If you’ve ever dreamed about becoming a fashion blogger, you’ve probably wondered “how much money can you make from a fashion blog?”.
Or maybe even “is it all just about the free clothes?”
And those are great questions!
If you have an eye for style, starting a blog can easily go from hobby to side hustle to full-time income (with lots of free stuff).
But it won’t happen overnight and not without a lot of hard work.
That’s why it’s important to understand the pros and cons before you invest your time and energy into it.
This post contains affiliate links. See the disclosure page for more details.
If you check out the top style blogs you’ll probably notice that most go well beyond the world of fashion.
They’re constantly in search of the latest and greatest, whenever it’s clothing, jewelry, home decor or make up.
To make it to the top, you’ll need to branch out beyond your own personal style and get a feel for what your audience is searching for.
How Do Fashion Bloggers Make Money?
There’s lots of ways to earn an income from a style blog, and here’s a few of the most common:
Sponsored Posts
For fashion blogs of all sizes, sponsored posts and campaigns can be a great way to earn an income while providing fresh content to their readers.
And you don’t need a huge following to get noticed by the big brands. Just having an engaged and targeted audience can attract many great opportunities.
Check out this list of Blogger Networks to easily land your first campaign!
Also see my post Niche Blogging Income – 5 Steps to Sponsored Posts for more tips and strategies.
Affiliate Marketing
By recommending products they use (and love), fashion bloggers can earn a fortune just by sharing affiliate links on their blog, through social media, or email.
Anytime one of their readers purchases the product (sometimes even days or weeks later) they receive a commission.
The Amazon Influencer Program is popular with established bloggers, but if you don’t meet the criteria yet, try this list of 9 Fashion Affiliate Programs That Earn Large Commissions.
If you want to start earning quickly, I also highly recommend checking out Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing. After taking this course, adding a passive income stream your blog is a piece of cake. Michelle earns over $50,000 a month through affiliate marketing, and she shares all of her best tips in this step-by-step course (it’s helped me earn an extra $1000 this year!). Get started here.
Ad Revenue
For any fashion blog with decent monthly traffic (think 20,000+ sessions/month), ad revenue can be a steady income stream.
While some fashion bloggers may sell their own ad space, many choose to join an established ad network.
This can be a great way to keep money flowing between brand sponsorships, without a lot of hand-ons work.
Some of the most popular ad networks for style bloggers are Mediavine, AdThrive, Google Adsense and Media.net.
How Much Does it Cost to Run a Fashion Blog?
While it’s nice to think about all the income, it’s also important to understand the expenses. Here’s a few examples of common fashion blogging costs:
- Web Hosting (I use Siteground)
- Email Service (I use Mailerlite)
- Pinterest Scheduling (I use Tailwind)
- Photography & Editing
- Support Staff/Virtual Assistants
- Clothing, makeup, accessories & other supplies
Fashion Blog Income Reports
How much money can you make from a fashion blog? Check out these income reports from some of the top bloggers in the industry!
How I Made $3300 This Month As A Fashion Blogger
How I Made $37,953.17 During My 2nd Year Blogging
The Modest Man - Income Report Q3 2018
How I Made $11,562.19 In September
How I Make Money Blogging
Frequently Asked Questions
Do fashion bloggers make money on Instagram?
Just like with sponsored posts on a style blog, brands love to have their products shown off in front of an engaged, targeted audience.
Watch for words like #ad, #sponsored, #partner to see which of your favorite fashion bloggers are making money on Instagram.
Do fashion bloggers get stuff for free?
Yes! Once you gain a small following, brands will start to take notice.
It won’t be long before they’re asking to send you free merchandise in exchange for promotion on your blog or social media.
But don’t sell yourself short! Putting in hours of styling, photography and editing may not be worth a low price point item.
Check out tags like #gifted on Instagram to see which brands are providing free products.
How do I start a fashion blog?
Once you’ve chosen a domain name that reflects your personal style, you’ll need a hosting company that can set you up on WordPress.
If you want to make blogging your business (even if you’re starting small) I highly recommend choosing a web host that focuses on speed, uptime, and customer support (without blowing your limited budget).
Siteground has done all of those for me (including 100% uptime!) and has really helped take both of my blogs to the next level. Check out their Managed WordPress Hosting here.
Not sure which type of blog is right for you? Check out these posts:
How Much Do Travel Bloggers Make?
How Much Do Food Bloggers Make?
Do you have plans to start a fashion blog?
