The Mommy Blogger Revolution

World Breastfeeding Week: August 1-7, 2012

Mommy bloggers are a modern-day version of Dr. Spock. They have become the cyberspace role models for moms everywhere and are taking the Internet by storm. There are mommy blogger boot camps, conferences, events, summits, retreats, networks, clubs, magazines… mommy bloggers here, mommy bloggers there, mommy bloggers everywhere.

Who are mommy bloggers?

Mommy bloggers are mostly comprised of stay-at-home moms, albeit there are some daddy bloggers out there, too. Mommy bloggers have a certain “street credibility.” They live what they teach and preach. However, that’s not all they blog about. Mommy bloggers expose themselves, revealing their innermost thoughts and feelings. They are honest, raw and at times vulnerable, therefore developing a trusting relationship with their readers. According to Forbes magazine, “Moms who blog have become citizen journalists, and remarkably, the top 15 mom bloggers influence more people than the New York Times.” Wow. That’s impressive.

Mommy blogger statistics.

Moms all over the world are jumping aboard the mommy blogging bandwagon. A recent study by Scarborough Research uncovers that there are 3.9 million mommy bloggers in the country, and yet only 500 are considered influential among other mothers. Fourteen percent of American moms either blog about parenting or refer to blogs for guidance and counsel. Out of those bloggers, 89 percent have kids between the ages of 2 and 11. Thirty-seven is the average mommy blogger age. And according to Mashable Infographics, mommy bloggers are also “socially conscious and are 85 percent more likely to have supported a politician based on an environmental issue, 88 percent more likely to buy eco-friendly products and 38 percent more likely to volunteer than the average mom.”

Do mommy bloggers make money from their blogs?

Evidently, there’s a lot of money to be made in mommy blogging; typically through advertisements or selling products via an affiliate marketing program. Jennifer James, founder and editor of Mom Blog Magazine, advises that consistent content and consistent writing is imperative to a successful blog. What constitutes a successful blog is the amount of visitors to the blog site. While one mom may make a mere $100 a month, other moms can make up to $10,000 a month. Typically, mommy bloggers earn $50 – $250 for each post.

The number of visitors and the amount of traffic a mommy blogger has is directly related to the amount of income a mommy blogger will make. If a blog is written about a topic that is highly saturated in the blogsphere, the amount of views decreases and visa versa. Mommy bloggers must, in essence, dominate the social media world. Kristen Chase and Liz Gumbinner, both among the top 50 most influential mommy bloggers, generate an excess of over 1 million page views every month . . . not to mention the thousands and thousands of Twitter followers and Facebook fans.

Two prominent Mommy bloggers.

Heather Armstrong, aka “Queen of the Mommy Bloggers” created a blog, Dooce, over ten years ago that was initially intended for a place to vent about work and other lifestyle topics. Originally created incognito, a whistle blower blew her cover, and Armstrong soon after found herself without a job… all because of her blog.

Now getting “dooced” is an actual word in the Urban Dictionary: getting fired because of something that you wrote in your Web log. When Armstrong got married and pregnant, her readers were afraid she would turn into a sappy mommy blogger. But not Heather. She now writes about the banalities of parenting, everyday funny occurrences, her husband, her kids, and her dog… all with a dry, sarcastic wit. She draws in about 100,000 visitors daily to her site, which means she’s rolling in the dough - bringing in an estimated $30,000 to $50,000 a month or more. Armstrong also comes in at #26 as the only blogger on the latest Forbes list of the Most Influential Women in Media.

Ree Drummond is another top mommy blogger, drawing in a whopping 6 million visitors per month. She is a former Los Angeles party girl who met a cowboy on a visit home to Oklahoma, married him, and is now a ranch wife/mommy blogger. Her blog, The Pioneer Woman, features family recipes and anecdotes, and chronicles Drummond’s life raising four children… and cattle. A possible movie about this mommy blogger has Hollywood tongues wagging.

What do mommy bloggers blog about?

Mommy bloggers are the ultimate storytellers, carving out beautifully intricate stories about some of the most mundane life experiences. Mommy bloggers are passionate and cater to female emotion. They write about everything from home/garden, arts and crafts, child safety, health/well being, travel, family issues, religion, shopping… you name it, a Mommy blogger has probably blogged about it.

There are even controversial mommy bloggers where no topic is taboo. Elita Kalma’s blog, Blacktating: Breastfeeding News and Views from a Woman of Color, for instance, was created out of her passion for breastfeeding. She writes about all topics related to breastfeeding and even posts photos of women breastfeeding in public. As you can see, the topics are endless.

Will YOU be the next mommy blogger?


Cited Sources

Belkin, Lisa. "Mommy--Bloggest." The New York Times. The New York Times, 27 Feb. 2011. Web. 27 July 2012. <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/27/magazine/27armstrong-t.html?_r=1>.

Chang, Angie. "How Open Conversation Between Moms, Marketers Earns Influence." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 17 May 2012. Web. 27 July 2012. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/women2/2012/05/17/how-open-conversation-between-moms-marketers-earns-influence/>.

Laird, Sam. "Mashable Infographics." Mashable. N.p., 8 May 2012. Web. 23 July 2012. <http://mashable.com/2012/05/08/mommy-blogger-infographic/>.

Precourt, Stephanie. "Most Controversial Mom Blogs." SheKnows. N.p., 14 Dec. 2011. Web. 27 July 2012. <http://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/847747/most-controversial-mom-blogs>.