When it comes to blogging there are a lot of things that are unspoken. A lot of people like to keep their contacts to themselves, their audience and much more. But what I have found to be the biggest struggle within the industry is getting work as a blogger and the subject of payment.
I started blogging almost five years ago, back then I knew people had started making money but I never thought it was a route that I would go down. Two years after I started I had never asked for money as I didn't think I had enough following and to be honest, I never even knew how to bring the subject of money up. I'd always felt embarrassed and shy to brush on the topic and it wasn't until I met a few other bloggers who were extremely friendly and helpful who told me I must get over this barrier and just do it.
I know there are a lot of bloggers with great accounts who just don't have a clue what to say or do or who to even ask so I thought I'd give you all a few pointers that have worked for me.
Have a decent following
In order to secure work as a blogger there's one thing you have to do before even considering payment. Make sure you have a substantial following. Whether it be collectively or on it's own. Blogging has become a great way for brands to market their products/clothing and when a brand sends something out to you they want to see a return in investment. By this, I do not mean you must have hundreds and thousands of followers, but you can't expect any work if you don't have an audience. Numbers are not the be all in blogging as long as your content is great, and having a decent following is extremely subjective. But by growing an audience thats engaging and interested in what you're blogging about will really help in securing work with brands.
Have high quality images
If you haven't already, I recommend making sure your blog/instagram has high quality images. Don't go out and splurge on a massive DSLR because your favourite blogger has one. Most smartphones these days have rivalling cameras which produce such high quality images it's insane. Take images in day light as everything looks better in day light. Alternatively, if you're style is a lot more artistic and darker, experiment with different lighting and MAKE SURE, your images aren't blurry! There's nothing worse than seeing blurred/unfocused images.
Once you have both of these sorted, it's time to think about brand partnerships and sponsored posts.
Contact PR Companies
If you're just starting in this industry the best thing you can do is introduce yourself to PR companies or a brand you wish to work with. Send them an email introducing yourself, what you do and how you would like to work together along with any statistics you have. Who your audience is where they are from etc.
Go to events
One of the biggest things that has helped me is going to events/press days. This is a great way to go and introduce yourself and put a face to the name. If you don't live close to events don't worry though, if you follow the advice above it works just as well. As well as this, going to one on one meetings are great, so if an opportunity comes up for a meeting take it.
So you've been following the above advice and feel you're ready to start asking for money. But you don't know how to do it. Trust me, it's hard. The first time I ever asked for payment was so awkward but you do get used to it.
Asking for payment
I've found it a lot easier to speak to people I've previously worked with. I would follow up stating that "I no longer work on a gifting on basis, is there any budget for this project" or any in the future to be considered for. A lot of the time they will respond with a no and that's when you have to weigh up your options and whether or not you want to proceed. A lot of brands want to work on gifting only and then proceed to paid work after they have seen results. It's totally your decision to take. I recommend always asking as you don't loose anything from asking.
How much to charge
This is such a hush hush subject. Personally, I find it pretty vulgar to speak about money, but sometimes it's so hard with blogging as you never know where to start. It's not like you can google and find out what the basic salary for a blogger is as it's all quite subjective. When I decided I wanted to charge for my blog I started asking for a very small sum and slowly worked my way up. You have to consider how much time it takes and how much your time, your audience and your experience is worth. As you get more experience and your following grows, you can start asking for more.
I hope you have found this useful. If you have anymore questions feel free to ask.
SHOP MY LOOK HERE
Shoes: Zara (old)
Bag: Chanel
