I had been living in a very small minded city and state. It lacked food culture, acceptance of other cultures, and races. So when we moved to the Fort Lauderdale area, it was like a breath of fresh air. I felt as if I was locked up bird who had been set free. I had to dig and find out why was this an excellent place for bloggers, and so now I want to share my findings with you.
South Florida is a sizzling hub for all kinds of bloggers ranging from up & coming to very well established influencers. You can commonly find the following types South Florida Bloggers:
Fashion Bloggers
Travel Bloggers
Food Bloggers
Miami Tourist Bloggers
Mommy Bloggers
Lifestyle bloggers
In fact Inc. Magazine reported back in 2015:
“The region is emerging as a hotbed for startups, local entrepreneurs say, with 139 companies on the Inc. 5000 list based in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach metro area. No one particular industry is flourishing in the region–everything from health technology to media to food boast fast-growing companies.”
If you are a blogger, brand or influencer wanting to expand your reach to the South Florida market, then you should check out these top 8 reasons why this is the perfect place for bloggers, brands and influencers.
#1. Easy access to travel
Since I do a lot of personal and business travel, I love the variety of airports with daily flights ranging from Miami to even Orlando. I also love that there is public transportation to get to these airports easily. Many bloggers and influencers are now paid to do jobs in other places, including being paid to be in Miami or to travel out, making it a perfect spot to be in. This is also a business travel capital making it a top place for bleisure. According to Wikipedia, bleisure travel (is a portmanteau of “business” and “leisure,” and, it refers to “the activity of combining business travel with leisure time.”[1] Miami sure knows about leisure, so people do join business and pleasure here.
#2. Amazing Instagram worthy photo spots
Do you need an urban scene? Beach spot? Lush tropics? Vintage locations? We have it all. There are so many terrific places for photo shoots here that you have countless options. Miami Mommy Travel blogger, Aline Lowry says she loves shooting around West Palm area at the Town Center. You can find her snapping great mommy and me photos with her daughter Abby.
You can catch Miami Fashion blogger, Vanessa Tiley at Miami Design District and around the Brickell area, which has a gorgeous skyline. If you need a burst of color, you can’t go wrong with Wynwood walls which has a picture worthy spot at every corner. I love this photo by Brazilian blogger duo sisters @mundoempedacinhos.
#3. The Food
I have joked about how I have never seen so many food bloggers in one place like there is a food blogger at every corner here. However, there are so many restaurants, food trucks, and restaurants to visit here that the more food bloggers, the merrier. So not only is the food great to try but the array of restaurants in South Florida make room for great photo ops plus great networking as well. Even if you are not a Miami food blogger, showcasing restaurants in your stories is a great way to get more views to your profile plus can land you some delicious collaboration opportunities. Up and coming businesses willing to barter can offer bloggers access to events and special tastings. Don’t be afraid to contact local restaurants and hotels and ask if they collaborate with local influencers. Follow Cultured Local on Instagram for latest and greatest Miami Food adventures.
#4. Multi-culture haven
The diverse culture here allows you to niche down your brand and connect with different cultural audiences. There is a big Latino audience but other cultures as well. “That mixture of different cultures breeds ideas, and that doesn’t happen in a lot of cities,” says Aaron Lee, adding that the area has also seen transplants from Europe and the northeast United States. I definitely learn more and more from other cultures and travel experiences, so living in a place where I can quickly get access to that is fantastic. Follow my favorite Miami Blogger Kelly Saks on IG for a large dose of culture and South Florida flavor.
#5. The Mecca of coworking
If you have never attended an event at Venture Cafe, I urge you to. I have never seen networking like this. I was invited to speak at the Flourish Collab event, and I planned to arrive a little early after all, Miami traffic can be insane. To my surprise, there were dozens of other events going on at the same time, and there was even free happy hour. You can immerse yourself in different activities from fundraising to photography, and you can leave one to attend the other.
I am a huge believer in the concept of coworking, and South Florida is the perfect place for it. Another closer coworking spot that I love is General Provision. I had the pleasure of speaking at the downtown Fort Lauderdale spot and was super impressed. I also toured the Fat Village Fort Lauderdale location, and it offers so many perks. The networking events alone are worth the membership. Working from home can get so distracting, so being at a place with such cool decor gets in me in huge productive mode.
#6. Top PR companies
We are in the heart of a great American luxury travel destination, so no wonder we have some great PR companies in our neighborhoods. Hotels typically work with PR companies so you can easily find PR companies of your favorite hotels by checking their Instagram and messaging them, asking for the right contact. Some top South Florida PR companies are:
#7. Abundance reigns
Visit Miami or even Fort Lauderdale, and you can feel the abundance of energy in the air. I won’t get woo woo on you but being in an abundant environment is invigorating. Also having an abundant mentality is super important. Not only is it a financially abundant place, but I find the people here have an abundant mind. I believe that being in an area that thrives on collaboration allows for more creativity to flow. I am inspired by this place that I decided to start this blog, so we can share stories and learn from each other. Everyone I meet has something to share and loves connecting. I am not saying it perfect, but there is room for abundance and expansion.
#8 Frequent Blogger meetups and collabs
When I moved here 2 years ago, I coworker told me about I the South Florida Bloggers union group and how they held monthly meetings. I finally was able to attend and felt super welcomed right away. I didn’t know a single person, but they had a great speaker who talked about how important it was to share your vulnerability and authenticity. Those words were speaking my language, so I kept coming back again and again. I have had the privilege of speaking at 3 Blogger Union events over the last 2 years. I have met great friends, gotten paid gigs, and joined some very cool collaborations.
The second group I had the pleasure of attending events was the Tuesday’s Together from Rising Tide Society. This group caters creative services like photographers, floral designers, wedding planners but is open to any business. If you are ever traveling in the are you are also free to check it out. Follow them on Instagram, so you are up to date on all meetings.
A new group that just had their first event is Boss Miami Bloggers. I loved the first event that featured Sincerely Miami and the sibling duo from Beyond South Beach. Follow their Instagram to stay up to date with upcoming events.
Conclusion
There are tons of networking groups for bloggers and influencers to choose from and the people are so open to sharing. They are always ready to answer questions ranging from monetization to favorite photo post that you can’t help feel supported.
South Florida is one of the top US locations that serve bloggers and influencers so well. It is truly a place to network with like-minded folks and to get grounded. Bloggers get plugged in and find wonderful tools for your blog to grow. Brands are on high alert so you can find some amazing influencers and bloggers here.
We here at SoFlo Biz love collaboration, have an event or campaign idea in mind? Contact us today.
