Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ashley Burk. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Ashley thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s something you believe that most people in your industry (or in general) disagree with?

Serious content creators and influencers, especially those who’ve made this industry their full-time career, vehemently oppose working for free. This includes product as payment offers (if you can’t deposit it into your bank account, it’s not a pay check). Influencer marketing is here to stay, and brands will either need to budget for the spend or miss out on the exposure. While it’s a newer industry, we’re beginning to see more consistent pricing based on a few key variables: content quality and how well it aligns with the brand, your following, engagement rate and potentially past conversion rates.

Sales conversions are a different topic entirely though, because influencers and content creators are oftentimes confused with salespeople in that brands want to hold us to conversion rate goals. In reality, content creators are providing high quality content and marketing, oftentimes that the brand will reuse on their own channels, we’re not here to make X number of sales.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My website was established in 2009 when I was still in college. It started as a personal blog that I used as a creative outlet. I’ve always loved to write and take photos, so a blog was a great hobby. Fast forward to 2016, when my now-husband and I bought our first condo. We took on lots of DIY and renovation projects, and I enjoyed chronicling them on there. Soon, I started sharing my posts on Instagram and my website gained traction.

Today, The Foodie’s Fit Home shares a range of lifestyle content from home improvement and DIY to easy recipes and parenting. My main objective is to help others live easier, simpler and more efficiently. Posts feature the simplest way to complete projects, make a delicious recipe or find the best bargain. Helping people is the very best part of my job. Every single time I get a message about how my content helped someone live better, be it through a home project, empowering them to try making a new meal, or finding a product that they really needed, I feel a true sense of accomplishment. Helping people is a great way to make a living.

My Instagram (@thefoodiesfithome) is a great place to get daily content between weekly blog posts, which go live every Wednesday morning. Read more and subscribe for new posts at thefoodiesfithome.com/subscribe.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

My blog was always my favorite hobby, but it wasn’t until the COVID-19 pandemic that I started to treat it like a business. When the pandemic hit, I was working full-time in Human Resources for a global Corporate Real Estate firm. I enjoyed what I did, but it wasn’t my passion, and with the pandemic, my role took a sharp turn even further from what I wanted to be doing. Seeing little to no chance that my career would be progressing in my desired direction with the company any time soon, I decided to make my blog my future.

From March 2020 to October 2020 I spent all of my newfound free time – from cancelled weddings, trips, weeknights and weekends on lockdown, etc. – creating revenue streams, sending cold emails, and up-leveling my content to make my website and social media my main source of income. Seven months is a long time, but also a short amount of time to have done what I did, so it’s important to note that not everyone’s timeline will be identical to mine. Don’t get discouraged if building your website and/or business takes longer, the important thing is to keep moving forward and eventually you’ll get there!

My website was generating ad revenue, brands were engaging me on paid marketing, I had affiliate links plugged in all across my website and social media. Over time my revenue began climbing to a steady, more predictable level. Consistency is key, in both frequency and substance. If you have a regular series (i.e. fashion hauls, new recipes, etc.) share them on the same channel, in the same format, and/or at the same recurring time. Your audience will grow to expect it and look forward to new content and brands will see that you have concrete niches, making it easier for them to invest in your channel for marketing.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Key things I wish I would have known early on in my content creator journey:

– Having a Pinterest strategy is a MUST if you have a blog. It’s more of a search engine than a social media platform, and is an excellent way to get your content discovered.
– Canva is an amazing, multi-purpose graphic design tool. If you’re able, invest in the annual pro subscription for maximum features at minimal cost.
– LTK (LIKEtoKNOW.it) isn’t just for fashion bloggers, share your home, kid, maternity, and even cooking products in-app for extra residual income!
– When you start earning money from collaborations, invest in Quickbooks Self-Employed to keep track of your earnings and expenses. You’ll be thankful you did come tax season!

For more creator resources and my Blogging 101 series, visit thefoodiesfithome.com/resources.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thefoodiesfithome.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/thefoodiesfithome
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/thefoodiesfithome
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleynicoleburk
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/foodiesfithome
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWV6pZojlxtO5lT3tpijodQ
• Other: Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/thefoodiesfithome TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thefoodiesfithome