We’ve once again solicited questions from you guys on Facebook for our blogiversary extravaganza (of the personal, not decorating, variety). And just like we did in 2009 and 2010, we had fun answering a bunch of ’em. We crammed as many responses as we could into 20 minutes, so unfortunately not every one of the 80+ questions got answered, but we figured 20 minutes was already pushing the bounds of an acceptable YouTube video length. Haha. Here are a few things that we cover:
- Our favorite and least favorite qualities in each other
- What our neighbors think about the blog
- If the former owners of our house read the blog
- Our weirdest fan interaction
- Who Clara looks more like
- How we deal with negative criticism
- What we wanted to be when we grew up
- What will happen to our blog name when we’re not young anymore
- If we ever fight or spend time apart
- And most importantly: John’s thoughts on the new Twilight movie
And of course there are a bunch of other questions, a Burger cameo, and John cycles through soda shirts just to keep things spicy. Oh but if you’re at work you can still watch it on mute and try to guess what I’m gesturing wildly about (or wait until tonight and watch it with some popcorn and take a swig of soda every time John changes shirts). Our only video-recording rule is that we’re not allowed to re-answer anything so it’s completely unscripted and sort of an all-one-take kind of thing (that we later edit down just to shorten things/take out the “ummmms” so we can squeeze more answers in). We don’t even read the questions until we’re rolling, so we don’t overthink or overplan – but sometimes we over-share. Haha. Who’s surprised.
And just because we’re chatterboxes, this year we tossed in three bonus business-related answers:
Q: How did you get sponsors? Do you solicit advertising? What’s the secret? First we wrote about 200 posts and had been blogging for a while without even thinking about sponsors, just because it was something we loved to do. We actually had no idea there were even people or companies who sponsored blogs, we just thought of it as a fun creative outlet/diary. Then it slowly dawned on us that because we were gaining more traffic and posting every day, maybe some local folks or small online businesses would like to get a button on our sidebar in exchange for a tiny fee. So we tossed up a “wanna advertise with us?” button just to see what would happen. We thought it would be awesome to make a few extra dollars to put towards projects, but definitely didn’t have high hopes. Much to our surprise and amazement, a few small companies and Etsy vendors emailed us to say that they were happy to give it a try. So we just shared our stats and offered people a flat fee for the month and a slightly discounted fee for the quarter.
To this day we actually still use the same system. There are definitely more intricate ways of charging sponsors (like per click, per view, etc) and even more complex ways of calculating rates. But we decided to keep it simple and start with a flat rate that we felt was fair (based on what we saw other sites charging with comparable traffic) and just let the sponsors tell us if it was too high (and if they did, we’d adjust). If it was too low, well, we love a deal – so we figured why not offer one ourselves (after all, we were satisfied with that rate since we were the ones who came up with it). That system seems to be working for everyone, so much so that we haven’t raised our rates in almost two years (despite a great increase in traffic since then).
When it comes to managing sponsorships, we use Google Ad Manager to organize everything. It not only serves the ads to our site, but also helps us keep track of expirations so John can send renewal emails / invoices. So it’s a bit of paperwork on our end, but completely worth the effort since our sponsors are a big part of what makes this blog possible. There’s definitely not a get rich quick aspect to blogging (at least not in our experience), but we’ve seen that by focusing on content first and readers second, the sponsors will gradually fall into place.
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Q: Do you have to post a certain amount of times each month for sponsors? Nope, as we mentioned above, they pay a flat fee per month so no traffic or amount of posts are expected or promised. We’ve just posted 1-2 times a day about the same range of stuff for the past few years, so it’s a pace that works for us. Some juicy stuff + some light stuff + some personal stuff = a comfortable mix. Posting in some sort of regular rhythm provides structure and helps keep our creative juices flowing. If we stopped blogging every time we were in a rut or ran into a snafu we worry we might never start again. Gotta keep that momentum up! <– picture me in a bodysuit and legwarmers saying this in a sing-song-y voice a la workout videos from the eighties
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Q: Aren’t you scared to have so little job security when your whole family’s income relies on this blog? We’re not gonna lie, it can freak us out if we think about it too much. But we’ve squirreled away the recommended amount of “safety net savings” to fall back on if this ol’ blog suddenly grinds to a halt (which we built up before John came on full time as some sort of “insurance” to quell the nerves). We also have side gigs (like our column for BabyCenter and Do It Yourself magazine along with the book that we’re writing), so that helps us feel semi-diversified.
We also both left advertising on very good terms with former employers/clients, so that’s another road we could explore if we ever needed to (and John still takes on the occasional advertising consulting job on the side, just to keep his toe in the water). In the end I always say that five years ago we had no idea we’d be here doing this, so trying to figure out what we’ll be doing in five more years is probably an exercise in futility. We just do our best to keep chugging along and try not to let the neurotic thoughts creep in!
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So there it is, twenty minutes of video evidence confirming that we’re dorks and three bonus bidness questions. What surprised you guys most? Was it the fact that I make up sayings that aren’t really sayings and then collapse into a ball of giggles? Or that John is so into Twilight movies? Will anyone else help me make “I took that baby to the market and carried it home” a real saying? Come on, it’s kind of catchy…
Update – Some of the most frequent requests that we get are for info about professionally blogging (how we made our site, how we grew our following, how we make money, etc) so we shared all of the details about how we started a blog, grew our traffic, and turned it into a full time job.
Dave says
Love the video, what can i say love keeping it real, thanks! the other thing is that I love the Logo over the young house love at the end of the video, you should use it more often.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks! We made that in the final hour – and ended up really loving it too! Here’s hoping we can use it more often!
xo,
s
Justin says
Ugh, I came for DIY advice, and I got tears, laughter, and inspiration instead.
Honestly, what makes this blog so awesome is that you guys love and respect each other and aren’t afraid to show it (why do I suddenly feel like humming “What the world needs now, is love, sweet love?).
Of course, knowing how to make a perfectly good piece of wood look old and weathered is important too…
Hehe
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, you’re sweet. Let’s all hum it together…
xo,
s
Sarah says
I know this is a personal question, but I wonder about your religion or if you even believe in God. Seems as if you share everything, but since Christianity is such a big part of my life, and I’ve never seen one mention of attending church or being involved in anyway, I can’t help but wonder about it.
YoungHouseLove says
We actually cover that in the video! We get asked that a lot, so we stuck it in! Hope it helps!
xo,
s
ann @ my life as prose. says
i do have to say, i think a lot of people would seriously like to be friends with you guys in real life :) and i think that’s because your personalities come through so much on your blog :)
and it’s funny to me, because i recently made the move to working from home, and it really is a lonely existence at times. even if i didn’t *love* my coworkers in the past, i still appreciated the social interaction. and while i may be free to surf fb and blogs during the day, it’s just not the same as leaning into someone’s office and saying “so, did you catch glee last night?? i do love blaine so very much.”
all that to say–i feel ya. and i would totes be your FIRL :)
jennie says
i love this…you two seem like you’re always having so much fun together. thanks for sharing it with the world!
tracy a says
loved that video guys! i especially loved the “weird interactions with readers” part. i would totally do those things too…
and the wardrobe changes were pulled off so smoothly. :)
Obsessive Compulsive Daniela says
Sorry if someone has already mentioned this – an idea for next time you do one of these, can one of you read the question aloud instead of just having it fly across the screen? Want to listen to the video as I do other things. Cheers!
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, someone else put in that request too! Great idea!
xo,
s
Summer says
John- lol you can find Moutain Dew shirts at target. My husband doesn’t have blood in his veins- it’s mountain dew so that’s the one and only soda shirt he owns lol
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, I’ll have to grab him one and surprise him. I thought he owned all of the soda shirts that Target made already!
xo,
s
AJ says
John I dream of being your BFF if not only for the fact that I may borrow your Kreg Jig :) Not just the exploitation though, you two are awesome and inspiring. I recently started a blog mainly because of how awesome yours is and because family is far away. Keep on keepin on!
Cindi says
You guys are awesome!
That’s all :)
Tyson says
The YHL logo at the end of the video is SWEET!
Lisa says
Hey guys,
That video cracked me up. I know it would be hard to just put myself out there for people to criticize, so I thought I’d add to the positive comments (hopefully that will help counteract the unavoidable negativity). Just wanted to say I love you guys, your awesome and adorable, and I excited about this next year.
Zoë says
I finally got to watch this on my lunch break today – thanks for the giggles. I found your blog last summer when I was pregnant with my third child and someone recommended your post about buying an eco-friendly crib. I wasn’t looking to buy a crib (she’s the fourth baby to use it, that’s eco-friendly, right?) but you unleashed my hidden interior decorator. Thanks for the inspiration, laughs and for sharing your family and home with us. Yes, I want to be your BFF too – I think our kids would get on fantastically. I can’t wait until the book comes out!
ps I am now seeing yellow front doors everywhere and am going to try and convince my husband that we need one too.
Cathy Gorga says
So this is probably weird, but I was more excited (or at least EQUALLY excited) to watch this as I was to watch the Modern Family season premiere last night. And I really like Modern Family. :) And can I just say I very much appreciate your attention to spelling/grammar/punctuation? Some blogs are totally unreadable because of that stuff! Thanks for being a bright spot in my day. :)
Amelia Davis says
I saved this video for last in my blog catch-up — loved it! And I’m surprised that you both were all “That’s not true [that people want to be BFF’s with you both]!” I would love to be best friends with you both (see, John?!). Come visit Silver Spring, MD!
summer says
Sherry –
Oh Great Googly Moogly!!! JCpenny’s (the shirt) not target *banging head* I’m going to blame this on sleep deprivation coupled with 2 large mugs of coffee and my obsession with Target (it was a case of Target on the Brain) .okay, phew, I think I’m done sending you a million comments *although there might be a previous comment from me about this exact same thing lol sorry, wasn’t sure if it got sent….again- the coffee and sleep deprivation )
okay…I’m done
really
Have a great day..
Amandine says
You two just crack me up… but John, may I suggest that next year you change shirt at every new question… or that Sherry tries a different black shirt/sweater/top/whatever ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds like a plan!
-John
katieo says
wow. I am so in love with you guys! Loved that video!
Kathryn Griffin says
I watched this again and my 3 soon to be 4 year old daughter walked in, saw you two and asked where the baby was. So, you must be famous. Great job!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, so cute.
xo,
s
Emily says
Ok I am late to this comment party, but my favorite part was $herry saying “take that baby to the market.” I laughed my arse off and it was so good to see you crack yourself up ;) I am SO using that in real life now. Every time I think about it I laugh..out loud, which is awkward. I’m also adding myself to the take-a-vacation-we’ll-stick-around group. If you guys get burned out and leave us, imagine the mutiny. I keep visualizing a ceramic white rhino attack, the likes of which the US has never seen…SO much love to you and yours!! xo, emily
Rhiha says
love the video and transparent! and i always think that when a copol have a sun, they looks more semelar, but Sherry, i think Clara have your eyes and smile! congrat’s
R (from Portugal)
Carolyn says
Hanson is really good these days, by the way. I’m seeing them in concert in October! And they’re all about raising $ for kids in Africa and such (really into those TOMs shoes). I know, my husband can’t stand them, but when I’m by myself I crank it up! ; ) Just thought you might like to know. Loved the video, you guys are so cute and real. I love that you don’t pretend to be people you aren’t. Refreshing. Keep it up!
YoungHouseLove says
Who knew! I admittedly hadn’t really thought of Hanson lately at all until I saw them pop up in that Katy Perry video. Glad to know they’ve matured beyond MMMBop!
-John
Jill says
absolutely love you 2!!! and burger too and super-adorbs little Clara! you totally rock and i wish i had time to read all comments and wish i lived near you partly to hang w/ you and partly so our kids could! slightly jeal of your awesome lifestyle and tripping right into this blog making a living thing but genuinely happy for ya bec you seem like such nice people.
Heather D says
So that might be one of my favorite posts ever.. it was adorable!!! I laughed the entire time. I loved the baby to the market comment and I’ve actually never wondered why you “always” wear black because you always look lovely!!
Elise says
I love the Q&A’s!! Very cute video..I know you all say that you aren’t famous but…I’m pretty sure ya’ll made the 5 o’clock news! That’s pretty big time :) I love the question about your run-ins with fans..Very funny! If I ever run into one of you at Home Goods I’ll do my best to contain my excitement :) Keep up all the great work!
Kelly says
So I finally watched the video now (couldn’t watch at work and then totally forgot it existed until today). I’m glad no one is home with me because I was laughing so hard pretty much the whole time!
I LOVE LOVE that square YHL heart thing that is at the end of your video. I really want to copy that for some wall art… if you promise not to sue me for stealing it, I’ll send you a picture when it’s done! :-)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- do it! We can’t wait to see it! We’re thinking about making it our Facebook and Twitter logo too!
xo,
s
Kimberly says
Well, that was 20 minutes I should have spent in a more productive manner (like working!) BUT you two are pretty adorable. :) Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Christina says
Forgive me if someone else has asked this, but you mentioned that you set your flat rate for sponsorship “based on what we saw other sites charging with comparable traffic”. I am curious where you found that information. How did you know what sites had comparable traffic and how much they were charging? Also, if you don’t mind divulging, whereabouts was your traffic at when you began that sponsorship process?
I’m just fascinated and clueless. :)
YoungHouseLove says
We just clicked the “advertise” button that we saw on other blogs which is usually where folks shared their rates and readership, so we looked for folks with around the same traffic and charged less than that- just because we were new at it and never feel comfortable being too aggressive in that regard. Haha. As for where our traffic was when we started offering sponsorships, maybe it was around 100,000 hits a month? Don’t remember exactly. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Christina says
Very helpful, thank you. :)
Clair Fabrizio says
I DIED laughing Sherry’s “take that baby to the market” expression that she made up on the fly.
Thanks for taking the time to answer questions from your readers. I so enjoy reading your blog!
PS-What a great name Clara has ;)
Erin says
Love the video. Also, (I know this is controversial) but I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate you keeping the religion thing out of the blog. I respect whatever you guys are, but not being religious myself has turned me off to some blogs, and I appreciate you keeping it that way at Young House Life.
jbhat says
You guys are just so dang cute. That was fun.
jbhat
Ly says
What a great, candid, natural video! Love your dynamic and your quirky sense of humor!
Ly says
oops put in the wrong website link, there fixed it.
Wrenaria says
You guys are awesome. And Sherry, your giggles are adorable.
GreenCraftyGirl says
Loved the video and love the blog! From personal experience, I know blogging can be fun and yet difficult at the same time – It’s great to know that you have been successful thus far. Keep It Up! And yes I am one of those nerds who would whisper if I saw you and wish to be your friend. LOL
Genelle G. says
So I just now finished watching this video. I was busy the day I read your post in my reader so I popped open this page in a new tab (My systems administrator hubby hates it when I do that!) and saved it for days until I got a chance to watch. Loved the video! This is the first time I’ve seen one of your videos and I have to say that the two of you are so cute together! It was definitely fun to watch! Love the blog and happy Blogiversary!
Kristina says
Y’all are so cute! Sherry, I was a lifeguard for 5 years and I still have to resist the urge not to tell kids not to run. :)
Meagan says
As sad as it is…i just watched your video for a second time. haha. and i once again laughed til i cried about the “take the baby to the market”…I am so going to start saying that.
I also loved the seriousness of the lady gaga ceramic animal halloween costume idea. Please do it…and share pictures :)
loved blogiversary week….i may have gotten spoiled by the 2 a day posts!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw that’s so sweet. Love that you went back in for an encore screening. Haha. The baby to the market thing cracks me up every last time. Oh man, what’s wrong with me?
xo,
s
Leah says
That was gorgeous, I loved it! I must admit I’ve searched Clara’s face to see who she resembles so was excited you answered that! I have to tell John that my daughter looks a lot like her Dad, and she is also beautiful and feminine looking, and I wonder quite frequently how that is all concurrently possible since he is a big hairy masculine man LOL
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, thanks Leah! Sometimes I wonder if everyone saying Clara looks like John is saying “your baby girl looks like a boy!” so it’s nice to hear that girls can resemble their fathers while still being sweet and feminine.
xo,
s
laura says
as a fellow wahoo, i had to laugh out loud when sherry said “we’re not moving to charlottesville” and john grinned. because, really, i think everyone who goes to UVA dreams of moving back to charlottesville one day! it’s just par for the course! :)
happy blogiversary!
Kristina says
You guys are hilarious! I love how Sherry made up the saying “take the baby to the market and carry it home,” how John changed soda shirts every question, and the “Home Alone” face Sherry did with the whole “we lost the baby” bit. As for the “Do people really wish they were BFFs with both of you” question? Yes. You’re both funny and down-to-earth and I feel like I know you because I read your blog all the time. This video was so funny…the last time I laughed so hard at your blog was the whole console debacle with “I know what you did last console.” I love how you’re as dorky as I am!
Gillian says
Glad to hear I’m not the only one who actually dreams about being BFFs with you two!!
Amanda K. says
I know I’m late to the game with asking questions, but here are two things I wonder about —
1) what blogs do y’all love/read?
2) how has big-time (!) blogging impacted your real-life relationships? Blogging requires you to maintain thousands of virtual relationships (which y’all are great at) but has it put the brakes on relationships from college, making friends in Richmond, etc.?
YoungHouseLove says
We have a “blogs we love” tab on our sidebar (on the top of the button with our faces on it) – so hopefully that helps! I probably read 100+ more than the ones listed there (my Google Reader is insane, haha). As for how blogging has impacted real-life relationships, it’s definitely something that keeps us busy (so we probably go out less and entertain less than we did when we were in advertising) but we still definitely value in-person hanging out and really love to recharge and unplug with friends whenever we can spare a moment! We went to Saturday brunch this morning with some old friends and had a great time!
xo,
s
Destiny says
I just got to watch the video, and have to admit that I am even more taken with you than I was before. You guys are simply too cute!
Despite the fact that I’m not a blogger or passionate DIYer, I am drawn to your blog and read it every day. I find you both so likeable, and your blog is easy on the eyes. (I mean that literally – I can’t handle too much visual stimulation and am turned off by blogs that come at me in an overwhelming manner. I need to be able to see things in a way that lets me process them, and the colors you use makes it easy for me to focus and concentrate, if that makes sense? Even though your pages are chock-ful, it does not appear overwhelming is what I’m, so ackwardly, trying to say.
Congratulations on four years. Cheers (that’s for you Sherry!)to many, many more!
Amanda @ Our Oklahoma Nest says
I love you guys! And I feel kind of bonded to you guys since I was one your first fans to spot you in real life. I saw you and the Bowers in Nashville at the ice cream shop. So fun! So you are famous to me! :)
YoungHouseLove says
We still remember that! Katie and I reminisce about how funny it was to be recognized together at that ice cream shop!
xo,
s
StaCy says
So, kinda crazy, but Clara and my son (he is 17 months) have the exact same personality traits! Same learning to walk story… took him a little longer but now he is so steady. He is cautious and very detail oriented…. Loves putting those plastic eggs from easter together, then taking them apart, then putting them back together. The same goes with anything with a lid… that is a seriously good time for him. He LOVES to read…. as in, we read the same 10 books like 10 times a day. What is funny is that my husband and I both stay home with him and run our business from here so I relate to a lot of what you write about! FUN age isn’t it? I do LOVE being a mama. Wow, I was chatty!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so funny! I love it! Clara says hi to your little guy (as soon as she’s done reading, haha).
xo,
s
Dawn says
You guys are so cute! Sherry I love your laugh and you remind me a lot of myself. Giggly and full of life :) I live in an apartment and so can’t try a lot of the decorating stuff you guys blog about. But I found you because I wanted to paint an end table and google led me to your table painting post and I fell in love with the humor and style and all around fun of this blog. Even when you guys are “Old House Love” I’ll still read you :) Many blessings to you both! :)
Steph @ BirdHouse says
Great video! You two are so cute, genuine, and fun! Keep up the great work!
Greg says
John
Thanks for representing the fellas so well. You help make home design and blogging cool for guys.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Greg! I do what I can… :) Oh wait, forget I used an emoticon. Probably not helping the cause.
-John
Melody says
You mentioned music for Clara … there is a group called “Trout Fishing in America.” They are fun, funny … just like you guys … you might like them. Some of their kids songs are “My Hair Had a Party Last Night,” “Alien in My Nose,” “Pico de Gallo.” But I love, “18 Wheels On a Big Rig.”
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds like fun songs to me!
-John