As a blogger, content creator and online business owner, I rely on multiple income streams to generate income and opportunity.
One surprising source for revenue has been sponsored posts and brand collaborations. One method to acquire these partnerships is through active pitching. [GET MY SAMPLE PITCH HERE]
However, over the years, I have discovered that the digital search platform Pinterest has been an excellent source for acquiring opportunities— unsolitcited, meaning they come to me.
Here is how:
Step One: Create good content. Establish a schedule for creating content and stick with it. You are most likely to do that if you jot down your content ideas into an editorial calendar. [GET MY EDITORIAL CALENDAR HERE]. I have found that keeping an idea just in your head, your notes app, on a sticky note will not gurantee it gets produced and published but when you insert it into a schedule, it surprisingly comes into fruition.
Step Two: Mass/Bulk promote your content in social media. After you hit publish, you have to schedule out the link to the post to go live in many social media platforms and at different times of the day and week for at least a month. You need to vary the times because people are online at different times of the day and week and you need to capture as many as possible.
Personally, I use VIRAL TAG and TAILWIND to schedule my posts to auto post on various social media platform for me…when I’m not online, these tools get the job done and get me exposed. There are others out there. Do a Google research, ask fellow bloggers and pick one that works for you.
You have to monitor and check in on the shares weekly at least to make sure they’re getting out, reaching your market, and that there are no glitches; and also to observe the analytics to determine which content is getting the most engagement, shares, re-tweets, loves, comment and click thru. Whatever is working, create more of that. Once a month, go through and tweak a few of those that aren’t doing as well by changing the Pinterest graphic or photos on the post. You could also try to re-arrange the order of the post, and re publish it slightly different to avoid posting duplicate content which Google can ding you for.
Step Three: Make sure you have either a contact form, an “About me” or an “About this blog/website” page in the menu section at the to9p of the blog or bottom that is very easy to see and that includes an email or some other contact link. You’ll be surprised by the number of websites out there with NO means for contacting the owners, editors and founders. Don’t be that site. Have a means for visitors, and especially potential brad/sponsors to reach you active on your site and check it regularly!
If you use a third party agent or service, place a widget in the side bar linking to it.
Another common misstep is people set up contact forms then forget to check them out only to discover offers and pitches piling up in the inbox weeks or months later when it is too late and the opportunity has lapsed. It is also not good for your rep.
Then wait. Ideally, if you are consistent with step one to two, you’ll start receiving offers in your inbox in no time. If not, make sure your content is clear, your website is clean and your posts are grammar, type-o and otherwise well written and presented. Avoid profan
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Jay Jay Ghatt is also editor at Techyaya.com, founder of the JayJayGhatt.com and JayJayGhatt.com where she teaches online creators how to navigate digital entrepreneurship and offers Do-It-For-You Blogging Service. She manages her lifestyle sites BellyitchBlog, Jenebaspeaks and JJBraids.com and is the founder of BlackWomenTech.com 200 Black Women in Tech On Twitter. Her biz podcast 10 Minute Podcast is available on iTunes and Player.fm. Follow her on Twitter at @Jenebaspeaks. Buy her templates over at her legal and business templates on Etsy shop!
