The 411 on blogging (and making money!)

Hey guys!

Ah... the infamous "how do I become a blogger/influencer and start making money?!" *I don't dance now, I make money move*

In all seriousness though, it's probably the #1 question I get when people know I run a blog/Instagram page. "What do you do exactly?" "How come you receive free stuff?" "How can you make money off of blogging?" It wasn't exactly easy to describe this "job" at first (yes, I consider it a job!) because it's not your conventional 9-5 job or even your paycheck-every-other-thursday job. So I've finally wrapped my head around a few key points of blogging and I'm here to share them with you! 

Picture source: Pinterest

1. HOW DO I BECOME A BLOGGER/INFLUENCER

Maybe it's obvious for some, maybe not for others, but blogging takes TIME! You do not become a blogger or an influencer overnight (reality check!) But everyone does start at the same place; we all started with 0 followers and 0 blogpost views, and we grew from there! The key to becoming a trusted influencer and blogger is CONSISTENCY, ORIGINALITY and HONESTY. So whether you're writing blogposts or posting Instagram photos, post regularly. In my beginnings (over 2 years ago) I would post a blog post every week and I would post on Instagram everyday/other day. Make sure you have your own style/aesthetic, because that's what people are mostly drawn towards! And honesty is key. Being honest with your followers will make sure they stick around and help build a trustworthy relationship with them! Sometimes being honest just means posting non-perfect pics of you once in a while!

2. WHAT DOES A BLOGGER/INFLUENCER DO FOR A LIVING

Working as a full time blogger/influencer, your day basically revolves around creating content (whether it's taking pictures, videos, campaigns, etc.), editing it, getting it approved by the clients, answering tons of emails and attending meetings and events (the fun part!). That seems pretty easy and straightforward right? Trust me, it's harder than it seems! Being your own boss can seem pretty cool at times but remember that you don't have someone else to tell you what to do, when to do it and constantly checking in on you. You have to make sure everything gets done for deadlines and that means even when things are out of your hands (for example, bad temperature keeping you from shooting outdoors when you need to!) It's even harder to juggle for people like me who work a 9-5 on top of blogging!

3. HOW DO I GET COLLABORATIONS WITH MAJOR BRANDS 

One of my first ever collaborations was with Triangl Swimwear. 1K followers and Triangl Swimwear is reaching out to ME?! There's no secret recipe to getting contacted by companies but I can assure you that working on your blog and social media platform and having a unique style and consistency does help in scoring collaborations. As they say, your vibe attracts your tribe! There is also absolutely no shame in taking the first step and straight up messaging companies! As most collaborations when starting out are based on exchange of goods (ie. products for posts), you sometimes have more chances of scoring collabs with smaller brands as they probably don't have a budget to pay you money but will gladly give you products to try out. Another great way to create connections and collaborate with different brands is to do it through PR agencies. Sometimes they'll reach out to you to add you to their media lists to either send products or propose collaborations or invite you to exclusive events. 

4. HOW DO I MAKE MONEY!!!?

*Let's get down to the nitty gritty... Let's get this show on the road... Qumero Numero Uno!* How do I make money!!? (HQties will get this!) If I'm going to be completely honest and transparent with you guys, I have to admit that I've only started getting paid for collaborations within the past year (2017 to 2018). One of my good PR friends always told me that I posted great content with the potential of getting paid for them. I didn't listen to her at first, because I always thought that people with less than 10K followers could not get paid for collaborations. I was so wrong!! I started getting emails from people asking me about my rate, which made me realize that I could definitely ask for a budget in exchange for Instagram posts/blogposts. Don't be afraid to ask companies who approach you for a budget in your collabs! To find out how much your should charge, some people use what's called a CPM which is the cost per one thousand people reached. It's usually between 5$-10$ CPM for sponsored posts (that means if you have about 5,000 followers and your rate is 7$ CPM, then you would charge 35$ per post). That's not the only way to determine your rate, as quality and high engagement can oftentimes justify a higher rate per post! Other ways of getting paid is through ambassadorships, which means you get a percentage commission paid to you every time someone buys a product you represent through either a link or a coupon code. 

I hope this helped you understand what a blogger does and answered the million dollar question of how they make money! You can ask me any other questions related to the subject in the comments below!! 

With love, 

Katie x