5 Pro Tips: How to Monetize Your Blog or Instagram

Happy Monday and an official kick off to April, friends! It’s finally starting to feel like spring around here. Last month was super busy for me and I got the opportunity to participate in two really fun experiences that tapped me to help others succeed at blogging, launching new channels and how to best monetize your blog or Instagram page. How cool is that? If you’re wanting to go professional with your blogging, you will want a quality hosting service for your blog. Researching what services https://www.hostiserver.com/ provide is a good place to start. When you’re ready to put money into your blog, you will definitely benefit from doing your research on what’s available out there. You can also be looking into things like SiteGround vs Bluehost pricing.

The first event was the InstagramHER Summit which featured amazing bloggers and influencers from around the nation that participated in a week-long event series of online panel sessions, where we shared all of our tips and tricks on how to grow and monetize your blog or IG. I was so honored to participate and honestly learned a ton from these ladies — hopefully the feeling was mutual!

monetize your blog

Hot on the heels of that panel was this Muses article where I was asked to give my best advice for those looking to launch blogs of their own. Somehow, somewhere along this incredible blogging journey I’ve been on, I’ve become an authority on what to do. Now that’s kind of mind-blowing, y’all. Talk about a real pinch me moment.

The feedback from the panel and article was heard loud and clear — so many of you reached out and wanted more. I’ve been emailing and trading notes with many of you in the hopes of making the road to blogging success an easier and friendlier pathway to navigate. The questions that were asked most frequently were on monetizing your blog and how to turn your blogging or influencer side hustle into an entrepreneurial venture.

In this post today, I’m sharing my 5 pro tips for how to do just that. With a little business savvy, and some negotiating know-how, you can start connecting posts to dollars in no time.

How do you know if you’re ready to start monetizing? If you’re running a blog or an Instagram, and you’ve been approached by a brand to share, review, or post their product on one of those channels, you’re ready. That means you’ve caught the attention of someone out there that feels marketing to your personal network of followers would be impactful on their business — and you know what, they’re right! So, where do you go from there? Let’s discuss…

monetize your blog

1. Create a Rate Card + Media Kit

Monetizing your blog or Instagram means running things a bit more professionally. Through it all, though, think: this is a business, and treat it that way. When brands reach out to you (or vice versa, you reach out to them), a standard request is often to provide a rate card or media kit, so get ready with those! Even if someone doesn’t specifically ask, having it available will only serve to make you look more polished and experienced.

This article on The Blog Maven shares a few examples of what media kits should include and look like. It’s essentially a rundown of your metrics and any neat, share-worthy projects or campaigns you’ve worked on thus far. You can make it as fabulous or streamlined as you want, but do make sure it has the same look and feel as your blog and brand. Everything should stay consistent.

As for a rate card, this is a must-do. It not only gives you a launch point for negotiations but demonstrates that you have established value and your work is worth something. Many partners will want to start out by offering you goods-on-trade (no pay) for blog or IG posts. If you’re comfortable with that, go for it (I sure did!), but in some instances the goods may not be as valuable as your time, effort and follower reach. If that is the case, your rate card helps you demonstrate that in a concise way. It also gives you an easy out to walk away if a gig doesn’t match your valuation or interest.

2. Marketing Outreach

Don’t wait for brands to come to you! Sometimes all you have to do is ask. Really!

At any given time, I have a laundry list of brands and companies on my radar that I’d love to work with. Reaching out to brands you have an affinity for and sharing that story with them will typically help you get noticed. If the brand knows you love them, working with you feels less risky. Email the brand directly with a positive experience or anecdote you have about their company. Then, include some ideas you have for what a partnership with you might look like for them — creating solutions and a “think tank” environment from the get-go gives that person something to get excited about. Also be sure to include any relevant and recent collaborations you’ve done that might be of interest. Working with their marketing firm, e.g NGPIMC, can also give you some fantastic lessons in what to do with your blog, and what they look for in content. Always remember to demonstrate your value and what you bring to the table. Don’t forget, marketing isn’t just a tool for your partners. If you want to get the word out about your fashion blog, you will likely see it pertinent to employ SEO for fashion strategies to drive your site up the search result rankings, thus garnering more site discoveries and traffic. This can be great for growing your brand, especially if you intend to branch out into selling products under this brand down the line. This is the same for any venture or business idea you’re trying to market, as getting yourself out there is key. No matter what industry you’re looking to work in, you can always read more on how to grow your brand and get yourself noticed.

3. Talk to Your Blogger + Influencer Friends

This is a big one. Surround yourself with other great blogger and influencer friends and have some honest dialogue with them about monetizing your blog and what they are doing and having success with. Share tips on what’s worked and what hasn’t.

If you know what other bloggers are charging, it will help you gauge where you fall into the spectrum and what your following reach can garner. What an influencer can command at 10k followers versus 100k followers is quite different. Be up to speed on ‘market rates’ for your level in order to price yourself appropriately. I’ve always heard that a good rule of thumb is $100 for every 10,000 pageviews per month on your blog or followers on Instagram.

4. Stay True to Your Brand

Just because you can monetize now, doesn’t mean you should monetize everything.

Always remember to stay true to your vision, your brand, and what you set out to accomplish with your channels in the first place. I mean, this really is an extension of you and your passions, right? Keep it that way. Just because a brand wants to pay you, doesn’t mean you have to say yes. Stay selective! Your brand and your voice are only valuable to your followers if they remain authentic. Turning your blog into a sales page will turn followers off just as quickly as it may ramp your bank account up. Continue to ask yourself:

  • Is this a product I can really stand behind?
  • Does sharing this offer value or interest to my followers?
  • Is this really something I’d use in my day-to-day life?

5. Ask for Metrics + Conversions

Last but certainly not least, this pro tip is for when you finally do start monetizing – and will definitely help assist in monetizing more.

Ask your brand partners for backend metrics on performance and conversions post-campaign. For example, if a brand asks you to share a coupon code with your followers, or a conversion vehicle like a link to purchase so that they can track your efficacy, you should get a peek into that window, too! Knowing how many people acted upon your partnership will only help you ‘sell yourself’ more into the next opportunity.

monetize your blog

I hope you find these tips helpful and put them to work for your blog ASAP. If you have any tips to share with me or others, leave a note in the comments below.

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9 thoughts on “5 Pro Tips: How to Monetize Your Blog or Instagram

  1. Laura

    Hey Brett! I just clicked over to your Muses article and had to let you know how much the “aim, aim, ready, aim, ready… no don’t fire!” line resonated with me. SO ME! Thanks for the tips and always great content (and hilarious IG stories!!) 🙂

    1. Brett Firdman Post author

      HAHAHA that is so awesome! I was an aim, aim, aim girl for so long — it’s hard not to get swept up into wanting everything to be perfect first, but sometimes you just have to GO FOR IT, right!?!

      Love this feedback, Laura… THANK YOU!

      xx,
      B

    1. Brett Firdman Post author

      Hey Christine!!

      Did you see the rule of thumb note I included in the post about $100 per every 1,000 followers or views? That has been helpful for me. However, I view that as just as single post cost or for something relatively streamlined. If you’re thinking full length blog posts with tons of photos and copy, or videos that take a lot of time and editing, ramp up from there! I think doubling that rate makes sense for something more labor intensive.

      xx,
      B

  2. Lindsay

    Really awesome that you’re so open and willing to help others find their way on the path you’ve already so successfully traveled! Loved reading this article and the Muses piece too. Like Laura commented, I’m totalllly that aim, aim, keep aiming, wait, aim … but then I get tired of holding the trigger, or second guess my aim at all, and rarely fire. So thank you for reminding us all that perfection doesn’t need to be present to move the needle and it can actually keep us from gaining momentum. I’m curious your thoughts on “micro-blogging” through instagram vs. having a regular blog or maintaining both. I’ve seen several instagrammers who have amassed well over 100K without having a regular blog or personal website and I’m curious if you feel this type of short form blogging will eventually replace longer posts that live on personal websites? I find it far easier to aim and fire on short insta posts & stories and wondering if I’m better off to focus on that for now, then pick my blog back up once I have more time. Thanks for any thoughts!

    1. Brett Firdman Post author

      Hi Lindsay! Thank you for the amazing feedback.

      I’ve also seen a lot of success in the micro blogging arena — people who are using Instagram only, or a blend of Instagram, Snapchat, etc. and having a great impact and growing a great follower base that way. Ultimately, you don’t HAVE to have a blog in the traditional sense to get into the game — it’s really dependent on if having a blog is something you WANT vs something you feel to HAVE TO HAVE. Brands will work with you regardless, provided your impact is strong in at least one of these channels.

      Forcing blogging is no fun — if writing isn’t someone’s strong suit, or just isn’t a passion, it’s all over the page! I’d rather encourage someone to focus their energy where they feel the most inspired and creative.

      Hope that helps!

      xx,
      B

  3. Christopher

    Woa what a great write up.
    I follow the technique above and apply it to my blog within 48-hours i got several leads to my email list….Thanks so much for this wonderful article…
    I cant wait for another article…Thanks

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