Every morning at 7 a.m, you’ll find Andi Eaton on her meditation cushion to center herself and get the creative juices flowing. She spends her days creating content on holistic living, wellness and mystical thinking for her Oui, We girl blog and social media accounts. She also leads classes on “the art of lunar living,” writes books, and produces her podcast, where she offers “a mix of cosmic ideas and practical, actionable advice.”

Pandemic-weary people are seeking ways to de-stress and reconnect with themselves, and each other. Andi, “your woo woo best friend,” has created an online community for kindred souls to do just that. A former corporate executive, Andi discovered her niche by following her passion and trusting in herself. Now her blog attracts more than 500K readers a month, and Andi is a full-time content creator, spiritual coach, speaker, author and business consultant. 

Taking a cosmic leap

Andi spent the first part of her career in marketing for a beauty products company, managing their spas and salons in New Orleans. In 2014, she switched gears, moving to a small village in Spain where she could walk to a Buddhist temple. “There, everything started to shift for me,” recalls Andi. She had been publishing a blog for women traveling alone and began weaving in elements of astrology. Interest in the blog soared, leading Andi to publish a Bohemian travel guide. 

Over the next few years, Andi developed her Oui, We blog and brand. Her brand of holistic living and wellness content — mixed with yoga, meditation, astrology, and feel-good, spiritual “woo” — took off. “We grew tenfold in 2019,” she shares. “And that’s how I went from the corporate world to doing a full-time blog.”

She founded Andi Eaton Creatives, a team of digital marketers who helps her curate blog content, develop digital programming, manage partnerships, and run other aspects of her growing business. 

Andi chatted with us from her home office in Los Angeles to share a few tips on what it takes to make your own magic and be a successful web creator — no matter woo you are. 

Learn to spot hot content 

Andi follows her heart … and her Google Analytics. She pays close attention to keyword searches and how her site ranks on Google Search. “We were ranking organically on the first page of Google for quite a few different categories,” Andi says. “We thought OK, this is what people are coming to the site for. So let’s create more content like that.” High-ranking blog posts on full moon rituals and North Node Astrology were ripe for additional content creation. “The number one way we get new people to the site is through organic search,” Andi shares. Tapping into these popular topics helps shape Andi’s content strategy. 

Create a content plan 

Andi maps her content ideas on a yearly calendar, paying attention to seasons, holidays and events. 

“We are constantly brainstorming new ways of creating moon-specific posts,” she says. Then, I create social media content on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest that aligns with that. I've also built out courses from that content.” 

Get to know SEO 

Nurture your creative self

Learn more from Andi about “Finding success through authenticity as a web creator.” And check out more of her Creator Insights videos on the Google Web Creators YouTube channel.

When Keiko Lynn moved to New York City, she had $700, a fledgling fashion line and the LiveJournal blog she had written since she was 15. “I was working from home and sewing every day,” she says. “I only knew two people in New York and I never left home unless I was walking my dog.” Her home is where the modern incarnation of keikolynn.com began.

“I started documenting my outfits every day to hold myself accountable and make sure that I was getting up and getting dressed,” she says. It may have started as a simple idea, but it quickly took off. In the last 20 years, her blog has transformed from an online diary to a promotional tool to a full-time business. 

“I was so young when I started my blog,” Keiko shares. “It was before I had a camera of any kind, so it was all text and I treated it like a diary.” When Keiko moved away for college, the blog underwent its first major transformation. “I got a digital camera and used it to document my life and keep in touch with friends and family,” she says. In many ways, her blog has remained true to its original intent: It’s personal and conversational, and it reads like recommendations from a friend. She carefully considers product reviews she writes, keeps price in mind and has yet to recommend something you couldn’t re-wear. 

“I think my blog is much more personal than a lot of people's blogs because that's how it started out,” Keiko says. “There's a certain level of expectation where people want to know what's going on in my life that I haven't ever really fully moved away from.”

Keiko is the first person featured in the new Creator Insights series, hosted on the Google Web Creators YouTube channel. In her Creator Insights videos, Keiko weighs in on critical parts of her journey to becoming a full-time creator, discussing how to work smarter, determine your rates and generate more traffic. We recently caught up with Keiko to learn more.

On the ins and outs of being your own brand

When asked about her brand, she says, “I didn’t start with the intention of it becoming a business. I fell into it, but if I were coaching someone today, that’d be the first thing I would tell them to figure out.” She continues, “I am my own brand, which can be great, but it can also be tricky. If somebody associates your brand with a specific identity, any evolution can feel like a betrayal. Because I am the brand, I have to go with what feels right.” And what feels right, Keiko notes, often goes against typical fashion and style rules. 

On staying true to yourself despite expectations

The blog “explores whatever I'm interested in at the moment,” Keiko says. “It never adheres to what people think I should be doing, wearing or what's popular. It's all about being yourself and having fun with fashion and beauty without adhering to any sort of standard rules, especially within this blogging world.”

If you’re a fashion or beauty blogger and constant consumption doesn’t fit your lifestyle, Keiko says, “disregard it. Disregard the rule that you have to be a hyper-consumer. There's such a pressure to keep up with the Joneses, always to have something new and fresh to talk about. But for me, it just doesn't make sense for me because that's not the lifestyle that I live.”

On sparking initial interest through her clothing line

Keiko began sewing and selling clothes to support herself during college. “I was making my own clothes because I couldn't afford to buy clothes,” she told me. “I would go to thrift stores, buy stuff and rework it. I was like [the girl in] ‘Pretty in Pink,’” she said. She started selling her clothes through her LiveJournal blog. Then “magazines and brands started reaching out to me,” she says, “and I realized this was a great way to market my clothing line." 

After running her fashion line for many years, Keiko decided to focus entirely on the blog. It transitioned from a tool for self-promotion to “a marketing platform for whatever I was interested in at the moment and brand partnerships,” Keiko says. “It evolved as a business.” 

On making it work as an influencer

Keiko says her primary sources of income are brand partnerships and affiliate links, but getting new blog readers is still a priority. Social media, Keiko advises, “is a valuable tool to remind people that you still have those long-form posts.” Newsletters are great, too. “They’re like the RSS feeds we used to have...a little ‘new-blog-is-up!’ reminder,” she says. The people who open them are likely some of your most engaged readers. It’s helpful to give them a nudge.

It’s also essential to find the type of social media that best augments your strategy. “Pinterest is underutilized for bloggers,” she says. “Food bloggers and travel bloggers already know that Pinterest is highly valuable, but in the style and beauty space, a lot of people who still maintain blogs don't utilize it enough and are seeing the benefits of Pinterest from other people pinning their photos.”

While Instagram posts may disappear or peak in 24 hours, Pinterest posts have the potential to remain evergreen. “I have posts that are over a decade old that still are top traffic earners,” Keiko says. 

But the most crucial advice Keiko has for bloggers in any industry is to “carve out a space for yourself instead of trying to mirror what you view as successful,” she says. “You don’t want to be a carbon copy because you’re always competing with the already successful person. Separate and allow yourself to be as weird as you want to be.”

"It's great to poll the audience to see what they want, but you also have to tell them and show them what they want because they came to you for a reason."

Your interests and needs will change but if you invest in your own evolution and consider which platforms align with your content, your audience, too, will follow you anywhere. You can learn more about Keiko Lynn by watching Creator Insights on the Google Web Creators YouTube.

We know that being a creator isn’t always easy. You have a unique vision and goals but with so many platforms, revenue opportunities and traffic and content strategies, the journey can be uncertain. That’s why we launched this blog and the Google Web Creators YouTube channel — to serve as tools for content creators of all kinds to learn how to produce innovative content and earn an income from the web.

That’s why we’re excited to announce Creator Insights, a new series on our YouTube channel where expert content creators will share their top tips and tricks to help you grow your audience, content strategies that make you stand out, and more. Each featured creator will host multiple videos, so you can get to know them and their brand while you hear their insights on numerous topics relevant to creating for the web.

Our first featured creator is Keiko Lynn. A fashion and lifestyle blogger, Keiko has been sharing her life online since she was 15 years old. From a public diary, to promoting her fashion line, to a full-time business, Keiko’s blog has grown and changed with her. Watch now as Keiko walks you through how to determine your rates as an influencer, how to tailor content to different platforms and how to survive as a one-woman production and advertising company.

We will be covering many different topics throughout the series. Make sure to watch all of Keiko’s videos and to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you don’t miss out.

Nakisha Wynn was working at a financial services firm when life took an unexpected turn. She thought about starting a blog aimed at other moms, particularly single mothers. “I didn’t see anybody who looked like me doing the blogging thing,” Nakisha notes. “It was either these fabulous girls showing off their fashions or huge bloggers I couldn’t relate to, so I birthed my blog from that.”

In 2016, Nakisha launchednakishawynn.com, where she blogs about single parenting, personal finance, working at home, family travel, frugal living and self-care.

Today, her following extends to social media, including YouTube, Instagram andFacebook. She has developed brand partnerships, participates in affiliate programs and offers her professional services as a content creator, coach and speaker. 

Nakisha describes how “hard work, persistence and dedication” led to her entrepreneurial success as a web creator, blogger and YouTuber. 

How would you start a blog from scratch?

The very first thing I would do is connect with current bloggers that I look up to. Comment on their videos or blog posts and follow them on Instagram and put yourself into that person's community. Study them to see what they're doing and how they're doing, and then just go for it! I would do as much as I can and then I would get mentorship to take me to the next level.

Could you break down your website sections?

My ”Mom Life” section is where my roots are. That's what really caught the attention of everyone, because I was sharing a very unique story of being a single mom who decided to jump up and leave her corporate job and get out here and just wing it. Motherhood is the foundation of my business. I am passionate about moms pursuing their real-life dreams and going for it. 

I have “Family Finances” because my background is banking. And I have overcome some financial obstacles in my life, dealing with credit issues and learning how to budget and manage finances by myself being single. So I share things around saving money and how to budget and making money on the side, side hustles. One of the biggest things that I learned, which helped me to truly get out here and work for myself, is multiple streams of income is huge.

How do you come up with ideas for your blog? 

I'm often live on YouTube or Instagram, and I use what my audience is asking me. I think it's one of the most amazing ways to come up with content ideas. Because if you are having that ongoing conversation with your audience, they will tell you exactly what they want to see. 

Do you keep an editorial calendar? 

For sure! There’s no way I could stay on task and create as much content as I do without one. I posted a video on How to Create a Content Calendar. It's essential — especially if you have other businesses or if you're working other jobs — to stay on task to make sure you're staying up on trends. 

Is blogging still worth it?

Absolutely! I think it's important for people to have a place to go to, to see what you're all about. People will watch you for months before they even reach out. If I only have your social media to go to, I don't really know what your story is. I want to go to your blog. I want to see your website’s “About” section. You need a home and a place to house your information, and to [show] who you are about so that when people are ready to pay you, they can have somewhere to come and knock on the door to give you the check.

You put out so much content. Are you a one-woman show?

This is a one-woman show! Listen, it can be done. It takes hard work, persistence and dedication. You got to really want this, and I really want this. For me, it is such an absolute pleasure and privilege to be able to do something I absolutely love every single day.