Nowadays, you can make money through blogging from a whole range of sources. These sources may include paid advertisements, merch lines, and, increasingly, brand deals that earn you the label of 'influencer.' However, you have to get past blogging basics 101.
As social platforms proliferate and bloggers become prevalent across many of them, the influencer sideline is especially growing.
Growing in its power to provide a regular income to people who, previously, had to deal with major fluctuations. However, a blogging must continue to produce and update content to keep it all fresh.
What's more, as the pulling power of bloggers across pre-established audience bases increases, brands are keener than ever to work with such individuals.
Therefore, making brand deals an increasingly lucrative option for small and large-scale bloggers alike after you pass blogging 101 tests of time.
Blogging Skills
Mastering blogging 101 skills is crucial for effectively pitching brands. By honing your abilities in areas such as SEO, copywriting, and content creation, you can demonstrate to brands that you have the expertise needed to showcase their products or services to your audience in a compelling and strategic manner.
When you can show that you understand how to optimize content for search engines, write engaging and persuasive copy, and create valuable, shareable content, brands will be more inclined to partner with you.
They will do so knowing that you can effectively promote their offerings to your audience and drive results for their business.
Mastering Blogging 101
Mastering Blogging 101 skills involves producing high-quality, engaging content that resonates with your target audience. It requires consistently creating valuable and original posts, optimizing them for search engines, and effectively promoting them on social media platforms.
Understanding your audience's needs and preferences, engaging with them through comments and feedback, and utilizing analytics to measure and improve your blog's performance are also crucial.
Additionally, demonstrating proficiency in crafting attention-grabbing headlines, structuring posts for readability, and incorporating relevant visuals are key indicators of mastering Blogging 101 skills.
Notable Influencers
Notable influencers like Paris S. Chanel @thebirthofparisc earn as much as $1,500 from a single brand deal. However, that's at the lower end of modern brand offerings that become more lucrative through ongoing relationships.
But, for bloggers just breaking into the influencer sphere, it can be incredibly difficult to achieve those lasting gigs.
This comes down to a range of factors. Factors like returns on income for the company in question, and the impact each influencer makes when they're working with that brand.
Here, we're going to consider a few simple ways to increase the chances that a company will remember you as an influencer worth working with.
Always Adhere to Your Agreements
While they don't always require contracts, most brands will make a verbal agreement about what they expect from a brand pairing. Whether that be a certain amount of posts on a set day, or simply a mention of their products at some stage.
In many ways, the nature of an agreement like this depends on the nature of your brand deals. For example, simply products being sent to you or actually paid advertisements on your blog.
In both instances, sticking to agreements, either contracted or not, is the first, and perhaps most crucial step, towards impressing a brand for ongoing business.
As such, you must get your affairs in order and make note of key dates, and the brands that they relate to if you're working on more than one deal at a time.
While this shouldn't be anything groundbreaking, it does prove your reliability in a field.
Where, oftentimes, influencers will either overlook or forget about brand deals that aren't a priority to them at the time.
Choose Brands That You Can Mention Organically
Most often, companies won't have any particular guidance on how they would like you to mention their products. But the chances are that they're looking for more than a glaring advertisement that's entirely out of keeping with the rest of your blog.
If they wanted that, they would've paid for an on-page ad. Rather, most brand deals involve the expectation that you'll create organic content. As well as interesting content that fits naturally on your page and, in turn, ensures that company's marketing ROI.
This is the best possible way to ensure that a brand sees the value of an ongoing relationship. It really rests on your ability to cherry-pick the brands that best suit you and your niche. Regardless of lucrative offers elsewhere that appear.
For instance, a travel blogger could easily work with a luggage brand, an airline, or even a camera company, while something like a gardening plug would be far too obvious to land.
As such, before you agree to anything, always brainstorm a few ideas and consider how you'd fit that product within your wider branding focus.
But the chances are that they're looking for more than a glaring advertisement that's entirely out of keeping with the rest of your blog. #influencers Click To Tweet
Take Time Over Branded Content
You might be able to hash out a relatively decent piece of personal blogging in an hour, but any content relating to brands needs a little more time. Time for planning, forethought, and time spent on execution.
You certainly shouldn't post an article rife with grammatical errors or an image with your laundry pile in the background.
Remember, these brands are paying for a service, and they expect a certain level of quality. As such, you must plan your blog posts. Then, run them through a grammar checker that can ensure your points are concise and professional.
Equally, it's important to take well-thought, creative brand images that you run through an editor or even a photo background remover were necessary to keep things crisp and up-to-standard.
As well as impressing upfront, this is guaranteed to lead to increased ROI which, really, is where the true brand deal value lies.
You certainly shouldn't post an article rife with grammatical errors or an image with your laundry pile in the background. #bloggingtips Click To Tweet
Ensuring Brands Come Back
These steps are guaranteed to impress even high-end brands. Now, you can go a step above by sharing on social media without being asked or paid to.
And, you may just find that these efforts lead to another lucrative email landing in your inbox in no time.
How do you ensure your brand comes back? I'd love to hear your tips in the comment section below.
