Fist pumps all around — you’ve arrived at the show notes for Episode #8 of Young House Love Has A Podcast. In this special episode we have a candid conversation about sponsored posts and brand partnerships with three professional design bloggers: Emily Henderson (Style By Emily Henderson), Justina Blakeney (The Jungalow), and Nicole Balch (Making It Lovely). Paid content is a major part of the modern blogging landscape for both creators and readers, and these three guests help lift the curtain on topics like transparency, audience feedback, creative control, and how sponsorships fit into a sustainable blogging business.
You can listen to the episode on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and TuneIn Radio — or play it directly below. Use this page as a companion to explore the links, posts, and photos we referenced during the conversation.
Justina Blakeney — The Jungalow: Sponsored Content, Authenticity, and Creative Freedom
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- Justina’s thoughtful post “Blogging + Money Matters” that we referenced throughout the episode is a must-read for anyone curious about how creative bloggers approach monetization and maintain authenticity while working with brands. (read it here).
- Explore the rest of her vibrant site, The Jungalow, and follow her creative work on Pinterest and Instagram — she shares both personal and brand-related content across @justinablakeney and @thejungalow.
- Justina is also the author of the New York Times best-seller The New Bohemians, a popular book that complements her blog’s colorful, eclectic aesthetic.
Emily Henderson — Style By Emily Henderson: Process, Partnerships, and Editorial Control
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- Emily wrote a detailed behind-the-scenes post describing what goes into creating a single blog post on her site. It’s useful for understanding the planning, styling, photography, and editorial decisions that influence sponsored work. (see the post).
- Two real examples of sponsored posts Emily discussed on the show include a guest bedroom makeover for a fan company and a sponsored feature for a handbag brand. Those posts show how a brand brief can be interpreted creatively while keeping a blog’s aesthetic and voice intact. (guest room makeover and handbag post).
- Visit Style By Emily Henderson for more of her decorating work and follow her on Pinterest and Instagram to see current projects and sponsored collaborations in context.
- Emily is also the author of Styled, a New York Times best-selling book focused on approachable, stylish interiors.
Nicole Balch — Making It Lovely: Balancing Sponsored Content and Reader Trust
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- Nicole has openly discussed how she balances sponsored content with editorial posts and has invited reader feedback about the right mix. Her post “Finding the balance between sponsored and not” is an honest look at that process. (read Nicole’s post).
- Follow Nicole as she renovates and decorates her Victorian home in Chicago on Making It Lovely and on her Pinterest and Instagram feeds for ongoing project updates and real-life examples of sponsored collaborations.
- We also mentioned that we had the chance to visit Nicole’s previous home during our first book tour stop in Chicago — a fun memory that highlights how blogging communities often intersect offline.
Additional Resources, Transparency, and Behind-the-Scenes
- We discussed a Tumblr called “Who Pays Influencers,” which collects anonymous submissions about the sponsorship deals influencers and bloggers make. It’s one snapshot of the broader conversation about fairness and disclosure in influencer marketing.
- If you want a look behind the scenes at our own blog economics, check the post we wrote about how we monetized our site, how we spent our time, and what recurring expenses we had — a straightforward breakdown of how blogging income and costs can look in practice. (our monetization post).
- We also linked to an earlier post where we explained our policy at the time about not accepting free products — an example of how disclosure and editorial standards evolve as a blog grows. (read that post).
Psst — Looking for a specific topic we covered in a past episode but can’t remember which show notes to open? Here’s a master list of everything we’ve been digging across past episodes.
*This page contains affiliate links*