I have to admit, before I started working for Gossip Genie, I wasn’t big on blogs. When I say that, I mean that the LiveJournal era is the last time I even attempted to “blog” anything. Don’t get me wrong, I always dreamed of starting my own blog that would eventually take off and obviously make me “famous,” but I was always too lazy to put my thoughts down on cyber paper. It wasn’t until I became professionally immersed in the social media realm that I realized how much of an impact bloggers can have on a product/company. From food to style to travel to architecture, if you can name it, there’s probably a blog dedicated to it.
Most bloggers probably started out blogging because they want to share their knowledge on a subject that they’re passionate about. Isn’t being paid to do what you love everyone’s dream? If you can put your passion into words/photos/creative content and gain an engaged and loyal audience (bigger isn’t always better), companies will see your blog as the perfect platform to promote their product or service. Cue sponsored blog posts. This means that you’re paid to publish a post on your blog, which can either be written by you or by the advertisers. If you’re a super great blogger (which you probably are), the company will give you free reign over what you write – within reason. You can usually tell which posts are sponsored if they include, “This blog post was sponsored by (Name Brand Here).” or hashtags such as #ad or #sponsored. Since bloggers usually have large followings on their other social media platforms, they’ll also share creative photos or posts displaying the product in a cool way. I personally don’t follow many blogs, however, I do follow tons of bloggers on Instagram and Twitter. This is a great way for businesses to extend their reach without constantly shoving heavily branded content down our throats.
Check out two of my favorite Chicago bloggers below and see how they’re doing sponsored posts the right way:
Chicago Food Girl: The word food in this blogger’s name should tell you everything you need to know. Mina Im, the creator of this foodie mastermind, has beautifully crafted one of Chicago’s top food blogs. From cocktails, to taco joints to Noodles & Co., her blog hits all the hot spots around town and she often collaborates with local restaurants to host giveaways. Her sponsored posts are engaging and subtle. I mean honestly, who can say no to an awesome picture of food?!
ChiCityFashion: The perfect mix between fab fashion shots taken in our own beautiful city and well, pretty much all things fashion, Jena Gambaccini has knocked this one out of the park. Scrolling through the home page of this blog, you’ll find tons of enticing content that will leave you clicking through to each post without hesitation. She even provides the direct link to the clothes she models so you don’t have to go searching around the internet and end up with some knockoff that looks like a paper bag.
If blogging is something that’s always been in the back of your mind, it’s not too late to jump on the blogwagon. I’m not promising that you’ll become rich or famous, but sometimes just sharing your passion with others is reward enough. Happy blogging!
