• Skip to main content

Best Blog Courses

Learn to Blog Like a Pro

  • Home
  • About
    • Contact
  • Blog
  • Store
  • Cart
  • Login
  • Affiliates

Blog

Sponsored Blog Posts: Everything You Need to Know

September 21, 2017 by Katie Clark 13 Comments

Sponsored Posts for Bloggers 101

woman-works-on-computer

Some of the questions I get the most have to do with sponsored posts. As much as I would like to respond to each of those questions individually, I decided it would be most time effective and, hopefully, helpful, if I wrote a post about everything you wanted to know about sponsored posts!

I’ve been involved with writing sponsored posts since very early on in my blogging career. I felt like it was a good way to make money, get involved with brands I love, and find ideas for new content. Sponsored posts aren’t for everyone, but for our blog, they’ve worked well. I work hard to ensure our sponsored content is written as organically as possible, and I have become rather picky about what content we put on our blog. I believe in being transparent and honest with my readers, and that means only promoting products, companies, and services I believe in! I also love that sponsored posts will often help me come up with new ideas for posts.

With that said, here is a compilation of common questions I get regarding sponsored posts. Please let me know if I missed anything!

How do you get sponsored posts? 

There are many ways to find companies that want you to write about them. The two most common ways are through sponsored post networks and working directly with a company.

Sponsored post companies work as the middle man between bloggers and large companies.  You can read all about my favorite sponsored post companies in this post. Many of the opportunities they offer would be unattainable to many bloggers. This is a great place to start, because you can apply for different opps (or they will reach out to you when they have something that fits). You don’t have to worry about finding PR contacts, knowing how much to charge, how to pitch, etc. The rates they offer vary – companies like Social Fabric pay everyone in a certain campaign the same amount. However, with TapInfluence, IZEA, and Mom it Forward, you are paid depending on your influence and reach. I much prefer this, because it means as my blog grows, I can still work with these companies but be paid fairly.

Sponsored post companies do take a cut of the pay, and you never really know how much that is. I’ve seen different sponsored post companies work with the same large companies, yet one sponsored post company would offer a sum of money that was significantly higher than the other – which makes me feel a little uneasy. However, I’m sure there are a lot of factors that play into this!

Reaching out to companies can be intimidating, but it can be very satisfying. I think that this is the best way to work with the companies you want to most. Not everyone company will respond, but when they do, it’s a good feeling!

Have companies reach out to you – Obviously, you can’t control if a company reaches out to you. However, you should make it as easy as possible for them to do so! Make sure you have your contact information easy to find on your website. Some companies will request a media kit, so consider creating one of those.

In my opinion, working directly with a company is far more lucrative and satisfying in the end. The longer I blog, the more I realize how much more I enjoy working directly with companies. For one thing, their budgets tend to be a little bit larger. With sponsored post companies, the budget is spread out among quite a few different bloggers, and the company also takes a cut. When you work directly with a company, I find there is more room for negotiation – not just monetarily, but regarding the theme of the post, the types of social shares they want, etc.

Why am I not getting sponsored posts? 

There are a lot of reasons for this. If you are working with a sponsored post company that sends out offers – as opposed to you, such as IZEA or TapInfluence – it might be because you haven’t filled out your profile well. I’ve found that if a company asks for you to fill out a profile for your site, the more complete it is, the better.

Sometimes there are just so many bloggers working with these companies; you might get overlooked, especially if you are just starting. The number one thing I would do is reach out to them, let them know you are interested in sponsored content and ask them what you could do to improve your chances. When I’ve done this in the past, I’ve always been successful.

Other reasons?

  • Your site has too many ads on it (or they might be too distracting)
  • Your pictures aren’t high enough quality
  • Your writing isn’t engaging enough
  • Sponsored content you have done in the past hasn’t done well

When can you start doing sponsored posts? Am I too small? 

Many people wonder if they have a large enough blog for sponsored posts – when can you start doing posts?

The answer is this – it just depends. I know, not the best answer. But it does. There are so many factors that go into sponsored posts and who get picked. While numbers do matter, I think you are never really too small to start working with companies. There are tons of smaller companies out there that are more than willing to work with bloggers. Don’t be afraid to start reaching out as soon as you feel like you have a decent amount of content on your blog, and that you have a following.

I often tell people this – a blog that only has 10,000 monthly page views but they have tons of loyal followers is much better than a blog with a million page views, but no one trusts what they are saying. You just need to be able to sell yourself and show that you do have influence, even if you aren’t large!

Some companies (particularly the sponsored post companies) have a minimum threshold you must reach before they accept you into their network. This varies widely depending on the company, though I find that it’s typically around 20,000. Companies like Influence Central and Weave Media accept smaller blogs, as does IZEA. So be sure to look into those!

What to be wary of?

Almost as soon as I started blogging, I started getting emails from random companies asking me for my sponsored post rates or to put links on my site for them, as well as for random product reviews. I was so thrilled that people were even noticing my blog! However, I quickly realized that most of these companies weren’t working with. I probably get several of these a day still but resist the urge to work with them when you start getting them! Many companies that will reach out to you will be legitimate…but many won’t be. Here are a few things that I would look for in sketchy emails:

  • Using very vague terms – most of these emails are form emails, and they will just change the name of who they are emailing to. I don’t like when it sounds like they haven’t even looked at my site.
  • They are looking for you to place links in certain posts and on certain pages. If you get inquiries like this, be sure to ask if they are looking for dofollow or nofollow. If they say dofollow, run away. This will only hurt your site (and their site) in the long run.
  • The offer has nothing to do with your site
  • At the end of it, after their signature, it says, “Don’t pitch me bro!” This is just a form email they send to everyone.
  • The product is dumb and worth nothing. I get tons of people asking me to review a $10 product for free. I’m not against doing posts in exchange for product, but it has to be of value to my readers and me!

Sponsored Blog Post Rate: How Much to Charge?

The million dollar question! There are many formulas out there, but I have yet to find one that works well for everyone. There are SO many factors that play into this. For instance, in a Facebook group I am in, someone mentioned the other day that they had a client with around 10,000 visitors, but they get paid $2000 for recipe sponsored posts. Now, I don’t even get paid that much for a sponsored post (but it makes me question if my rates are too low!)

In general, I’ve heard people often state that for every 100,000 page views you have, you should charge $100. I think that this is a good starting point, but most bloggers I know charge more than that. I think a lot of it should depend on what the brand is expecting from you – maybe you have 30,000 Instagram followers, but your page views are lower. If you offer to promote it on Instagram, you’d be offering more value to it! So, I say start with the $100/100,000 page views mark, and go up from there. Maybe add $25 for every 1000 followers you have on a certain network.

This doesn’t mean that if you only get 10,000 page views you shouldn’t charge anything. In fact, I think most bloggers will tell you they wish that they had started charging for posts earlier. I’d say at a minimum, $50 is usually a good place to start. My first sponsored post was when I had 3,000 monthly page views, and I charge $75.

Keep this in mind as well – if it’s a well-known, reputable company that’s rather large…they have more money. So don’t be afraid to pitch a higher amount if they ask you how much you charge. Someone gave me this advice once:

If you don’t feel a little bit sick when you tell them the amount you charge, you aren’t charging enough.

I have followed this advice, and it’s been very successful for me. There’s been times where a brand has been a little too eager to accept the amount I offered, and I was kicking myself for not saying a higher price. I think it’s better to start high, rather than low – because, really, they may come back with a lower offer that is still acceptable…but I’ve never had a company come back and say, “Oh, you only charge $xx amount? How about $100 more?”

Negotiating Pay – can you and should you?

Sometimes when I have a company reach out to me, they will offer me a certain amount of money. Occasionally I will just accept it right off the bat, but usually, unless they state up front that it’s a set amount (such as with Social Fabric), I will always ask this question:

Is there any additional compensation available for this campaign?

Sometimes they will say no, and depending on the initial amount, I will decide whether or not I will accept it. But about 50% of the time, the company will come back and let me know that there is additional budget that they can offer me. It truly doesn’t hurt to ask!

How do you get on a brand’s radar?

  • Twitter: Twitter is not one of my favorite social networks, but I have found it’s an awesome way to connect with brands. One thing I did awhile back was create a private list on Twitter with all my favorite brands, so I could easily see all of their social interaction on Twitter and retweet or respond to their tweets. I’ve gotten some companies to reach out to me after doing this, so it’s worth a shot!
  • Use products or services from companies you work with in organic posts and tag the company when you share the post on social networks.
  • Follow them on all their social networks and interact with them!

Should you accept product for pay?

As with most things I’ve addressed in this post…it depends. If someone asks me to review a product that is only worth $10 – I say no thank you. For me to accept product instead of pay, it either has to be worth a similar value to what I charge a sponsored post for, or it has to be something I wanted to buy anyways.

Some people refused to work for product, and that’s okay. But if you want to work for product only…don’t feel bad about it! Everyone has different goals and ambitions, and if you want to work for product, more power to you!

How much sponsored content should you write?

So, how often should you do a sponsored post? This is where a lot of debate comes in. Some people say you should have less than 25% of your content be sponsored, others say once a month, and other bloggers are very successful with the majority of their content being sponsored. When it comes down to it, this is what I think – do what works best with your audience and don’t care what others think. I do try to have a few “organic” posts in between sponsored content, but there have been times where some different opportunities have popped up that had to be posted one right after another. Guess what? My traffic wasn’t affected at all and no one cared (at least no one told me they cared – and I didn’t lose followers!) If you are just writing really ad-like posts, then yes, you will probably lose followers.

However, if you do your best to make sure your sponsored posts are as high quality as your organic posts, I don’t see a problem. Some of my most successful posts of all time have been sponsored. Just make sure you are authentic and don’t promote something you don’t believe in. That’s when you’ll start losing fans. People can see through a phony post.

With that said, there are some companies that won’t work with you if you have a high ratio of sponsored posts. This is their decision, and it’s usually because they want their posts to stand out more. I do think it’s important to create content that’s not sponsored, but I also believe that it’s important to be compensated for your work…and sponsored posts are a great way to do that!

How to find media contacts

When you want to work with a specific company, you may wonder how to even get in touch with them. Here are four ways that I’ve successfully found the PR reps for companies:

  • Press releases – just Google “company name press releases” and if they’ve had any, there should be a media contact on there.
  • Linkedin – I think more Bloggers should tap into the power of LinkedIn. It’s really a gold mine for networking and even promotion. Most people that are working the PR for a company have a LinkedIn profile.
  • Social networks – I’ve connected with the media contact for a company many times by reaching out via Facebook message or direct message on Twitter. Lots of companies are very active on social networks, so this can be a great place to start!
  • Website – While not every website lists their PR contact, I’ve found that majority do. I usually look for an email that has a name attached to it – rather than just “media @ company . com”, but I have had success with a few of those blanket email addresses as well.

Contracts

I’m not very well-versed in contracts and what they should all entail, but in my experience, they are very important. When you work with a sponsored post company, you will likely have to agree to their Terms and Conditions before they officially let you know and sign a contract. While it might be tempting to just skim over the contract, make sure you know what you are getting into. It’s important to note what types of rights to your content and photos they claim, how long sponsored content must stay up, if you can work with other companies, etc.

When you work with companies directly, there aren’t always contracts exchanged, but there should be. One time, having a contract really saved me. After a draft of my post had been approved and posted, the company came back and told me they decided to take another direction, and that they wanted me to change my entire post. Well, the contract explicitly spelled out what I was supposed to write about, and I had fulfilled that, so I politely declined the changes (because it truly would have been easier to just take the post down.) They were fine with it, and I felt like having that contract to back up what we originally had talked about helped me a lot. Contracts can ensure a company doesn’t take advantage of you and that all your rights are covered.

If you have questions about contracts, I would recommend talking with a lawyer. I know many bloggers have had a mock contract written up by a lawyer to be used when working directly with companies, and if you do a lot of this, I think it’s a smart idea.

FTC

Awhile back, the FTC came out with requirements on how you to disclose to your readers if you’ve been compensated for promotion or if you’ll be paid for the person reading your post/clicking on a link. They released a guidebook called .COM disclosures that I recommend everyone read!

There’s always a lot of debate on the “proper” way to disclose, but it comes down to this – transparency. Your readers need to know if you’ve been paid to promote something – whether it’s on your blog or on social media. On social networks, it’s as simple as putting a hash tag like this – #ad. On your blog, it just has to be clear, visible, and not hidden in anyway. So, if you put it in the footer of your site that you may have affiliate links on your site…that’s not going to cut it.

Basically, when in doubt, disclose. Most companies will have specific requirements based on what they’ve discussed with their lawyers, so if you aren’t sure how a company wants you to disclose, just ask. If they tell you not to disclose…run away!

What do companies look for?

There are a bunch of different things that companies look for, and it will vary depending on the company. Here are the main qualities I’ve seen and been told companies look for:

  • Influence: Like it or not, companies are interested in your numbers – page views, social following, etc. As I’ve already mentioned, if you don’t have a ton of visitors, you can still be successful with sponsored posts – it might just take a little more convincing of the company of the influence you have.
  • Engaged audience: Some companies will look at how many comments, likes, etc. you have on social posts and even on regular posts. I recommend working to gain the trust of your readers and interacting with them. If someone leaves a comment – respond! Chances are if you don’t ever respond, those readers will stop leaving them (or even stop reading your blog altogether.)
  • Quality posts: While some companies unfortunately just want the bloggers they work with to regurgitate pre-written messages, in my experience, most of them understand the importance of creating organic sponsored content. Instead of being a big ad for the company, it’s good to try and make the content honest and similar to other posts you write. I’ve found that people are far more likely to click on links na

How do you build an engaged readership?

I’ve mentioned several times that it’s important to companies that they work with bloggers who have an engaged audience. So, how do you get that?

It’s something that doesn’t happen over night, and it’s not something you can buy. I’d say the key to this is being genuine, and trying to connect with your audience. Rather than just posting a link to an article on a Facebook page, add your own commentary and ask questions. Respond to comments on blog posts and posts on social networks. It’s so important to let your readers know that you care they are reading your posts!

It’s good to gain the trust of your audience as well. You want them to be able to trust things you endorse, and that you have their best interest at heart. This means not just posting about any random product sent to you!

Overall, if you want your audience to engage with your content, you need to engage with them! While you don’t have to reveal all the fine details of your life, invite them into it a little bit.

What are the makings of a great sponsored post?

So what makes a good sponsored post? This will depend on who you are talking to. There are companies that simple just want you to post something that they created that is a big ad for them. Personally? I don’t think that’s a very good sponsored post.

To me, a good sponsored post is written exactly like a good organicly written post – it just has a little bit of information about a product or service. I personally don’t take sponsored posts that I couldn’t easily write a post about if I wasn’t being paid. I want people to read my sponsored content in the same way that they read any other post on my blog – I want it to be natural, provide needed information, and not be a big sales pitch.

It obviously should be proofread, and you should avoid mentioning competitors to the product. You may want to talk with the company you are working with about whether or not you can have ads on the post page or affiliate links. Some companies don’t care, while others are rather nitpicky.

Always proofread your posts and make sure you aren’t making any unverifiable claims on behalf of the company. Some companies will ask for a draft of a post just to make sure you aren’t saying anything that could put them at risk legally!

It’s important to be on time with your sponsored posts. Life happens – trust me, I know! I’ve had to ask for an extension a time or two, and typically, if you are up front and notify the company of extenuating circumstances up front, they will be willing to work with you.

It’s also important to have both your expectations and the companies up front. I’ve been in some awkward situations where I wasn’t given much information on what a post needed, and int he end, the company was disappointed because it didn’t turn out how they wanted. If you are unsure – always ask!

Campaign Wrap Up?

Some companies require that you report all the links, pageviews, social shares, etc. on a sponsored post. If this is required, it should be outlined ahead of time. I’ve had companies come back months after something was posted asking for social share stats, and honestly, I find that frustrating if they didn’t tell you up front this is data that you should keep track of. If you find this happening a lot, you could create a spreadsheet where you write all of your sponsored posts titles, and about a month or so after it posts, you can collect the data yourself.

What if the post did poorly?

Not every post does well – sponsored or not. If a post doesn’t do as well as you expected, and you promoted it as much as you could…then honestly, don’t worry. Some companies may be frustrated by this, and that is understandable, but if you did your best, you can’t beat yourself about it. Sometimes a post just doesn’t do well. If a company questions it’s performance, you can always explain the promotion that you did. However, this isn’t necessary if they don’t ask about it.

Now if you just wrote a post and didn’t promote it at all, this is a different story. You should always do your best to share your post and drive readership to it. You can’t control if people click on a post (especially because social networks can be so finnicky when it comes to showing posts to everyone who follows you), but you can promote it!

 

Filed Under: Blogging, Monetization

Affiliate programs for Finance and Frugal Living Bloggers

August 14, 2017 by Thane West 3 Comments

I love saving money. Most people do. Most people like getting a great deal on a product that is high quality and/or useful to their life.

That’s why there are so many deal blogs, finance blogs, and frugal living or thrifty lifestyle blogs out there. People are drawn to the idea of cutting expenses, living below their means, and affording the necessities even easier.

As a blogger in this niche, it can seem hard to promote affiliate programs, as how can you tell people trying to living a frugal lifestyle to buy something or sign up for something?

The good news is that you don’t need to worry about being a sell-out if you promote things that help them save money, that help them coupon, that help them refinance or are for a product or service that will save them money long-term.

Also, keep in mind that people are still spending money, whether or not they are frugal. Often your job is to teach them where to shop to get the best deal! Never underestimate the power of a “How to Save on ______” post or a “How to Save When You ______” post. Both of them allow for lots of affiliate links!

Below you will find a list of great affiliate programs that deal, frugal, and coupon bloggers can promote and feel good about! Keep in mind it’s always helpful to sign up for the major affiliate marketing networks first so it’s easy to apply for specific programs later.

 

affiliate-programs-for-thrifty-bloggers-1024x538-5750518

Affiliate Program for Frugal Living Bloggers

Affiliate Programs for Money Saving Phone Apps

  • Ibotta. Get $5 for each friend who uses Ibotta plus escalating bonuses. Earn $20 for 2, $50 for 5, $100 for every 10 after that. No limits. Sign up for the app and then refer “friends” (blog readers) with your special referral code.
  • SavingStar. Earn $1 for every completed registration and $0.15 for every coupon redeemed. 30-Day cookie window. Sign up on [eafl id=”8961″ name=”Impact Radius” text=”ImpactRadius”] or on [eafl id=”9044″ name=”Panthera Network” text=”Panthera Network”] (higher payout).
  • Checkout51. Earn $1 per lead. 15-Day cookie window.  Sign up on [eafl id=”8968″ name=”ShareASale” text=”ShareASale”].
  • ShopKick. Get 250 kicks for each friend who successfully joins and completes a walk-in or product scan within their first 7 days. Up to 100 invites. Sign up in their app.
  • Favado App. Sign up here. You can connect affiliate links within the app!

Coupon Affiliate Programs

  • Coupons.com. Earn $0.42 per print session. Sign up with [eafl id=”9037″ name=”Escalate Network” text=”Escalate Network”] (my preference) or CJ.
  • SavvyShoppers Coupons Widget. Earn $0.42 per print sessions. Sign up with [eafl id=”9037″ name=”Escalate Network” text=”Escalate Network”].
  • Redplum.com. Receive $0.01-$0.07 per print. Sign up with [eafl id=”9037″ name=”Escalate Network” text=”Escalate Network”] or [eafl id=”8992″ name=”CJ” text=”CJ”].
  • SmartSource.com. Sign up to promote their coupons in the footer of their page.
  • Savings.com and Favado App. Sign up here.
  • Hopster Coupons. $0.04 per coupon. Sign up on [eafl id=”9044″ name=”Panthera Network” text=”Panthera Network”].
  • Cellfire. No clipping required. Sign up here. (Not sure it’s working.)

Groceries and Food Affiliate Programs

  • $5 Meal Plan. 30% commissions. 90-Day Cookie. Sign up here.
  • Emeals. 30% commissions. 45-day cookie window. Sign up on [eafl id=”8992″ name=”CJ” text=”CJ”].
  • FreezEasy. This super simple freezer meal program lets you customize your menu and then make 10 meals in under an hour. 20% commissions. Sign up Here.
  • Grocery Budget Makeover. 5-Week step-by-step course that starts at $39 and teaches you how to reduce your grocery budget with meal planning, couponing, and simple prep.  25% commissions. Sign up HERE.
  • Grocery University by Money Saving Mom. $9.97 audio course on making the most of your grocery budget. 50% commissions. Sign up HERE.
  • Restaurant.com. Earn 3-20% commissions. 45-day cookie window. Sign up on [eafl id=”8992″ name=”CJ” text=”CJ”].
  • Amazon Prime Pantry. Earn 5% on groceries from Amazon. 1-day cookie. Sign up to be an Amazon affiliate.
  • Boxed. Buy wholesale groceries. Sign up through [eafl id=”8992″ name=”CJ” text=”CJ”].
  • Jet.com.  Unique pricing algorithm for savings and offers fresh groceries and more. 2.5% commissions. 7-day cookie. Sign up on LinkShare.
  • Walmart Grocery Referral. Refer friends to try it out and they receive $10 and you receive $10. Max of 10 referrals but codes work for up to 1 year (multiple uses). Sign in and click green “Refer & Get $10” button to sign up.
  • Shipt. $20 commissions for new customers. Sign up with PromoAffiliates.

Saving Money Online Shopping

  • Ebates. $5 per referral with a generous bonus scale for bloggers where more than one referral a month can mean an extra $25-100+. Sign up for Ebates and grab your Refer-a-Friend code.
  • TopCashBack.com. $1 payout per validated signup. Sign up on [eafl id=”8960″ name=”Flex Offers” text=”FlexOffers”] and [eafl id=”9036″ name=”CenterPoint Media” text=”CenterPoint Media”].
  • ShopAtHome.com. Earn commissions per action or per-click. Sign up here.

Discount Deals Sites Affiliate Programs

  • Groupon. Earn 5-10% commissions on Groupon purchases. 3-7 day cookie window. Sign up on Groupon.
  • LivingSocial. Earn 3-15% commissions. 3-day cookie window. Sign up on [eafl id=”8992″ name=”CJ” text=”CJ”].
  • Zulily. 2%-4% commissions. 1-day cookie. Sign up on [eafl id=”8992″ name=”CJ” text=”CJ”].
  • Rue La La. Private sale boutiques. 2.4% commissions on sales. 1-day cookie. Sign up on [eafl id=”8960″ name=”Flex Offers” text=”FlexOffers.”]
  • HauteLook. Top designer brands up to 75% off. $15 commissions on first purchases. Sign up here.
  • Jane.com. Boutique marketplace. 10-11% commissions per sale. 15-day cookie. Sign up on [eafl id=”8968″ name=”ShareASale” text=”ShareASale.”]

Surveys Sites with Affiliate Programs

Survey sites are a great way to make money via affiliates! People love to get paid for their opinions. I have personally made good money with a single post about surveys.

There are lots of affiliate networks that offer links to various survey companies. I cannot look them all up and hunt them all down. Plus, survey offerings frequently cap or end. If you have interest in promoting surveys to your readers, I suggest signing up with [eafl id=”9044″ name=”Panthera Network” text=”Panthera Network”]. They have an extensive selection of high-paying survey offers in their database.

I will mark all survey sites on the Panthera Network with an asterisk. I cannot disclose exactly how much each one pays out, but it ranges from $1-$5.00 or more per qualified registration. Considering that a single person can frequently sign up for multiple survey companies at once, it can add up fast.

  • American Consumer Opinion
  • *Cashback Rewards
  • *CashCrate
  • *Consumer Opinion Panel
  • *Crowdology
  • *Finger on the Pulse Community
  • *Global Test Market Panel
  • Harris Poll Online
  • Inbox Dollars – Take surveys from home to make small amounts of money while you watch TV Lead (signs up with email address) – $1.40
  • *InboxPays
  • *Ipsos Panel
  • *iSurvey World
  • *Mindfield Online Panel
  • MyPoints. Earn $2.50/lead. 30-day cookie. Sign up on [eafl id=”8992″ name=”CJ” text=”CJ”].
  • *MySoapBox Panel
  • *MySurvey Panel
  • *Nielsen
  • OneOpinion
  • *Opinion Bureau
  • *Opinion Outpost
  • *OpinionPlus Panel
  • *Paid for Research
  • PaidSurveys
  • *Panda Research
  • *PanelBucks
  • *Pinecone Research
  • Prize Rebel
  • Product Report Card
  • *SaySo4Profit
  • *Smart Panel
  • *Survey Consensus
  • *Survey Downline
  • *Survey Junkie
  • *Survey Round Table
  • *Survey Savvy Connect
  • *SurveyClub
  • Survey4Profit.com. $1/sign-up. 45-day cookie. Sign up on [eafl id=”8992″ name=”CJ” text=”CJ.”]
  • *Surveys4Moms
  • *SurveyQueen
  • *Swagbucks (Also on [eafl id=”8992″ name=”CJ” text=”CJ”])
  • *Toluna Opinions
  • *Vindale Research
  • *VIP Voice Panel
  • *YouGov

Secondhand Clothing Stores with Affiliate Programs

People love to save money on clothing and buying thrift and secondhand online is a great way to save every day on clothes and other items.

  • ThredUp. Give your friend $10 and earn $10 credit to Thredup. Credits expire after 30 days. Max $580 earnings per calendar year. Sign up for a ThredUp account.
  • Schoola. Earn 10% per sale.  45-day cookie window. Earn money for your school while you shop for clothes! Sign up on [eafl id=”8968″ name=”ShareASale” text=”ShareASale”].
  • Swap.com. They sell clothes, sporting equipment, toys, books, and more! $10-15 commissions per new customer. 5-10% on existing customers. Sign up on [eafl id=”8992″ name=”CJ” text=”CJ”].
  • My Kid’s Threads. Designer Consignment. 8% commissions. 30-day cookie. Sign up on [eafl id=”8968″ name=”ShareASale” text=”ShareASale”].
  • Ebay. Sign up on the Ebay Partner Network.

 Other Affiliate Programs for Finance Bloggers

  • TurboTax. Earn money from people using your link to file their taxes. Sign up here on [eafl id=”8992″ name=”CJ” text=”CJ”].
  • Gazelle. Buy and sell used phones for large discounts. 15% commission on all trade-ins. Up to 5% commission on all certified pre-owned purchases. 60-day cookie. Sign up on [eafl id=”8968″ name=”ShareASale” text=”ShareASale”].
  • Grove Collaborative (Formerly Epantry). Organic cleaning, home, beauty and baby products delivered to your door for less than you would spend at your local retail store. Earn $8 per checkout you drive. Sign up here.
  • Ultimate-Bundles. They offer many niche-specific highly discounted digital bundles. The Ultimate Homemaking Bundle contains financial books and resources. Sign up here.
  • Fiverr. Promote people finding cheap design and digital services on Fiverr. Sign up here.
  • FreshBooks. Invoice and Accounting services. $5 per free trial signup plus $55 per paid subscriber. 120-day cookie. Join on [eafl id=”8968″ name=”ShareASale” text=”ShareASale”].
  • Target REDCard. $8. 7-day cookie. Sign up on [eafl id=”8961″ name=”Impact Radius” text=”ImpactRadius.”]
  • MOTIF Investing. Investment and advisory firm. $25 per application. $45 per approved application. Sign up on [eafl id=”8992″ name=”CJ” text=”CJ.”]
  • MyScore. Credit Check. $12 after paid subscription starts and free 7-day trial ends. Sign up on [eafl id=”9044″ name=”Panthera Network” text=”Panthera”] (need approval).

I’m sure there are plenty more great programs that frugal bloggers can promote. If you have a program you love to promote to your thrifty audience, leave me a comment and I’ll add it!

In the meantime, pick a few from the list above that fit your audience and site and get promoting!

affiliate-programs-for-bloggers-thrifty-frugal-saving-money-444x1024-8738461


If you are looking for more niche-specific affiliate programs, check out these posts:

  • Affiliate programs for Marriage and Relationship Bloggers
  • Affiliate programs for Homeschool and Education Bloggers

 

Filed Under: Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate Programs for Homeschool and Education Bloggers

April 5, 2017 by Thane West 5 Comments

Want to monetize your website? Here’s an awesome list of affiliate programs for education bloggers!

If you write about education, preschool, or homeschool, or write about teaching in a public, private, or charter school, there are so many amazing affiliate programs out there for you promote in order to monetize your site!

The most popular affiliate program is always Amazon Associates (assuming your state allows you to participate in it) as it is so easy to link to any product on Amazon and enjoy great conversion rates generally. Check out how to get started with Amazon Affiliates if you aren’t already on there.

However, sometimes Amazon doesn’t have the services or products you’d like to promote on your site. That’s where this list comes in!

I categorized the affiliate programs to make it easier for you to find the programs that are a great fit for you, your blog, and your audience.

Not all programs will work stellar for you. I am not encouraging you to join all of these programs. That’s nuts. Focus instead on products you use first, then products that would work naturally with the content you already have or will produce in the future.

Some of the affiliate programs are run by individual bloggers or companies while other are managed by affiliate networks like CJ, ShareASale, and Impact Radius. I list the current affiliate commission rates and the cookie-length. A “cookie” is simply how long you have after someone clicks a referring link to make a purchase or action for you to make a profit. Please note that all rates and cookies are subject to change at any time, as are programs able to close or change. Always read their terms carefully and promote according to their policies.

Also, higher rates are available for several of the CJ affiliates listed below if you become CJ Content Certified (find out more and apply here and put in referral code 4098150).

portrait-of-a-school-boy-looking-through-a-magnifying-glassAffiliate Programs for Homeschool and Education Bloggers

Preschool and Early Grade School Products with Affiliate Programs

There is a lot of early education and early elementary school blogs and these programs could be a great addition for you!

  • God’s Little Explorers Preschool Curriculum by Stacie Nelson of Motherhood on a Dime. Retail $17.00. 30% Commission. Sign up here.
  • Christian Homeschool Preschool Curriculum – 50% sign up
  • The Preschool Journey curriculum by Angela Thayer of Teaching Mama (and other products). Retails $6.99. 40% Commission. Sign up Here.
  • The Encompass Preschool Curriculum by Kathy Gossen of Cornerstone Confessions. Retails $10.00. 40% Commissions. Sign up here.
  • Blue Manor Education Books and Curriculum by Janine LaTulippe. PreK-1st Grade. 30-40% Commissions. Sign up here.
  • Reading Eggs. 10% Commissions. Join via CJ or Ebay Enterprise networks.
  • ABCMouse.com Early Learning Academy. PreK through Kindergarten. $4 for each FREE first month’s signup. Join on CJ or LinkShare or FlexOffers.
  • 123 Homeschool 4 Me  products by Beth Gorden. 20% Commissions. Sign up here.
  • Letters and Numbers workbook – 50% email sleepingshouldbeeasy@gmail.com to sign up.
  • Basic Shapes for Beginners ebook by Heather Greutman. Retails $8.99. 25% Commissions. Sign up here.
  • Mama’s Learning Corner Products. Retails $1-$8. 50% Commissions. Sign up here.
  • Montessori Services. 10% commissions. 30-day cookie. Join on ShareASale.
  • We Choose Virtues. 10% Commissions. 90 Day Cookie. Sign up HERE.
  • Every Parent Can Teach Their Toddler (Tot School Guide) by Kara Carrero (+19 other wonderful KBN contributors!) 50% Affiliate commission on $9.99 book
  • Adventures of Dot: And Early Geometry Book by Kara Carrero and on Amazon (Print & eBook)
  • Read, Create, & Share ebook by Growing Book by Book. 40% commissions. Sign up here.

Grade School Homeschooling Products with Affiliate Programs

If you write for the grade school aged child in school or homeschool, these are some great affiliate programs for you!

  • Real Science 4 Kids. 20% commissions on all products. Sign up here.
  • Ultimate Brain Breaks by Heather Haupt. Retails $7.99 (ebook) or $14.99 (print). 25% Commissions. Sign up here.
  • Classical Copywork Resources by Amy Maze. 25% Commissions. Sign up here.
  • Weekly Homeschool Planner by Jolanthe Erb of Homeschool Creations. Retails $20. 25% Commissions. Sign up here.
  • Homeschooling with Dyslexia. 20% Commissions. Sign up here.
  • Chalk Pastel Drawing ebooks by of Southern HodgePodge. Retails $4.99-$24.99. 25% Commissions. Sign up here.
  • Bright Ideas Press Products. Sign up here.
  • Hands-on Learning by Susan Evans. 50% Commissions. Sign up here.
  • Mixed Media Art Courses for Kids ecourse by Alisha Gratehouse. 30% commissions. Sign up here.
  • Science Logic Curriculum by Eva Varga. Retails $2.95-$19.90. 30% Commissions. Sign up here.
  • Math Games & Resources, Geography Field Guide, and more from Crystal Wagner of Triumphant Learning. 25% Commissions. Sign up here.
  • All about Learning Press Resources: All About Reading and All About Spelling. 15% Commissions. Sign up here.
  • NaturExplorers Studies by Cindy West of Shining Dawn Books. 25% Commissions. Sign up here.
  • Harrington Harmonies Products. 25% Commissions. Sign up here.
  • SQUILT: Music Appreciation Made Simple by Mary Prather. 25% Commissions. Sign up here.
  • We Choose Virtues. 10% Commissions. 90 Day Cookie. Sign up HERE.
  • Hymn Study Pack, Reading Journals, and Christian Studies from Not Consumed. Sign up here.
  • STEAM Kids ebooks. Hands-on activities for kids. 50% commissions. Sign up here.
  • Write Shop Writing Curriculum. 15% commissions. 180-day cookie. Sign up here.
  • Art History Kids 25% recurring commissions. Sign up here.

General Homeschooling Help Products with Affiliate Programs

If you write about homeschooling, or teaching children at home, look into these books and products to promote on your education website.

  • Circle Time: Plan the Best Part of Your Day by Kendra Fletcher. Retails $4.99. 30% Commissions. Sign up here.
  • Preschoolers and Peace: Homeschooling older kids with success while loving the little ones at your feet ebook by Kendra Fletcher. $2.99. 30% Commissions. Sign up here.
  • Every Parent Can Teach Their Child Ebook – 50% commissions. sign up
  • Plan Your Year ($14.98) and Latin Printables ($2.99-$6.99) by Ed Snap Shots. 30% Commissions. Sign up here.
  • Single Mom Homeschooling ebook, Homeschool Checklists and more from Not Consumed Homeschooling resources. Sign up here.
  • Help! I’m Homeschooling! ebook by Tricia Hodges of Southern HodgePodge. Retails $4.99. 25% Commissions. Sign up here.
  • Large Family Homeschooling ebook by Amy Roberts of Raising Arrows. Retails $7.99. 30% Commissions. Sign up here.
  • The Ultimate Guide to Field Trips in Canada for Families, Students, and Teachers by Sharla Kostelyk. Retails $5.99. 40% Commissions. Sign up here.
  • Dyslexia 101 by Maryanna Sunderland from Abundant Life. Earn 30% commissions on the book ($4.99-$9.99). Sign up HERE through eJunkie.

joshs-office-1024x764-7086432Affiliate Programs for Classroom Teachers

If you are a classroom teacher and write about teaching in the classroom, here are some great affiliate programs for teachers inside the classroom!

  • ETA Hand2Mind. Math manipulatives and other supplies. 10% per sale and 30-day cookie. Join on ShareASale.
  • Dollar Tree. Stock up on supplies like Ziplock bags, school supplies, and organizational bins. 5% commissions. 30-day cookie. Join on ShareASale.
  • SeatSack. Offers over-the-chair organizational caddies and more. 10% commissions. 60-day cookie. Join on ShareASale.
  • Oriental Trading Company. 5% commissions and 7-day cookie. More info here. Join on Impact Radius.
  • Michaels. 3% on purchases and 3-day cookie. Join through CJ.
  • Crayola. 3-5% commissions and 14-day cookie. Join through CJ.
  • Carson-Dellosa Publishing. Online store for educators. 10% commissions on sales and 45-day cookie. Join through CJ.
  • Staples. 1-5% Commissions. 1-day cookies. Sign up on CJ.
  • Textbooks.com. 5% commissions and 30-day cookie. Sign up on CJ.
  • OfficeSupply.com. 5% commission. 30-day cookie. Sign up on CJ.
  • Newegg Business. 3% commission. 7-day cookie. Sign up on CJ.
  • Nest Learning. 11% commissions. 30-day cookie. Sign up on CJ.

Sensory Products with Affiliate Programs

Whether in a classroom or at home or for early education purposes, sensory products are very popular right now. Here are some great ones to promote.

  • Sensory Bins: The What, the How, and the Why ebook by Sharla Kostelyk. Retails $2.99. 40% Commissions. Sign up here.
  • Hands on as we grow – 50% commissions. Sign up!
  • Sensory Bins ebook – 40% commissions. Sign up!
  • Color Rice Play Ebook – 60% commissions. Sign up
  • Sensory Products and Printables – 5%-25% commissions. sign up
  • Sensory Processing Ebook – 50% commissions. sign up
  • Kinetic Sand Activities ebook – 40% commission. sign up

educational-subscription-boxes-for-kids-1-1024x538-2315747

Educational Subscription Boxes with Affiliate Programs

Many parents (and grandparents) love gifting these to kids! They come every month with educational resources and activities already planned and ready to go for inside.

  • Green Kid Crafts. My personal favorite. $20 commission on any new order. 60-day cookie. Sign up on ShareASale.
  • Cricket Crate for ages 0-36 months. $20 commission and 30-day cookie. Sign up on Impact Radius.
  • Kiwi Crate for ages 5-6. $20 commission and 30-day cookie. Sign up on Impact Radius.
  • Koala Crate for ages 3-4. $20 commission and 30-day cookie. Sign up on Impact Radius.
  • Doodle Crate for ages 9-16+. $20 commission and 30-day cookie. Sign up on Impact Radius.
  • Tinker Crate for ages 9-16+. $20 commission and 30-day cookie. Sign up on Impact Radius.
  • Groovy Lab in a Box. STEM box for ages 8+. $10 commissions. 90-day cookie. Sign up on ShareASale.
  • Little Passports. Travel to a new country or state each month for ages 3-12. $15 per Sale. 90-day cookie. Sign up on ShareASale.
  • The Magic School Bus Science Club Kit. Ages 5+. 10% commission. Sign up to promote them through Groupon.
  • The Young Scientist Club. Ages 5-12. 5-10% commission and 45-day cookie. Sign up to promote them through Groupon.
  • BitsBox. Teach kids to code. $4-12 commissions, 3.2% on shop orders. 30-day cookie. Sign up on Flex Offers.
  • Bookroo. Children’s Book Subscription service for kids 0-5. 10% commission and 90-day cookie. Sign up on ShareASale.

Test Prep, Tutoring Services, and Other Education Courses with Affiliate Programs

Another great thing to promote are websites that help with things like test prep courses, learning second languages, or developing other skills or talents.

  • The Economist Test Prep. GMAT and GRE prep courses. 15% commissions. 30-day cookie. Join on CJ.
  • DriversEd. Students complete online driver’s education so they are ready for behind-the-wheel training. 30% commission and 45-day cookie. Join on CJ.
  • Rosetta Stone Language Programs. Help others learn a new language. 10% commission and 30-day cookie. Sign up on CJ.
  • Craftsy. Adults, teens, and children can take online courses to learn creative skills and crafts. 75% commissions and 30-day cookie for first-time course buyers, 15% and 7-day cookie for existing customers. Sign up on ShareASale!
  • Gentle Guitar offers online guitar lessons for kids ages 5-12. Earn a $50 commission for each new student who signs up. 180 day cookie. No minimum payout threshold, payments issued monthly via PayPal. Sign up HERE.

Other Education Related Affiliate Programs

Here are a few more programs that you may find to be a good fit for your website.

  • Grammarly. Grammarly is the world’s leading software that checks for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors, enhances vocabulary usage, and suggests citations. $20 per sale, $0.20 per lead. Sign up on ShareASale.
  • SimpleTuiton. $0.75 per every initial student loan search. Sign up on CJ.
  • Mobicip App. Lets you block distractions when your kids are doing schoolwork online. 20% commission on each sale. Sign up HERE.

startup-stock-photos

Educational Apps/Movies with Affiliate Programs

Who doesn’t love a good educational app for a phone, tablet, or computer?

You can link to many various free or paid apps (and movies) on iTunes (they have an affiliate program that offers 2.5% for all app and in-app content and 7% commissions on music, movies, books, and TV, and 50% commissions on memberships) or on Amazon Associates (for Android versions).

Amazon currently offers 5% fixed commissions on digital music and movie downloads, 10% on digital video games.

The commissions may not be super high on a $5.99 app download, but it can add up if you sell a lot of downloads. Also, when linking to Amazon, you can make commissions on anything else they put in their cart and buy within 24-hours after clicking your affiliate link! I wrote a post about some top educational apps on my other website to give you some ideas.

Amazon also offers a flat $3 commission for getting people to download the Kindle Reading App as well as for people trying the Kindle Unlimited Free Trial, and a $3 flat fee for everyone who signs up for a 30-Day Audible Free Trial Membership.

I also personally recommend promoting the following apps:

  • Cozi – The #1 family organizing app. Free to download and use. $1.50 commission per every signup. Join via ShareASale.

Want more on affiliate marketing? Join my blogger Facebook group and watch our exclusive live video all about affiliate marketing, check out great affiliate networks to join, check out 3 simple tips for doing better with affiliate marketing, and check out my list of affiliate programs for marriage and relationship bloggers!

Filed Under: Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate Programs for Marriage and Relationship Bloggers

March 8, 2017 by Thane West 4 Comments

If you write about marriage or relationships or dating on your blog, the following is a great list of affiliate programs for marriage bloggers and relationship bloggers.

I love promoting affiliates for my dating and marriage content on my blog What’s up Fagans?. It has proven very profitable over time. But, it’s hard to know exactly what to promote, or what does well. It also might depend on what type of marriage advice and topics you are discussing on your blog as to what products would be a good fit for your site and lead to conversions, and thereby commissions for you!happy-young-man-giving-his-girlfriend-a-piggyback-ride-outdoors

Affiliate Programs for Relationship Bloggers

I have not personally promoted all of the following ideas. I simply searched for affiliate programs online, and am listing them here for you to consider, as your audience, niche, and other content will vary and some products may resonate great with your audience while others, not as much. I highlight several website specific and blogger affiliate programs in this list as they offer high commissions usually, as well as courses that your audience may find more beneficial than just a book about relationships.

As with all things, trial and error is key, as is knowing your target audience. I hope this list will help! If you know of other marriage affiliate programs, please let me know.

Marriage and Relationship Ebooks Offering Affiliate Programs

  • 31 Days to a Better Marriage ebook from Learn to Speak Life. $4.99. 50% Commission. Sign up here.
  • Biblical Encouragement for the Modern-Day Wife ebook by Carlie Kercheval. $4.99. 50% Commission. Sign up here.
  • Encouragement for Christian Wives ebook by Carlie Kercheval. $4.99. 50% Commission. Sign up here.
  • Ultimate Homemaking Bundles – There are often marriage courses and books in the Ultimate Homemaking Bundles! 40% commissions. Sign up here.

Affiliate Programs for Strengthening or Rebuilding Marriages

  • Marriage Fitness with Mort Fertel – $10-$200 commissions on products and services are offered to fit every situation and budget. They include CD’s, DVD’s, home learning kits, tele-seminars, maintenance programs, and private 1-on-1 sessions with Mort Fertel. Sign up HERE.
  • Save Marriage Forever and Break Free From the Affair. 50% commissions on products, 10% on coaching, 5% on secondary affiliates. Minimum $50 payout. Sign up HERE.
  • Married and Happy – A System for Men. 40% commissions. $6-$320 per sale. Sign up HERE.
  • Save My Marriage. 75% commissions on front-end, 50% commissions on recurring offers. Sign up HERE through ClickBank.
  • Save Our Christian Marriage “Marriage Miracle” package. 50% commissions on $97. Sign up HERE through ClickBank.
  • Boost Your Libido eCourse from Sheila Wray Gregoire of To Love, Honor, and Vacuum. Earn 50% commissions or $19.50 per sale. Sign up HERE.

Date Night Products with Affiliate Programs

  • 175 Best Date Ideas by Alida Quittschreiber of The Realistic Mama is only $9.95. 50% commissions. Click here to sign up to be an affiliate for it.
  • LoveCoups and LoveBooks. Sign up for these programs on ShareASale here. I’ve sold several of these.
  • The Game of Love Bedsheets. 4-10% commissions. I’ve sold several. Sign up here.
  • MELT: Couples Massage Course. 25% Commissions. Sign up to be an affiliate here. I’ve sold a few of these as well.
  • Groupon. Up to 10% commissions. Sign up through Groupon. Great for events, travel, and date ideas.
  • LivingSocial. 3-15% commissions. Sign up through CJ.
  • Restaurant.com. 20% commissions. 45-Day Cookie. Sign up through CJ.
  • Care.com with $15+ per sale and $1 per lead (free membership sign-up) – Sign up on CJ.com
  • Sittercity with $30 per Premium membership purchase and $1/registration completion. Sign up through ImpactRadius. 
  • Fandango. $0.10+ for every movie ticket sold, $2 for every gift card transaction, 4% movie rentals. Sign up on CJ.com.
  • Fancy Home Dinners – Hello Fresh with $20 commissions on CJ or Blue Apron with $15 commissions on [eafl id=”8961″ name=”Impact Radius” text=”Impact Radius.”]

If you are an Amazon affiliate, you can always link to anything on Amazon! From games you can play on date nights, movies to rent, or relationship books, the ideas are pretty endless!

Filed Under: Affiliate Marketing

How to Setup Amazon Native Ads and Make $$

October 20, 2016 by Katie Clark 4 Comments

I got an email today from Amazon stating that starting on November 1st, any commissions generated through Amazon Native Ads would earn a 12% commission, which is INSANE.

I think Amazon typically caps out at 8.5%, so to raise that commission during the hottest time of the year amazing.

Amazon Native Ads have been pretty successful for me. They have a higher conversion rate than text links (for me, at least), and I love how customizable they are. I have had a few people ask me how to get these set up, so here are a few tips.

First off, there are three different types of native ads available:

  • Search: Select a search phrase that you want to use to generate the items that show up. I think this is good when you are want a specific category of products, but not necessarily a specific product. You can see an example of that here.
  • Recommendations: Select categories of products that you want to show up (this is best for when you put them in the sidebar or bottom of posts automatically – doesn’t have to be as niche. My highest conversion rate is with these at 12%).
  • Custom: You select the items you want to show up in these ones. I select this option when I am talking about very specific products in a post. You must select four products in order for a code to be generated.

Next, where should you place them? The thing about Native Custom Ads is that they are very flexible to where you want to put them.

I recommend placing one at the bottom of your posts that shows up automatically – especially if you are a very niche blog. For Clarks Condensed, we write about multiple topics, so this doesn’t work as well (I don’t want to scare away my food fans with breastfeeding products!). You can still accomplish for multiple topics by using the custom sidebars plugin, but that’s a tutorial for another time.

I also recommend placing one in each post with products related to the topic of the post. For instance, if you are writing about a slow cooker recipe, put in an ad that has a slow cooker, slow cooker liners, etc. It’s up to you what kind of native ad you want to put here. I recommend starting with your most popular posts and going from there.

Now, how to get your Amazon Native Ads code!

First, login to your Amazon Affiliate account. At the top of your dashboard is a tab that says “Product Linking”. Hover over this, and then click on Native Shopping Ads.

When you get to this page, on the left hand side you will see something that says “Create Ad Unit” with an arrow. Here you can select what kind of ad you want. For this, I selected the Recommendation ads (I’ll show how to set up the other ones after the main tutorial):

Once you get to Recommendation ads, you can select the categories you want to show up. You can select more than one. You will move the categories you want from the “Available Categories” to “Selected Categories” using the arrows.

Then, there is a box underneath the categories that says fallbacks. If you select “search keywords” you have to put in a search keyword that will show up if no other products are available. When you do this, your code will finally appear. You can select no fallbacks and get the code…but I think it’s smart to have a fallback.

Before you copy the code, go down to “Advanced Settings”. You can select if the unit shows customized ads (based on the users search history) or not. Then, you select the ad size. I actually always choose “One Size” and “one row”. Otherwise, the responsive unit often shows up with two rows, which I think looks a little spammy.

Installing the Code

Now, select the entire code. This is what you will put on your site. If you are putting it in a post, paste it directly into the text or html mode of your post composer. Press save, and then go look at the post.

You must NOT navigate back to the visual mode, because this will mess up the code and make it not render correctly.

You can also install the code in your sidebar using a text widget (in WordPress) or an HTML unit (in Blogger). Just make sure you press save.

After you’ve installed your code, it should start showing up right away in the post!

 

Filed Under: Affiliate Marketing

How to Save Drafts on Instagram

September 25, 2016 by Katie Clark Leave a Comment

Instagram has done a few larger updates lately, and I think they are long overdue. The first one? You can now save drafts on Instagram of photos.

There are a few apps that you can buy that would help you do this – you could upload photos to your computer, write the posts, and then it would remind you at certain times to go and post.

Some people would even write all their posts and post them in airplane mode, so they would “fail.” Then when they wanted to post, they pressed retry.

Not exactly the simplest things.

So I was pretty excited to hear about the new draft feature. I’m not 100% sure if this has been rolled out to everyone yet, but it should be soon.

How do you get Instagram drafts? Well, once it’s available to you, you should just get an update request on your phone.

Once you have the feature, just go to the place to create a new post like you normally would. You can change the filters, edit the photo, and add a caption.

Then, instead of pressing post, just press the back button a few times. It will ask you if you want to save the draft. Just press “safe draft” and you are good to go.

unnamed-1-4405518

Easy as Pie.

How do you access Instagram drafts?

Drafts aren’t saved to the Instagram app, but directly to your phone. They should show up in a sepcial section your photo roll (including the caption, tags, etc.) at the very top. Just select this photo when you are ready to post!

unnamed-7896435

The end! Now go here to see how to get a contact button on Instagram!

Filed Under: Social Media Tagged With: Instagram

How to Get a Contact Button on Instagram (and Become a Business Account)

July 20, 2016 by Katie Clark 8 Comments

how-to-get-a-business-instagram-accountwith-a-contact-button-9170286

How to get a contact button on Instagram. 

A few days ago, someone in a group I’m in brought up that someone had a contact button on their Instagram.

I hadn’t heard about this, but I was instantly intrigued. It looked really great! In addition to the contact button, it showed a few more markings of a business account (it put the industry, as well as their name and blog title.)

So I did a little bit of digging, and I figured out how to convert my account to a business account.

Having a business account allows you to have that contact button on your page, which is awesome. However, it also provides valuable insights into your account, such as:

  • Follower growth – how many followers you’ve gained recently, which days are most popular for growth, etc.
  • Impressions on a post (how many eyes saw it)
  • Engagements on a post (clicks to your profile, hearts, comments, etc.)
  • How many clicks to your website
  • Top posts
  • Total Reach
  • Follower demographics (gener, age ange, locations,
  • When your followers are most active

As you can see, this can really help you up your Instagram game!

Unfortunately, not everyone has the option to become a business account yet. I have two Instagram accounts (a personal one and one for Clarks Condensed), and it gave me the option for both. However, from what I’ve read, they are slowly rolling this feature out, so if it’s not there, don’t worry!

All you have to do is go to “settings” and there will be an option that says “Convert to Business Account.” Select this, it will ask a few questions, and in minutes, you will be set up and ready to go.

image-9115426

By doing this, you will be given that contact box on your page and you will be able to access all of the valuable stats that I mentioned above. Easy as pie! Also, in case you didn’t know, you can save drafts on Instagram now! You can read about how to save drafts on Instagram here.

Also, my friend, Amber, just released this great eBook on Instagram Hashtags. She talks about hashtags in a way no one else does. It is only $10 and an easy read! Buy it here. 

Oh, and PS. I’ve been growing my Instagram like CRAZY the past two weeks using MassPlanner. You can get a free trial to see if you like it, but it’s only $10 a month and you can use it with Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, etc. It has a lot of cool features, but I’ve grown my Instagram by almost 1000 followers in just about two weeks. One of the best investments I’ve made in growing my Instagram account. 

You Might Also Enjoy this post on how to increase clickthroughs on Instagram. 

 

Filed Under: Social Media

How to Increase Click-Throughs on Instagram

June 28, 2016 by Katie Clark Leave a Comment

how-to-increase-clickthroughs-1-1470853

Instagram is one of those social networks I didn’t really take seriously until recently.

Awhile back, I made a personal account and occasionally tried to grow my professional one for Clarks Condensed, but it just got back put on the backburner.

However, I kept hearing about the power of Instagram and how companies are really looking for influencers there, so I decided to up my game a little bit!

I’ve been working hard to grow my following lately, and I’ll share a few of those ideas in a minute. But right now, I wanted to share a quick way to increase click throughs AND track it in Google Analytics. I have to give a shoutout to my friend, Jessica, over at Savory Experiments!

First off, you need to download the plugin Visual Recipe Index. I use this to generate recipe indexes (duh), but it works awesome for creating this Instagram index.

So once you download this plugin, you should go and create a new page. You should name it something like “Instagram Index” or whatever you want.

Then, go to your category page in WordPress and create a new category. I created one called Instagram, but you can really do whatever you want!

After that, go to Settings – Visual Recipe Index. This is where you can generate the code for your Instagram index. It’s pretty easy to do – just select the category you want, and it will generate a code. You can change it to display according to date, name, etc. This is the code I use (just remove the space after the first bracket and before the last.) This makes it so my most recent post in the Instagram category shows up.

[ riview id=1287 num=2000 orderby=date order=desc size=200×200 showtitle=always lightbox=0 ]

Then press save and viola, every time you create a new post and add your Instagram category tag to it, it will be added to the index.

You will then put the web address to your index in your Instagram profile. Mine looks like this:

screen-shot-2016-06-28-at-12-48-29-pm-5291868

Now whenever you post a new post on Instagram, direct people to your profile. They can then click on the link and see which post is there. I like this as opposed to putting the direct link to a post in your profile, because that has to be changed so frequently! If someone is looking at a post from a week ago, they might get frustrated when they go to the link in profile, and it’s not for the recipe they were searching for.

With the Index, people can quickly scroll to get to the post they saw on Instagram, and you never know, they might find something else they like, too! I’ve seen a lot of traction to this page, and it’s been nice to be able to kind of track my click throughs on Instagram easier!

You can create an index like this where you manually add the posts as you go. This can be helpful if you post a lot of “from the archive” posts on Instagram. I don’t do that frequently, so I have opted to just put a search box at the top of the page so people can easily find it. I put a message at the top of the page so people know what the page is about when they get there.

 

And there you have it – a simple way to make it easier for your Instagram followers to see the posts you have shared!

As promised, here are a few tools I’ve been using to grow my Instagram as of late:

CrowdFire – I used this one until they took away the ability to copy followers from other users. I loved it! I still use it to do that on Twitter though, as well as to unfollow!

MassPlanner – this is a tool that I sent up recently that helps you to increase your followers. know people who have gotten over 2000 new Instagram followers in just one month of using it. I’m pretty excited to see the results. In just two weeks, I’ve almost gotten 1000 new followers. You can get five days free!

Instagress – This tool is so cool! It automatically follows people (based on parameters that you set up), likes posts from your account for certain hashtags, etc. It’s niceb ecause it’s not a subscription – you just buy time for when you want it to run. You can get 2 days for free to see if you like it.

I was really inspired by the InstaRevealed group I joined on Facebook. InstaRevealed is a series of Instagram guides to help you become even better on Instagram. They just made it so you can’t buy them individually, which is a bummer, but for $120, you can get all the guides. I think they are worth the money. I’ve tried to increase my strategy for how and when I post, and it seems to be working. While my feed isn’t as beautiful as others, I try and post similar content. Can you figure out the pattern I’ve come up with on my instagram page?

Something else I’ve found to help is joining some Instagram Pods. The first one I joined was through InstaRevealed, and anyone can sign up for these. Since then, I’ve joined a few that people have created in groups I’m in on Facebook. Basically, you are added to a group direct message on Instagram, and every time you post, you let the group know. Then everyone in the group goes and likes and comments on your post. With the new Instagram algorithm, the faster you get engagement on your posts, the better it will do!

I’d love to hear what you’ve been doing to help with your Insta-game!

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Go to page 4
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Go to page 13
  • Go to Next Page »
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram

Copyright © 2021 · Infinity Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in