First things first, if you are getting into this niche strictly for the money and free samples, you’ll be gone in three months. Hands down. There are a million fly-by-night bloggers in this industry. To get the goods on a consistent basis, you need to stand out. That doesn’t mean you need 1 million pageviews per month, it simply means that when a brand or PR firm lands on your site they see professionalism, personality and authenticity. Hard to fake.
Affiliate Programs
Affiliate marketing is one of the most popular ways to make money blogging. Sadly, it is often overlooked by many new bloggers as they believe it is complicated and out of reach. That isn’t the case. Here are answers to a few frequently asked questions.
What is Affiliate Marketing?
As an affiliate for an online merchant, you receive a commission for any qualifying sale you refer. As this relates to blogging, you most often place a merchant-supplied link within a blog post. When a reader clicks through and purchases the product you recommended, you receive a percentage of that sale, or in some cases a flat fee. Affiliate marketing is one of the best ways to monetize a product-centric blog. If you write a lot of reviews, share shopping sales or hauls or even participate in memes like “Outfit of the Day,” this monetization avenue may have an easy home on your site.
Do I Need A Lot Of Traffic?
This is such a common yet complex question! I will start by saying that the amount of traffic may not be nearly as important as the type of traffic. Reader intent is incredibly important when it comes to how well you will be able to make those sales. Some visitors come to your site for information. Some come to your site for conversation. Some stop by on their way to buying. Some blogs may have 10,000 loyal readers stopping by each month for conversation and information and never make a single sale. Other blogs may have only 1,000 visitors per month yet make a good deal of money. It’s all in the intent.
When doing keyword research for your posts phrases that include words like “buy,” “review” and “gifts” indicate someone is on their way to making a purchase. Phrases like “how to” or “DIY” imply an informational intent. All post types likely have a place on your blog. Finding the right balance is key. (And relevancy is a must!) Once you have the right traffic, the answer to the above question is a resounding, “Yes!” More qualified traffic equals more money.
How Do I Find Programs To Join?
Start by writing down those merchants you purchase from most often. Now head to their website and start looking for a link that says “Affiliate Program” or “Blogger Opportunity.” Many times this is in the site’s footer at the bottom of the page. You may find their affiliate program is managed in-house or by an affiliate network. Popular affiliate networks include Commission Junction, LinkShare, eBay Enterprise Affiliate Network and ShareASale. And Amazon has a great in-house Associates Program.
You will likely need to apply for acceptance and may need to supply stats like the age of your blog, monthly pageviews and visitors and how you plan to promote the program. Once accepted you will be supplied with the necessary affiliate links and banners.
Blogger/Brand Networks
There are a number of companies that connect bloggers and brands for product reviews, sponsored posts and more. Some even target those in the fashion and beauty industries.
Sverve
iFabbo
BrandBacker
Markerly
SocialSpark
PR Agencies
Most larger brands have a Public Relations (PR) firm that handles their blogger outreach and press releases. It can be scary contacting these people directly, but it’s good for your blog. If they like you, they may keep you informed of company’s happenings that you can share with your readers before anyone else (positioning yourself as an industry leader) or provide the occasional product for review. That being said, for the love of all that is Holy, do not contact these people begging for free stuff. Email them letting them know who you are, why their product is a good fit for your site and ask to be added to their media list. Open the line of communication for future use. You may find the acting agency on the brand’s website under “Press” or do a Google search for “____ PR firm.”
Brands
Many smaller companies do not yet use a PR agency. They are still handling marketing themselves. This can be a great opportunity to get in good with an up-and-coming brand. Some of my most fruitful contacts have been made on Twitter. Follow the startups you are interested in and start engaging. Not stalking. Engaging. They will likely check you out – make sure your Twitter profile is up to date and professional – and contact you if interested. (Tip: Add these to a Private Twitter List so you can keep tabs on and engage them regularly.) Instagram can be another fantastic place for introductions in this industry. Remember to properly, not randomly, tag your brands when posting those looks.
PR-Friendly Page
Your next step to landing lucrative blogging deals is to have an official page on your site stating you are PR-friendly. This page should includes your most recent stats (monthly unique visitors/pageviews, social media following and newsletter subscribers). You can also include the types of relationships you are interested in (reviews, sponsored posts, social media campaigns, ad spots). Please remember to include your email address even if you are using a contact form. Forms break occasionally and it can take a long time for us to find out.
You can also create a pretty media kit if you are up to the challenge. Here is a great tutorial for PicMonkey.
What Else Do I Need To Know?
Disclosures – The FTC requires that advertising relationships be disclosed. This needs to be “clear and conspicuous.” I recommended the Post Ender plugin in a recent post and this is a great use for it. You can even have it display at the top or bottom of every post so you never forget. You can see how I have mine set up at the bottom of this and every post on The Work at Home Wife.
What fashion/beauty blog monetization tips or questions would you add?
Check out the full fashion blogger series!
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