I can hardly believe I’m approaching my third year of blogging. I remember when I first started it was very overwhelming. Learning to create content, trying to keep the algorithm happy, connecting with my community; all while being a single mom and having a full-time career. I would constantly question if I could do it all. There are a lot of keys to success when it comes to being an influencer; in the post, I will share three blogging tips to make money with less than 10,000 followers.
How Do I Get Started Blogging?
Often I get asked, “Can you share blogging tips to make money?”The best way to answer this question is to share the story of how I created CanDesLand. If you follow me on Instagram, you may recognize this pink bicycle. In July 2018, I was passing by this bike, and a stranger saw me admiring it and said, “You have to take a picture with that bike!”
I told her, “no way” I don’t know who owns the bike. She insisted that the owner wouldn’t mind and coached me over to the cycle. I took a few pics, and she said, “now get on the bike.”
I thought, “Candace, you only get one chance to live life out loud,” let’s go!
See, what that stranger didn’t know is I was in the middle of a battle with depression, just trying to find a way to feel like me again. The feeling of creating content shifted everything!
First thing first, ANYONE can be a blogger!
What I Learned About Having a Blog
First, you will want to create a blog (website). Think of your blog as a home base everything you post should drive back to it. Keep it simple, I learned this the hard way. CanDesLand is a great play on my name, but it’s not easy to tell a passing stranger that instead of a “y” it’s candy with a “e”.
For this reason, I purchased a second domain golivelifeoutloud.com which redirects to my site. It’s easy to say and remember!
Why is having a blog important? Do you remember the day Instagram or a popular shopping app went down? It’s happened more than once. Having a blog that you own and regularly drive traffic ensures that no matter what algorithm change, or glitch your community knows where to find you.
How To Make Money As A Blogger
The second most common question I receive is, “Can you make money with less than 10,000 followers?” My answer is YES! As a content creator, influencer, or blogger, there are many ways to make money, from brand campaigns, events to merchandise. I currently have three primary revenue streams: sponsored posts, ad revenue, and affiliate sales.
Ways to Make Money Blogging as an Influencer Under 10K
- Sponsored posts are when you work with a brand or retailer to create content to be posted on your social platforms. Additionally, similar to a sponsored post, brands will also hire you to create content to promote their products on their own website and social platforms.
In the ecosystem of making money as a blogger, sponsored posts can be the big drops in the bucket. Sponsored posts are a little more challenging to secure and happen more down the line but worth it if the campaign aligns with your brand goals. I recommend reaching out to brands you organically use and share with your community (be sure to tag the brands in your post).
- Ad Revenue is an excellent way to monetize your existing content on your blog and some social platforms like YouTube and TikTok. Think of this as “commercials” that generate income when viewed or when clicked.
- Affiliate Marketing is by far the quickest and most straightforward way to monetize your content as a blogger. Have you ever shared with a friend where you bought a pair of shoes? That’s affiliate marketing!
How Do Affiliate Links Work and
Why You Should Use Them?
I remember posting my first YouTube video; I knew all of the YouTubers linked everything in the description box. So I spent hours copying links from the brand pages and pasting them in the box. I didn’t know anything about affiliate links or how to find blogging tips to make money. Through a bit of research, I realized that the influencers used a customized link, aka Affiliate links.
Affiliate links allow you to earn money based on the traffic and sales you drive with your links on your blog or social platforms. When you share an affiliate link, and someone clicks on the link and purchases anything (some restrictions apply) on the site, you earn money! I use ShopStyle Collective to create my affiliate links. They recently started a new program called the Standard Program, which is designed for influencers with under 10,000 followers to grow and learn affiliate marketing. You can download their new app, Collective LinkIt, to apply for the program and get started creating affiliate links.
Also, affiliate marketing is a great way to score campaigns and continue to work with brands. When you know what your followers like and shop for, you can use these analytics to leverage collaborations. I used my affiliate sales data to secure my first paid collaboration with less than 2,000 followers.
3 Blogging Tips to Make Money with Affiliate Marketing
Educate Your Community
I watched a ShopStyle Collective YouTube video with the creators of The Blog Societies, and they shared the importance of educating your followers. As an influencer, it is easy to forget that not everyone knows the industry jargon. For example, I asked my mom if she knew where the “link in bio” is on Instagram? She responded, “no, but you are always telling me to click it.” I almost fell out of my seat laughing, but the truth is my mom is not alone.
As a blogger, it is essential to educate your followers in the simplest way possible on what you want them to do. So if your goal is to drive sales through affiliate links, tell them how to shop the post.
Persistence
The key to finding success in affiliate marketing is persistence. You have to have the ability to stick with something despite the small beginnings. I always think of linking this way; I am posting the OOTD, so why not share an affiliate link?!
It’s always a pleasant surprise when I check my account, and there’s a deposit.
Consistency
Consistency is the key to everything, especially affiliate marketing. Showing up consistently for your community is less about posting just because and more about KLT (Know, Like, Trust).
The more you consistently educate and link persistently, you will find success with affiliate marketing and make money as a blogger. Also, if you start to inform your followers on how to shop through your affiliate programs as a nano influencer, your commission earnings will grow as your community grows.
More about Shopstyle Collective
Now that you understand the how let’s talk about why you should sign up for Shopstyle Collective Standard Program and blogging tips to make money. When it comes to affiliate programs, I’ve tried a couple, and bigger doesn’t always mean best.
I wear many hats as a solopreneur building my blog, Instagram, and YouTube communities. I need tools that don’t slow me down and work on the go. If I’m on my computer, or phone, I can seamlessly access the Collective LinkIt app (works for both iOS and Android) and create links, post looks to my website, and check my analytics to see what my community is loving.
When one of my followers asks for a link, I simply go to the retailer’s website, tap send to Collective LinkIt. Now the link is created and I can paste it to my social media, a message, or wherever I want. I find Shopstyle Collective to be the most seamless, convenient, and easy-to-use linking platform.
Standard Program by Shopstyle Collective
The introduction of the new Standard Program by Shopstyle Collective supports micro and nano-influencers with less than 10,000 followers to earn money with affiliate marketing through simple-to-use text links and simple analytics.
To sign up for the Standard Program, download ShopStyle Collective’s new app, Collective LinkIt. ShopStyle Collective offers influencers the tools, guidance, insights, and resources we need to succeed. The new Standard Program encourages audience growth with a pay-per-click model until you graduate to the Advanced Program.
The Advanced Program provides more comprehensive tools, widgets, and my personal favorite is breaking down my analytics by channels. Since I cross-promote my content, this tool allows me to know which of my communities is responding, this offers valuable insight into future content. Knowing what works allows me to spend less time planning and more time doing what I love, creating content!
I hope this post provided you with a few blogging tips to make money. Now, what are you waiting for; it’s time to get linking! Click here to download the Collective LinkIt app and apply for the Standard Program by ShopStyle Collective.
For more style inspiration and to check out my OOTD’s (outfits of the day) on my Shop My Looks page. And more daily vlogs, hot deals, and more follow me on Instagram.
Most importantly, remember to #GoLiveLifeOutLoud and then come back and tell your girl all about it!
xo, CanDe
