Get Paid for Your Influence

by Donna Huber

You have worked hard to grow a following on social media. You take the time it needs to nurture a fan base that interacts with your content. Don't you deserve to be compensated for that time and effort?

I know you have seen the ads for workshops and classes on how to make a six figure full-time income blogging. If you are book blogging, it is unlikely that you will reach that goal. In the publishing industry, few are willing to pay for the social influence. Whether it is because they don't recognize the power of social or that enough people are willing to do it for free that they don't have to pay for it.

However, you can make a few dollars on the side by broadening your scope a bit beyond books.

Influencer marketing is a growing, effective segment of the marketing industry. Food, retail, entertainment, fashion, and fitness are among the top industries investing marketing dollars in influencer marketing.

If you are a parent or lifestyle blogger and have a significant following (typically defined as having more than 2,000 followers on a social media network, though one company required you to have at least 5,000 followers on at least one network) you are golden. I'm neither of the first two, but I have a significant following and companies have engaged me to promote their products.

I have worked with Audible, Grammarly, Sony, and CoffeeMate.

How does influencer marketing work?

Brands engage influencers with a proposal that details the deliverables of the campaign. Depending on who you work with, you will either bid on the job or the brand states the rate they will pay. Most campaigns pay between $10 and $50, but you can garner more money by having a greater sphere of influence (more followers!). Also the more involved the campaign is the higher the pay usually.

The deliverables in a campaign are usually a combination of social shares, blog posts, and/or video. The proposal will be detailed as to exactly what you need to do. Usually, graphics are provided, sample language, as well tracking urls, and how the brand wants to be tagged on social media. For blog posts and videos they will usually provide details on word count and main points to mention.

The campaigns I have done with Sony and CoffeeMate have involved 2 social shares. The Audible campaign required a blog post. I'm a little more open to the companies I work with when it comes to social shares. Outside of the Facebook page for Girl Who Reads, all my other social media channels (Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, G+) are a mix of personal and Girl Who Reads postings. When it comes to blog posts though I want to be able to at least tie it into something bookish (like CoffeeMate could have been tied to enjoying a cup of coffee with a good book).

How do I find brands to work with?

While sometimes brands will come knocking, many works with influencer management companies to discover and vet influencers. There are a number of companies that connect brands with influencers. They provide campaign management and handle paying the influencers.

For influencers, these companies are usually free to sign up with (I haven't ran across any that charge the influencer since that is the service they are providing to brands who do pay).

I have signed up with a few and they all work little differently and I tend to work with one or two more than the others. You will just need to look try a few out to see what ones offer you the best choices.

Here are 3 I'm signed up with:

• Activate (a partner of Bloglovin') - If you want to promote fashion, food, and family activities then you will find a lot of campaigns to bid on. A weekly email is sent out with open. campaigns. I have also noticed that their campaigns usually require you purchase the product being promoted. They also send out articles that will help you be a better influencer.
• TapInfluence - Helpful client service. They send out a monthly survey to connect influencers to brands. They have provided training on FTC compliance guidelines
• Find Your Influence - I really like this company. They are easy to work with and their reporting system is easy to use. I've done 3 campaigns with them.

You might also want to scroll through this article on 150+ INFLUENCER MARKETING AGENCIES, PLATFORMS, TOOLS, COMPANIES from The Influence Marketer. While it is geared towards the brand side of influence marketing, the agencies and companies listed are probably looking to add influencers to their rolls.

The takeaway message

You don't have to give up your passion in order to earn some cash from the all the time and hard work you have put into it. I love book blogging and while I do wish authors and publishers recognized the efforts and influence bloggers have I recognize it is an industry that changes slowly. In the meantime, I will enjoy the free books and look to other industries for revenue.

If you too want to get paid for your influence, then work on creating an engaged following and sign up with a few companies.

Donna Huber is an avid reader and natural encourager. She is the founder of Girl Who Reads and the author of how-to marketing book Secrets to a Successful Blog Tour.

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