Margaret Zhang began blogging at 16 years old as a way for her to document the things she loved. Like all success stories, it wasn’t started for commercial success, it was a hobby. Today she is a sought-after model, photographer, stylist, and writer. Her work featured in publications like ELLE, and Harper’s BAZAAR. She sits front row at Fashion Week and works on campaigns with brands like Swarovski and UNIQLO.
If that all sounds like hard work, Margaret is also still at University! She’s a student at The University of Sydney completing her Law degree. Not bad for a girl her age! Here’s how she took her blog from a hobby to a business and became recognized.
Standing Out
When Margaret first set up her blog in 2009, she stood out with original content and a curated feed that inspired her readers. The more successful bloggers started in the 2000’s. At that time, blogging was still in its infancy, which allowed Margaret to stand out. She used the lack of competition as an advantage and established her personal brand, playing with visuals and making sure her journal reflected her own interests.
Adapting her brand
As her blog became more recognized and drew the attention of brands, she expanded her wings by collaborating with them on campaigns. This drew more followers to her blog, and gave brands exposure. She mentioned to abc.net.au that her growth had been “exponential”. “I think that was the point where I was like, “Oh, this is not what I expected. This was just kind of a ‘me’ project and now it’s become something much bigger.” Soon enough, she began accepting brand collaborations with Clinique, Swarovski, and UNIQLO.
Expanding her portfolio
As the media landscape grew, Margaret began building new skill-sets: writing, photography and styling. Her blog was the main avenue for her to channel her new skills and as she began to grow, magazines like ELLE, L’OFFICIEL and Harper’s BAZAAR had her on board to style and shoot editorial features.
She began creating content focused on travel and lifestyle, just when Instagram had added the ‘places’ tab to their app. This allowed her to be more visible on Google and on Instagram. Definitely a double win!
Sharing her passion
Margaret also created tutorials for her online community on how to take great photos, besides juggling school work and her career. Sharing and educating your community are just some of the ways that bloggers can build a strong following around their brand. It’s no surprise that Margaret is such a high followed blogger and creative!
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