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What you’ll hear in this episode

• How The Violet Fog got its start
• Content creation and authenticity
• Advice to those who want to start blogging

Katey Yurko has loved writing for as long as can remember, and had always dreamt of writing for a magazine. She learned that a lot of the magazines weren’t writing about the content she wanted to. She wanted to write pieces that would be meaningful to her and an audience, so one day she decided to take a leap of faith, set up The Violet Fog, and start blogging. The name Violet Fog came about as somewhat of an ode to San Fransico where she was located until her move to Austin. She officially launched the blog 6 months after its initial creation with 30 articles spanning a wide array of content. Since then she has strengthened her online presence through The Violet Fog and social media, grew a wide and loyal audience, and garnered the attention of many brands.

Yurko told us that to keep her content fresh, she is always researching via books, articles, and talking with other content creators. Another tactic she said that works for her is taking walks. A lot of her ideas come to her while she is walking and being still with her thoughts.

She shared her advice to those who want to try their hand at blogging. Her first tip was to set up a website on a platform that is easy to navigate and customize such as WordPress. Her next piece of advice was to sit down and try to come up with at least 10 pieces of content to launch with. She said that this can be the hardest part and can really show you if blogging is something you’re wanting to commit to. Lastly, she said to invest in a camera for the purpose of content creation.

To hear more about Katey Yurko’s journey from starting The Violet Fog, becoming a full-time blogger, and her advice to those who want to start, listen to the first installment of The Positive Influence. If you enjoy the episode be sure to share it with friends and family!

The Positive Influence is a founding_media podcast created in partnership with Chelsea Bancroft

Host: Chelsea Bancroft

Guest: Katey Yurko

Find Katey Yurko on Instagram

 

Transcript:

this is a family media podcast this podcast episode is brought to you by our friends traverse legal they were super helpful as we started pounding media and the podcast network traverse legal has been changing the way Los practice since its own founding in two thousand four with a focus on utilizing technology to better deliver IT and business services founder start ups and emerging growth companies first legals latest offering traverse GC provides a monthly fixed fee factional general counsel offering to companies learn more by visiting traverse legal dot com

welcome to the positive influence podcast I’m your host Chelsea Bancroft on this podcast we talk about how influencers got to where they are today and have them share helpful tips and stories in a positive way this week we’re chatting with Katie Erica Katie’s a wellness and lifestyle blogger at the Bislett thought she talks a lot about love skin care and living a healthier lifestyle let’s jump in here more about Katie got her start

he and I are connected on Instagram through her boyfriend actually he was like Hey I know the super cool girl in San Francisco that’s on Instagram should follower and she’s now moved here so thank you so much of an answer today thank you so much for having me so I really curious is how did you Hey how did you get the name buyout Bob would be how did you gonna start your blog Instagram all yes so the name to be honest doesn’t really mean much of anything it’s kind of make the call in a way that I thought it started in San Francisco so it was kind of an ode to the bay area very foggy so and by late to send a very feminine also they get nerdy and there’s over four hundred different species of violence which is an hour sometime like there’s all different kinds of women so yeah it doesn’t mean that much but if you really want to get into it is it because of

how did you how did you you know get started with the block like what made you say I’m the sort of what so I’ve always been a writer since I mean since I was a little kid I’ve been writing and that’s always been my way of expressing myself and I wanted to have my own kind of channel on the internet I definitely I always wanted to work for a magazine and but a lot of the stuff that they were writing wasn’t exactly what I wanted to write I knew that I could find something that I could do that just meant the name for me would mean something for the other girls to that to read it’s a little bit different if you read that five it’s very streams of consciousness and I’m just thought processes that I go through and so I just thought it was going to launch it and I have been I have fashioned long before then I and I would talk about Rafe being in close got boring to me my passion for writing was always there so I wanted just launched it and is really simple as that I created a wordpress site and I knew that I wanted to cover city life in San Francisco so I did just not nice yeah

so how did you know you know we said your fashion bug first so even without one how did you know how to get started like with the word press creating that basically gonna what did you do to learn how to be a blogger yes so with the fashion blog I mean I I would research all the time how to grow that you know and I first learned a lot with fashion space and I realized that I mean to be completely honest I realize it was going to make much money talking about three fifteen because fashion lovers were doing this high and a trial staff they’re making their money on new clothes and they were selling Natchez was in my style and my kind of staying in and I just also want to do more than just fashion in it wasn’t just telling me and I always wanted to do something like write a book bag I’m kind of I’m I’m in the camp I like instant gratification so I couldn’t sit down for that long in right arm is higher but I would try and fail and try and fail and so I realized that articles and be more mindful anything so I’ve taken what I learned from my website and that fashion law they had and just applied it to to something entirely new and I brainstormed and I worked on it for six months I came up with thirty articles and expand from research pieces zero my deep my deep thank pieces and I mean it was so scary but I just knew I just had to watch and I was just gonna learn from there and talking to a lot of other women to and the space I’m always asking questions even to this day even with the success I’ve seen about Bob I think it’s just a space or you have to keep on asking seeing whether people are doing some process

that’s awesome see that’s expressed what was kind of the first time you’re like oh okay I’m doing this like your first success yeah so I think when it started taking orders in San Francisco I would I also started getting reached out to buy these different brands and restaurants in San Francisco and all these women who are doing really cool projects around the city they were finding better foggy writing me and that’s when I realize like it was starting to catch on and then and then I would honestly say I mean it’s I never have that big moment yeah right I need it it was more of just a gradual grow but I think once I was starting to consistently here for readers all the time I realize I’m I had something there in his important keep running with

that’s awesome so you just moved from San Francisco how has that been with your book has it been challenging as a band you know easier to kind of connect how what’s your experience been with that it’s to be honest it’s been a really challenging because my love far west so area based and they’re having on the San Francisco content I would talk about being a city girl and a lot of readers identified with me and you know me talking just about life in the city I often write about dating sometimes hero lane I mean I’m away from the right about dating a hands on and now it’s it’s just a big life change and all this and I’m in a whole new city I have a boyfriend I’m not writing about dating and some reading about love the night dating in the city and and and and it it really has been hard I hear from a lot of readers telling you that they missed meeting in San Francisco and it’s I’m kind of at one of those places where I a I have to say in a way a star from the ground up and and the city I really hope Ted connect with Austin women here and build my readership in Austin but I don’t think any water that is moving to a brand new city once they’ve already built a readership in another city it’s going to be it’s gonna be tough for me to yeah yeah

see you rights you moved here for day and the boyfriend yeah and I loved loved your post about you know moving for lives and all that and you do you write like a lot of like very vulnerable pieces how how do you feel comfortable putting your like I try to do that I’m like oh no it’s not thank you for myself out there like that do you ever have like negative feedback like how do you deal with that I don’t need it negative feedback sometimes my long range is a little bit I’m like some of the things that I write but for the most part I I just always knew the writing was my gift and it’s the one thing that I’ve been consistently good at my so I have to make it work yeah and I just now they if I go and just kind at Luke warm I’m not going to get you know this kind of success that I’m hoping I’m not gonna get the kind of reach that I’m looking for so I just tell myself to be brave but there I definitely have anxiety every time before a publisher because I put so much out there let it has gone on I mean it gets a little bit easier yeah yeah exactly that’s awesome

do you do you know you’re right on so many different things I’m getting on my nerves skin care tips from her so how do you how do you keep coming up with content like how do you keep things fresh and you know not get into right that kind of thing so I’m always researching and I’m only I do things I do random things like I go I go walking a lot in often times when I go for my walks as well think about when I’m gonna write about hearing it’s funny when you put yourself in a situation where and how to be still with your thoughts a lot comes you sell that’s been what’s really worked for me I mean I’m constantly talking other people I’m constantly researching I’m such a nerd I am always researching books and articles and you know talking mule interviewing people so there’s always something that inspires me and I just have the type of personality where something interests me and I will become obsessive about it you know what his research research research and then and then eventually write something about it so we are also

so when was the what was the first brand that reached out to you like for collab and what was your first class of that whole experience I’m one of the first ones I don’t know who is the very first one but the first one that got me really exciting it was all the vitamins you know the guy yeah so that was the first big brand ever reached out to me and I remember thinking that they got the wrong email or something I couldn’t believe it so that was the first one yeah and we ended up having a really long partnership that was really really great sell that one actually ended up sticking for awhile that’s us yeah so what been an experience like maybe at you not say the brand name but like a negative experience you’ve had with that with the collapse how do you kind of deal with that there have been growing in exploring there’s I think a lot of the problems that I that I add that happened with me is on it’s a lot of brands kind of way to be amount pieces for something and they don’t give you as much creative control or they they just have they put so much restriction on to them what you can saying everything that it’s not it doesn’t come off as authentic and authenticity for me is so important and so one time like just to give you a very specific example I was working with this brand I absolutely love them and always go above and beyond send them extra photos in mention them all the time I was really really excited about this brand but I’m really honest with my audience I think it’s really rare that a brand all put out something where you like a hundred percent of everything like there’s always just that’s like you know your favorite singer sing the like every single time that they put out this probably one you’re like and in so with these brands on the other line from el Nino their latest and greatest sons brand came out with a new product and I was not about it I just I knew that I wouldn’t use a I tried it was a just is nothing to write home mom about yeah and also beyond that I had written my standards for it like what this part was before so I knew it might even find it at my readers a dragon emailing this is not something you are gonna be really is so long story short I told the brand I was so nice about anything that I can’t I can’t promote this exact product ball a lot and the next day they and that the contract with me and he went on many other items so many other things with them and it just kind of hurt that it’s like it’s that easy that does yeah you know so sometimes you know a lot of brands are great and they look for good people who align with them but a lot of times it’s just a money thing or are you now there really quick to cut you out sorry yeah

that’s hard so how do you you know Hey verses not you show so many products great products on your Instagram and I know by the majority of those aren’t sponsored content how do you kind of like you know keep that authenticity going with paid versus not pay majority myself is I made I really try to keep that audience trussed up on I mean I think it’s so important to have a really really good balance I think I’m so I’m so aware of that I don’t ever want to lose the trust of my aunties because it’s so it can be so easy to do people today does have like the highest bullshit meter ever I am now if you are lying about something or just doing something for money so I’m really really careful to know that I really love something I have to try it out for months before I talk about it and I would say that I really try to keep it under ten percent of my content is uncertain which is pretty very like I’m really hot in nineteen eighty thankfully I don’t really have a shortage of things I want to talk about right out so yes it’s actually been fairly easy for me to keep that balance that’s good and so you don’t do any affiliates and for those who don’t know Philly it’s it’s kind of like you know if you click through someone’s link you get a kind of percentage of you know whatever they bite which is great I use it for Amazon because I’m obsessed with Amazon by for someone who doesn’t use that and I totally understand often to see part you know where it is for someone who is new to blogging like where can they make money to support their block elsewhere from affiliates I think affiliates are really great way to show support for other bloggers I think I feel it links all the time for whatever reason it just it started out that I what yeah using and I was kind of loud about it I’ve had a lot of readers stated they love that I don’t use it so yeah for that reason is mainly why I have stuck to not using it but I don’t know that if I would have if I would’ve started off easing affiliates and and yes it was what it was if I would have stuck with it because I do think that is it is a good way for bars to make money on but I think it does also work for me a lot of readers like that I don’t use in that I would make my money solely off of the brands that I think I think affiliates are great way for for larceny money and ran partnerships and there are so many different avenues when you have a lot of that you can make an income

yeah I feel like when it’s like you’re first starting out yet how on earth do I even make money so when kind of at what point did you start monetizing your blog and you know actually start making an income somewhat of an income level yeah it took a long time and when I had my fashion long before and I would write about other things you and I mean I did not make any money off of that in I was spending so much time on it yeah I was just so it almost seemed like I was putting job hours into it but it looks like a hobby because I wasn’t bringing any income on and that was years so truly in the blog world I really didn’t start making money for probably four years yeah took a really long time I think the people can do it way sooner now that I’m even for five years ago there wasn’t as much information as there is now there’s so many webinars and people sharing their knowledge and then it was a little bit there wasn’t as much information on and I think I was just so gung ho online on building this audience audience trust yeah so I was always like I’m not even ready to show that I’m making money and I need them to really really trust me so I probably drag it out for weeks on by on you have to take me take me some time

so when do you decide you know at what point we like okay because your full time blogging yeah so what point re like okay I can do this I can go full time yes so I started when I would talk to brands I ate I didn’t want to do one off partnerships meaning and name I want a real relationship and I want them to really know the violent pop audience I want them to act to appreciate them and and want to at you know ten to win them over just as much as they try to win me over to pitch their brands so so I think I I kinda restructured my business plan in that I said that I wanted to be basically on a retainer with them if we are to work together so once I secured enough brand deals I was able to add to go on term and also we do other things to you in San Francisco I would do I would hold little events are a little longer and then send I’m painting so I always had K. tiny little multiple income streams and then I as a writer to I would do freelance gigs here and there I mean you blogging is not always the most lucrative now it’s really you really not but but it’s so satisfying and I would weigh rather me less money in just be so happy with what I’m doing then make a ton of money and be miserable yeah yeah so someone’s like not sure if they want to do it would you you know say go for it or would you say you you kind of liked calculated out you know what you need to be making and were you very methodical or did you just go for it I can is went for a I’m I’m not that methodical I probably should be a whole lot more I’ve never been naturally that organized so it’s really hard for me ten said come up with something to write it all down and really all about the heart and passion and just just making it work is finding a way to make it work but I I would say if you wanna blond do it like you you can do it but also who he is so much work is not justice find job there’s so much that goes into it so you’re going into it thinking it’s going to be a piece of cake and you want to do it because it looks like the dream job and then it’s just it’s not gonna be way you think he’s going to be a it’s so much more work than I think I’m people even realize and it’s way more than just getting free stuff sent to you yeah hi

so what kind of like where do you see the violet fog going in the next year or five years kind of what’s your what do you see it going for the future so I will I’m very very happy with where I am not I haven’t really intimate relationship with the audience and I’m loving writing that kind of stuff that I’m writing and I I feel like it it gives me purpose I know that I hear from women all the time we appreciate that kind of stuff that I write about hand and I just hope that I can continue to do that after so that I can continue to grow and basically exactly what I’m doing right I feel like I should have an answer where like I want to do X. Y. Z. but really I’m so content with exactly what I’m doing and I would just like to see it grow more women yeah that’s awesome

so what advice you know would you have for someone starting out what tools do you think they should invest in first like SCO or you know doing Pinterest or what kind of that kind of thing I would say definitely sign I would get a wordpress site or or weeks or something just something that you feel really confident in navigating that customisation tools get a really great site down I would say launched with at least ten articles armor ten pieces of content I’m in really give it your all I think that’s even kind of a good test around because you might be creating that content be like this is so much harder than I thought and you know maybe this is not going to be for me but I went launches at least ten articles I lay on one of the things I would invest in is either a great camera or photographer and there’s a lot of photographers who are just starting out way who probably love to work with someone hill is also just starting out it’s a little less intimidating and arm I think that that that helps working with a good photographer and that’s been my biggest thing is trying to you know create that content to keep going and having the photographer yeah yeah that’s really good advice I’m

I guess you know what’s been your favorite part and your least favorite part of kind of being in in like an influence our social growing that social media following that kind of thing so I know you have a love hate relationship with social media I really do I know I would wish that I could dress Ryan the blog and not be a I think a lot of social media there’s so much she’s vanity metrics to it and not just drives me crazy and so my my favorite and least favorite parts I and my fear is definitely just the connection I said all the time my favorite part of Instagram is what goes on in ninety am CST now if I’m always just having these amazing conversations of women in an over email too I I mean I write about such intimate and sometimes dark things that people don’t want to comment publicly because it kind of reveals of a part of themselves in height can I get that sell the connection I’m having a lot often is kind of behind closed doors on the internet with India and and emails but the connections that I’m making with women all across are by far my favorite part also being able to have a platform where I could show what other women are doing yeah I think that’s amazing like I love being able to just publish a really cool interview and talk about other women take the focus off me and just be able to that technician right the hardest part is it can you really a big emotional toll cans for sure in a way it when you’re a blogger you’re kind of selling yourself and if people aren’t responding to it it’s like they don’t want the estate I want you and so you can work so hard on your article or you know a series of photos and then not do well and and it’s hard to take that personally I really as so like that is just there are times when I’m just like why am I doing because like this you know I will focus on one thing they did not perform as well and I will beat myself up or in the but then I remind myself you have to have thick skin not everyone can like every single thing that you put out there so I would definitely say that my lease even for is the emotional toll yeah yeah that’s that’s been a big one for me is kind of you know trying not to take getting on followed personally or like you know yeah people haters and all of that who it is kind of wrap this up I you know what would be your dream collaboration with the brand but what brand or just kind of in general so there is so I and go after brand like crazy and then down and once I really like something that’s always been my approach and not wait for them to come to me I just send them some I work so hard to get a brand deal in one then I understand trying to get so hard for two years now is with this drink called around all day it’s not a rental not red ball okay yeah so they have adapted into their drinks like homework on that reishi mushroom in all this loose stuff that I’m really in jail and I’ve been just using their product for so long now on it I dairy free you know I’m all about it is the lines of me so well I mean it is sad how much I’ve been like just trying so hard to get their attention in in in their nice like they send me some free stuff all the time but I really want a ship with them yeah yeah we my dream ran right now that’s awesome I

that’s awesome that you go after brands like that you know I’ve tried a couple times but if I don’t hear back Michael okay never mind then along east yeah but I think I don’t keep offer them any brand that I have a deal where I really went after a hard yeah well that’s good to know her you know people starting out yeah don’t take the first now yeah just keep trying yeah thank you so much for coming on the show and can you let them know

where they you they can find you where they can follow you all that yeah I think so much Chelsea they can find me I website is violet fog dot com and my handles on across all social as are the violence yeah I would love to be friends awesome thank you so much thank you thank you again Katie I appreciate you sharing your story and always being real we will put a link in the show notes to Katie social caps you can see what she’s up to now the positive influence podcast team includes me tells a bankrupt producer Mariah gossip and audio engineering take Wallace thank you everyone at founding media for your support don’t forget to hit that subscribe button so you never miss an episode and maybe leave us a review on I tunes to help other folks by the show thanks for listening