Using the streets of D.C. as her runway, blogger and stylist Caitlin Moran, 30, has quickly become every frugal girl’s favorite fashionista. The title of her popular blog, Style Within Reach, is exactly what she epitomizes—affordable style for the everyday girl looking to craft a chic wardrobe (and stylish home) on a budget.
Even more impressive? When she’s not blogging at SWR, Caitlin is creating magic at another of our personal favorite lifestyle websites, The Glitter Guide. As Editorial Director for Glitter Guide, Caitlin works day in and day out to craft creative content that encourages an engaged and inspired community. On an average day, Caitlin is scheduling posts, writing new articles and brainstorms ideas for the Glitter Guide, all while juggling her own projects and—get this—her wedding on top of it all! It’s a rarity to have a conversation with this bubbly creative that doesn’t involve plans for DIY gifts, styled-at-home photoshoots and holiday entertaining to-dos.
Using her background in NYC’s fashion and media industry, Caitlin has never given up on her dream, and subsequently has placed herself firmly in the midst of the top names in the blog world. Her story encourages us to dream big, take risks and always to ask for more.
Her Starting Point
Let’s rewind to the beginning. Can you tell us about your first job? What were you doing before Style Within Reach?
Oh boy!!! I've had so many odd jobs through the years, but my very first job was working at a garden center in high school! Before Glitter Guide I was working in marketing and advertising in NYC.
Speaking in terms of your personal blog, Style Within Reach, how did you get started? How did you learn the ins and outs of creating a blog?
I kind of taught myself everything I know—but attending blogging conferences and networking with other bloggers certainly helped. I started SWR over five years ago as a creative outlet when the blogosphere first really started, and have since turned my fun hobby into a revenue stream for my self-employment.
In addition to your own blog, you also are the Editorial Director for Glitter Guide—a CC favorite! How did you land that position, and could you tell us a little bit about your role?
I've been helping Taylor in small ways since she started GG and, over time, have just taken on more and more responsibilities. Last year, I quit my full-time job to become the Editorial Director. I oversee all the content, contributors, interns and help with a lot of the sponsorship and marketing duties.
Full-time blogging is a dream for many. How were you able to make that a reality?
My full-time gig is at Glitter Guide, but SWR was the stepping stone that got me there. I worked really hard and kept up with my blog while working full-time for years—Finally, my work paid off when I was able to quit my 9-5 and solely focus on Glitter Guide and SWR.
Her Big Break
Did traffic on your personal blog grow steadily over time or was there a specific turning point when you saw exponential growth? Has your position with Glitter Guide had an effect?
It has grown steadily over time—YEARS! I've taken breaks and put it on the back burner from time to time to focus on other things, but always kept it up. Once I started working at Glitter Guide, traffic has increased, for sure.
When did you begin looking at blogging as a career? What investments did you make to take it from hobby to business?
A few years in, I started working hard to make money off of my blog and began to really leverage the relationships I had with brands. About two years ago, we upgraded our camera, which also was an investment, and just this past year I've begun paying photographers to take my photos, which is what I hope to do from here on out.
When you work on creating content for both Glitter Guide and Style Within Reach, do you typically have ideas in mind in advance or do you create a schedule on the fly?
For Glitter Guide, we plan a month out for smaller posts and then have an idea of bigger features we'll be working on for the coming months. I try to stick to a schedule with SWR, but those posts usually happen more on the fly. That is one of my resolutions for this year!
How do you keep it all straight? What’s your process?
I struggle constantly with organization—it's something I really need help with! I make a lot of lists and have a lot of shared documents in Google to help keep things on track.
How did you go about finding sponsors and securing partnerships with brands like Target and Old Navy?
I work with PR agencies and media companies for most of my sponsored content, and I also sometimes just ASK! You'd be shocked at how much you can gain by just asking people for what you're looking to do—put together a proposal, show the value of your personal brand and site, and brands will be eager to work with you.
If we had the chance to peek at your schedule, what would an average day look like?
It’s always changing! I try to get up around 6:30 a.m. to have coffee, look over Pinterest and get adjusted for the day. I start posting to Glitter Guide at 8:00 a.m. so everything is live by 9:00 a.m., and then I'll get to work on my blog for a few minutes and publish there. Then I schedule social media for the whole day, which is a huge help! If I have to shop for a shoot, run errands or drop off shipments for my online vintage barware shop, Cin Cin Vintage, I try to do it before noon. The rest of the day I'll spend responding to emails (this takes the most time), planning out content and working on shoots. I set aside a few hours every Friday to work on bookkeeping and I try to carve a few hours out during the week just to look for inspiration in magazines, books and blogs.
Her Perspective
What type of marketing do you use to build your brand?
I just rely on social media to get the word out there and network with other bloggers. I have invested in a logo + site design and business cards, too.
Many people start a blog only to feel burnt out a couple of years later. What is the most challenging part of your job as Editorial Director at GG, and how do you keep yourself from burning out?
It's a challenge to keep up a lot of the time and stay creative on all of our different social media channels. We try to keep the same aesthetic in all of our Instagram posts, and that alone is a task. There also is a feeling of urgency sometimes to get our/my ideas done before someone else does.
What advice would you give to people hoping to make a business out of their blogs?
I'd say to not even think about quitting their full-time job—go into it thinking of it as a side gig and work really hard to create something you are proud of. I think less is more when it comes to content and I try to avoid posting anything on SWR or GG that I'm not 100% proud of—I’m focused on creating content that our readers will love and that will make them want to share with others.
Staying fresh and unique in the blog world is a challenge. How do you stay creative and where do you look for inspiration?
I spend a lot of time looking for ideas on Pinterest and other websites and blogs. I also set aside time for brainstorming sessions when I just sit down with a pen and paper and come up with as many ideas as I can for content—then I build upon them and tweak them.
You just recently got engaged—Congrats! How do you think wedding planning will affect the content of your blog? Can readers look forward to a behind the scenes look at all that will go into your big day?
Thank you!! I'll be posting a weekly "Wedding Wednesday" feature on my blog, where I share inspiration and ideas about my planning. And I just recently announced a collaboration with Style Me Pretty as their Blogger Bride, so I’ll be sharing my experience there as well!
And finally, what do you wake up looking forward to? What’s next for your career?
Oh I love everything that I do! Of course there are annoying things, like doing expenses and I loathe assigning posts and making schedules for all our contributors, but none of that matters when you look at the big picture! My passion is working on our styled shoots and working with photographers. I've had the opportunity to do this so much this year and it's one of my favorite parts of my job. I never know what's next and I think that's what is most exciting about this field. I have a few fun collaborations coming up this year and I'm going to focus on making some changes to SWR—sharing less outfit photos and sharing more lifestyle content, which I'm really eager to do.
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