On Saturday. August 13th, The DC Bloggers gathered at La Cosecha in Union Market to hear Peyton of @peytonjohnsonnn talk about Everything You Need to Know About Blogging. She gave us facts and figures that many don’t talk openly about and we all learned so much about industry standards.
Here’s what we learned: Follower count + engagement rate + brand partnerships + why they would pay your rates.
For brand collaborations, brands pay attention to your follower account and engagement rate. Brands want good engagement to pay you your rate.
Numbers are really complex.
For example, if you have 10 followers and a 7-10% engagement rate, brands will work with you.
Budgets vary from brand to brand. Consider the company’s size and whether they are local or large.
Video content requires more work by the creator, so you should charge more for this. Some charge the same for Instagram stories because of the amount of work involved (and some don’t).
Brands come at you with their lowest amount first. Negotiate higher. Ask them to make it mutually beneficial. When replying, start with gratitude, know you’re worth, and don’t be afraid to ask for it. Decide if you want to invest your time in the collaboration. You can turn down opportunities.
Remember that you’re in control and don’t take it personally.
It is super beneficial to have close friends in the industry. Having conversations with peers others about what’s going on in the industry is helpful so everyone can better understand rates/collabs.
Consider having a stream of passive income. Passive income is income that comes in at a regular rate. Examples of these are creator funds through Instagram Reels, TikTok videos, YouTube videos, Pinterest pins, commissions on LTK, Amazon storefront sales, reselling your clothes + accessories, and through creating + selling products. Come up with a brand if you haven’t already.
If you have a job and are blogging, you can transition to blog full time or have both.
To maintain balance: Shoot content all at once (go hard at it all at once– batch shoot). Create video content in every outfit you wear. Plan your posting schedule in advance and around your job if you have another job (treat your job respectfully).
if you are thinking about blogging full-time, consider your budget. Would you be ok with lack of income for some months? Some months have more income; some have less.
Things to think about for self-employment:
•Taxes are higher and quarterly estimated taxes: Is it worth the amount of higher taxes you will have to pay to do this work?
•You will have no benefits (insurance, 401k, retirement fund, etc.)
•How self-motivated are you? You’re your own boss and coworker. No one is telling you to meet your deadlines. You will have to be self-motivated to do this work full-time.
Special thanks to our host: La Cosecha for hosting us!
Floral Backdrop: Lucy Blossoms
Photography: Nikayla Scott Photography
Goodie Bags: nativaSPA
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