Bloggers in Business: What Olivia Did

Over the past years fashion bloggers have become an intricate part of the industry’s current landscape. But blogging itself has evolved with time as well and become a full-time pursuit for many and become a complex blend of content, marketing and branding. Never before has a fashion blogger's influence reached as far or as wide, and labels from around the world are keener than ever to work with them. But how do bloggers approach brands? What actually goes into the daily running of a blog? For the third episode in this series, FashionUnited spoke to Olivia Purvis, the woman behind ‘What Olivia Did’ to learn more about the business of blogging.

1. Where did the idea for ‘What Olivia did’ come from?

Olivia Purvis: “I started my blog five years ago when I was studying and since then it has gone on to become my full-time gig. My best friend at the time had been reading a lot of blogs and she introduced them to me. It seemed really cool to me and quite an accessible way to showcase what I was up, so I just started one kinda off the cuff to see how it would go.”

2. Where did the name for your blog come from?

OP: “Well initially my blog was a music blog and it had a really stupid name like ‘Olivia is listening.’ But at the time I was a really big fan of a band call the Libertines and I was really inspired by their song ‘What Katie Did’ so I took that and didn’t really think too much into it other than I needed a blog name, so I just put my name in it. Looking back though now I think it is a really boring name but it has kinda stuck now and it’s how people know my blog.”

3. What were your first fashion blog posts like?

OP: “Oh my god, they were awful! Please do not ever go that far back through my blog archive. I studied photography for my A levels and I think a lot of my first fashion content was inspired by that. I used to post about collections I like, wish lists, outfit of the day - usually taken by the wall in my back garden so not very creative - such a variety of things that I would not do now. I supposed it was just about me discovering my own style and the direction I wanted to go. It was more hobbying back then, unlimited in a sense - I just posted anything.”

4. How long did it take for your blog to start attracting visitors?

OP: “I was shortlisted for a Cosmo’s ‘Best New Fashion’ blog award in 2011 and that was the first time I realised that anyone was actually reading my blog. I won which was so cool and really surreal, since I didn’t even know awards like that existed. But it was only when I was short-listed that I thought ‘Oh maybe people are reading this.’ At the time my blog was just something that I was doing alongside with my studies, it wasn’t really a huge focus of mine, so I think after the award it became more important because I realised I do have an audience.”

5. How many visitors per month would you say you have?

OP: “It totally depends. At the moment I am going through a little bit of a blog makeover, but I suppose it varies between 80,000 to 100,000 visitors a month. It depends on content and how regularly I am posting. I do feel that because there are so many social platforms now it’s hard to keep you traffic up, because people digest the information so differently across so many different places.”

6. How often do you post on your blog? Do you have a fixed schedule?

OP: “I usually post every other day, but at the moment it’s been nearly every day because I have a lot of things going on. But it’s usually between 4 and 6 times a week. I map out my content up to two weeks in advance, but at the moment I kinda have everything written up to the middle of December so that’s very organized. I work two weeks in advance so that I always have all the content I need. But I try not to plan too far ahead either because of projects popping and having to rearrange everything and then end up getting into a bit of stress about it.”

7. What are your posts like now?

OP: “I do have kind of a weekly routine, I’ll do a couple of outfit posts, a beauty post and then another lifestyle post as well, whether that’s travel or something else, different style of content so there is always something for everyone every week.They are probably my best received posts, the outfit posts. But at the same time planning outfit posts and stories around that is really fun, just time consuming having to go out and find a great location, pick the time of day and go from there.”

8. What does a normal day working on your blog look like?

OP: “If I am doing an OOTD post then I’ll get up early to walk my dog and try to allow some time to clear emails before doing anything else. If I am going to London, as I don’t live in the city center, then I’ll head early into town, have a meeting and then do some shooting afterwards, so I can get back in the afternoon, edit, upload and schedule the post. Afterwards I’ll try and get a bit of lifestyle content done. I try and get a couple of things per day to get a bit ahead of myself, as some days I am out in meetings all day and I don’t have time to do anything content-wise. So when I do have time I try to get in as much as I can.”

9. How would you describe your style now?

OP: “It changes. It’s definitely quite playful - it’s not as conservative or sleek as a lot of the bloggers I follow. But I really like color and the 60s and 70s, I like those type of shapes. It does change, it can be quite bohemia one day and then very put together the next, it’s very mood depended. I just see how I feel and go from there. I think that’s the joy of personal style, being able to wake up and think ‘Hey, today I want to dress like this!”

10. Do you work with a team, or alone? Why?

OP: “My boyfriend takes my outfit photos for my blog and that’s a huge, huge help. I’ve been with him since before I started my blog. He’s always been very familiar with what I do and he’s great at photography. He’s been a great help and is very patient.”

“But I shoot all the lifestyle content myself, it’s only when I can’t take the photos myself that I’ll rope someone else in. I think I prefer keeping that kind of control over my blog to myself. I am pretty much a control freak, really. There are times when I think I need help, but what could I ever let anyone else do? Even with editing and email, I just love having control of everything. Which is a bit bad, but the blog is like my baby, I have nurtured it, watched it grow and I don’t know if I can let that go.”

11. So I guess guest blogging is out of the question?

OP: “I was talking to my friend about this the other day. She recently came back from Australia with all this travel content. I asked when she was going to upload it and she said she didn’t know. I would love to have all that content since I’m trying to build up an archive, but it’s not mine, I didn’t shoot it and I didn’t go there. It’s tricky because although I think it’s nice in theory to have guest articles, I’m always like ‘Well it’s not what Olivia did is it?”

12. What type of events do you attend and cover on your blog?

OP: “It depends, I am usually interested in things from different brands. But I try not to go too many events as I have so much to do and I have limited time when I go to London. I go to all sorts of different things, launches, openings, an exhibition opening. But if it’s an event organised by a brand I love or worked with, or a new brand that I am interested in then I’ll go. It’s just where the interest lies, what my readers are interested in because if I go somewhere then I want to write about it, I want to have something I can share. I am not blasé about the invitations I get, but at the same time I can’t go to everything.”

13. Do you see yourself more as a blogger or an entrepreneur?

OP: “Definitely a blogger. I am the least business minded person in the world. I need to sort that out. I would love to be more business minded and be like here is my five year plan for my blog and this is what’s going to happen next, but I am not like that at all. I’m like ‘Oh I’ll see how that goes,’ but I know that I can’t be like that forever because you need to have an idea of how you’re going to develop. But up until now I haven’t really thought that way. I know girls who are and they are incredible and do such a great job and are soaring way higher, but I am not overly strategic in any way. But I am definitely working on it.”

14. So, in what way do you work together with fashion labels or brands?

OP: “I work with brands via collaborations, so I guess in that sense I am entrepreneurial. I know if a clothing brand approached me the best content deal I could offer to them. It’s just so depended on the brand and what they want from me and what I can offer them to ensure it fits together well. Each brand I have worked with is so different and their requirements are different, but it’s nice being creative in that sense too - getting a brief, interpreting it and thinking how I can make it exciting for them and make it a good fit for me.”

15. How do you connect with brands? Do you work with any agency?

OP: “I work with an agency who has a network and they work with different brands. But I have never pitched to a brand in all my 5 years of blogging, which is a bit weird. I think I have just been so scared for a long time of someone saying ‘No, we don’t want to work with you’ that I’ve never approached one. But I must become braver though in that sort of thing and stop being worried about someone saying no.”

16. Do you have any fixed or ongoing collaborations with brands or retailers?

OP: “No, not consistently. I do projects, last year I did something with Boden and it went on for a period of 6 months during which I was creating content for them. But I’ve never had something where I was a full on brand ambassador for a long period of time, it’s always been little bits here and there. But that keeps it nice and new and interesting and keeps my mind active. I don’t do many big advertisements, although I see it more as collaborating with brands I suppose.”

17. Are there certain qualities/values you look for when working with brands?

OP: “It eventually comes down to whether I would buy from them or not. When I first started I was contacted by an online brand where you could tell that the products were very badly produced and I received some samples from them which were really awful quality, I thought I would never write about this because it’s completely misleading. If it is something I would buy and go back to, or something I really love and fully support then yes I would work with them.”

18. Are there any brands or retailers in particular you would like to work with in the future?

OP: “At the moment I really love Madewell. I’ve done a lot of shopping with them and would love to do something with them because I love, love, loveee their stuff. I love Topshop as well and would love to work with them, l since I feel like I spend a lot of money there.”

19. Can you live financial fully off your blog?

OP: “Yes, I can. I live at home so it’s a bit different for me, but I can.“

20. How much time would you say you invest in running your blog?

OP: “Too much, far too much. I am always on my blog. I rarely switch off. At least 12 hours a day, it’s a full-time job. Even when I am watching tv, I will be checking my Twitter or Instagram. It does consume me a lot. I try and make sure I get everything done in time for the weekend, so I can have time not working and don’t have to be on top of my emails or making content for my blog.”

21.Would you recommend bloggers work with an agency?

OP: “Not necessarily. I know the kind of brands I would work with. So I suppose the benefit lies in whether they connect with me or my agency. So they may not contact me directly, but then they contact my agency who will put me in touch with them. But I don’t think it really developed me, I’ve always known what brands I like to work with.”

22. Do you have differently approaches for your social media channels?

OP: “No, not at all. I wish I did but I don’t. I am not as strategic as some people are.”

23. What is your main goal for your blog at the moment?

OP: “Just to keep people reading it. I am currently having an overhaul with the layout and the archiving of things, so to get that done is the current aim and hopefully that will go smoothly. I think the goal is just to keep my audience engaged and keep on with the content I am happy, which is the main thing. I know it’s not terribly exciting.”

24. Where do you see yourself and your blog in five years?

OP: “I don’t know, hopefully still writing it. I am not sure how it’s going to develop. Maybe it’s going to develop with my lifestyle, like if I am married or have kids. But I would like to have it as a destination place, with different sections like travel and recipes where everything is nicely archived and searchable. But yeah, it’s a work in progress.”

25. What is the main piece of advice you would give to someone just starting their own fashion blog?

OP: “Keep at it, is the main piece of advice I would give. It’s quite competitive and you can compare yourself with a lot of other bloggers easily which can be quite intimidated. But I would say don’t compare yourself to others, just take inspiration where you can and keep at it. It’s taken me a good three years of hard work to kind of get to where I am now and to get that audience so don’t give up at the first hurdle. Don’t expect it magically grow other night and post about what you like and interests you, not what others are doing. Do what you like because there’ll be an audience out there for you.”

Photo credit: Olivia Purvis and Joe Galvin