Not many can claim the profession of full-time
blogger, but Carly Heitlinger of The
College Prepster can. In between
Instagramming photos of her toy poodle and exploring New York City, Carly
writes posts and makes cute graphics for her blog. Her posts cover everything
from fashion to lifestyle advice to frequent giveaways. In addition, she does collaborations
with brands, like her recent work with Teen Vogue
and Sperry Top-Sider.
A
native of Tampa, Florida, Carly started her blog in December 2008 when she was
a freshman in college. She attended Georgetown University, where she majored in
marketing.
In a recent email interview, she said, “It was
great to be able to take what I was learning in the classroom and apply it to
my blog and vice versa.” Carly cultivated a preppy aesthetic that appeals to
many college girls across the country.
After her graduation in 2012, she
moved to New York City and began work at the Levo League, a start-up company run
entirely by women. Its purpose is to provide resources to women to help further
their careers, such as mentors, career networks, and job boards to find
openings.
Of her time at Levo League, Carly says, “I wore
tons of different hats and learned so much throughout that year. It wasn’t
without its challenges, but it was a great ‘first job’ experience.”
This past September, Carly made the
difficult decision to quit her job to pursue blogging full-time. She was
feeling overwhelmed by working full-time and running her blog and decided to take
the chance to see if it worked for her.
“The switch was hard because I didn’t think I would
like it,” Carly recounts. “I thought I’d get bored, but it’s been nice to only
have to focus on it...and then have a ‘life’ at night and on the weekends
instead of working around the clock like I did at college and when I had
another job.”
Seven months later, she is happy with her decision
and is supporting herself financially with her blogging and brand
collaborations.
Without a desk job, her days are
much less structured. “Every day is different,” she says. “I might have
meetings or phone calls or a photo shoot. You just never know!” The ability to
work from home allowed her to get her toy poodle—Theodore Fitzpatrick,
otherwise known as Teddy—who even has his own Instagram
account. Carly has blogged very candidly on the joys and
difficulties of owning a dog.
“It’s nice to get an honest perspective about
owning a dog, especially in New York City,” says Stefanie Miller, a reader of
The College Prepster. “Most people constantly flaunt their adorable pet, but
Carly actually discusses how much of a responsibility and a challenge it is.”
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| Carly's dog, Teddy |
Carly runs a Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram, Pinterest and Tumblr for The College Prepster. With a Twitter that
boasts 24,500 followers and an Instagram that has nearly 65,000 followers,
social media is clearly an important part of promoting Carly’s brand.
“I think it’s great because readers can pick and
choose which platforms they like the most,” Carly says. Her social media
represent both her blog and her personally.
Carly has partnered with brands like
Kate Spade, Sole Society and Jack Rogers. She says that she loves the end
results of the collaborations though there is a lot of behind-the-scenes work that
goes into them. Though working with a brand can be fun, there are also
“brainstorming, negotiations, contracts, execution, etc.” to deal with, she
says.
Most recently, Teen Vogue featured a
collaboration between Carly and Sperry Top-Sider. Carly and her friend,
Mackenzie Horan of Design Darling, went to Westport, Conn. and Newport, R.I. to
take photos with new Sperry Top-Sider products. The photos of Carly and
Mackenzie wearing cute New England preppy pieces are on Teen Vogue’s website.
This preppy aesthetic is popular
with Carly’s audience. Katie of Katie
Kitty Cat is a frequent reader of The College Prepster.
“Carly’s blog embodies a sense of sophistication and practicality that makes
her blog relatable and enjoyable to read,” she says. “Whether it’s a post about
fashion, films, or life advice, you can always take something useful away from
her posts.”
As for tips for aspiring bloggers?
Carly stresses that starting with the right intentions is crucial. Her blog
shows that blogging is enjoyable and rewarding, but also hard work, as Carly is
very open about the amount of time and thought that go into writing posts.
“Beyond that, coming up with original content and being authentic in your blog
is the best thing you can do!” Carly says.
Find Carly at www.thecollegeprepster.com or follow her on Twitter or Instagram.
All images used with permission of Carly Heitlinger.
Find Carly at www.thecollegeprepster.com or follow her on Twitter or Instagram.
All images used with permission of Carly Heitlinger.