Life Lessons: Don't Work for Free

*The following applies to blogging and online written content, volunteering experience is invaluable as long as you gain new skills

Occasionally, as a blogger, I get approached by companies to join their next social media campaign. The punchline is, they want me to work for free. Normally these companies ask you to create an outfit or moodboard inspired by their product and with links to their site, and yet, they have very little to do with fashion, yet they see personal style and outfits as an untapped energy source.In return, they promise to share ‘their favourite outfits’ across various social media streams, which should translate into more exposure for your site, or in the case of a developing brand, your product. But from the outset, they’ve told you they are under no obligation to give you exposure as payment for your work; however, the implication is that there are hundreds of others who are vying for the same opportunity. If they’ve provided a hashtag for their campaign then you can at least check out if they have followed through and the sorts of bloggers who participated in past campaigns.

In my personal experience, being a participant has never translated into more views for my blog and the post itself is visited less than say a normal outfit or moodboard post. It is much better to contact the creatives in your local city, go to events, go out and meet people, ask if they have your permission to photograph either their store, or booth if it’s an exhibition and always collect a business card. When it comes to writing, you can then email them in advance and show them what you’ve done. It’s also very obvious when a brand collaboration doesn’t fit well and when someone has sold-out. If you do want to make your blog a commercial venture, pick your opportunities very carefully and above all, VALUE YOUR TIME. DO NOT WORK FOR FREE- whatever crazy promises they make you. It does not translate into paid work later down the track, the same brand will take advantage of your good nature months later. Ultimately, you are devaluing your work and time by saying you can afford to work for free. This is not a sustainable business model, and you can't feed yourself, cloth yourself or pay your rent in Instagram likes. 

1- Gisele for Chanel, 2- Hayett McCarthy in “Twin Souls” for Modern Weekly China SS 15, photographed by Janneke Van der Hagen. 3- Alana Champion Shot By Daria Kobayashi Ritch. 4- Teen Venus, Awol Erizku, 2013. 5- unknown. 6- Photo by Mehdi Lacoste. 7, 8 & 9- Samantha Pleet SS16 by Amber Mahoney. 10- Opening Ceremony spring 2016. 11- via. 12- Oyster Originals Celeste Tesoriero For The International Woolmark Prize Shot By Ryan Brabazon. 13- magdalena at Kenzo FW11, backstage.

Lady Petrov'as tips for Blogging

You may remember several weeks ago I got to attend Lady Petrova's Social Media Socialite Class- this class in particular was aimed at how companies can better use social media to promote the aesthetic of their store, but a lot of these tips were applicable to fashion bloggers too. Obviously I can't give away all her magical secrets (and highly recommend that if you are in Melbourne you attend her next class!) so instead I wanted to present just some of her blogging tips. Of course, many of you will already be familiar with some of these but if you, like me follow blogging intuitively rather than from a manual than hopefully there will be something useful for you. So, without further ado:

1.) Know your audience: for many bloggers, they are trying to attract the attention of like-minded people or inspire others. I try and present an alternative in how to approach personal style and frequently break so-called fashion rules and twist the narrative. Featuring the work of others who I admire is also important as it forces me to consider what I like and dislike about their brand and how it relates to me on a very personal level. I also frequently check what other blogs my followers are reading as a way of expanding my own social circle and think about what my *competitors* are offering.

2.) Every single post needs to add value to the reader's lives. This means no fodder! Often when I review a brand it is important for me to offer a personal opinion or find some kind of pop culture reference rather than summarize what others have already written. Writing style is therefore important, as well as the editing process in order to avoid grammatical errors and inaccurate information. You want to avoid being contacted by a company correcting you, which is the online equivalent to your pants spontaneously dropping.

3.) Organise your social media. If you're like me and studying full-time then it means scheduling content ahead of time. This gives me more time to edit photos and structure paragraphs around a collection, as well as grouping together certain clusters of posts by aesthetic. In case you haven't noticed I'm a bit of a control freak and this works well for me on many levels but if you enjoy being a bit more spontaneous you can schedule some posts.  Unfortunately this means that I don't really have the chance to discuss things as they happen and post in real-time. That's what apps like Instagram are for, which leads me to:

4.) Posting regularly. While I have managed to master regular content on my blog I often forget to update my instagram and twitter accounts regularly. However, these make a big difference in my weekly and monthly stats and I would consider them necessary as part of the bigger picture. It's also important to establish which social media stream is your "home base" and what other channels are accessory to that. So for example, I use Tumblr, Twitter and Instagram (rarely Facebook) to redirect traffic back to my blog and use that as my home base. 

5.) Think about what things look like on your phone. What's the thing we are constantly criticized for? You're always on your phone/ obsessed with your phone/ attached to the phone. There's a theory that if aliens floated down to observe the human race they would probably think these little rectangles were necessary to our existence. However, many teens and twenty-something year old's use their phones in order to connect with the people they feel most attached to, but also read blogs and shop online. A basic understanding of coding will be really useful in aligning every image and making everything look much neater!

While there were other gems of wisdom I picked up throughout the course of the afternoon I would say these are the most helpful, but there's also this really useful thing called the Internet which you can use to search for something as specific as running an instagram account or translating each step of MyIdol (remember that guys????). It's all part of making these everyday things part of your routine in the revolving door of, "hey I exist! I'm here!" whilst offering something unique and different.

1- Acer X Christian Cowan-Sanluis. 2 & 6- Photos by Petra Collins for Dazed Digital.3, 5 & 7- Arvida Byström. 4- Tavi Gevinson & Iris Apfel.