Hi Elsa! What’s the name of your blog?
Where are you from?
Morristown, New Jersey.
Tell us a little bit more about you and your blog, Simply Elsa.
Size-inclusive classic style and everyday life.
How many years have you been blogging at Simply Elsa?
I had a previous blog with my sister and launched my own this May. In September it will be one full year! I have been influencing for a year and a half.
Give us your best tip to staying on top of the blog/work/life balance?
Use your Google Calendar! I schedule everything from when I need to write a blog post to when I have dinner with a friend, and I get the reminder right on my phone. I switched from a paper planner to digital and find that I am able to schedule fun and work in all the right places.
Fill in the blank. What people don’t realize about blogging is….
It is a true business! While I consider my blog an extension of my life, it is a business that takes a lot of hard work and time. My favorite aspect has become the business end, developing my business acumen and being my own boss! There are a lot of late nights between my 9-5 and running a full blog, so I have little sleep but a very full heart.
What are three things you wish you knew about blogging before you started?
- SEO tactics
- Pinterest Strategy
- How to negotiate campaigns!
What skills and qualities do you think are necessary for a successful and professional blogger?
First and foremost passion! I am so passionate about size-inclusive style that I could not imagine blogging about things that don’t spark joy. I also think flexibility, grit and creativity.
What’s your favorite WordPress plugin?
Yoast SEO! It has changed the game in making my blog posts readable and digestible.
What has blogging taught you/given you that no other career or job has before?
It has taught me to be fearless. You have the power to turn your dreams into reality, the only thing standing in between you and the creative space you want to create is your fears!
What’s one piece of advice you would give to someone just starting out in the blog world?
Don’t give up and don’t get intimidated by the number of bloggers out there! There is room for everyone at the table. Find an area that you enjoy and stick to it for the most part, once you establish your audience you can branch out more.
Is there an app or business tool that you swear by?
What makes your brand different than other bloggers?
Most size-inclusive bloggers have a cooler or more trendy style, and most classic or preppy bloggers are straight-sized. I saw a gap and I went for it! I bring preppy and classic style to the inclusive landscape, and I bring curves to the preppy field.
What topic do you most enjoy writing about?
Size-inclusive style, confidence with curves, and finding pieces that work on any body.
What would your dream partnership look like?
It would have to be J. Crew! I would love to do a mini wardrobe capsule with a friend who has a different body type, and we style 5 of the same pieces our own ways, at our different sizes!
A current blogging goal you are working on?
Breaking 10k monthly unique visitors.
What does a typical workday for you look like?
I work an administrative job 9-5, and I do a lot of my blogging at night and I come up with my creative content calendars on the weekends. I also wake up early and get a lot done before the day even begins! In a non-covid world, I would commute an hour and fifteen minutes by train into the city each way, each day. That is my blogging time! A solid two and a half hours a day. In quarantine, it looks a little different. Weekends are key, too!
What’s your most recent WIN with your blog?
I did a collaboration with one of my favorite brands, Talbots, on how to style white jeans with curves and it was such a hit! I love working with them and my audience loves their denim.
What is one thing in the blogging industry that frustrates you that you wish you could change?
Algorithms!! I wish Instagram would go back to chronological, and I wish that there are more women who genuinely support each other instead of just talking about it. One of the reasons I joined TBS!
What’s your guilty pleasure TV show?
Scandal.
What’s your Starbucks order?
Trenta (yes, trenta) iced coffee with coconut milk and two splenda.
