How to Start a Fashion Blog For Free (and Get Paid)

Creating a website or blog to share your passion for fashion and your unique take on style has never been easier. But, with so many different platforms and options available, it can be difficult to decide on the right tools to turn your hobby into an authoritative source for fashion inspiration.

Here are eight steps to create a fashion blog that will help you express your creativity, have fun, and even turn a profit:

1. Find your voice.
2. Name your blog.
3. Choose your host.
4. Pick a theme.
5. Install security and performance plugins.
6. Create a posting schedule and stick to it.
7. Use high-quality photography and draw from your social media accounts.
8. Monetize your fashion blog.

1. Find your voice

A fashion blog gives you the ability to establish a personal brand and focus on subjects that you’re particularly passionate about. You may be tempted to write only about things you think might be popular, but if you write about topics that you connect with, you’ll have a better chance of drawing a devoted readership.

2. Name your blog

Choosing a name can be one of the most difficult parts of starting any business. You’ll want to pick a name for your fashion blog that reflects what you write about and who you are. Do a few searches online to make sure someone else hasn’t already created a website with the same name. 

Once you’ve decided on one, purchase a domain name to match. If you find that the .com domain you really want is already owned by someone else, check to see if other spellings or extensions are available. You may be familiar with .com, .net, and .org domains, but there are also .style, .tips, .reviews, and many others to choose from. But, keep in mind that people, in general, are more familiar with the .com domain and, as a result, might not trust a site that uses a unique domain (like .style) instead. 

3. Choose your host

WordPress is one of the most popular blogging platforms in the world, powering over 41% of all websites. Because it’s so widely used, it’s also incredibly well-supported with thousands of free and professional themes and plugins. This means that you can create a blog that’s as simple or complex as you’d like. 

It also means that when it comes to hosting — the service that stores and displays your website files — there are many great choices. If you’re new to blogging or have never created a website, hosts like BlueHost, DreamHost, Pressable, and LiquidWeb all have one-click WordPress installation options so you can get your site set up in a jiffy. Here are a few of our recommended hosts to get you started.

4. Pick a fashion-friendly theme

Before you can start posting to your blog, you’ll need to choose a theme. Think of a theme as your blog’s “outfit,” designed to reflect your brand. Themes are pre-designed with a particular aesthetic or purpose in mind but can be customized with your brand’s colors, typography, and logo.

5. Install security and performance plugins

Don’t let all your hard work go to waste by ignoring the importance of site security and performance. Not only does Jetpack offer tons of themes to choose from, it also offers a comprehensive suite of security and performance features. Automatically back up your site, prevent spam and hacking attempts, and speed up page load time with Jetpack’s affordable Security Daily plan.

6. Create a posting schedule and stick to it

Post on a regular basis. It can be a challenge to get up and write every day when you aren’t feeling inspired or your plans unexpectedly change. It’s hard work and you won’t attract a million followers overnight, but the only way to get there is by being consistent, dedicated, and authentic.

Even if you can’t make the time to post every day, you don’t have to let disruptions or an unpredictable week cause you to lose connection with your readers. Schedule your posts in advance and automate sharing them to social media. WordPress natively allows you to schedule your posts’ publication date and Jetpack’s social media tools help you automatically share them to your social media accounts when they’re published. 

7. Use high-quality photography and draw from your social media accounts

Fashion is a visual art form, so photographs are naturally the best way to convey the beauty, emotion, and fine detail that is integral to style. Whether it’s photos of runway-ready ensembles worn by celebrities, or everyday street fashion, don’t be shy when it comes to uploading images. 

If you find uploading images tedious, there are a variety of plugins you can use to import image feeds from your social media accounts to your website.

Jetpack blocks offer a suite of features available to increase your blog’s visual appeal using uploaded photos as well as social media feeds. Make an aesthetic impact by creating stunning photo galleries, sliders, and even Instagram Stories-like slideshows to showcase video, photo, and blog post content.

Here’s a list of a few of the Jetpack blocks that will help you create a visually-arresting experience for your readers:

• The Image Compare block. Display and compare the differences between two images side by side (e.g. “Who wore it best?”) using a slider.
• The Latest Instagram Posts block. Automatically feed your latest Instagram photos to your site.
• The Pinterest block. Embed Pinterest boards, profiles, and Pins.
• The Story block. Combine photos and videos to create an engaging, tappable full-screen slideshow. Unlike Instagram, stories published using the Story block won’t disappear after 24 hours and you can edit or add to stories after they’re published.

8. Monetize your fashion blog

Once you’ve created your blog and started writing articles, it’s time to decide how you want to monetize (or if you want to — not all hobbies have to be commercialized). 

Here are ways to monetize your fashion blog:

1. Become an affiliate marketer

Affiliate marketing is an extremely popular way for bloggers and influencers to make money online. It’s also responsible for about 16% of online sales. By becoming a brand affiliate, you’ll be positioned to earn money every time a fan clicks on your link to buy a product you recommend.

For example, Kaylah Stroup (of the popular fashion and lifestyle blog The Dainty Squid) built her fashion and lifestyle blog using WordPress and monetizes her efforts with affiliate links to some of her favorite brands. Not sure where to start on your journey to becoming an affiliate? Start here for some popular fashion affiliate resources.

2. Sell your own style

If you knit hats, design jewelry, or create fabric patterns, your fashion website might be the right place to sell your unique crafts. While WordPress does offer robust eCommerce solutions like WooCommerce, the fastest way to get started (especially if you’d like to test the waters first) is by using the Simple Payment Button. This enables visitors to submit online payments through PayPal. 

You can embed these handy buttons directly from the WordPress editor — just create a Simple Payments block with a few clicks and you’ll be set up in no time.

There is a small processing fee associated with using PayPal, but it enables you to secure all transactions and keep more of what you earn. Customers can save time by using their existing PayPal accounts, credit card, or debit card. 

3. Display third-party ads on your site

Use Jetpack to display WordAds on your blog. WordAds places advertisements on pages and posts and has more than 50 partners — including Google AdSense, AppNexus, Amazon A9, AOL Marketplace, Yahoo, and Criteo. 

Each marketer bids to display their promotion in WordAds spots. High competition for exposure ensures that your blog will get ads that generate the highest revenue. It’s super simple — all you have to do is publish WordAds on your site and collect payouts.

Now that you’ve been outfitted with the knowledge needed to create a fashion blog, accessorize it with your own unique style, content, and features. When you’re ready, jump into monetizing your efforts and walk down the runway to a profitable new career.

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