Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Cline.
Hi Nicole, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
After 13 years in luxury hospitality across LA and Orange County I decided to start my blog and Instagram in 2013. I originally focused on fashion and what I was wearing or shopping for and after moving to Palm Springs in 2014 shifted my focus to more lifestyle content: furnishing my new apartment, vintage shopping, where I enjoyed eating or cooking and life in Palm Springs. I started to gain traction in 2016 after my “Ultimate Guide To Palm Springs” started to gain attention. I really leaned into my time in hospitality and my love of recommending places I love to shift a bit more to travel and away from just Palm Springs.
My husband and I moved to Santa Barbara in 2020 and I continued focusing on travel, life and the Central Coast. I have had an opportunity to work with incredible brands, hotels and destinations including Sofitel Los Angeles, Visit Greater Palm Springs, Visit Fairfield, Hotel Santa Barbara, Boutique Hotels of California, Alisal Ranch, Visit Santa Maria Valley, Ritz Carlton Bacara, and Enjoy Santa Ynez.
Today I am a full time content creator and run my own digital marketing company, By Darling.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has hardly been smooth! Along the way I have had to work a full time job to make enough money to support my life (and rent), had cyber bullies, and struggled to attract the right brands to work with. In the mid 2010s as “bloggers” gained traction every small brand wanted to work with us but none of them had budgets so it was a lot of free product!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am most proud of my authenticity In a field full of people all doing virtually the same thing or sharing the same products I have really always tried to stay true to myself, what I authentically love and places I actually visit.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I think the content creation/social media industry has been on a crazy ride! As it first started business didn’t really understand the value and it was difficult to cultivate partnerships. By the mid 2010s the businesses really understood the impact of our audiences and there was a huge push to work with us. Now it feels like the industry has become oversaturated and brands are looking for more long term/ambassador typer relationships instead of one off posts. I think that is the trend moving forward, long term partnerships and authenticity. I also think that smaller creators are really going to become more important to the industry than the million plus creators.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thedarlingniki.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedarlingniki/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-cline-135b74a/
Image Credits
Horse Dress Image: Tali Helvey
Paris Image: Anna Kradazhan
