6 Questions | Commerce Coordinator at Bustle

Welcome back to our “6 questions” series where we ask someone 6 career-centric questions about themselves.

This week we’re chatting with Chinazor Offor, Commerce Coordinator at Bustle.

 What is your job title & what do you do day-to-day?

I’m a Commerce Coordinator on Bustle’s Commerce Team. On a day-to-day basis, I have various projects I work on with the ultimate goal of gaining revenue for BDG through commerce content. Most days I start off by using Crowd Tangle, a social media analytics platform, to find content from BDG’s brands that needed to be optimized. This basically means updating content with affiliate links to make sure the company is using all opportunities to gain revenue. I spend a lot of time researching products for our shopping guides and roundups. I’ve been here for a couple years now, so you really become in tune with what the Bustle reader is looking for. We also use data from different Amazon Associates and our own internal analyses. Some days I do an analysis on different product round up articles to see what types of products resonate with the reader and what don’t. These analyses help inform future product guides. I also do a lot of work in our custom CMS, creating affiliate links, and tracking codes as well.  

 How did you get your foot in the door at Bustle?

When I first moved to NY, I reached out to a lot of people for informational interviews. That’s how I initially got in contact with the head of HR at Bustle. She showed me around, answered questions I had, and helped with flagging my application for any positions I applied to. I applied for this job twice actually. After I didn’t get it the first time, I applied again down the line and the hiring manager remembered me, and I think that persistence definitely helped. 

How did you make the jump from writer to commerce coordinator?

I honestly wouldn’t say that I “jumped” from writer to commerce coordinator because I do a lot of freelance writing. It’s definitely still a primary passion of mine. It’s more so that this industry can be very exclusive and  hard to break into, and so you learn about other things you are good at too. I decided to try my hand at commerce marketing, and I’m glad I tried something new. However, I never stopped writing, and would love to continue doing that for as long as I can. I’m interested in a lot, so I don’t think I’ll ever just be doing 

We know your job requires the tracking of product performance. Have product/shopping habits shifted greatly during COVID?

There’s definitely a shift. As a whole people are buying a lot more loungewear and comfy clothing than before. This is in large part due to the increased amount of time spent at home. A lot of people in general have increased how much they buy online in general. The E-commerce industry is doing okay despite the overall economic situation in the States. 

Hardest part of your job? Most rewarding?

This job is honestly pretty straightforward. Whenever I have new projects, it takes a little to get accustomed to them, but it’s really not bad. I think we could be paid more, but I think that’s a problem across the board in the media industry. The most rewarding part is honestly having a lot of time to learn as I work. I think that’s all we can really hope for in a job is that we learn something from it.  With the type of work that I do, I listen to so many podcasts throughout the day. I love consuming smart content, so I’m glad my job allows me to do that throughout the day as well. I am also really happy to have met so many great people since starting my work at BDG. 

What advice would you give to someone wanting to work at Bustle/writing/media?

I’d say make connections and be persistent. I’ve been turned down so many times for writing gigs specifically, but I’ve never let it stop me. I’m doing more freelance than I was a couple of years ago, so I’m definitely improving. Commerce is one of the few areas of the media industry that’s growing and is definitely here to stay. If you have an interest in that, it could definitely be an area to look into. Lastly, reach out to everyone you know. You never know who could be the person that helps you get to the next step in your career.