Blogging for Income thesitsgirls/make-money/how-to-find-blogging-jobs/ Before you start looking, there are a few things to keep in mind. Your stats do matter. Be prepared to share your stats with brands and PR reps, and be honest about them. Some brands only want to work with bloggers who have a minimum number of pageviews each month, and that’s okay! Not all brands/PR people require this information…and if you keep working hard, at some point you *will* have those high numbers some brands are looking for. Besides, your stats don’t always matter. Some brands will never even ask. Sometimes, your amazing content and professional-looking blog are enough to secure a job. Use Google Analytics to track your stats. In my experience, this is what most companies ask for. Blogging is about relationships. This is kind of weird, because at first it seems like blogging is just about sitting at home in your pajamas creating amazing blog posts. But that’s not really true. Like any business, if you want to grow your blog and find work, you’re going to have to grow your network. Many of the job opportunities I’ve had come from being social and getting involved in the blogging community. As far as my experience goes, bloggers are a supportive bunch and want to share their opportunities with others. Get involved (and in the same breath, always support your fellow bloggers and share opportunities when appropriate!). You can get involved and meet people (and brands) by joining facebook groups, getting involved in blogging forums, and attending blogging conferences. Your blog needs to be awesome. Don’t scrimp on design. You want it to look professional and appealing. Make it easy to contact you. Post consistently (at least a few times a week). These are the kinds of things brands are going to look for before they hire you. So, with that all said…here’s how I find blogging jobs. Be Social Join the SITSgirls forums and sign up for their newsletter. They regularly send out emails with sponsored opportunities. Join the MomDot forums. After you’ve been an active member for a few weeks, you can pay $6/month for VIP access. VIP members post blogging jobs, review and giveaway opportunities, PR contacts, and more in the VIP forum. This is where I found my first few blogging jobs…it’s a great resource, and worth $6, especially if you are having a hard time finding jobs. You do need to be prepared to pitch to PR reps, though (but, that is the nature of blogging…and once you craft your pitch, it’s easy to update and send to different people). Go to blogging conferences. I know, these can be expensive…but if you can swing it financially, it will be worth it. I’ve made several contacts – with brands and other bloggers – as a result of conferences. Check and see if there’s going to be a Bloggy Boot Camp (run by the SITS girls) near you – these are relatively inexpensive and will provide a new blogger with a wealth of knowledge. Join a blogger’s Facebook group (or several). I’m currently in three different Facebook groups with other bloggers. This is a lot to keep up with, but worth it – I’ve had several opportunities as a result of these groups. I can also credit these groups for support, an increase in my traffic, and new friendships. WORTH IT! If you need help finding a group, stop over and join us at The Blogging Bunch – we’ll be facilitating facebook groups for new bloggers shortly. Sign Up for Everything. Yes, Everything. The following organizations pair bloggers and brands for both sponsored posts and review/giveaway opportunities. The initial sign-up process can take a few minutes, but it’s a good place to invest some time. Be sure to update your stats and information as your blog (and social media following) grows. I recommend keeping a list of all the groups you join, and spending some time at the beginning of each month updating your stats with all of the groups. SITSgirls – sign up for their newsletter to be kept in the loop whenever a new opportunity arises. You can apply for jobs that you’re interested in. Brandfluential – a part of the MomDot community, Brandfluential brings bloggers and brands together for campaigns. MomCentral – MomCentral sends out several opportunities each month via email. You can apply for them as you receive the leads. Mom It Forward – Mom It Forward connects bloggers and brands. They often tell you the minimum monthly pageviews they require for each campaign, which is helpful – you won’t be filling out applications for jobs you aren’t even going to be considered for. Social Fabric – Social Fabric also connects bloggers and brands. They work with some large brands, and are a very active community. They are unique in that they don’t send you products to review; rather, they send you into a store to buy and document the entire purchasing process yourself. Social Spark – Social Spark is another blog/brand connector. Once you sign up for Social Spark, you’ll send them access to your analytics (this is convenient because they always know your stats, so you’re not constantly updating them). They will post leads to your Social Spark dashboard (with post requirements and payment amount) and you can apply for the ones that interest you. I love that you can negotiate your rate, too. Pay Per Post – This is run by the same people behind Social Spark, and is a similar program. If you’re not a mommy blogger, this might be a good avenue for you…I have seen several techy-type opportunities at this site. Clever Girls Collective – This group matches bloggers and brands. Project Eve – Project Eve also unites bloggers and brands. Mommy Bloggers Review Service – This service pairs bloggers and brands. It’s a newer service, but seems to be growing quickly. Business 2 Blogger – This is a super easy site to use. You will set up your blog resume when you sign up. You can then go check out the job board and click “Apply” for each job you’re interested in. Unlike other sites/systems, you don’t have to fill out a detailed application for every opportunity (which can be time-consuming) – once you apply, the brand gets your resume and knows you’re interested and they can contact you from there. It only takes seconds to apply for several jobs at one time. Blogsvertise – Blogsvertise connects you with brands in a couple of different ways. Once you sign up and set up your profile, you’ll have the opportunity to check out several different ads that you can put on your site immediately (most of them pay per click, or pay per conversion, which means they pay you when someone buys something). They will also pay you for sponsored content. Once you’re set up in their system, you can login and see available jobs and accept or decline them as you see fit – and you will get emails with other suitable job offers, as well. Shareasale (this is my affiliate link) – Shareasale is actually an affiliate network, meaning you can get set up as an affiliate with a bunch of different brands at once. Some of the brands will pay you for posts, though (usually $5 or $10 a post, but if you’re looking to monetize and have low stats, this can be a great place to start – those numbers can add up!). Mommy Mindset Media – This is another campaign network that matches bloggers and brands. Fill out the sign-up form to be notified of opportunities! One2One Network – Once you’ve signed up for One2One Netowork (another campaign network), you can log in and see upcoming events and opportunities. Massive Sway – Massive Sway is what happens when the SITS Girls and Sway Group come together…brand/blogger goodness! You can set up your account and login at any time to see what opportunities are available. Linqia (that’s a referral link) – Linqia matches bloggers with brands for campaigns. Linqia is unique…it gives you a measurable goal and pays you based on your actual reach. That means that you might make something different than a friend working on the same campaign. But if you exceed your goal, you can make more on future campaigns. It can be tricky to figure out at first, but I like that I can track my progress throughout the campaign – and that they provide lots of support and help if you need it. The Canopi Agency – The Canopi Agency also matches bloggers and brands. My advice for new bloggers looking for work is to keep moving forward. You’ll get turned down more often than you’ll get chosen for jobs (I do!), but if you keep at it, the jobs will come – be persistent, and keep the focus on quality content while you’re waiting for those jobs to roll in! Questions? Anything you would add? If you’d like to connect and read my next posts about blogging jobs, find me on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Pinterest!
Posted on: Tue, 30 Jul 2013 19:09:13 +0000
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