For those of us who were avid internet users during the blogging boom, bloggers were our go-to source of information and buying inspiration. While Bryanboy inspired our style choices, moms across the world turned to mommy bloggers like Melinda Roberts (who started TheMommyBlog.com) for parenting stories and advice.
But parenting influencers have come a long way from publishing long-form written content. Now, short videos and relatable stories dominate the space.
In this post, I explore the evolution of mommy bloggers and the shift to relatable parenting influencers. I also share some tips and best practices to help you hire them for your campaigns. Let’s take a look.
The mommy blogger evolution timeline can be broken down into three main stages:
Each stage is defined by the content formats and platforms that were trending during the respective era. But even as the space evolves, many influencers continue to embrace the platforms and formats that work for them. So although blogs are no longer at their prime, you can still find parenting influencers sharing family content on their blog.
With that said, let’s take a closer look at the timeline of how mommy bloggers have evolved over the years.
Taking off during the same time as the rise of niche blogs, mommy blogs were the mainstay of the blogosphere around the late 2000s and mid-2010s. Most mommy bloggers were sharing aspirational family content with helpful advice and interesting stories to engage their audiences.
Long-form written content dominated the space, with parenting influencers writing about everything from crafting and home organization to cooking and travel. They’d share their experiences, give tips on how to do something, review products, and more.
Some would even share parenting advice while positioning themselves as experts on the topic because they’ve been through the same experience. For instance, Maraya Bell, who runs the blog Stuff Mums Like, published the following post with tips on how to style a kids’ shared bedroom based on what she learned from her experience.
Mommy bloggers from the Blogspot Era basically focused on sharing family content that would make parenting easier for their readers.
Then, when YouTube started to take off in the late 2000s, parenting influencers began using the platform to share vlog-style family content. By the early 2010s, many mommy bloggers had switched to YouTube because of the growing preference for video content among audiences.
And the new audio-visual format allowed these influencers to get more candid and personal with their viewers without having to sound perfect and polished. So they’d share everything from day-in-the-life vlogs to pregnancy journeys and mental health struggles.
This resonated with audiences because it allowed them to connect with the influencers on a more personal level, whether it’s following them along on a family trip to Greece or finding support after a miscarriage. Suddenly, the influencers became more human and more relatable.
YouTubers like Sarah – This Mama Life would share video updates for her husband while he’s deployed in the Royal Navy. She’d also share travel vlogs, shopping hauls, home organization, and other types of content that are relatable for parents.
As social media platforms gained popularity and people started spending more time on Instagram, the mommy blogger landscape also evolved along with the trends. You could find mom influencers gaining traction on the platform with their aesthetic photos and perfectly curated feeds.
From dreamy baby showers to neat homes that look straight out of “Architectural Digest,” these influencers shared an aspirational lifestyle coveted by many “regular” moms. So audiences were looking up to the “perfect mom” because they aspired to be one.
Of course, like any other niche, parenting influencers eventually got caught by the short-form-video wave after the popularity of TikTok and Instagram’s introduction of Reels. They began sharing snippets of their lives, relatable experiences, and bite-sized tips using short-form videos.
And that’s the era we’re currently witnessing.
The impact of the mommy blogger evolution isn’t just limited to platforms and content formats. It has also extended to content styles, with more and more parenting influencers choosing to portray the relatable rather than the aspirational.
Partly fueled by the popularity of short-form video (where creators have the opportunity to get more candid and personal) and partly fueled by the growing influencer fatigue, this content evolution marked the end of the “perfect mom” aesthetic.
As audiences started realizing how unrealistic the aesthetic was, they began losing trust in influencers who portrayed a seemingly perfect life. Instead, they sought out content they could actually relate to – content that authentically portrays the real mom life in all its ugly and messy glory.
Because let’s be honest – every parent knows that spotless homes and elaborate homemade meals on the daily are just not feasible when you’re also managing the everyday needs of little humans.
So parenting influencers started sharing what it’s really like to care for kids while balancing their careers and other aspects of their lives – minus the filters and the heavy editing. They started being more honest about the challenges, providing not-so-glamorous glimpses into their lives amid messy homes and toddler tantrums.
And with this authenticity, they became more relatable to the everyday parent.
This increased trust signals and helped them connect with audiences on a more personal level.
My current favorite parenting influencer is Ashleigh Surratt, who popularized the term “Type C mom” (a blend of the hyper-organized Type A and the laidback Type B). She creates humorous Reels that show her navigating motherhood through the well-organized chaos – whether it’s her getting overstimulated as she unloads the dishwasher or rushing to get her kids ready for school.
The type C mom has high standards, but she’s flexible and adaptable because she prioritizes mental health over perfection.
She’ll put together an elaborate meal one day while choosing takeout on the days she feels overwhelmed. All the while, the house is a mess, but the drawers may be organized and color-coded. She’ll lose track of her own things while remembering with precision that her daughter left her favorite teddy bear behind the nightstand.
Sounds familiar? Many other parents think so too, as the influencer has gained over 89k Instagram followers.
And she’s not the only parenting influencer who’s won over audiences with their authenticity and relatability. Anne Sage (@citysage) is a self-proclaimed “recovering perfectionist” and shares personal anecdotes of family life through GRWM videos. She also shares parenting tips, home decor ideas, and realistic advice to motivate her followers.
For instance, she’d share pictures of what she eats in a day to support her health journey and answer her followers’ questions.
And while she mentions that she cooks most of their meals from scratch, she also acknowledges that this isn’t an option for everyone. So she’d also share the packaged food items they keep on hand in case her followers want recommendations.
So how exactly are brands partnering with this current generation of parenting influencers? And what difference do they make?
Turns out that the purchasing power of parents is something brands don’t want to miss out on. Studies show that moms alone have a spending power of $2.4 trillion annually. And the numbers add up when you consider that they’re often in charge of buying things for the entire household – from laundry detergent and toiletries to groceries and school supplies.
That’s why brands try to tap into this purchasing power through parenting influencers whom other moms (and dads) trust. Here are a few examples:
Color Me Courtney is an Instagram influencer who shares her fabulous and colorful life creating things and being a mom.
She travels a lot with her whole family, so for her Tushbaby partnership, she created a Reel showing all the places where she used the brand’s product to carry her son. This helped to show just how practical and versatile the product is.
She also included a 50% discount code with an expiration date, giving her followers a chance to get the product during the brand’s Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale.
Amy, aka @afashionnerd, is a fashion blogger who regularly shares her whimsical maximalist outfits along with her daughter, Ryder.
The mother-daughter duo did an unboxing of Monchsters HQ’s Voodoo Dolls, where they shared their honest reactions about the dolls they got. The brand’s influencer choice was perfect because her colorful and whimsical aesthetic matched the brand’s identity. And the duo’s genuine excitement helped to position the dolls as a coveted collectible.
This brand partnership example also shows that a brand doesn’t necessarily have to be selling a product for parents or kids to work with parent influencers.
Birttany Jepsen (@houselarsbuilt) is one of the OG bloggers who’ve been sharing content on artful living since 2008.
For her partnership with Spoonflower, the influencer did a kids’ toy room transformation using wallpaper and fabrics from the shop. This allowed her to position Spoonflower as the go-to destination for home décor, where customers can find an extensive range of patterns and designs to make a space their own.
By sharing the DIY transformation, the influencer gave her audience design inspiration. It also showed the versatility of Spoonflower products and the shop’s diverse design selection.
A successful partnership with the modern parenting influencer is rooted in honesty and relatability. So it’s all a matter of finding the perfect influencer to work with. Are they relatable to your target audience? Are they honest and credible?
Here are some of the best practices to help you hire parenting influencers for your next campaign:
Moms trust other moms. But the “perfect mom” aesthetic is out, and the “real and messy mom” persona is in because it’s who they relate to.
That’s why you need to focus on parenting influencers who portray a realistic and relatable life through their content. From piles of laundry in the background to chaotic morning routines, look for influencers who aren’t afraid to share the ugly and imperfect part of parenting.
While authenticity is the first priority, you also need to make sure the influencer is relatable to your target audience specifically.
For instance, a mom who shares realistic style hacks for busy moms would resonate with moms who are interested in fashion. But someone who shares easy weekday recipes would resonate with parents who are looking for inspiration as they figure out what to cook for dinner.
So take the time to look through the types of content they create to make sure the influencer is relatable to your audience.
In the same vein, you should take a closer look at the brand affinity of an influencer’s audience to see if they’ll be interested in your brand.
Do they actually follow diaper brands? And which diaper brands do they talk about? For instance, if an influencer’s audience has an affinity for an eco-friendly diaper brand, it indicates that they’ll be interested in other sustainable diaper brands.
Influencity’s Audience Brand Affinity is a useful tool to help you analyze an influencer’s audience and see which brands they’re interested in.
In an era where relatability beats aspirational, brands need to focus on parenting influencers who are real and honest. It’s all about figuring out which influencers other parents trust because they’re portraying an authentic image. Make the most of the tips and tools shared above to find the right parenting influencer for your brand.
Who were the first mommy bloggers?
Melinda Roberts, who started TheMommyBlog in 2002, and Heather Armstrong, who started Dooce in 2001, were the first mommy bloggers.
Is the era of mommy influencers over?
Mommy influencers are still very much active and relevant. However, audiences have moved on from aspirational “perfect mom” influencers to focus on more relatable “messy mom” influencers.
Who are the top parenting influencers on Instagram?
Kristin Gallant and Deena Margolin (@biglittlefeelings, 3.5 million followers), Dr. Becky (@drbeckyatgoodinside, 3.4 million followers), and Susie Allison (@busytoddler, 2.4 million followers) are some of the top parenting influencers on Instagram.
Who are the top family content creators?
Ms Rachel (19.1 million subscribers), The McCartys (16.6 million subscribers), and Mason Smith (3.1 million subscribers) are some of the top family content creators.