Daily Laughs With The Daily Blonde
Cheryl Phillips
From a look at the types of condoms on the market to a post about the people on Twitter who inspire her, Cheryl Phillips of The Daily Blonde writes about anything and everything. You never know what’s coming next. That element of surprise combined with a tone that’s funny, yet honest, creates a voice that keeps readers coming back for more.
The title of her blog reflects that humor, as well as her love of newspapers and reading.
“I’m really a brunette and I’ve been blond for 20 to 25 years and I love newspapers and I love to read. I guess that’s how it happened,” she said about the creation of the title.
“Oh, and by the way…I do know that ‘Blonde’ is mis-spelled. I did that on purpose…you didn’t think I was a real blond, did you?” she wrote on her site.
The subtitle, “Speaking My Mind Since 1963,” summarizes how it all began.
“Yes…I’m that old. My parents told me I was talking from birth – and always had an opinion. Of course, I think they were stretching it a bit, but I was the most vocal in the house,” Cheryl said.
Cheryl, single mom of five children, started blogging out of boredom. She had been in a car accident, which forced her to have knee surgery, and she was housebound during the recovery period after the surgery. She had written throughout her life, and during this recovery period it was the one thing she could do. So, in November 2007 she decided to give blogging a try. She said the blog began with a “my poor knee” focus and she had one reader from Canada. Today gets about 3,500 page views a week and has more than 1,600 email subscribers.
Perhaps even more impressive is the number of followers she has on Twitter: 19,145 as of the end of June. That number doesn’t go unnoticed. She is ranked in the top 50 Twitter users and was recently named one of the Top 10 Women on Twitter and one of the Top 25 Writers to Follow on Twitter.
“There’s no rhyme or reason to what I blog. It’s pretty random,” she said. Many of her ideas come from readers who tell her about funny things they’ve encountered. She also reads a lot. “I find strange news everywhere. Sometimes I just think of something and write it down. Eighty percent of the time it turns into a post,” she said.
Cheryl doesn’t consider herself a mommy blogger. Every now and then she’ll write a post about her kids but is protective of their privacy. “My blog is not about my children,” she said. Cheryl comments on daily life and “says what we’re all thinking without the sugar coating,” according to her blog.
Recent posts include the “Top Ten Blog Comments That Mean Diddly-Squat,” “Television: The Unnecessary Evil,” and “Faking An Orgasm.” She also has quirky weekly themes such as “AssHat of the Week (most recently neighborhood parents), a Phrase of the Week (like diddly-squat) and an Annoying Word of the Week (recently monetize).
Her site also includes a Recipes tab, where she posts dishes she likes or wants to try. She said she includes the recipes because she likes to cook but hasn’t decided whether they will stay on the blog. Another tab, Kissing Frogs, recounts some of her dating experiences. In one story, she describes a date who wasn’t shy about ordering a lot of food and drink. But when the bill arrived, he wasn’t nearly as enthusiastic.
When the check came to the table I felt a sense of relief. This evening was almost done…He paused and then slowly slid the check over to my side of the table and said, “Well, why don’t you get the check and I’ll get us a hotel room?” All said with a straight face.
I stood up and pulled a $20 bill out of my wallet. I placed it on top of the check and slid it back onto his side of the table.
“Here’s $20 for my salad and wine. I hope you enjoy your hotel room.” I said with a smirk. Oh, if I only had the energy to say a few more words…
In addition to the unique content, Cheryl takes an innovative approach to advertising. She began advertising through networks but wanted more freedom on her site to promote small-business owners. In April she eliminated all affiliate ads from her site and began offering low-cost advertising primarily to bloggers and small-business Web sites. The ads primarily occupy the top right side of her side and she rotates them frequently to allow all advertisers access to the top spots. To further promote these businesses, she mentions them on Twitter and posts their public relations-related material under the Reviews tab of her blog.
Cheryl loves to respond to reader comments. She said she likes the feeling of community when she responds to the readers and likes to let them know that she does take the time to read what they have to say.
She said the funniest comments she received occurred when she wrote a “Daily Breakfast” post.
“I’d get comments from people who were concerned about my diet. The Daily Breakfast was supposed to be a joke. I’ve never had a beer in my life, but I posted one with a beer and a bunch of junk food. If they looked closely, it was a closed bottle of beer,” she said. “However, I have had Fritos for breakfast before. Depends on the mood,” she added.
Her effort to connect with her readers likely is part of the reason she has acquired more than 19,000 followers on Twitter.
“I talk to people. I reply to them,” she said. “I’m not there to post my junk all day or promote my blog. That just happens naturally. I think that a lot of people follow because they know I’ll answer them. If I don’t answer, I’ve fallen asleep.”
She joined Twitter in September 2007 but, at first, wasn’t a fan.
“I hated it and then found my comfort zone in there and fell in love. Twitter works like my brain: quick and to the point,” she said. “I like being able to walk away from it and come back whenever I want. It’s great for someone who has 400 things going on at once. I also connect with so many incredible people there. I’d never be able to do that in real life with the time restraints and lifestyle I have.”
Her fresh, funny writing style leads to many opportunities. In September she will be a guest speaker at the Type-A Mom Conference in North Carolina. She is the Providence, Rhode Island social media writer for the Examiner.com and writes for Helium.com and the magazine Best Ever You. She’s currently developing the BlogTalk Radio Show, where she plans to interview guests who are successful in small business or creating unique blogs. She is also a faculty member of Pepperidge Farm’s Fishful Thinking program, which promotes optimism in children.
So what’s Cheryl’s secret to offering truly unique content in the crowded world of blogging?
“I just have a different view of life. I’ve been through some really tough times and humor has always kept me glued together. In addition, I’m always reading and learning…and asking questions. [It] keeps me motivated!”
Post by Jessica Braun
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Jessica Braun spent 11 years in the news industry, working at Dow Jones and The Wall Street Journal for 10 of them. She recently made a shift from journalism to marketing but wants to keep one foot in the journalism door because she enjoys writing. She's also a mom of two little ones who keep her busier than she ever could have possibly imagined. Jessica can be reached at Jessica.Braun@momswhoblog.com. |
