Last week’s Independent Fashion Bloggers’ Evolving Influence Conference was just as informative and stylish as we expected. There was a lot of information to take in, so instead of putting up one 4,000-word post (whew!), we’ve decided to create a series with detailed coverage of each session, complete with insight and advice from each speaker. Let’s get started:

It’s Just Business: Make a living with your blog

Mattias Swenson - Bloglovin’, @mattiasswenson

The business of blogging, especially in the fashion and style sector, has come to the forefront over the past few years. Mattias Swenson of Bloglovin’ predicts product placement will expand in the coming years as brands realize how much influence bloggers have and how that influence can drive sales.

Partnering with brands

Mattias maintains that brands generally look at basic factors when determining who to work with: Unique visitors, comments per post, and number of followers. While transparency and authenticity are important, “As long as you’re selective with your brand endorsements and choose things that you stand for, your readers will trust even paid endorsements.”

Measuring success

He also noted that brands and bloggers currently measure success by revenue (money coming in), though brands rarely share their return on investment from a blogger-based campaign, making it difficult to determine how much to charge.

In general, price points have been pushed up over time and are determined by the market rates as opposed to influence. Which means that bloggers with different sized audiences might be making the same rate per campaign, instead of being compensated based on their respective influence. In a perfect/fair world, the more successful your campaigns, the more you should be able to charge.

Advice

• “Don’t sell your media like magazines or TV–you’re more than that.”

• Think of how you can use your influence to sell things you believe in. Make sure to partner with brands you really like or use.

• Spell out a clear value proposition in your pitch. Be specific about what you bring to the table and how it benefits the brand.

• Use Google URL Builder in conjunction with Google Analytics, and tag your links. Read more about installing Google Analytics on your blog in this article.

Phil Oh - Street Peeper , @mrstreetpeeper

Phil opened by talking about how he got to the point where street style blogging is his career. “Everybody thinks the road to blogging is paved with Hermes,” but he decided to differentiate by covering street style in different cities, a unique concept at the time. Part of his monetization strategy involved implementing a brand tagger so people could search for products and see people wearing those items–a very attractive proposition for potential advertisers.

Finding advertisers

He started out with three ads that he gave away for free to friends in “glam” industries. After a few years and an unhappy stint with an ad network, he started building a media kit–which he highly recommends for everyone. “The hard part is finding who to contact,” so Phil used Google and LinkedIn to find ad managers of the brands he was interested in working with.

He also teamed up with other big bloggers to pool traffic as a group, noting that trying to attract CPM advertising with big brands means you’re competing with the likes of Conde Nast, Yahoo, and AOL.

“Everybody thinks the road to blogging is paved with Hermes.”

Charging for your services

If you’re small or new and a brand wants to work with you for free, Phil advises “Do it if you want to and think it’s a fun project, not because you eventually want to charge. You have to have guts and stand up for your work. If you think the time and effort you spend is worth something, charge.”

Advice

• If you’re just getting started, offer free advertising for a few brands in industries you’d like to work with. It gives the impression that you already have contacts in the right places and companies want what you have to offer.

• Build a media kit–even if it’s as simple as a two-page presentation. Trawl Google and LinkedIn to find the right people to send it to.

• Form an ad network with 4-5 other bloggers so you can charge more money and attract larger advertisers.

• Treat your product or commodity as valuable–your pictures, your writing, your audience, and your time are worth something to brands. Make sure you’re fairly compensated.

Get Involved: Cultivate a passionate readership

Yuri Lee - LOOKBOOK.nu , @lookbookdotnu

According to Yuri, Lookbook sticks to two tenets: Do less and be good.

1. Do less. Do one thing, and do it the best. For Lookbook, it is important to showcase the best content, so they spend a lot of time on algorithms designed to filter out spam and celeb photos. They also focus on fresh new content, and try to make sure every post has something worth value.

2. Be good. Be good at what you do, and treat other people well. Leave meaningful comments, drive traffic to other’s sites, read and respond to feedback to engage with your readers. Create a relationship so readers know there’s a real person behind the site. Every contact or relationship is an opportunity.

Getting Traffic

When first starting, they tried several techniques to attract users: they printed fliers at Kinko’s (that didn’t work), they sent personal emails to target audience members, and relied on word of mouth to help grow their audience. All in all, Lee says Lookbook grew organically.

“People notice when you put love into your work. Press is overrated.”

Making money

The current business model is simple monetization through advertising. “The first year, we were very poor,” notes Lee. As the site grew, they included more ads, and took time to make sure those ads were relevant to readers.

Fun fact

The site is Lookbook.nu because they couldn’t get .com, and were too late for .us. .Nu is the domain for island nation Niue, but they thought it sounded cool and went with it anyway!

Advice

• Keep it lighthearted and strive to have fun. Invite people who embody the spirit of your site to be a part of your community.

• Keep in touch with your most enthusiastic users. Make personal contact, ask their opinion, and encourage them to be a part of the process.

• Focus on one or two things and do them to the best of your ability.

Gala Darling - Gala Darling, @galadarling

Gala opened with the importance of defining what a passionate audience is for you. Work that out first, then it’s easier to find. She pointed out that not everyone is going to like you, and you just have to get over it. “You’re being judged no matter what, so just be yourself.” Needing to be liked all the time can dilute your voice–if you’re going to do something and have it resonate with people, you have to be passionate about it.

Authenticity is a must. “You need to be honest and truthful, brave and bold. Online, everything is recorded so you can’t get away with any bullshit.” Even vulnerability can work in your favor. “It makes people feel like you’re real.”

Encouraging interaction

The best way to get people interacting depends on what you’re doing with your blog. Encouraging conversation in multiple places is good for building Google juice. “I do most interaction with readers on Twitter, Facebook and email.” Doing that helps the audience grow organically.

Truly successful communities

The true measure of a successful community? When you get people talking and thinking about what you’ve said in their own space, that’s an engaged audience. Encourage people to draw their own conclusions and run with their own ideas.

“Making people think is a good way to start a dialogue.”

The downside to comments

She noted that the downside to having a large volume of comments is that it can feel like voices in your head all the time. If you’re constantly thinking about your audience, that can be counterproductive. “Writing in anticipation of a response is dangerous.” On the subject of negative comments, Gala says “I ban people who are rude to me. Why should you put up with that? People can say whatever they want on their own site, but not on mine.”

Making money

As far as monetization, Gala notes that her podcast makes the most money. “I could cut ads, etc. and still make a good living.” She uses e-junkie to sell podcast, and records in Garage Band or QuickTime Pro. She recommends establishing an audience before starting your own podcast.

Advice

• Offer something of value to your readers. Help them with something.

• Practice facilitating discussion.  “The more you do it, the more you learn.”

• Have conversations using multiple platforms: Facebook, Twitter, email, message boards.

Check back tomorrow for the remaining sessions with Style Bubble, Bryanboy, Amy Odell of  The Cut , Cupcakes & Cashmere , and Fashion Toast!

Style blogger Jessica Schroeder of What I Wore just announced some great news: she got a book deal!

I’m sure there are plenty of other bloggers who are aspiring authors, and while working with an agent and an established publishing house is the most desirable way to write a book, there’s also another option: self publishing.

What is self publishing?

“Self publishing” is just the term for when authors produce and distribute their written work themselves, instead of working through third-party publishing specialists. Self publishers are usually able to keep a larger portion of their profits, in addition to having more control over content and promotion. The web, blogging, and the increasing number of media channels have spurred the self-publishing movement, and several services make it easier than ever to create your own book!

Print on demand technology (similar to the service we use to create print editions of Style Sample) is probably the best bet for independent authors and bloggers without a lot of capital to invest. You’ll want to look for a company with low-to-no set up fees–which vary depending on the size of the book, number of pages, binding, and cover (hardcover vs softcover).

Book binding options

Some of the most reputable services include:

Lulu

Lulu is one of the longest-running printing and distribution services online, and offers free publishing (no set-up fees) as well as paid marketing and design services. You choose your book’s binding, size, and paper, upload your files, build a cover, set the price, and start promoting!

Blurb

If you have a lot of high quality images you’d like to turn into a photo book, Blurb is your best bet. You can download their free BookSmart book-making software (or do it yourself if you’re comfortable with page-layout programs), add graphics, text and images, and place your order for as many as you’d like. I’ve seen some great results with Blurb.

CreateSpace

Formerly BookSurge, CreateSpace is owned by Amazon.com and allows you to upload a PDF of your book to their site. You can create a cover using their cover creator, choose distribution channels to sell your book (including Amazon.com, of course), and they’ll provide you with a free ISBN.

A word of caution

Beware of vanity presses, which charge exorbitant fees (up to $10,000) with the promise of printing large quantities of your book (likely more than you need) and distributing it to big box retailers. These presses are similar to the “modeling agencies” that charge hundreds of dollars for headshots and modeling classes–you don’t need all that if you create a valuable product.

Other things to consider:

• ISBN: You may want to look into applying for an ISBN (International Standard Book Number), which allows a title to be searchable and listed for sale on websites. It’s the barcode you usually see on the back of the book.

• Design: You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but let’s face it, people will (especially aesthetically-oriented fashion people)! If you’re not a designer and can’t afford to hire a professional, keep it simple and use a high-impact image or text for your cover image. You’ll also want a nice photo of yourself for the author bio page.

• Promotion: If you already have a blog, you likely already have an audience. Make sure your readers know you’re publishing a book, put a prominent link on your site, contact other blogs, sites, and publications and offer to do interviews, find a podcaster in your niche and do an interview, contact your local indie book retailer and offer to do an in-store reading, set up a booth at fairs and trade shows…there’s a lot you can do, so be ready to work!

• E-publishing: Keep in mind that the iPad, Kindle, and other e-reader devices are opening doors for independent publishers. If you’d prefer to stick with an e-book (a book available in electronic format, usually a downloadable PDF), try SmashWords.

The barrier to entry for book publishing is diminishing as technology advances, so I encourage you to put in some work and get your piece of the pie!

It’s a new year, a new decade, and a fresh start.  So, you make a few blog resolutions: Post more often! Attract more readers! Make some money!
As always, it’s easier said than done, but here are some tips to keep you on the right path:

Set specific goals

Everyone wants to attract more readers, get more comments, post more regularly, etc.

1. The trick is to set SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-based):  How many readers do you want to attract?  How many comments would you like to see on each post? What’s the deadline for all this to happen?

Post more often

It happens to the best of us: life gets a little out of control and we don’t have time to write/take pictures/cruise the web, let alone set up an entire blog post. To prevent these lapses:

2. Designate blocks of time for writing, research, and taking pictures and develop a schedule. Set a time (like Sunday afternoon) to schedule posts in advance.

3. Create an editorial calendar and make sure you have a place (a notepad, Google doc, whatever works for you) to jot down ideas as they come.

4. Write about two weeks worth of “evergreen” posts and save the drafts to your blogging platform. When you’re crunched for time, all you have to do is hit post and you’re done!

Attract more readers

5. Promote your blog by commenting on other blogs, joining topically related social networks, and participating in events with your target audience.

6. Set up multiple outposts and use social networks to spread your content. Don’t be scared to re-post your articles and images elsewhere; it will attract new readers to your blog.

7. Add Google alerts and Twitter searches for the types of content you post to your RSS feed, and participate in the discussions taking place around those topics.

Earn money

We’d all like to be compensated for our time and effort. There are a number of options here, the most prominent being:

8. Advertising from a direct contact or through an ad network. If you have a large enough readership, you may want to contact companies that are interested in reaching your target audience.

9.  Affiliate programs let you earn commission on sales you make of someone else’s products. You can find more information about affiliate sales here.

10. Direct sales mean you make money by selling something you create. You can sell your artwork, your writing, vintage clothing, or crafts you make to name a few.

Add some glamour

Fashion bloggers like pretty things (duh!), so use your skills to help you spruce up your blog.

11. Learn HTML and CSS so you can edit your blog template to add a column, expand your header, or insert a signature image. Check out some design galleries for inspiration.

12. Find a favorite font or image and create a new header.

13. Learn to use a graphics program (like Photoshop or The Gimp) to create colorful and enticing graphics for your sidebar and posts.

If you have a blog you’re already ahead of the game, so if you put your mind to it, you can stick to your blogging resolutions!

Image by Katerha

Just in case you missed ‘em the first time around, here are our picks for the best articles of 2009 on StyleSampleMag.com:

Interview with Rihanna’s stylist Mariel Haenn: Hayley and I met up with Rihanna’s stylist, who gave us advice on everything from getting started in fashion styling to making industry contacts. Great info for future stylists.

Premiere Issue release: If for no other reason than sheer sentimental value, check out the very first issue of Style Sample mag. Remembering this one always makes me smile.

How to Pitch a Story to a Magazine: Aspiring fashion writers, take note.

How to create a Facebook Fan Page for your blog: Actually setting it up is easy; here’s advice on what to post and how to attract fans.

Monetizing with ad networks: This is a new one, but chock-full of extremely useful info about earning money with your blog.

Free Blog Templates and Themes: This is fashion darling, looks are important. Here are some of the best sites for blog templates and themes to make your site sexy.

The Top 3 Online Image Editors: A review of the best (free!) online photo editors so you can easily create collages, add text to photos, enhance your images, and more.

Do you agree with our choices or do you have other favorites?

If you’re a passionate blogger, running your site probably feels like a full time job. So how can you make it pay? As a fashion blogger, your content taps into a demographic that advertisers clamor to reach: women aged 13-35.

If you’re open to running ads, ad networks are a great way to get into the monetization game.

Before you begin:

1. Know your numbers

If you understand how many people visit your site and who they are, you can make a strong pitch to ad networks. Install Google Analytics, get set up in Google Ad Planner, and register with Alexa. Most bloggers say it’s not worth compromising the design of your site with ads until you have at least 500 pageviews per day, as you’ll only be earning pennies a month.

2. Own it

Buy your own domain name. Networks prefer that your home page is not a subdomain (“mypage.blogger.com”), though there are exceptions. I use Go Daddy to check availability, buy, and manage domains.

3. Carve out a niche

For ads, that is. Be prepared to place common ad sizes like leaderboard (728×90), medium rectangle (300×250), and wide skyscraper (160×600) “above the fold,” where your reader won’t have to scroll down to see the ads. Many networks require that you place ads in this prime location, which commands the highest rates.

4. Get serious about content (and copyright)

Ad networks love focused, original content and engaged audiences. Update frequently, encourage commenting, and be sure to cite your sources. Some networks will boot you for “adult content,” so think twice before posting those nude Italian Vogue editorials.

Get Started:

Google AdSense, AdBrite, ValueClick and Yahoo Publisher Network (still in beta) don’t require huge pageviews to join, but might not offer the most attractive or relevant ads.

Cliquesound: I co-founded this new network, which targets fashion and beauty blogs with enhanced-content ads. Cliquesound curates and supports emerging indie music. Ads run within a music module that offers readers a free song download a day, without ever leaving your site. We require 500 pageviews per day. To sign up, email beta@cliquesound.com.

Blogads: This network groups blogs into “hives” by subject and their fashion hive is not overcrowded, so there could be great opportunities. They look for at least 1,000 pageviews a day.

Indieclick: The Urban Outfitters of ad networks, Indieclick aggregates hip culture sites. They look for pageviews of 1,000 per day at a minimum.

Glam Network: This network’s requirements reflect their reputation as the leader in women’s lifestyle site aggregation. They look for at least 100,000 pageviews a month (over 3,000 a day), a strong brand/voice, and excellent editorial content.

The bottom line:

Ad networks look for loyal, engaged audiences, so it’s never worth compromising your content to drive pageviews. If you take your site’s design, editorial voice, and readership seriously, your site will grow and so will your ad revenue.

About the author:  Blogger Ann Colville Somma (www.holierthannow.com), co-founded  Cliquesound.com, an enhanced-content ad network.

In the current issue of Style Sample Magazine, Crystal of Ssasy Chic provides some tips on monetizing your blog with affiliate advertising. Check out some of the networks she recommends:

Commission Junction
Linkshare
Amazon
Connect Commerce

More helpful resources include:
Introduction to Making Money on Your Site
Pay Per Post Blog Advertising

Be sure to read the article “Making Money with Affiliate Advertising” in issue #3 for more great advice!