Deanna of Homestead & Chill talks backyard chicken shenanigans

Deanna’s homestead is in San Luis Obispo County, halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Having purchased their home in 2013, they’ve worked hard (while holding down full time jobs) to transform their garden into the Eden it is now!

Today Deanna and her husband Aaron grow around 85% of the produce they consume, raise chickens and pursue sustainable living practices like rain water capture and composting. All the while teaching others how to make the most of their resources through their Instagram community and blog.

And it doesn’t matter if you don’t have a garden or any outdoor space – Deanna’s ethos is about making your home a sanctuary, no matter what you’re working with. It’s this inclusive tone Deanna sets which has made her audience grow so well too.

Deanna, tell me a bit about your online community.

“I’m part of a wonderful Insta-community of gardeners, homesteaders, real-food lovers, crazy plant people, and wildlife admirers – from all walks of life and levels of involvement. Some of us are urban, some more rural. Some are deeply involved and passionate about these topics, and some are just getting started.

“There are people in the community who are not able to actively pursue this lifestyle (yet), but enjoy daydreaming and learning about it. We share insight and inspiration to lead more environmentally conscious, self-sufficient, and nature-centered lives.”

How have you created your niche?

“Pardon the pun, but it all happened super organically! I have always had a passion for photography, sustainable living, sharing ideas with others, and teaching.

“When I first got on Instagram and began sharing photos of our garden, or quirky stories about our backyard chicken shenanigans, people would ask questions: about how something was done, advice for their situation, troubleshooting, and so on. So I began adding more and more tips, recipes, how-to’s, and projects to my content. It seems they like it!

“It’s always a bit awkward talking about yourself… but people tell me that I am inspiring and motivating. They say I help make all of the garden, food or homestead projects that I share seem more attainable, understandable, and less intimidating, which is just awesome! I feel so blessed to know I inspire people to get out there and grow food, play in dirt, admire a butterfly, try something new, or whatever it is that they take away from it all.”

How long have you been working on growing your business?

“I have been a very active member of the Instagram community for over five years, but solely for fun and enjoyment. Until recently, that is. My followers, family, and friends have been encouraging me to branch out and share more in other ways for some time now, so in late 2018 I began working on a blog.

“I just launched the blog, Homestead and Chill, in January 2019. Along with that, an Amazon shop to share items we love and use. The blog is currently my side gig, but I would love for it to continue to grow in a way that allows me to go part-time at my current full-time job, which I am not all that passionate about.”

Why do you use Linktree?

“I use Linktree because Instagram is very limiting without it. I want my followers and friends to be able to easily find and access not only the blog, but also my Amazon shop, YouTube, Pinterest, Spotify, or other rotating links like fun promotions. Linktree is the best solution!”

Because Deanna recently launched her blog she’s using the priority link and thumbnail imagery features on her Linktree to draw her visitors’ attention specifically to that. Check out Deanna’s Linktree here.

What do you do with your Amazon store?

“I use our Amazon shop to highlight the items we love and use around our little modern homestead.  I have created categories that people can browse, and also link to specific products through the Homestead and Chill blog.

“For me, while the commission is certainly nice, that was never my motivation for starting the store. It is a way to easily share useful, reliable products that I believe in with my online community, who often inquire about these types of things. For example, if I am writing a blogpost about how to make sourdough bread at home, it is extremely convenient to be able to link to the exact items we use to do so – so that others can easily do it too!”

Check out Deanna’s beautifully-organized Amazon storefront for her favorite products in categories like ‘Kombucha’, ‘Compost’ and ‘Sourdough Supplies’.

What kind of rewards are you seeing?

“The small commission I am able to gain through my Amazon store isn’t much yet, but is very meaningful to me! It feels like a thank you from my subscribers and fan base, for all of the advice, information, and inspiration I’ve been otherwise freely and openly dishing on them.

“It allows me to cover the costs of running a blog – which is more than I thought it would be when I first got going! It is also very rewarding to see the impact to the companies I am supporting by linking to their products. Many of them are small businesses, made-in-USA products, organic, or otherwise eco-ethical. Some of the products I have linked to are regularly back ordered or out of stock, which isn’t necessarily a good thing for my shop, but so very awesome for those product sellers!”

And with that, we’ll let Deanna head back out into the fresh air to tend to her land! You should check out her blog if you’re looking to hone your green fingers. And if eating green is more your thing, take a read of Deanna’s fava bean pesto recipe here.

Deanna is part of the Amazon Influencer Program. We’ve recently collaborated with Amazon so that you can drive more traffic to your storefront from your Linktree. Find out more here.