was just for crafts and recipes, but that’s not the case at all. Almost any blog niche can find success on Pinterest, and the great thing about it is that you can start driving traffic to your blog from Pinterest almost immediately.

One other thing I like about Pinterest is that it’s more of a “buying audience” than other platforms like Facebook or Instagram.

According to Pinterest, 92% of their users use the platform to plan for purchases, while 52% will make an online purchase after seeing an item on Pinterest. So it’s a good platform for bloggers to focus on if they are trying to monetize their blog!

What was the best piece of advice you’ve received when it comes to blogging, following your passion, or starting your own business?

The best advice I’ve gotten about starting a blog is to just jump in and learn as you go! I let my perfectionism get in the way when I first started. I didn’t want to launch my blog until the design looked just right, or publish a post unless it was 100% perfect.

Your blog WILL change and evolve as you go, and that’s totally normal! Just don’t let the fear of not being perfect hold you back from starting.

What is the one thing that you’re most proud of that you accomplished with your blog to date?

I’m really proud that I am able to make over $1,000 a month from my blog as a new blogger. Since I am a college student, it’s amazing to be able to earn some extra money in my free time by doing something that I love!

What does success look like to you?

I’m not sure yet. I already feel pretty successful with my blog (making any amount of monthly profit is a success in my book!) but I’m excited to see it grow.

I think my ultimate goal for my blog is to be able to make it my full-time job. To accomplish that, I’ll need to increase my monthly income by about 10x what I’m making now. (Living in New York isn’t cheap!) So we’ll see how that goes…

What advice would you give to someone who wants to follow their passion?

Just go for it! I kind of touched on this earlier, but don’t let the fear of getting started hold you back from following your passion.

When I think about how far I have come with my blog in the past nine months, I sometimes wonder what it would be like if I had kept on putting it off or waiting for the “right time” to start. I’m so glad I took the plunge and just started!

As Walt Disney said, “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”

When you aren’t working, what do you like to do for fun? What makes you truly happy?

When I’m not working on my blog or busy with school, I love to travel! As I mentioned earlier, the whole reason I got into blogging was from reading travel blogs… My secret dream is to actually start my own successful travel blog one day!

What book would you recommend for us to read?

“Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell. It’s a really interesting look at what makes people successful.

One of my favorite parts of the book “Outliers” is a study showing that it takes 10,000 hours of practice for someone to become an expert in their field. Everyone from The Beatles to Bill Gates got in 10,000 of practice perfecting their craft. According to that study, the elite are not more naturally talented than anybody else… they just spent more time practicing!

I think this is a lesson that can definitely be applied to blogging as well. Don’t get discouraged comparing yourself to others who might have already put in their 10,000 hours. As long as you have a solid foundation for your blog and a strategic path to your end goal, you can definitely find success if you just keep on going! ☺