WORKING WITH BRANDS, BEING MY OWN BOSS, CONTENT PLANNING & MORE! ANSWERING ALL YOUR BLOGGING QUESTIONS (Q&A) 2019

Hey guys! Welcome back. I asked you guys send in all your BLOGGING, INSTAGRAM, & YOUTUBE questions and you guys came through! Today, I’m answering all of the blogging/Instagram related questions you sent it. Part 2 of this post will be all about Youtube. Thanks for sending in all your amazing questions!

Q: “HOW DID YOU GAIN THE CONFIDENCE TO START A BLOG?”

A: Honestly, you just have to go for it. You will never be “ready” or “completely confident”. You build confidence over time and become comfortable with sharing more and more. You have to let go all of your hang-ups or else something will always be holding you back. So here is your advice- JUST GO FOR IT.

Q: “HOW DO YOU APPROACH A COMPANY TO COLLAB WITH THEM?”

A: I have actually considered making a video about this. I know this is a really hard task to navigate when first starting out, so I most likely will be sharing a video about it soon.

Reaching out to brands isn’t as complicated as it sounds. My advice would be to sit down, write out a general email format that you can send whenever you reach out to brands. Introduce yourself and give a short summary about what you do. (Keep it SHORT and SWEET. Brands do not have time to read a novel.) Keep it professional, no smiley faces or grammatical errors. You should leave interchangeable blank spaces open for- 1. The name of the brand you’re reaching out to. 2. A personalized sentence explaining why you love the brand/your connection to it. Also briefly explain why you want to work with the brand and what you can do for them, they need to know that working with you will benefit them in some way. End the email off with something like, “If you have any other ideas, please let me know. Looking forward to hearing back!”  Link your Instagram, blog, Youtube channel, etc. Don’t overthink it! Just make sure those key points are in your email. If you’re confused on how you even contact brands, most websites have a “collaboration” email in their “Contact us” section. It could require some digging but you’ll figure it out as you go along.

Q:“HOW DO YOU BUILD A MEDIA KIT?”

A: When it comes to “building” your media kit, there are many templates you can download online for free or purchase. I created my own since I am a designer but there is a ton of resources on the internet made to help you out. Now that you have your template, what do you put in it? Write a brief introduction about yourself. Include all your social channel names. Provide stats from your Instagram, blog, or youtube (these are very easy to access under your “insights” or analytics”.) Also, include brands you’ve worked with in the past so they can see that you’re legit. If you’re new to blogging- just skip this step and add it later. When it comes to adding pricing, you will have to evaluate that yourself and price services where you see fit. If you just started blogging, definitely don’t add pricing until you get some more experience under your belt. As I said, there is a ton of free resources online that you can reference if you’re a little lost on what to put where.

Q: “WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU DON’T HAVE ENOUGH STREET CRED FOR A MEDIA KIT BUT WANT TO WORK WITH BRANDS?”

A: So referring to my last few questions, if you are a newer blogger and haven’t worked with any brands- just skip the sections of your media kit that include “brands you’ve worked with” and “pricing”. You don’t need a media kit to work with brands but I do think it’s a good way to let the brands get to know you a bit better. I actually wish I would have created one sooner, so definitely create one. Follow the same steps from my “Approaching brands to collaborate with them” answer above.

Q: “WHEN YOU WORK WITH BRANDS, DO YOU REACH OUT OR DO THEY?”

A: Both. At the moment, I would say it’s about 50/50. I reach out to brands that I love very often, and I also work with the ones that reach out to me. But I do get a lot of emails from random brands, it’s important to know when to say no. If a brand wants to send you product, but it doesn’t fit your style- just don’t reply.

Q: “HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHICH CONTENT TO SHARE ON THE BLOG, WHICH TO SHARE ON YOUTUBE AND INSTAGRAM?”

A: Youtube is my #1 priority. If I have a lot to say about a certain topic/have a decent amount of content to share- it goes on Youtube. Second to that is my blog. Last is Instagram. Instagram is more for my everyday life. I love to share as much as I can on there and its great for those quick day-to-day posts. If there’s something that people are wanting me to share, I like to put it on my Youtube or blog so they can always refer back to it. Unlike Instagram/Instagram story where it either expires or gets lost in the feed. For example, if I have a good amount of clothes I purchased I will do a try on haul on my channel. If I just have 2-3 pieces I’ve picked up, I’ll share them quickly on my IG story. Ya get me?

Q: “HOW DO YOU KEEP A WORK-LIFE BALANCE BETWEEN YOUR JOB, DOING INFLUENCER WORK, AND LIFE?”

A: This is something that I work on every single day. Let me tell ya, it’s not easy! It has for sure gotten easier this past year because I’ve started to work more and more on my channel/blog and have been able to free up a lot of my schedule for that. But, as you guys know I’m also a graphic designer so that keeps me very busy. BTW, follow my design page Jamie Rae Designs (shameless plug). While juggling what feels like 5 jobs, being in a relationship, and making time for friends and family- life can get a little crazy. I try not to complain about it all because I am so lucky to do what I do… let’s be honest, I’m not an effing heart surgeon. I know people have WAY harder jobs but I also believe that we’re all meant to do certain things. & I just have to say it, I WORK HARD FOR ALL THIS. Most of you guys see it so thank you!

So back to your actual question- how I balance it all. The answer is that I have to be REALLY strict with my schedule. There is absolutely no work on weekends. Unless I’m making up for a day that I took off the week before or if I was sick. For the most part, the weekends are for Marcus + friends and family. During the week I’m also really strict about my schedule. I work from home so I have a lot of freedom to choose when I want to work… but that doesn’t exactly satisfy me. I thrive on a schedule and structure because I am so OCD. I try to only work between the hours of 9-5. If I’m behind on a video or project, I work a bit later or earlier. & trust me, I’ve had a lot of late nights because you have to HUSTLE for a while. I am still in that hustle period but it’s better for my mental health if most days I stick to a schedule. I also have a home office so that really helps me with separating work from my life. If I’m in my office it’s work time, if I’m in my room it’s time to turn it off. This is actually really funny. because as I write this, it is 8:00PM on a Tuesday. LOL. But like I said, it depends on the day. This job definitely always keeps me on my toes.

Q: “HOW DID YOU TRANSITION INTO WORKING FROM HOME AND BEING YOUR OWN BOSS?”

A: It was for sure tough and it still is. Like I mentioned in the last answer, I have to be really strict with myself. It probably took me about 6 months to get into the actual swing of things. Having an actual routine, being productive, and not taking days off just when I felt like it. You go through a period where you realize you have a little bit too much freedom. After a while, you realize you aren’t getting sh** done and something needs to change. That’s when planning my schedule out, waking up early, working in designated areas comes in. I can do a whole blog post about tips for working from home if you guys are interested. If you’re looking to leave your job and begin the transition into working for yourself, you need to first make sure you are able to supplement your income before you make any decisions.

Q: “HOW DO YOU SELF MOTIVATE? HOW DO YOU GET UP EVERYDAY AND “GO TO WORK”?”

A: I keep referring to the previous questions but as I said above, when you first start out you go through a period where you aren’t getting things done like you need to be. It doesn’t feel good. That feeling alone motivates me. I am not always 100% motivated, I go through days where I feel lazy and want to avoid my responsibilities. And to be honest, sometimes I do. & there are pros and cons to that. There are some weeks where I mentally NEED a break and I come off that break feeling refreshed + inspired. But If I’m just being plain lazy, I come off those days feeling BLEH. I hate that feeling so avoiding that motivates me to get sh** done. Also the day you realize that money isn’t just going to fall from the sky and that you HAVE to work for it because nobody else is gonna do it for ya’ will motivate you. & don’t get me wrong, I do my fair share of Netflix binging in the evenings and on the weekends. It’s just so necessary sometimes.

Q: “HOW DO YOU STAY ORGANIZED?”

A: I write literally EVERYTHING down. I have reminders set on my phone at all times, notes in my phone, posted notes damn near everywhere, and basically my whole life written into a planner. I have an OCD personality with a creative mind and that combo can result in a lot of anxiety. I love/have to be organized but my creative mind is ALL over the place with ideas and thoughts so I have to get all that down onto a piece of paper. Organization is a long term process, you will learn as you go along. When I’m feeling stressed or have a million things going on, I like to take a few hours or even a whole day if I can to plan out my next few days/my week/month. Also, at the end of each work week (Friday) I plan my upcoming week. I write down “Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday” and fill out each day with tasks that need to be done or with any plans I have. It really keeps me on point.

Q: “HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU TO GET TO 10K ON INSTAGRAM?”

A: I started my blog 4 years ago. I’ve had my Instagram since high school like most people but I didn’t start actively trying to build my following until I started my blog. So the answer is 4 years! It has been a slow and steady build but SO worth it. Everyone’s journey is different but I believe my following really started to take off once I stopped worrying about the number and started focusing on serving the audience I already I had. That’s such a lame thing people always say but it is so true. If you’re completely dedicated to the 100/1,000/however many people follow you, more will come.

Q: “ARE HASHTAGS IMPORTANT?”

A: Yes. Hashtags can play a huge part in your chances of getting discovered. I have a ‘business profile’ on Instagram which allows me to view analytics on my photos, it lists an exact number of people who saw my photo via the hashtag and the numbers are always high. Using the right hashtags can help you gain likes, comments, shares, followers, etc.

Q: “WHAT APPS DO YOU USE TO EDIT YOUR PICTURES?”

A:  I only use my Lightroom preset, Virgo. I have several editing videos on my channel. I can show you better than I can tell you, check out my videos here!

Q: “HOW DO YOU JOIN GIVEAWAYS?”

A: I’m assuming you’re talking about the huge loop giveaways with a ton of accounts. You could definitely reach out to bloggers and organize one yourself, it’s pretty easy. But if you want to just join one, you can reach out to one of the bloggers that you see doing a lot of those giveaways and ask her for more info. She will most likely direct you to the account who organizes the giveaways or she’ll just give you more info. Always ask questions! They’re not all as complex as you think, most are organized via DM on Instagram.

Q: “HOW’D YOU FIGURE OUT YOUR BRAND?”

A: I can go on and on about this topic. It’s basically my favorite part about this whole thing. As I said above I’m a graphic designer, so branding and design is just so fun to me. The short answer to this question is that you have to go through A LOT of trial and error. Find where your most comfortable and COMMIT to it. If you guys are OG followers you know that my channel started as a makeup tutorial channel- SO not me anymore. I slowly transitioned into fashion and lifestyle after realizing that’s where my passion is. As far as my actual brand goes, pick something you like. I have always loved the modern look of grey, white and black. BAM. There’s my brand. It has developed into more and more over the years and I’m obsessed with it now because it is so me. Check out Pinterest for inspo and create a board with the vibes you’re going for. But again, it’s a slow and steady process. Trial and error until you find your aesthetic.

Q: “WHAT ARE SOME THINGS YOU DO TO KEEP YOUR CONTENT IDEAS FRESH?”

A: Before I was a Youtuber, I was Youtube obsessed. & I still am! I love watching videos and getting ideas from other creators. You don’t have to “copy” someone else’s videos, but seeing what they create can spark an idea in your mind. I also love browsing Instagram and Pinterest. Pinterest is kind of my new thing, I am obsessed with it. & tbh I’m really proud of all my boards- you should follow. LOL. I also keep a note in my phone with video/post ideas that I jot down when I have a random thought. I always refer to that when I’m planning my content. Also, always asking my followers what they want to see next is key.

 

That is all the questions for today, part 2 will be coming next week 🙂 If you didn’t see your question answered, it will be in next week’s post.

Hope you guys enjoyed reading this and learned a bit from my insight. Til next time! Xx.