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Need a few lifestyle blog examples to view as inspiration for your own blog?
Lifestyle blogs are one of the web’s most popular and competitive blogging niches, so it helps to know how the most successful blogs in this niche handle everything as you build your own lifestyle blog.
That’s why in this post, we’ve rounded up the best lifestyle blogs and cover how they handle content, what kinds of income streams they use and more.
We used MozBar to determine each blog’s domain authority (DA), Similarweb to estimate how much traffic they receive per month, Pingdom to clock page load time and Wappalyzer to identify which content management system (CMS) each blog was built with.
The list is arranged from highest to lowest monthly visits. Let’s get into it.
Contents
The best lifestyle blog examples
- Cup of Jo – A large, magazine-like blog that covers fashion, beauty tips, entertainment, recipes, hosting and relationships.
- Style By Emily Henderson – Primarily an interior design blog, but they also cover fashion advice, beauty, relationships and food-related topics.
- A Beautiful Mess – This blog has a big focus on DIY, but you’ll also find topics related to recipes, advice and style.
- Chris Loves Julia – A DIY-turned-lifestyle blog. They cover topics related to home design, lifestyle tips, gift guides and more.
- CARLY – A personal lifestyle and fashion blog that features a little bit of everything.
- The Stripe – A one-woman lifestyle blog that covers style, beauty, books and related topics.
- Wit & Delight – A lifestyle blog turned online magazine that covers a wide variety of life, style, health and beauty topics.
- Julia Berolzheimer – As the woman behind the Girl Meets Glam collection, Julia primarily publishes content related to fashion trends and style.
1. Cup of Jo
DA: 78 | Traffic: 2.3 million+ per month | Load Time: 1.22s | CMS: WordPress
At over 2 million visits per month, Cup of Jo is one of the most successful lifestyle blogs on the web.
It was founded by Joanna Goddard, who launched the blog in 2007 as a “weekend hobby.”
Now, she works alongside multiple editors, a professional photographer and dedicated columnists to create one of the most influential blogs in the lifestyle niche.
They cover everything from fashion, beauty and recipes to motherhood and travel-related topics.
The site operates more as an online magazine these days than a blog, but it still has a simple, blog-like web design and style.
Content
Cup of Jo publishes content to six parent categories and over a dozen child categories.
These parent categories are Style, Design, Food, Relationships, Travel and Motherhood.
Most articles are published under Joanna’s name, but the site has several contributors.
Many of the blog’s posts are quite short and image heavy, but the site’s engagement rates are off the charts with many posts receiving over 100 comments.
Income streams
Here are a few common ways lifestyle blogs make money.
If you browse the site without an adblocker, you’ll notice the way ads play a huge role in their monetization strategy.
There are display ads in the sidebar as well as a sticky ad at the bottom of the viewport.
There’s also a blurb about how to get in touch with them about advertising and partnerships, so we can also deduce that they accept sponsorship deals as well.
The blog also uses affiliate marketing, particularly Amazon affiliate links.
Social media activity
Cup of Jo is active on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.
The blog receives most of their engagements on Pinterest and Instagram, where they mostly promote their latest blog posts.
They receive a few thousand likes per post on Instagram.
2. Style By Emily Henderson
DA: 72 | Traffic: 1.5 million+ per month | Load Time: 1.19s | CMS: WordPress
Emily Henderson launched Style By Emily Henderson “10 years ago” as a personal blog for her to share tips on room design and style.
Now, it’s a popular lifestyle blog that receives over 1 million visits per month, and Emily works on it alongside a team of over a dozen women (plus two gentlemen) with roles that include Editorial Director, Partnerships Manager, Associate Editor, Social Media Manager and several Design Contributors.
The blog’s primary topic is interior design, particularly design ideas, makeovers and tips on how to design on a budget.
The blog also takes on special interior design projects and documents everything in special “Projects” posts where they cover the ups, downs and final reveals of room designs.
Content
Style By Emily Henderson’s navigation menu has four primary blog categories, which are Design, Lifestyle, Personal and Rooms.
Outside of interior design, the blog covers topics related to food, fashion, beauty, relationships, parenting, controversial debates and business advice.
The blog’s editorial schedule is shared equally by Emily and her contributors.
Most posts are short on copy and heavy on images, which is as to be expected from a blog about interior design.
Most posts have a few dozen comments.
Income streams
Style By Emily Henderson uses ads across the site, including a sticky ad element that displays at the bottom of the viewport.
They also use affiliate marketing in posts as well as a Shop page where the blog lists recommended home goods curated by the team themselves.
A membership program is also available for members of the blog’s community.
It costs $9.99/month and gives readers access to ad-free content, exclusive behind the scenes content, and a better way to connect with Emily and the team behind the blog as well as fellow community members.
The program is powered by Mighty Networks, a platform that enables you to offer courses and memberships and build an online community.
Lastly, the blog accepts sponsorship deals.
Social media activity
Style By Emily Henderson is active on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.
They have a YouTube channel but have not uploaded a video in over two years.
They receive most of their engagements on Instagram, where they mostly post room reveals.
3. A Beautiful Mess
DA: 76 | Traffic: 800,000 per month | Load Time: 528ms | CMS: WordPress
A Beautiful Mess is a DIY and lifestyle blog founded by sisters Elsie Larson and Emma Chapman.
They founded the blog as a way to support the boutique and bakery they owned. After realizing they enjoyed making content much more, the duo closed shop and went all in on the blog.
Now, they work with four additional team members and over a dozen contributors.
Along with posts related to crafts and DIY, the blog also publishes recipes and style-related topics.
They’ve been featured by The New York Times, The Guardian and Huffington Post.
Content
There are five blog categories in the blog’s navigation menu: Crafts, Recipes, Decor + DIY, Advice, and Style.
The blog has published over 4,000 posts, so they’ve pretty much covered every DIY craft you can think of.
The Decor + DIY category includes topics related to home decor while the Advice category features DIY tips.
Elsie and Emma also have a podcast where they discuss various lifestyle-related topics.
Posts are quite short and feature numerous images each.
Income streams
A Beautiful Mess is another lifestyle blog that utilizes ads across their entire site.
They also support themselves with sponsorship deals and affiliate marketing.
This includes a mini product blogging platform called LTK, which they use to recommend affiliate products.
Social media activity
A Beautiful Mess is active on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.
Most of their engagements come from Instagram. They receive hundreds of likes per post.
4. Chris Loves Julia
DA: 62 | Traffic: 800,000+ per month | Load Time: 1.94s | CMS: WordPress
Chris Loves Julia is a lifestyle blog with a heavy focus on DIY projects and home design.
Julia started the blog in 2009 a year after marrying her fiancé Chris. Chris also joined in projects and writing posts, and after years of hard work, the couple were able to quit their jobs and work full time on the blog beginning in 2016.
They’ve been featured by Better Homes & Gardens, Food Network, Country Living, New York Magazine and Apartment Therapy.
They’ve also launched their own clothing line and have collaborated with brands to introduce their own product lines of various home goods.
Content
Chris Loves Julia has two primary categories: Design and Lifestyle.
Design has child categories like Art, Decor, Inspiration and Mood Boards.
Lifestyle’s child categories include Casual Friday, Chris Cooks, Cleaning & Organization, Entertaining, Fashion, and Health & Beauty.
In these child categories, you’ll find posts featuring DIY projects, recipes, decor hacks, budget fashion looks and more.
Like many other blogs on this list, this blog’s posts are slim on copy and heavy on images.
Income streams
Chris Loves Julia has quite a few income streams, including ads that display on blog post pages.
They also use sponsorship deals, including product lines they’ve created through collaborations with brands like Loloi and Charly.
Chris and Julia have also created their own products.
The first is a clothing line called ProperTee while the second is an online school that teaches students how to be good, professional influencers.
Lastly, Chris Loves Julia utilizes affiliate marketing on their blog.
This includes clever “Shop Our House” and “Where We Shop” pages where they can recommend affiliate products and online stores.
Social media activity
Chris Loves Julia is mostly active on Instagram where they often receive tens of thousands of likes on posts.
They promote upcoming blog posts and share life updates.
5. CARLY
DA: 49 | Traffic: 500,000+ per month | Load Time: 1.43s | CMS: WordPress
CARLY is a lifestyle blog founded by entrepreneur Carly Riordan in 2008.
The blog covers almost every lifestyle-related topic imaginable, from style to travel.
Carly even published a book, called Business Minded, on female entrepreneurship in 2021.
Content
CARLY publishes content under the following parent categories: Style, Motherhood, Travel, Inspiration and Lifestyle.
For style, Carly publishes posts that cover daily outfit ideas and specific fashion topics, such as dresses, handbags, casual wear, etc.
Child categories for CARLY’s Travel category include places Carly has traveled to, itineraries and packing lists.
The Inspiration and Lifestyle categories are quite extensive as far as child categories go.
You’ll find topics related to anxiety, college, entertainment, recipes and more.
Some posts on CARLY feature much more copy than previous blogs on this list.
This could simply be Carly’s blogging style, or it could be due to the blog’s lower domain authority, meaning they need to work much harder to rank.
Income streams
Along with her book, CARLY utilizes affiliate marketing in posts as well as a Shop My Favorites page in which she recommends products.
CARLY also accepts partnership inquiries from brands.
Social media activity
Carly is active on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest but receives most of her engagements on Instagram.
She posts images of her daily life and typically receives a few thousand likes per post.
6. The Stripe
DA: 54 | Traffic: 250,000+ per month | Load Time: 3.67s | CMS: WordPress
The Stripe is a “daily source of inspiration for the modern woman.”
Grace Atwood started the blog in 2010 out of a love for “fashion, beauty and making.”
Topics she covers include style, books, beauty and more.
Before blogging, Grace’s professional credentials have included working as Social Media Director for BaubleBar and in the marketing departments of Procter & Gamble and Coty.
Through The Stripe, she’s been featured by Glamour, Apartment Therapy and more.
Content
Some of The Stripe’s parent categories include Style, Beauty, Books and Chats.
Topics covered include daily outfits, makeup, hair, skincare, “Everything I Read in [month/year]” posts and journal-style posts.
All posts are written by Grace, and most are quite short.
The blog is very casual in style overall, but Grace does a lot with a little.
Income streams
The Stripe’s revenue strategy kicks off with a few ads that display across the site.
Grace’s About Me and Contact pages also state she’s open to partnership inquiries, so sponsorship deals are another income stream for her.
Lastly, like many other lifestyle blogs, she uses affiliate marketing in posts as well as a Shop page where she recommends products and a Library page where she recommends books.
Social media activity
Grace is active on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.
Most of her engagements come from Instagram and Facebook.
She posts images and videos of her everyday life on Instagram and receives over 1,000 likes per post.
She also has a Facebook group dedicated to her community. It has over 12,800 members and receives about 1,000 new posts per month.
7. Wit & Delight
DA: 54 | Traffic: 200,000+ per month | Load Time: 1.8s | CMS: WordPress
Wit & Delight is another lifestyle blog turned online magazine. They cover a wide variety of lifestyle topics, including style, beauty, food, relationships and more.
It was started by Kate Arends in 2009 as a personal blog and creative outlet. It brought her out of debt and became her full-time income shortly after.
The blog truly took off in 2013 when Kate began publishing personal essays in which she documented her journey through a divorce, mental illness and a newfound learning disability.
Wit & Delight’s team has grown to include personnel with roles such as Brand Director, New Business Director, Content Creator, Executive Assistant, Designer and Editorial Director.
The blog’s editorial schedule is also filled by numerous contributors.
Content
WIt & Delight publishes a lot of content, so much so that we need to use bullet points to list all of their parent categories:
- Interiors & Decor
- Fashion & Style
- Health & Wellness
- Relationships
- Career Development
- Lifestyle
- Food & Entertaining
- Beauty
- Parenthood
- Travel & Leisure
Each category is updated regularly.
This blog stays on trend with the rest of the blogs on this list by publishing shorter posts than the average blog post length used by the blogging industry as a whole.
Income streams
Wit & Delight has more income streams than any other blog on this list, so strap in.
We’ll start off simple and mention their use of ads and affiliate marketing.
Along with using affiliate links in blog posts, Wit & Delight also have a few hubs they use to promote affiliate products.
This includes pages for Resources, Shop My Home, Favorite Places to Shop and Promo Codes, and Things I Tried and Loved.
They also have their own Amazon page where they recommend even more products.
The blog also creates sponsored posts for brands.
Partnerships have even gone on to include special product lines, such as a line of home goods at West Elm.
Wit & Delight also have their own paper products, which they sell at Target.
They include a sketchbook, a linen journal and a planner.
Wit & Delight also have a few online courses where they’ve taught thousands of students how to build a lifestyle brand, become more productive and create an online social media presence.
Lastly, Kate offers one-on-one consulting and studio services.
Social media activity
Wit & Delight are active on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter.
They receive most of their engagements on Instagram despite having 2.9 million followers on Pinterest.
8. Julia Berolzheimer
DA: 54 | Traffic: 200,000+ per month | Load Time: 1.22s | CMS: WordPress
Julia Berolzheimer is the woman behind the Girl Meets Glam dress collection you can find at fashion boutiques around the country, including Nordstrom and Anthropologie.
Julia started the blog under this name in 2011 when she wanted to start a blog as a creative outlet during college.
The collection ended in 2020 when she parted ways with her business partner, and the blog that remained rebranded as her name, Julia Berolzheimer.
As expected, style is her primary focus when it comes to publishing content.
Content
Julia publishes content under categories that include Style, At Home, Littles (her children), Garden and Travel.
She’s published over 2,000 posts on the blog.
Many are short on copy and feature numerous images.
In fact, as a fashion and style blog, many of her posts feature a grid of images, each of which consists of an item of clothing or accessory she recommends.
Income streams
Along with affiliate marketing, Julia has collaborated with such brands as Pottery Barn, Margaux, Amanda Lindroth, Neely & Chloe, and Lake Pajamas.
She also owns a separate online store called Parterre with Hanna Seabrook of Gadabout.
The pair sell clothing items and home goods.
Social media activity
Julia is active on Instagram and Pinterest.
She shares looks and glimpses into her daily life on Instagram and receives a few thousand likes per post.
Final thoughts
That wraps up our examples of the best lifestyle blogs on the web.
These blogs vary in the amount of visitors they attract per month as well as the size of the teams they work with.
Some run their blogs entirely on their own. Others work with full-time employees and huge writing teams.
Nevertheless, there are a few trends we can spot among the majority of these blogs outside of the content they create.
The first is the income streams they use.
Most use ads, affiliate marketing and sponsorships.
AdThrive seems to be a favorite among lifestyle bloggers. And if you want to open yourself up to more sponsorship opportunities, create a dedicated “Work With Us” page.
Be sure to add a short blurb about how to get in touch with you about brand partnerships on your Contact page, at the very least.
For affiliate marketing, many of these blogs use a special “Shop” page to recommend products.
It often looks like an online store, even including prices in some instances. Either way, it seems to be an effective way to amp up your affiliate marketing strategy.
The second thing (and third and fourth) we’ll point out has to do with social media.
Most blogs use a variety of different social media platforms. However, most only receive a meaningful number of engagements on Instagram.
Plus, most don’t receive nearly the same number of social media engagements as they do blog visitors.
Therefore, if you’re struggling to come up with content for other platforms, you’ll likely do just fine if you only focus on Instagram for the time being.
Heck, based on some of these examples, you may even do fine if you ignore social media all together.
We hope you found this article useful, and we want to wish you luck as you start a lifestyle blog.
Need more help getting started? Check out these related articles:
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