Q&A: Your Questions, Answered!

This post is so long overdue. A few weeks ago, I told you guys to ask me anything, and that’s exactly what you did! Thanks for all of the great questions you asked in the comments, on Twitter and on Snapchat!

All of the questions fell into these three main categories, but if there’s anything you think I missed, leave it in the comments and I’ll answer it there!

On life in Philly…

Q: What are your favorite places to shop, eat, and be entertained in Philly?
A: This is a hard one to condense into a quick answer. But, in short: my shopping habits absolutely don’t take advantage of Philly’s incredible boutique and independently owned shop scene. Pretty much anything I buy here can be bought in any other city. I do love the Philly Independents shop for unique gifts and home decor items. As far as eating, Green Eggs for Brunch and BarLy for happy hour (which is seven days a week there, btw). Entertainment for me is all about the museum scene.

Q: What are your favorite coffee shops?
A: I’m currently working on a more in-depth round up of my favorite Philly coffee shops! But for now: Menagerie, Bodhi, and Joe Coffee are certainly high on my list and my most frequented.

Q: Tips to connect with the local (Philly) creative community? How to find them?
A: Philly is full of creatives, awesome startup companies and entrepreneurs. My best tip to find them is to join some local organizations, especially if you’re a college student. I met so many like minded people during my time at Temple just by joining groups like PRSSA. There are also lot’s of Facebook groups I’m sure you could search for, and be sure to network and meet new people when you go to events!

On work and life…

Q: What do you do for a living? How did you get into it?
A: I knew I wanted to get into communications of some sort. I majored in public relations and never really looked back. I was really involved in a lot of pre-professional orgs during college and had great internships. Now, I do PR for the city’s tourism agency.

Q: What’s your day-to-day like routine like?
A: Honestly, it depends on the day. Typically, I’ll get up early to read or get the day organized and have breakfast, head to work, and do some blogging or freelance work after either at home or at coffee shops. I do the bulk of my writing and scheduling on the weekends.

Q: Advice on finding a mentor?
A: I’ve found the best mentor relationships by finding the way I can genuinely be most helpful to the other person, and letting things grow from there. Volunteer at an event someone is hosting, or apply for an internship and then go above and beyond what is regularly expected of you. I wrote a bit about that here, and more here.

Q: How do you develop a solid daily routine?
A: Figure out what works for you, and then do that consistently until it no longer works. Then, make adjustments and start over. The key is making sure it works for you. If everyone else is waking up at 5am, but that doesn’t serve you as well, don’t do it and find your sweet spot. I wrote more on routines here.

Q: What new projects would you look into doing in the near future?
A: I’ve been really playing around with the idea of podcasting lately. It’s definitely in the early thought phases, but it’s something I’d love to explore!

On blogging and social media…

Q: What advice do you have for someone new to blogging?
A: Focus on really creating a relationship with your audience. It’s what honestly matters the most, more than the numbers or how you compare to others, and will be the most beneficial to you, no matter what direction you take your blog.

Q: What’s the best way to make brands and other bloggers interested in doing collaborations?
A: Really do your research to make sure you’re only reaching out to brands who align well with your own and would benefit from the collaboration. Be sure to solidify your ideas before you reach out, and highlight the benefits the other person would receive!

Q: Do you think it’s smart to create separate accounts for your blog/business and personal social profiles?
A: I’ve never been a fan of separate accounts, but I think it’s very situational. For me, it doesn’t really make sense to have multiple accounts because everything I do is tied so closely together to who I am. For others who run a blog as a marketing tool for a separate business, it could make more sense.

Q: How can bloggers who can’t afford a designer make their blogs look professional?
A: Invest in a quality premade theme for your blog. A $50 investment is a lot easier to make than $700-2000 for a custom design. Then, think of the goals you have for your site and search for free, simple add ons and plugins. For example, if you’re looking to grow on social, how can you incorporate more links to your profiles throughout the site. Here are more affordable blogging investments.

Thanks again sending along such great questions! Add any others that I missed into the comments!