I think that the way I want to do this is share with you what I thought was the most important things mentioned on each panel I attended, and then at the end of these posts I’ll share with you my opinion about my overall experience at Alt and what I took out of it, sounds good? Hope so 😉
So, the first two panels I attended was Collaborations with Sponsors and Four ways to Earn revenue from your blog. Both panels had some very talented ladies speaking, but my favorites were Jenny Komenda of Little Green Notebook and Liz Stanley of Say Yes to Hoboken. Both ladies were honest, open and frank, and they just made me like them both even more than I did before “meeting” them 😉
Here’s a summary of what I considered the most important from the two panels:
FROM COLLABORATIONS WITH SPONSORS:
– Seek out a brand that is a great fit with your brand and know your bandwidth. Don’t wait for them, instead, seek them out, the worst that can happen is that they say no.
– On creating great content: “If you build it, brands will come” Merrilee Liddiard
– Maximize the collaborations, think of ways you can share the content in many different ways to enhance them. Consider how they can evolve and think beyond the one-time deal. And remember, one successful collaboration can lead to many many more.
– An engaged audience has more power than lots of traffic. Traffic is just the by-product of having an engaged audience.
– Keep an editorial calendar. In order to work with brands, you have to know what’s happening in your future (campaigns can take up to 6-8 weeks)
– “Don’t be ashamed to make money” Jenny Komenda.
– Brands want to broaden their reach and drive sales and you are the medium, so value yourself accordingly.
– Best brand collaborations are those where your goals complement theirs and vice-versa. Work with people who work like you.
– Don’t be afraid to think big but also consider that small meaningful brands are valuable too.
– Jenny recommends this guide on determining what to charge for sponsored posts:
Monthly pageviews Price
10,000 $25
50,000 $125
750,000 $1,875
FROM FOUR WAYS TO EARN REVENUE FROM YOUR BLOG:
– In regards to affiliate links, a disclosure statement on the side bar is not enough, it must be included on every post (as long as it’s relevant of course!). And if you have a newsletter, you should include it there too.
– Bringing income allows you to create better content for your audience. The more selective you are, the more successful.
– On reaching out to potential partners for the first time: be personal and avoid asking for money straight up. Liz really made an emphasis on not asking for money, so don’t 😉
– Tailor the cost of your advertisements to the company/business you’re working with. You can’t charge a big company like Gap what you would charge a small Etsy business. And in this matter, negotiate but be flexible.
– On sponsored posts: keep a balance, be selective, and as long as they are a natural fit with your brand, they will feel just like that.
Tomorrow I’ll be sharing what I learned from the design camp Media Kits that Shine 😉