Five successful LDS mommy bloggers will bring their best blogging hacks to a discussion panel at BYU on Friday, Sept. 23.
The bloggers will answer questions about their websites and the topics they write on, and will provide insight into how they make money off their blogs.
Panelist and blogger Katie Clark of Clarks Condensed discovered blogging when she was a BYU journalism student completing an online internship. She said she used to have a hard time finding positive web articles about motherhood.
“I really had a passion for bringing positivity to the internet,” Clark said. “I was also amazed that you could make that much money blogging.”
Clark’s blog generates enough income that she and her husband can both stay at home. It can sometimes be difficult to keep writing, Clark said, but supportive comments from readers really mean a lot to her.
“A lot comes down to realizing how blessed we’ve been from the blog,” Clark said.
Clark said she faced some adversity during college when people found out she wanted to be a mom.
“A lot of people told me I was wasting time getting a degree,” Clark said. “I want to share that even if you want to be a mom, you’re not wasting your time. A lot of people don’t realize how many options there are out there.”
Overstuffed creator Lara Neves started her blog almost 12 years ago, but she didn’t always think people would go to her website. Eventually, she said, other people discovered it, and she’s made many friends through blogging.
Neves said she gets inspiration for blog posts from day-to-day family life.
“I like to say that my blog is just a tutorial on how to live my own life,” Neves said.
Neves said she misses blogging when she’s not actively posting new content. She also said anyone can become a talented blogger.
“Blogging is something that a lot of people sort of dismiss. People are really surprised about how much (money) you can make,” Neves said. “I think that anybody can do it. You take what you’re good at and blog about it.”
Fellow panelist and blogger Hilary Erickson of Pulling Curls said the key to blogging is hard work.
“I used to think it was impossible to make money off my blog,” Erickson said. “But it’s very possible as long as you are willing to put in the work and time.”
Jennifer Day of My Daylights and Jill Nystul of One Good Thing by Jillee will join Clark, Neves and Erickson on the panel.
The event will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 23, in the second floor atrium of the Brimhall Building. The free panel is open to anyone interested in blogging or looking for support and tips about being a mother.
