This hangout featured Kelli Miller of 3 Boys and a Dog, Crystal Van Tassel of Crystal & Company, and Tiffany Romero of Massive Sway and The SITS Girls.
What is Massive Sway?
Massive Sway is a social media network comprised of over 75000 women influencers. With unparalleled reach, our network enables brands to reach any region.
What is Massive Sway Looking For?
Massive Sway is looking for / brands are looking for:
Bloggers fill a different need – real storytelling and an audience who trusts them. Their network is for small to medium blogs, too. Bloggers are influencers.
Authentic storytellers who also create evergreen content:
- funny stories
- recipes
- outfits
- creative
What is the Brand Expecting?
- write a great post
- amplify the post on all social media networks (Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, newsletter, Google+); with your tribe
- example: on Facebook you can spend $5-10 (a recommended maximum of $20) to boost a post to get the desired # views on each post
- if the post pays $150, you make a $5 investment to get 250 shares, = win, win, win
- it will encourage repeat business
- after the campaign, Massive Sway may send a screenshot of your blog, your face, and the results to brand
What is Massive Sway NOT Looking For?
- not cut/paste content
- blogger entitlement
- “Know your worth” but be realistic.
- Businesses have to get results. Is $200 fair to pay for $40? No. Was that campaign successful? No.
Massive Sway’s Process
- find opportunities in their newsletter
- private Facebook group (ask to join)
- Facebook page
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- applications take about 90 seconds to 1-1/2 minutes to complete; then, let it go
- be flexible, positive, easy to work with, on time, take good pictures, then you’ll get more work
- Example: if pay is $250 per post and it took you three hours to complete it, that’s a great hourly wage ($80+/hr)
- don’t say “I wouldn’t take a post under $500, $1000, $____” (think about the project’s requirements and what the hourly rate would translate to
- fair payment, based on your geographic location and results (pageviews, sponsored post pageviews)
- spreadsheet: 300-500 applicants (pick a large number who are known to knock it out of the park and a few new bloggers)
- okay to email Tiffany 2-3 times/year to share a real, authentic story you shared in a Massive Sway campaign so she can pass it on to the brand
- combination of an authentic story + how your family used the product (helps your chances of getting in campaigns in the future)
- client picks bloggers and makes the requirements
- QA team member will contact you
- respond within 24 hours to accept
- apply right away (within 48 hours), as most campaigns only open for 3-4 days
- only 1-2 opportunities shown at a time
- heavy campaign opportunities at Mother’s Day and Christmas
- there will be a lull in sponsored content in December and during the Summer.
Benefits of Using a Third Party Network
- Don’t require legal help, the contract is negotiated with the brand on your behalf.
- If you negotiate your own posts (outside of a third party network), always have an attorney/attorney friend review the contact before signing.
- Don’t negotiate money after you’ve agreed to the campaign. (You won’t get any more campaigns!)
About Sponsored Posts
- consider the following, before applying:
- do you have time to publish the post?
- are you comfortable with the requirements and promo requirements?
- is exclusivity required by the brand (can’t write about a competing brand for X period of time)?
- can you meet deadline?
- What is the Average Exposure of a Sponsored Post On Your Site?
- wait 14-30 days before posting about a competing brand
- sponsored posts should be your best posts: Bloggers & Sponsored Posts – How Many is Too Many?
- sponsored posts done right is ART, will always get work
- have a plan. Work the plan. Have an SEO plan.
- budget for classes and conference. Measure your results after. Can’t learn from a teacher who isn’t successful.
- be:
- organized
- thoughtful
- business-minded
- don’t get into the business of writing sponsored posts and earning money blogging before you’re ready
- See these videos:Blogger Funk and Busy Lives (Can You Persevere?)Can You REALLY Handle Running a Blog How to Manage Your Blog and Busy Summer Days
Should I Wait Until I’m Receiving 50,000 Monthly Pageviews to Apply?
- NO!
- Always apply, if it’s a fit
- It’s just like handing out a business card
- The client could want a certain blog look more than a certain amount of traffic
- Be able to turnaround posts quickly (and charge a premium, i.e. $50 extra)
- Complete your profile for the blog network
General Advice About Becoming a Successful Blogger
- think outside the box (with your content, style, presentation, or something else)
- be content
- be happy with what you do (writing, photos, editing, connecting, etc.)
- be a storyteller
- start out wearing all hats (writer, photographer, editor, etc.)
- focus on the aspect you enjoy and/or excel at and offer that as a service to others
- ultimately, just do what you like and outsource the rest
Investing in Yourself & Your Business
- take an online blog class like those offered by Learntobloghangouts.com
- meet in person (Bloggy Boot Camp)
- create an income to pay for services you can’t or don’t want to do
- pay someone to enter your posts linky parties (example: 150 links for $20)
- you can grown from 3-4 thousand to 50 thousand views
- be smart
- realize you can’t do it all
- what does your blog cost you?
- if I didn’t have to do ______, I could do more of ___________. hire out what you wish you didn’t have to do
- barter
- go to your tribe for partnering
- at 50,000 monthly pageviews, the money opens up (i.e. passive income from ads and more sponsored post opportunities)
- implement the info you learn
- make a goal for 2015 to get to 50,000 monthly pageviews (see How To Make and Reach Your 2015 Blogging Goals.)
- others can see when you’re not treating this like a business
Looking Like a Professional:
- professional design (beautiful store window)
- remember that a network like Massive Sway has a list of 500 bloggers who apply for campaigns
- not considering anything that doesn’t look like a beautiful, display window
- bad design=bad color scheme, poor quality images, slow load time (See Speed Up Site – Images, Cache, Broken Links, 404 errors)
- check in all browsers, minimize the use of plugins (See Must Have WordPress Plugins)
- readers buy into a lifestyle that is appealing (funny stories, beautiful images, crafts, etc.)
- can get a great, professionally designed theme for as little as $100 (use birthday, Christmas, etc. money)
What is your brand/brand’s style? Does your logo convey that?
- Look at 10 sites, pick four that you like
- Take pictures of your favorite decor around your home
- See How to determine your blog’s brand
Be a user of your own site
- check in all browsers
- check mobile view of your site
Have two versions of your business cards:
- first version: for moms/readers
- second version: for brands/brand executives
- create a LinkedIn bio; include “Content Creator” and “Digital Strategist” as part of your job description
How to Answer “Why Are You a Great Fit?”
- share your anecdotal experience with the brand (be specific: “Every 4th of July, we use ____ product this way ___” or “I won’t use any other detergent except _____”)
- tell an outside the box story or idea in your answer
- if you didn’t know about a brand or feature of their product/service, tell Massive Sway, so they can pass that on to the brand; share how you would change that/promote them
Meeting Your Goals
- example: your blog gets 40,000-50,000 views
- if your goal is $___/month in ad revenue, make a goal to get ___#pageviews/month
- use sponsored content to reach that goal
- optimize your content for search engines and to be evergreen
- you will get ad revenue on those pageviews, too
- don’t use hashtags in the post title <LAZY> (use them manually or in your scheduled social media posts)
- don’t automate everything
- disclose properly in your blog posts and social media posts
Reaching Annual Income Goals
- January is a slow month for national brands, so promote locally during January to partner with them
- in December, do Amazon roundups to publish on getting organized, losing weight, and saving money
- learn to ride the wave of holiday content
- to build traffic:
- publish a list post, recipe, or how to post improve your SEO (once a week)
- use vertical images, right colors, right font, crowdsourced the image in your Facebook group to create a post that’s very pinnable for Pinterest (once a week)
- a pain point (a frustration you hear your friend state) (once a month) [Example: An Open Letter to the _______ in ______]
- readers feel connected and understood
- when someone asks you a question, write about it (share your struggle and/or solution)
- See Blog Goals video
How to Get Blog Support from Your Family
- See How to Get Blog Support from Your Family video (with Ricky Miller and Lenny Lopez)
- Be specific about what would help you (i.e. Can you make dinner on Tuesday night so that I can _____?)
- Make office hours
- Plan out your time, use a calendar, and stick to it
- Block out time for projects
- Allot family time (i.e. be offline for the first hour after school, then get back on late night)
- Stick to it, then be present when you say you are
- Give the kids a timer – “Come get me when this goes off.” Then, GET OFF!
Watch our hangout on YouTube:
**This post is part of a series of G+ Live Hangout outlines written by Raki Wright in exchange for our SEO Class. Any opinions stated are those of the writer unless quoted from our video above.**
Erin @ Erin's Inside Job says
These are great tips; thanks for sharing! I am definitely pinning this so I can come back and read it in more detail 🙂
K. Araujo says
That was excellent information.
Kelli Miller says
TY!