She started as an SMM specialist, and today her blog unites hundreds of thousands of people. Influencer Veronika Chernetska speaks openly about personal experiences, psychological challenges, and real life without embellishment. It was sincerity that became her main strength and the reason for her audience’s trust. Exclusively for the International Magazine Business Woman, Veronika shared when her blog became a profession, how to stay relevant in a world of fast-moving trends, why she turns down many advertising offers, and what she advises those who are just gathering the courage to take their first step.
— When did your blog transition from a hobby into a professional activity, and what was the main trigger?
— My blog stopped being just a hobby when I felt my impact on people. I started openly sharing my own struggles and experiences and saw that I could be a support for others. People wrote to me that they felt heard, that they recognized themselves in my stories, and understood that they were not alone in their experiences.
At that time, I already had about 150,000 followers and worked as an SMM specialist, managing several projects simultaneously. When I was laid off from one of them due to downsizing, I started worrying about financial stability and decided to try advertising integrations. That was exactly when I realized that blogging could be not just a passion, but a full-fledged profession. Moreover, it is a profession that brings me significantly more satisfaction than working in SMM.
— How do you manage to hold the audience’s attention every day and maintain a high level of engagement when trends change so quickly?
— Social media is constantly changing, so it is important to be attentive to trends, follow new formats, and not be afraid to experiment. Sometimes, interesting ideas can even be borrowed from Western bloggers, adapting them for your own audience.
But the most important thing I realized is that every person is a trend themselves. Our lives, our reactions, our daily situations—this is already finished content. Stubbed your toe on the furniture? That’s a story. Dropped a cup? That’s a story too. You just need to find the right presentation.
There are short-term trends that can bring hundreds of thousands of views in a few hours. And there are eternal themes—human relationships, everyday situations, emotions, conflicts, and support. These are the ones capable of gaining millions of views even months after publication. Therefore, I am convinced: people are the main trend.
— How do you manage to make advertising integrations so organic that you maintain the complete trust of your followers?
— For me, the audience’s trust always comes first. Together with my manager and producer, we approach the choice of advertisers very carefully and do not agree to just any offers.
I only advertise what I actually use or truly believe in. If you look closely at my videos, you can see that most of the products and services I recommend are also present in my daily life.
It is more important to me to preserve people’s trust than to get a higher income. I want to remain honest and sincere with my audience. That is why I would rather turn down an advertising collaboration if I am not confident in the product or company than risk the reputation I have been building for years.
— What does the concept of “female leadership” mean to you in today’s digital industry, and what qualities help women build strong brands?
— For me, female leadership is about the fact that women today have stopped being just a beautiful picture or a secondary role. They have become full-fledged creators of meanings, trends, and changes.
Modern women can launch large-scale projects, shape public discussions, create successful brands, and influence the minds of millions of people. And blogging clearly demonstrates this.
At first glance, my content may seem exclusively humorous. But if you follow it longer, you can see that I talk a lot about psychological difficulties, internal experiences, and topics that truly worry people. And this is exactly where many find support.
As for the qualities that help build a strong brand, I would name one non-obvious trait—the ability to allow oneself to be weak. The very awareness of one’s own vulnerability often becomes a point of growth that motivates one to become stronger and move forward.
— What would you advise girls who dream of developing their own business or blog, but are afraid to take the first step due to the fear of failure or hate?
— First of all, I want to say: fear is just a short-lived feeling. Everything else is our thoughts, which we can control.
Instead of constantly thinking, “What if it doesn’t work out?”, ask yourself, “What if it does?”. This very focus on opportunities helps you move forward.
I am also convinced that if you repeat the same action thousands of times, you will definitely become a professional in your field. And professionalism always brings results, success, and financial reward.
And most importantly—life is too short to be afraid of things that might never happen. It is much more painful to regret missed opportunities later than to gather the courage to try just once.
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Photo: from the archive of Veronika Chernetska