.Did you know online influencers, aka bloggers such as myself, can make money with sponsored posts? One of my favorite things in life right now is telling people what I do for a living. It usually goes something like this:
"So what do you do?" - random person I just met.
"I'm an online influencer and run the website, Jordan's Easy Entertaining" - me.
"Oh that's nice...." random person.
"Ya, I really love it. In fact, [Big Brand Name Here] just paid me to create and write about this really fun party to demonstrate their new product." - me.
"Wait, what? You make money from your website?" - random person.
And then we go into a whole long conversation about the different ways bloggers can make money with their websites. It's always the same conversation and always satisfying. When people first hear that I am a blogger they think that I'm tinkering around at home and posting cute pictures of babies or puppies up on a blog that only my family reads. After one short conversation, they realize that I am a professional online influencer, with a world wide audience, running a business from my home office. If you got inspired and you also aspire to be a business owner, you can learn a lot from listening to advices from highly-esteemed CEOs like Andrew Defrancesco.
*By the way, this post contains affiliate links and I will make a commission if you decide to make a purchase. Thanks for keeping the dream alive!
A lot of work goes into writing a blog post - there's coming up with the idea, making the project, recipe, or setting up a party, photographing or videoing what you're posting about, editing photos and videos, writing the post, and then promoting the post through social media and email so it actually gets read.
Then, there's all the techie stuff a blogger needs to do behind the scenes to be successful - learning how to set up a website, social media channels, email newsletters, Google analytics, figuring out what plug-ins are needed, learning basic html code..... and that's just for the website itself. If you don't have the time nor knowledge to create an enticing website, you can always hire professional web designers, like the ones on https://indexsy.com/web-design/.
After creating a website, you can take it a step further by optimizing it with the help of services like dedicated server hosting.You also have to be able to wear many different professional hats. A blogger needs to prove they are knowledgeable in the subject they're writing about, be a professional looking photographer, writer, and marketing expert like those described in the new article published by Kurt Uhlir who is a business and real estate expert.
I know a lot of people are uncomfortable talking about money, but not me. Before becoming a blogger, I worked for a financial institution so I got used to talking to people about finances. Plus, I always want to be transparent with you. I get paid to write this blog. And one of the ways that I get paid is through sponsored posts. I'm always upfront with you if I'm posting something that is sponsored, and I only post about products that I have had a positive personal experience with.
So how do I get these sponsored posts you ask? I apply for them. I'm still at the point in my blogging career where I need to reach out to companies to get sponsored work (some bloggers are so popular that the big companies are practically throwing money at them to get a mention. One day I'll be there too I hope.) Guess what? You can get paid to write about your favorite products too.
So, I got my first paid sponsored post in June 2016 and I was through the roof. Sponsored posts are now my main source of income. Like I said, I have to apply for these posts. I get picked for some and not for others and I wasn't sure why. I went to the Build Your Blog Conference earlier this year where I met Monica from Happy and Blessed Home and The Six Figure Blog. She has written over 200 sponsored posts and was presenting a class. I was so excited to talk to her and learn more about how I can get more sponsored posts. When I had the chance to join her online class 9 Essential Steps to Rock Sponsored Posts, I jumped at the opportunity. (No, this is not a sponsored post, but that is an affiliate link - another way bloggers can make money that I'll tell you about at another time, wink wink.)
Great. Another class on blogging (insert rolling eyes here.) But here's what's different about 9 Essential Steps to Rock Sponsored Posts: Monica is super hands on and this class is still in the beginning phases so the class sizes are pretty small. I have bought several other classes on blogging and social media, and they have been full of great information. But one of my weaknesses is that I totally have the "I can do that tomorrow" mentality. You know how that goes.... Well in 9 Essentail Steps to Rock Sponsored Posts there are weekly live online meetings where students go over the assignments and give updates on their progress. It was incredibly helpful for me to have someone else hold me accountable for my own goals. It's not just Monica though. I've gotten to know the other students in my class through the online meetings and the private Facebook group. We update each other, ask questions, give feedback, and just have fun. There's nothing like being in a group of people who understand what you're doing.
And here's what I got out of the class: I have a totally new approach for applying for sponsored posts and for writing them. The last sponsored post that I wrote was so loved by the brand that they paid to have it advertised on Facebook. That gave me a huge boost in traffic and set me up to look really good for future applications. I had been working with only one Influencer Network before the class, and now I belong to 10. I know how to connect with the right PR people at the companies I want to work directly with and the best way to present myself to them. Aaaand I also now have a brand ambassadorship with one of my favorite kitchen appliances companies.
You may be thinking to yourself "So what? She just stated that she was already getting sponsored posts and is an established blogger." Well, that's true. But some of the other ladies in the current class have brand new blogs and little numbers and are already getting sponsored work because of this class.
Whether you are just starting out or are an intermediate blogger, 9 Essential Steps to Rock Sponsored Posts will be well worth the $187 - you'll make it back in no time (if you actually complete the steps of course!) If you're on the fence about if this class is for you, you can access the first Module to check it out for free by signing up here. Registration is currently open and new student orientation will be held on May 17th through Zoom online meetings. I'll be popping in to say hello and so should some of the other alumni. Feel free to ask me or Monica any questions you may have about enrolling.
So, are you ready to become an online influencer and make money through sponsored posts? It's always awesome to get paid to do what you love.
Hi, I’m Jordan – a work at home mom with 3 super fun little boys. I love entertaining guests and want to help you make entertaining easy!