Cora Harrington. Founder of The Lingerie Addict, the world’s largest lingerie blog. American Women.
WHAT LED YOU TO START WORKING IN DIGITAL/MEDIA PUBLISHING?
I’m one of the people who “tripped and fell” into my current career. I started my website, The Lingerie Addict, as a hobby over 9 years ago. When it began to bring in more income than my day job, I made the switch to running it full time.
WHAT DOES A TYPICAL DAY LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?
The first thing I do when I wake up is check-in on social media just to make sure there haven’t been any “fires” overnight that need putting out. After that, I’ll check my email for the same reason; I don’t want to miss anything urgent if it’s come in while I’ve been asleep.
If there aren’t any crises, I’ll usually knock out the easy emails first thing, so I can get them out of the way and clear my inbox. I save inquiries that take more time and energy for later in the day.
At the moment, I’m in the midst of writing a book, so most of my day consists of working on that, but I’ll also spend some managing my team and social platforms – catching up with my Assistant Editor, doing final edits and revisions on my columnists’ articles, and scheduling posts on social media.
WHAT’S YOUR WORK SETUP LOOK LIKE?
I work out of a home office, and it’s a bit like a combination editor’s closet/fashion library in here (with my desk and laptop tucked into a corner).
As for apps and tools, I love DropBox for file sharing, MeetEdgar for evergreen content scheduling, HootSuite for Twitter, and Tailwind for Pinterest. I also use a Facebook group to communicate with the team.
WHAT DO YOU DO OR GO TO GET INSPIRED?
I’m lucky in that I find what I do to be inspiring in and of itself, but I also believe that part of doing your job means working even if you don’t feel inspired. Completing tasks, checking things off my to-do list, knowing I’m working towards my goals…that’s inspiring to be, even if it’s not terribly glamorous.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PIECE OF WRITING OR QUOTE?
“Performance, productivity, and results,” something my father told me all the time growing up.
WHAT IS THE PASSIONATE PROBLEM YOU ARE TACKLING AT THE MOMENT?
My book. It is slowly but surely consuming my entire life.
IS THERE A PRODUCT, SOLUTION OR TOOL THAT MAKES YOU THINK IT IS A GOOD DESIGN FOR YOUR DIGITAL PUBLISHING EFFORTS?
Meet Edgar is one of the best tools around right now, especially for publishers with rich archives. It’s the essence of “set it and forget it,” something we can always use more of.
ANY ADVICE FOR AMBITIOUS DIGITAL PUBLISHING AND MEDIA PROFESSIONALS JUST STARTING OUT?
Consistency is key. So many people lose out, not because their ideas are bad or because they were incapable of doing the work, but because they gave up or had to stop. Ambition can take you a long way, but showing up consistently day after day and getting the job done will take you further.
