Pink Peonies, created by Salt Lake City-based blogger Rachel Parcell, began two years ago as an online journal. It was intended to keep her family up-to-date with her life, as an alternative to Facebook.

Now, based on the data of rewardStyle, an invitation-only affiliate marketing network, Parcell is estimated to be earning at least $960,000 from affiliate programs annually.

Top-tier fashion bloggers are becoming recognized as brands, simply because they turn their fashion musings into cost-effective businesses. These Internet-famous trendsetters are earning seven-figure annual incomes by generating profit from affiliate sales, collaborations, appearance fees and their own collections.

All of them have one thing in common: they tailor their content to their followers. It’s crucial to include your followers in your output of information because that’s who’s going to be reading. People are drawn to blogs that will help them dress better; that’s the point. The technology and media outlets allow bloggers to reach those people and help them, and if they do it well, their brand goes viral.

What’s most important is that people listen to bloggers. Readers are more receptive to what they see on the blogs than to actual advertisements. They’re willing to buy into the trends when they see them on the bloggers they love.

Bloggers’ “must have items” appearing on their sites may be misconstrued. There’s no knowing whether your favorite blogger loves something or is being paid to love it, and that’s the tricky part when you’re looking from the outside in.

In the beginning stages of blogging, it’s easy to accept compensation for posts and think of ways to incorporate the promoted items into your look. I’m a blogger and I’ve done it. As bloggers move up in the realm and they have experience and a good amount of generous compensation, they can start saying no to small offers and things they wouldn’t add to their brand.

It may not be dishonest because the bloggers are making an effort to make that item seem stylish, but you have to remember, it’s a job, too.

Luxury brands and retailers have since been offering fashion bloggers generous appearance fees. According to Women’s Wear Daily, fees have gone up from a minimum of $5,000 five years ago to anywhere from $10,000 to $15,000 today. These bloggers can earn up to $50,000 for large-scale events, such as the grand opening of a global flagship.

Bryan Grey Yambao of Bryanboy, a luxury style blog, was paid $40,000, to attend the ribbon cutting at the Siam Center in Bangkok last year. Women’s Wear Daily said that in 2010 he created a stir when he said that he earned $100,000 annually as a blogger. Today, that’s practically nothing, as he and other bloggers earning more than $1 million per year.

“Now, $100,000 is not enough,” Yambao, 32, told the magazine. “For a young, upstart blogger, $100,000 may seem like a lot of money. But as a business — a legit business — $100,000 won’t really bring you that far. You have a lot of expenses.”

Yambao also told Women’s Wear Daily that he’s not a millionaire yet, but he’s able to live comfortably in the most luxurious designer labels. He must be pretty comfortable because he turned down a six-figure editorial job offer from a major publication last year. He’s constantly on the go and attends every fashion week worldwide dressed in the trendiest clothing money can buy.

Fashion bloggers such as Yambao profit greatly from affiliate sales because their followers want what they see. RewardStyle helps bloggers monetize their content by making commissions off the clothes and accessories they wear and feature on their sites. It also tracks top performing bloggers, who they say can make more than $80,000 per month from affiliate sales alone.

What boosts the bloggers’ followings are their social media platforms, especially Instagram. This past January, rewardStyle launched LIKEtoKNOW:IT, a tool that makes it possible for users to shop through bloggers’ Instagram posts. Since March, the tool has driven $1 million in sales. Users sign up on an email list and receive direct links to where to buy clothes from their favorite bloggers’ Instagram posts.

One blogger, Leandra Medine, landed herself a book deal from her witty and modest blog, Man Repeller. Then there’s Bag Snob, a blog started in 2005 by Tina Craig and Kelly Cook. This year, the women designed a handbag line, and according to WWD, insiders have predicted that their business will soon be inducted into the elite seven-figure club.

These fashion bloggers have spread their ideas and visions across countless platforms to make themselves well known, and each of them has created a brand that reflects his or her personal style mixed with what’s currently considered fashionable.

Published on September 29, 2014 at 12:01 am