Notes from Chris

Episode 1844

Hilary Erickson was passionate about her work as a nurse. But she loved writing too. She even enjoyed doing reports at nursing school…which most people can’t stand—even when she was criticized for the creative way she wrote them. (Apparently they’re supposed to be standardized.)

So when she discovered blogging in the prehistoric year of 2005, it seemed like a natural fit. Hilary began writing about family health and pregnancy, topics she knew about as a labor and delivery nurse.

Her blog, Pulling Curls, was all about family life. She chose the name because life was making her pull her curls in frustration. In addition to her work as a nurse, she was also a mom of three.

So in addition to writing about family health, she added posts on home organization and setting routines. In short, Pulling Curls was a self-described “mom blog” with the mission to help families create confident, simple lives.

Hilary started placing ads on her blog using Google Adsense and later BlogHer. She was bringing in some income but wanted more readers. In 2014, she began using Pinterest to grow her audience. That meant writing blog posts about a specific problem she could create a pin for and then drive readers to her blog.

The strategy worked and she moved to better ad networks, which brought in more money. She also uses affiliate links and has developed close relationships with some companies.

But straight up blogging isn’t all Hilary does. She’s used her vast experience as a nurse to develop several online courses….including an online prenatal course for couples. The course provides three hours of everything you need to know about labor, delivery, postpartum and newborn care. Since expectant parents are busy, they can go through the material on demand with no deadline.

Since 2015, Hilary has helped 4,000 couples prepare for the birth of their child, a number she never could’ve reached if she’d been teaching couples offline.

Hilary also has an online course called The Organized Home and one called Family Systems. The courses build upon subjects she covered on the blog…and the blog works to drive customers to the courses.

As if she wasn’t doing enough, Hilary also started a weekly podcast where she shares tips from other health professionals such as chiropractors and physical therapists, as well as personal updates.

Between the blog, her courses, and the podcast, Hilary earned about $280,000 in 2020. When you break it down, 22% of her income came from ads, 12% came from affiliate sales, 1-2% from miscellaneous projects, and 65% from her courses.

Hilary finally took the leap to full-time self-employment and left nursing last year. She had held off going all in on the business for many years but loves all the options she has now… most of all, she’s thrilled at the huge difference she’s made by helping thousands of families prepare for their baby’s arrival.

She plans to keep updating the courses and nurturing the community. It’s been working very well so far!

 

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  MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Learn more about Hilary and check out her blog and courses at, PullingCurls.com.

SEE ALSO:

• Media Manager Prepares Moms For Parenthood: After learning about Hypnobirthing, a first-time mom conceives a service that provides tools and resources for anxious future parents.
• New Mom Uses Pinterest to Launch Parenting Blog: With a goal of avoiding “fluffy” content, a new mom launches a parenting blog that provides lots of detailed, practical info. In one recent month, she earned more than $1,500 from advertising and referral fees.
• “Middle Class Dad” Earns Passive Income from Parenting Advice: Did you hear the one about the dad with the blog? He earns an extra $2,000/month.

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

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