The Ultimate Blog Podcast - 6. Affiliate Marketing and Sponsored Posts with Shanna Hutcheson

Episode Date: January 25, 2022

Today we are chatting with Shanna Hutcheson. We met Shanna in 2018 when she allowed us to do her blog and we’ve been connected with her ever since. Today we are chatting about affiliate marketing and sponsored posts and Shanna has a lot of insight to share on these topics! If you are wondering about sponsored posts and affiliate marketing, this episode is for you!Check out the show notes for links and resources mentioned in this episode!Interested in starting a blog? Join our waitlist! SHOW NOTES: www.sparkmediaconcepts.com/episode6

Welcome to the Ultimate Blog Podcast with Amy Reinecke and Jennifer Draper. We're on a mission to empower women who want to start or grow their own blog. This podcast is for women who want to learn blogging basics and who crave inspiration and encouragement. Whether you're just getting started or have been a blogger for years, we're excited to welcome you into this space where we are passionate about creating community over competition. We are bloggers who want to encourage you to believe in your potential, step outside the norm and step into a life where you create your own schedule, your own success, and your own story. Join us for weekly episodes as we navigate blogging

and work from home life, all while raising a family and having some serious fun along the way. all while raising a family and having some serious fun along the way. All right. We are so excited to be here with Shanna Hutchinson today. We met Shanna back in, gosh, I don't even remember how long ago this was, maybe 2017? No, 2018. Yeah. And so Shanna allowed us to do her blog back then, and we've just been connected ever since. And it's been a joy to get to be part of her blogging journey. And we are having her on today to talk about affiliate marketing and sponsored posts.

So Shanna, welcome to the show. Thank you so much for having me. So good to see your faces, virtually at least. And it's been so fun, you know, staying connected with you over these past several years. And it's crazy that it's already been so long, but I know I have this conversation time flies. It does. So Shannon, do you want to tell our audience a little bit about how you got started blogging and kind of what that journey has looked like for you? Sure. Yes. So like she said, my name is Shannon Hutchison. I'm a registered dietitian and a blogger in Kansas city. My blog is wellness for the win. And I, so I was in school still to,

you know, become a dietitian. And it was actually like right around the time that I was graduating. And before I was starting to study for my RD exam, that I just was coming off of a very stressful period of life where I was like, I just need something fun, a creative outlet. So mind you, this was back in 2015 and Instagram was barely a thing. Blogging was barely a thing. You know, it wasn't that popular back then. And so really at the time I was just starting it for fun. I had no intentions of it becoming what it has become today. You know, I just had no idea what the possibilities were at the time, I was just starting it for fun. I had no intentions of it becoming what it has become

today. You know, I just had no idea what the possibilities were at the time. And I'm really, really glad that I started when I did because, you know, I had very pure intentions. It was just purely for fun. And, you know, again, I had no clue it could become a job and, you know, something that I could make money from. So, you know, it initially started, you know, as a dietitian, I was passionate about food and nutrition and health and kind of just wanted a place to share like healthy recipes and nutrition tips and things like that. And if you look at my, you know, Instagram or blog, you'll see that over time it has evolved a lot since then, you know, I kind of share all aspects of my life now, including motherhood and just, you know, the real stuff that people like to see, you know, authentic life.

But also, you know, as a dietitian, I'm very passionate too about showing how, how you can live a healthy life without being obsessed with it and showing like a healthy balance. And that includes, you know, work-life balance and, you know, obviously nourishing your body and moving your body in ways that you enjoy, but also, you know, just figuring out how to be healthy in a way that feels good physically, mentally, all of those things. And so, yeah, in a nutshell, that's how I started my blog, you know, years ago. And so again, I guess we're going on six or seven years or something, which again is absolutely mind blowing. So yeah, that's how I started. And it has just been so much fun and something that's now a huge part of my life. I mean, it's, it's how I started. And it has just been so much fun and

something that's now a huge part of my life. I mean, it's, it's, I say it's like my second full-time job. So yeah, but something I'm, I'm so passionate about that it doesn't always feel like work, which is nice. I think Jennifer and I can both relate to that. We think that a lot that we blog full-time, but it doesn't feel like it because we love it so much. It's so enjoyable. So really you had no expectation when you started being a blogger, like you just kind of did it for fun. Exactly. Yeah. I had no, no clue what the potential was, you know, if I could have looked into the future and seen that, you know, this was going to this realm that, you know, the online space would become what it is. You know, I think that would have made, made it all just really different. So again, I'm kind of thankful for the way that it

did happen just so organically. And I, I didn't have, I guess in a way it was very pressure free, you know, there was no pressure. And I think today that's very different. You know, people have immediate expectations of themselves and immediately want to monetize and all of these things. You know, we obviously live in a culture where instant gratification is what we want, but I think blogging is very much a long game, something that we'll, you know, dive into a little bit more during this conversation, I'm sure. But that's something that I think is really important to keep in mind is that you are not going to immediately see results most likely and to keep trucking, keep powering through and, you know, working hard. And, you know, cause eventually again,

you know, things were very different when I first started, but I didn't make a dime blogging for the first, probably two or three years. And, you know, I still did it for fun, but you know, now it is much easier to monetize even with a small social media following, even with a smaller blog. But again, it does take time to build up traffic and build up a following and all that kind of stuff. What was that turning point when you realized that, OK, I want to do something more than just for fun now?

There is a potential to make some money here. What did that look like? What happened? Was that like something you were thinking about for a long time or did something just, you know, come about that made you realize, Oh wow, this could, this could look different. Yeah. Well, you know, what's funny is I, I think there was this kind of shift when I hit 10,000 followers on Instagram, which again, you know, it's not all about the following and things have changed a lot over the past few years. But I think around that same time, it just happened to also be around the same time that just in general, the whole online space was

shifting as well. And so not only did I hit this, what felt like a huge milestone, but there also started to be so many more opportunities for creators like myself to monetize, whether that's through blog posts or affiliate marketing or, you know, a sponsored post on Instagram, you know, there's just so many different avenues and, you know, Amazon influencer program, and just like so many different places, multiple revenue streams. And so I did around that time, I think I did start to get contacted more frequently by brands saying, Hey, you know, do you want to do this? We'll pay you X amount or where previously it was more so for trade. You know, can we send you a box of chips? And we'll, you know, you post about it for free, you know? And so it was just like, you know, I would get offered things, offered to do different things for solely for product. And, you know, I think, I think it was once I hit 10,000 followers, I felt like I was quote unquote worthy of asking for money. And, you know, again, I think people need to realize that the number over your name, or I guess under your handle doesn't necessarily determine whether or not you're worth being paid. It's really the quality of the work that you're putting out, whether again,

it's on your blog or on social media or both, you know, so just knowing that you deserve to be paid for your work. And again, the quality of your work absolutely matters, you know, so and especially, you know, as a dietitian, for certain things, whether it's like a food related post or something, I think there is something to be said about having credentials when you're talking about certain products as well. So sometimes that did also make me feel like, okay, I can ask for, ask to be paid for this because, you know, they're getting a registered dietitian's opinion on X product or whatever. So yeah, I felt like that was kind of a turning point.

But again, I don't want people to feel like they have to wait for X number to ask for money. You know, think about, think about the quality of the content that you're putting out. And if you feel like you have area for improvement, you know, it's okay to do some posts here and there for products specifically, or just, just product. Cause I think, you know think it is important to build up experience and learn in the process. And so there's nothing wrong with occasionally doing that. But free products don't pay the bills. But if there is a point where you do want to turn this into a part-time or a full-time job, you have to start asking to be paid for what you deserve. So I think that's a big thing that people need to realize, especially women. We deserve to be compensated for what we

deserve. Right. I think a lot of times, especially as people are starting, they look like, well, I don't have much traffic or I don't have that many followers. And so why would a brand pay me? And something that we're learning a lot more is brands are actually really attracted to like micro influencers right now who don't have like hundreds of thousands of followers, but they just have a real connection with the people that are in their audience. And so like Shana said, don't let that hold you back. Cause I think that that is like a really valuable piece of advice as you're just starting out with your blog or if you, if you're slowly growing, you know, and having that experience is really good.

I remember the first time I did something and it's nerve wracking. I mean, it is so nerve wracking the first time that you're doing something with a brand, but know that, you know, the more times that you work with a brand that gets easier. And like you said, you are, the more times that you work with a brand that gets easier. And like you said, you are so worthy of being paid. I mean, I just think that that's really important for a long time. I did, you know, product exchange and it was Jennifer actually who encouraged me and was like, hold on. Like, do you not think that your time is worth money because your time is worth money and you're, you're taking, you know, your space, either on your social media

feed or on your blog, sharing a product for a company that has a marketing budget. Don't be afraid to ask them to use it on you. And so I think that that's just really, I hope that we can encourage our listeners today to do that, like out of the gate and know like you're worthy of getting paid because you're working really, really hard, especially in the beginning, like to gain your traction and gain your traffic. And so know that you're absolutely worthy. Good point. I'm glad you brought that up, Shanna. Yeah.

And some people might say no in the first, you know, when you're first starting to negotiate, you might get some no's and that's okay because that still is building that experience. And you'll find the right companies to work with that will say yes. still is building that experience and you'll find the right companies to work with that will say yes. And the worst thing is if they do say no, then you can decide at that point, you know, do I, do I want to work for product or not? You still have that option, but you might as well try because you'll never know unless you ask. Exactly. Yeah. And that was what I was going to say too, is, you know, if they do say no to payment, then you can determine, okay, do I want to continue to work with this brand because it's something that I genuinely love and use anyway. And that's

something that builds trust with your audience as well. Because if they know that you're only promoting stuff that you truly believe in and love yourself and you're authentic about it, then that again, builds trust in that's, you know, it's more likely that your audience is going to buy from you when you do offer a product or have a code for something, they're going to want to use it and they're going to want to use your links, et cetera. If they know that they can trust you and you're not just like taking every opportunity to make money and promote a bunch of crap that you don't even use. So that's super important as well. And, you know, if you do say yes to no yes to not getting paid initially, and then you show a lot of

value for that brand, there is a high likelihood that they can maybe down the road offer you money. Or if it's a small growing company and they're like, we would love to pay you, but we really can't right now, you know, hopefully you'll help them, you know, be a small part in their growth and eventually they can pay you. So there's a lot of benefits of, you know, again, playing the long game, just kind of staying focused on your values and in the process. And when it comes to negotiating, I think people get really stressed out about, okay, how do I even go about pricing? And what do I charge, et cetera. And again, as you're

starting out, obviously be reasonable with your prices when you are just in the learning phase. But I always tell people to aim high because, you know, they can come back and say, we can't, you know, we don't have that in our budget, but would you accept X amount? And a lot of times you can negotiate and settle on an amount that you both feel good about. So there's no, and you know, sometimes you feel like you'll, you're aiming high and then they say yes. And you're like, hell yeah. You know, so there's nothing wrong again with asking what you feel like you're worth. And, and like you said, what your time is worth because time is money. And especially when you're busy and you're a mom and you're working full time and you're juggling all these things, your time is probably worth a lot.

So ask, ask for money. Yep. Yep. So let's like back it up a little bit here. Shanna, do you want to explain the main thing we want to talk about today is kind of affiliate marketing and then also kind of the difference in what a sponsored post is. So do you want to kind of explain to people what affiliate marketing is? Yes. So basically when you're an affiliate for a brand, for example, you know, a brand might reach out to you to say, Hey, or maybe it's a product that you already use and love and post about regularly. And that company might reach

out to you and say, Hey, we noticed that you love our protein bars and you post about us often. Would you like to be a part of our affiliate program? And then they may offer you a unique link that you can use to share with your followers that means is that code or that link is commissionable. So every time I make a sale using one of those things, I earn a percent kickback from that brand specifically for my followers using that. So it's a really great way to have, again, another revenue stream. It is fair. I mean, it can be passive, but the amount that you're able to make kind of depends upon how frequently, of course, you're promoting that product. So for me, for example, I'm an affiliate for quite a few different brands. But again, I do it for companies that, hey, I'm having this harvest smoothie or something. I can throw up my code and say, hey, if you're interested in checking out Daily Har you know, I can throw up my code and say, hey,

you know, if you're interested in checking out Daily Harvest as well, here's my code or my link or whatever. And people can purchase that way. And again, you know, I get a kickback that way. But the benefit of having a blog is that I can have my all my different, you know, codes and links housed on my blog so that if people come across a specific blog post and I have that link in there, you know, they can purchase using that anytime. So it's something that I can passively make income from, but then I can also actively make income as I'm posting it in my stories or in a sponsored post or, you know, whatever the case may be. So there's a lot of potential and you can, you can really earn a pretty penny doing affiliate marketing. There's a lot of

benefits to it. And again, it is a little bit, I personally feel that a lot of people find it more organic, more authentic than like a static sponsored post. Because again, like I said, I'm just sharing it organically in my day as I'm making a smoothie or eating a certain bar for a snack and just saying, Hey, love these bars, having one for a snack today. Here's my code. If you want to check them out too, that kind of stuff. So there's just a lot of, a lot of different ways that you can kind of utilize affiliate marketing. And yeah, like I said, it definitely adds up, especially when you have multiple brands that you're doing that for. Yeah. And I think you made a good point. So something to consider when you're thinking about doing affiliate marketing is making sure it's a

brand for a product that you organically use in your life. Not saying you can't try like a new product, but that's going to be something that's going to fit in your niche and what you're sharing already. So like, so Shannon, you're like a health and wellness blogger. So I, it would be odd for you to like share something about motorcycles. I don't know why I'm thinking about motorcycles, but like that probably like wouldn't necessarily like fit, you know? And so like your audience probably wouldn't connect with that. If you're going to like, all of a sudden, like I'm picturing you and your son, right? Like on a motorcycle right now.

Well, don't put that into the universe because Ethan had a motorcycle like that. He would love to have one again and he would love to have Rhett, you know, on motocross bikes and all this crap. So, yeah. Oh my gosh. I'm putting it out in the universe. Probably in my future, but. That's so funny.

Probably in my future, but that would, that would not probably even go over well with your audience because that's not the kind of content that they're used to seeing from you. And so, like you said, what you're sharing is health and wellness. So as you're sharing, like, Hey, I like this bar or I use this, then they're just, they're already kind of in tune for what you're sharing. And so they're going to be interested because they're interested in they're already kind of in tune for what you're sharing. And so they're going to be interested because they're interested in your topic already as to what you're, you share. So I think that makes a valid point. I think you can be involved with a lot of affiliates, but also be a little picky that the affiliates that you're working for one pay you what you're worth and that it's actually a good trade for you, you know, to take the time to, to share their

content on your feed and on your blog. And then, well, and like you said, that is a good point as far as being picky, but also like you mentioned before, it's okay to sometimes like branch out and try a different thing. If you feel like it is something that you're interested in and that your audience could potentially be interested in, that's okay. Like I, yes, I share mostly health and wellness stuff, but I also share a lot of motherhood stuff. So occasionally there's like, you know, a link that I might get for something baby related and that's okay. Or, you know, or also knowing too that it's okay. And you're not like, you know, your followers aren't going to totally like stop trusting you if you try something. And then're not like, you know, your followers aren't going to totally like stop

trusting you if you try something. And then you're like, you know what, actually I changed my mind. That's not a great fit. Like that happens. Life happens. That's happened to me where I'm like, this was really beneficial for me in this season of life, but I don't really use that anymore. So I'm not an affiliate for them anymore. And that's okay. You know, cause again, things change and there's nothing wrong with that. It doesn't mean once again, that you're only in it for the money and, you know, things just change. So that's something to keep in mind as well. Yeah. You're not married to an affiliate. Right. Exactly. Yeah. And a lot of times affiliate programs, oftentimes, you know,

they'll send you kind of a contract with terms and sometimes they even re reevaluate or reassess every so often. And, you know, after six months, or they may have specific goals for you and say, you know, in order to continue to be a part of our affiliate program and continue to get X perks, maybe that's free product every month or whatever they say, okay, you have to get five sales per month or something along those lines. So again, if it's not something that you're like incorporating into your life super regularly so that it's not organically fitting into your content, maybe you're not hitting that sales goal and maybe it's best for both of you to reevaluate that relationship anyway. Yeah. I think the

reevaluation of how many affiliates you're using is always important. I know you use LTK a lot. So do you kind of want to speak about that a little bit? We get lots of questions on that platform specifically and kind of what that looks like to be an affiliate for them. Sure. Yeah. So that was actually one of the first programs that I became an affiliate for. So it was previously like to know it and then, you know, they've changed some things more recently, but yeah, LTK, I guess is what they are called these days. But anyway, so again, like to know it. The thing that I love about it and something that you guys actually taught me throughout the past couple of years is that especially now that I have gotten to the point where I have ads on my blog, I am more inclined to drive people to my blog than I am to that app.

But the good news is you can sync the two. And so there is a way to, for example, on my blog, I have a page that says shop my feed or just like the shop page. And so again, it's exactly what you can find on my like to know it page, but it brings people to my blog. So not only do I get more traffic that way, I potentially get more ad revenue that way. And people are possibly more likely to stay on my blog and find other things. So I'm not, I'm personally not super concerned about the number of followers I have on like to know it, because I would rather people come to my blog. So I don't push that app specifically super hard. Maybe I would earn more money that way if I did, but that's just not where I want to put my energy

right now personally. So I do tend to drive people to my blog instead. And another thing that I find to be beneficial about that is not everyone has that app. Not everyone wants to get that app. Not everyone finds that app to be super user friendly. And so I think for me, it just feels more beneficial to ultimately drive people to my blog and they can find the same content. But again, I get money from ad revenue, whether they buy something or not from that link. So that's another benefit for me of, of driving people to my website that I own versus that app that isn't mine. Right. And LTK kind of allows you, it's an affiliate program that allows you to link all kinds of brands and stores. So like earlier you mentioned daily harvest. So you

work directly with that brand as an affiliate for daily Harvest. And you likely have your own sign-in and your own like dashboard with Daily Harvest that houses like your code and your link and then your commissions and things like that. But then like a program like LTK or Amazon Associates or Amazon Influencer, both of those programs kind of have the same thing, but you have the ability to link different things. So obviously Amazon is going to be all Amazon products, but then LTK is, I mean, you can link all kinds of stores, like tons of retailers, and then it kind of all is housed in that area. I do agree with you a little bit. I think LTK is a little, it's not like super user friendly. Yeah. So I like that you do put that on your blog. I think that that's, yeah, that's a good thing to say because some people like to use that app a lot,

but other people don't. And if you share an LTK link, they're like, Oh, I'm out. I don't even want to click on that because I don't want the app. So by giving them that to go to your blog, I think that's really smart because you are driving them to that space that you own. So that's a really important piece. That's a way to use affiliate marketing to that space that you own. So that's a really important piece. That's a way to use affiliate marketing with the blog that you own. Yeah. And that's another thing too, like you mentioned, LTK and Amazon, they're kind of their own programs. And with LTK, for example, they, thousands of retailers that they work with and the commission rates are variable. So, you know, some may offer you 10 or 15% commission, whereas some are like

3% or something crazy low, like Target, for example, their commission is horrible. It's super low. So the, the rates just vary quite a bit. And that's in contrast to, you know, for example, like Voray is another brand that I work with that has like gym bags and different like accessories like that. We have like a fixed commission rate with them. So, you know, when you're collaborating, I guess, with specific brands, oftentimes, or typically the commission rate is going to stay fixed unless there's like a, you know, a specific sales time or like the holidays, is going to stay fixed unless there's like a specific sales time or like the holidays, for example, sometimes they're like,

oh, we're gonna bump up your commission rate to this during this period of time. But otherwise like LTK, the retailer determines that. So it can vary quite a bit. Yeah, that's a good point to say with brands. They do change your commission on occasion. Some of them might never change, but others do do like promotions and things like during different sales of the year, holidays of the year, they'll kind of

bump it up just to drive more traffic. And that's just a great way if it's already a product that you're using a product that your audience is connecting with, that's just a great way to have more control over what you're making, because you could easily share a blog post about that, you know, or do kind of like a roundup post about different things. So health and wellness, you could do a post on like healthy snacks and have that be, I know that you're an affiliate with daily harvest and the Aloha bars, you know, you could like list all these things out. And then that post continually serves not just your blog, but it also drives the affiliate commissions as well as people visit those blog posts and are able to come onto your, onto your site. Yeah.

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We are committed to helping each and every student feel empowered and confident with the foundational principles of blogging and the behind the scenes work that goes into it. If you don't want to blog alone, we can help. We keep each round small in order to provide each student the attention and support we believe you deserve during this process. Since space is limited, get on the waitlist today so we can help you with your blog. The link to join the waitlist is in our show notes or go to sparkmediaconcepts.com and click on the ultimate blog bootcamp. So what tips would you give for someone who is just getting started with a blog and wants to

kind of start dabbling into affiliate marketing, what kind of tips would you, would you share with them when they're getting started? Yeah. So like we've discussed, you know, really connecting with brands that you already use in your daily life, I think is a really good starting point for sure. And not being afraid to reach out to brands. Like we said before with the money thing, you know, don't be afraid to reach out and say, you know, do you have an affiliate program? I would love to be a part of it or be considered, you know, for your program and just asking. And especially too, if you're organically sharing them and tagging them in your stories, they've most likely have seen it depending on how large the brand is. Some will never see it.

But a lot of times, you know, there's a real human, you know, controlling their, their brands page. So oftentimes they will notice you and they will, you know, extend that offer if they feel like it's a good fit. I'm going to interject there, Shanna, because I think that that's a really good tip actually, even if you haven't reached out to them yet, but you are using a product that you like, go ahead and share it somehow without a link. And they might see that. And then you can always go back in and then share an affiliate link for that. But that's a great way to kind of get your foot in the door because they see the value that you're already willing to provide. And that, I don't think that that is, you know, taking it away from your worth by sharing it in that way. Cause I think it's important for our audience

to not only see things that we're constantly getting paid for. I think it's important for them to just have a very real connection with the things that we're using in our everyday life, whether we're getting paid for using those things or not. That's really important that they know, hey, when Shannon's sharing, she's really authentic and she actually does use these products. And I trust her when she shares things, because I know that she only shares things that she genuinely uses and loves. She's not just sharing things because they offer her like VUCU commission, you know, I think that's important to make sure. So, yeah. And another thing too, that I was going to say is like you mentioned, sometimes I've put things on my story and tag the

brand. Maybe it's a brand that I've never worked with before, but it's just something again, that I'm genuinely using and enjoying like a random, I don't know why bars keep coming to my mind, but we'll just say I'm eating some sort of bar and maybe I'll tag the brand. Oh, I did actually do that the other day. Core Foods bars, they're delicious. This is not sponsored. I'm not sponsored by them, but you know, sometimes I've done that where I'll tag something in my stories and they'll say, like you said, they, they see that value already. And they're like, Oh, would you like a code for your audience? And I'll say, sure. And a lot of times, and this is an important distinction for people to know as well, is that not every code is an affiliate code. So it's not

always commissionable. So there are brands that I have a code for where every code is an affiliate code. So it's not always commissionable. So there are brands that I have a code for where it's not an affiliate code. They don't have an affiliate, I guess, program necessarily where it does get paid. And that's okay. I'm not, I'm not too, depending on the brand and what it is. I think sometimes it's nice to just have a code that you can offer to your followers and say, Hey, do you want to save money on this thing that I really like? I don't get any kickback from it, but you just benefit from saving a few bucks. So, you know, I have several of those as well, but just know that not every single code that you use from someone is necessarily going to get them that kickback. So that was just a random thought that I had to. Yeah. When you become an

affiliate, you will want to disclose. I think this brings us to a really important topic that you want to make sure that your readers know that you are getting an affiliate commission on affiliate links that you are sharing within your blog posts or sharing on social media. You actually have to disclose that information. It's federal law to do that. And so they could, you know, you could be penalized if you don't. And so that's something that you want to make sure that, that you're doing by having the right disclosures and things.

That's something that we talked to our bootcamp students about in the bootcamp that they know that they have the right disclosures on their site. So they're, they're covered essentially. Cause that's really important. People want to know if they're clicking on a link and you're getting paid, it doesn't mean that it's charging them anymore, but they, I think it's just, that's just goes back to the authenticity and being ethical that they know. Okay. So I'm going to get like, this person is going to get paid if they click on that link and, and, and they want to be okay with that, you know? Yeah, exactly. And what I have found over the past couple of years, especially again, as affiliate marketing has picked up as just sponsored work

in general has people appreciate that transparency a lot. And people also, if they like you and trust you, they want to support you. Like they're sometimes they'll go out of their way and say, Hey, do you have a specific link or a code for this thing? I want to make sure that you get credit if I buy it. So, which I obviously so appreciate. And so it's like this mutual respect between you and your audience that over time, they really do once again, value and trust your opinion and your recommendations. And they they'll want to support you that much more when they know that you are being transparent and authentic in what you're sharing. Cause I think, unfortunately, like you said, first of all, it is the law

to disclose what you're getting paid for in something that I'm so passionate about. And it's like, I don't, I will throw up the hashtag ad as big as I possibly have to, for people to know that it's paid. I, I also just don't understand why you wouldn't, because why would you be doing paid work that you're not proud to be doing? Then, you know, it's just like, I don't understand the logic behind not disclosing, besides the fact that Instagram tanks your content when you put hashtag ad, but that's a whole separate issue. But I just think that you should be doing paid work that you are proud to be doing and partnering with brands that you're proud to be

partnering with. And so disclose your stuff. That's just blogging slash influencing one-on-one. Part of that though, is like this shame surrounding, do you think that that could be it? Like shame surrounding getting paid for their work? Like they feel like their audience might think that they're, I don't know. I don't know. I, that's what just comes to mind as we're thinking that like, maybe some people don't want to like disclose it because they're shameful that they're getting paid for it. But like, this goes back to the beginning of our conversation. Like, this is why it's important to work with brands that you trust brands that you actually like brands that feel good to be

using and sharing. And then it shouldn't be shameful and you should have no problem, you know, saying, Hey, I'm getting paid for this. Hey, thank you. Every time you're using this. Yeah. Yeah. Right. Exactly. It's just, I just don't understand. I I'm like, it's 2021 at this point, people fully know and understand that bloggers get paid. Like it is not a secret anymore. People, if, if you didn't know that now you do. So that's just something that is one of my biggest pet peeves is people not disclosing. And unfortunately it's very, very common. And I just need to not worry about what other people are doing as far as disclosure and worry about myself and continue to disclose appropriately. And yeah, it'll, you know, come back to bite people possibly in the future if they continue to not disclose,

because that's just the law. So something for everyone to keep in mind is don't be afraid or ashamed to share where you're getting paid. And again, you know, if you, if you do feel shameful about being paid for certain things, once again, zoom out and reassess that partnership and say, okay, maybe is this a good fit? Why do I feel this way? And maybe if it's something that you need to cut ties with that brand, then so be it. But you know, that can just help you kind of nail down who you do and don't want to work with. Definitely. So affiliate marketing is obviously like a pretty successful part of your business. So that's just where you're sharing a little more organically, you're sharing, you know, on your social media that you're using a certain product or you write a blog post on your own. And if it fits, you'll link to that product. And so the other thing that people often

want to do is do like sponsored work. Can you talk a little bit about the difference between being an affiliate and then actually working with a brand on sponsored content? Sure. Yeah. So with sponsored content, and again, this can be on Instagram or it can be on, on your blog or both. So you'll, you'll work with a brand that is going to pay you a fixed amount for that work. And oftentimes, you know, it'll involve a thorough contract that'll kind of lay out the terms. Okay. This is what we're working on together. Maybe it's a static Instagram post, a set of Instagram stories, along with a blog post.

So you'll share a rate with that brand based on the scope of work, the deliverables that they want. And then from there, again, you'll have a live date that you're planning to post everything. Oftentimes that will also involve. So I think this is a big distinction is sharing.

After the campaign has wrapped up, you'll oftentimes be asked to share analytics. So like maybe send screenshots of your story views or number of clicks on certain links or things like that. Whereas when I'm just randomly sharing my affiliate link or code for Daily Harvest, for example, I don't have to share stats you know, stats or anything. But when it is a sponsored post, then oftentimes, you know, there will be that expectation that

you'll be sharing basically, you know, the turnout of that post. How did this perform? And that can, you know, again, help the brand kind of determine the quote unquote success of that campaign. And, you know, maybe your rates moving forward if they want to continue to work together, et cetera. Like for example, I have an ongoing partnership with Aldi. So I, we have like a year long partnership. So we, you know, have a certain amount of posts throughout the year that we're going to work on together and a certain rate that we've determined together as well. So those are all, you know, things that

we've kind of determined collaboratively and come up with rates that we both feel comfortable with. And so, yeah, it'll just kind of look a little bit different in terms of the process and everything with different brands, but that's kind of usually how it goes is, you know, coming together to talk about what their expectations are. And this can also similar to affiliate marketing, you know, it may be that the brand reaches out to you about certain sponsored posts, or you reach out to a brand and say, Hey, do you have any budget for paid, you know, posts or something and say, I really I use this product and really love it. And I think it would resonate with my audience. And I would love to, you know, do some paid content for you.

So that's another opportunity as well. Do you have a preference? Do you prefer doing affiliate work or sponsored work? Or do you like to kind of have a combination of both to diversify that a little bit? I definitely like having a mix of both. There are pros and cons to both. Again, affiliate marketing is like a little bit less pressure in that you can kind of share it

whenever. Again, you don't have to share stats typically. And then sponsored work, again, you kind of know what your rates are and you know what you're going to be paid and when and that kind of thing. So it's a little bit more reliable in that sense. But I think having a mix of both is kind of nice. Something else that you mentioned that I think is important is having those long term contracts with brands. So if I remember right back when you started this, you, did you just kind of organically share about Aldi and then became part with them? Yeah. Okay. That's what I thought. I don't like completely stalk you, Shanna, but we're friends. I feel like I've had like an insider view a little bit to what's gone on as you've kind of grown here. So did it start out like kind of, can you just, let's use all,

let's just pick on Aldi for a minute here, because that was something that organically started with you. And then can you kind of walk through what that looked like to get to the point that now you're at, you know, a long-term, which, which we would consider a year long contract because that's ideal. The ideal would be to get to those points that you're not just doing, you know, like one sponsored post for one brand, but like, do you have these long-term contracts that you know, are going to bring revenue into your business throughout the year? Absolutely. Yes.

It is so, so nice to know, go into the year knowing what you can expect from this brand. You know, again, we have so many posts planned throughout the year, and I know this is what my income from that brand specifically is going to be. And just having that to rely on, especially as an entrepreneur and as someone who once again has multiple revenue streams, it can sometimes be pretty up in the air. You're like, you know, you can have kind of a general idea and estimate of what your income is going to be, but not really. I mean, because it is, you know, things are fluctuating all the time. And again, a lot of the times your income depends on how much you're working and how much you're sharing certain things. And so it can be somewhat sporadic. And so having, again, that like guarantee of this is I know I can know I can rely

on this. And this is on my content calendar. That's just really nice. But yeah, so kind of rewinding a little bit. So Aldi is somewhere that I have genuinely shopped and loved for several years now. And I would say I was probably posting all the hauls on my on my feed for like a year before we were actually like working together. And it's funny, if I go back on my, on my feed for like a year before we were actually like working together. And it's funny if I, if I go back on my blog, I think the first blog post I wrote about Aldi was like a registered dietitian approved Aldi finds or something. And, and the beginning of that post, I even said, this is not sponsored by Aldi, but man, I wish it was. So I kind of, you know, manifested this relationship,

but it was again, you know, something that happened so organically because it was like something that I, I go grocery shopping there every week. I'm going to continue to post this, the stuff that I had get from there that I love because it's genuinely something that I use. And so, you know, it's funny now it's been so long. I can't even remember exactly how the relationship started because I finally did reach out. They have such a big following on Instagram that they're not super responsive to DMs, for example, which is understandable. I'm sure they get millions every day. But I finally reached out on this random contact form on their website. And I was like, I don't know if anyone is ever going to see this, but I might as well say, Hey, I'm this blogger in Kansas city. I love all the,

I shop there all the time. I post about you guys all the time. I would love to potentially work together. And I think again, I would have to seriously go back in the archives of my email inbox to see if that's how they eventually contacted me. But regardless, they finally at one point did reach out and we started working together. And I don't even remember in what capacity it began. I think it was probably just an Instagram post first, but yeah. And then here we are a couple years later and we have done two year long partnerships in a row. And like you said, that is totally ideal. Having those long-term relationships with brands where you feel very valued and you do great work for them because

you value that relationship so much too, is like honestly a dream. So, and it feel, I'm like getting goosebumps, which is silly, but, but it's just, it's so cool to just see like your passion come to fruition and just like really pay off. So yeah, that's, once again, it's all about the long game is just putting in that work, you know, using that passion and drive that you have for whether it's a specific brand or product or whatever it is that you want to share, it will eventually pay off if you just kind of stay the path and continue to share authentically and stay true to who you are, what your values are, then yeah, it just, it'll, it'll pay off.

I think that's such a good point because you're doing something you love and that you're passionate about. And it's also impacting your audience in such a positive way too. You're finding out what helps them because they connect with you. They have the same challenges as you. Do you find that you get a lot of feedback from like your readers or your followers? And does that also help you decide which companies and brands you want to work with? For sure. Absolutely. Yes. Especially over the years, you know, I think I've kind of cultivated this community of people who also love Aldi, you know, and so they they'll engage and say, Oh my gosh, have you tried this? Like they'll all get DMs from people that'll send me pictures and say, have you tried this new

thing from Aldi? Have you seen this yet? So it's just so fun. And you know, not just with Aldi, but with all kinds of different things that they, they think I would like, and they're like, Oh my gosh, have you seen this? Have you tried this? So it's just so fun. And like you mentioned before, Amy, with, I guess, quote unquote, micro influencers, which I don't know what threshold that even, you know, determines that, but I'm, it's this conflicting feeling of, you know, you always in this space, you always want to grow, but you also need to like foster the relationships that you have with the community that you have right now. And I'm in a place where

I'm like, man, I, if I look back at where I've come from, you know, zero, I started at zero on Instagram back in the day. And you know, there, the, the tricky thing is there's no threshold. There's no ceiling. It's like, you can always continue to grow. And so it's hard to ever be satisfied in a way you're like, oh, well I hit 40,000. Now I need to hit 50. Now I need to hit 60. It's like, where does that stop? But just like, again, zooming out and being thankful for the community that you have, serving the people that you have now and, and just knowing that growth will happen organically

if you continue to be authentic and share what you care about, because your community will help you grow if they trust you and they like you and they'll share you with their friends and say, oh my gosh, do you follow this person? I love that she shared this, blah, blah, blah. So, and I just went off on a tangent. I was going to say something else, but yeah, I mean, it's just such a cool, cool thing. And oh, what I was going to say is as, as I guess, quote unquote, a micro influencer, again, I don't know exactly what that means numbers wise, but I'm thankful that I'm at a point where I do have the ability to answer most messages that I get and I can respond to most comments that I get on my photos.

And, you know, I think at a hundred plus thousand followers, you, I just don't think that that would be sustainable. It would be really hard, but I'm thankful that for the most part with the crazy schedule that I have, I do my best to respond to people because like you mentioned before, that's how you build trust. That's how you build a community that likes you and connects with you and wants to engage with you because they think that they realize there is another human on the other end. You know, that's going to answer my question again, to the best of my ability.

I'm a human and there's only so many hours in the day, but I think that just helps a lot to kind of build that connection and that trust. Yeah, I think it's important. We talk a lot about being a blogger is really being a helper and how you can add value to other people's lives. So what do you know as a blogger that can just make somebody else's life that much easier and that much better? And I, that's one of the things I love most about it, to be honest, is like, how, how can I serve my community more? How can I help them more? Like with Spark Media, that's why we

wanted to do the podcast. Like how can we reach more people? Well, we can have a podcast that they can listen to once a week, you know, and just help them learn and grow. And so, yeah, it's such a fun job. Sometimes it doesn't, it feels weird to even call it a job because it's so enjoyable to be a blogger and to connect with so many people, work with brands like, like you with Aldi and all that, that you can, I think I remember back to where you're like, I would love to be sponsored by them, you know? And then like being able to watch that kind of come to fruition and everything. And some people might be like, it's Aldi, but you're like, but it's Aldi. Like, this is really fun for me. You know, it's a big part of your life. And so I love that you've been able to share the things that

you're really passionate about and then in turn just help your community and have that, you know, really safe and engaging place that women can feel seen and heard. And so thanks for all that you do, Shanna. And thanks for being with us today on the show. We enjoyed your real and authentic just view on using affiliate marketing and sponsored work. So I know that our audience is going to want to connect with you. So would you like to tell them how they can find you? Yes. Well, first of all, thank you so much for having

me. Such a fun conversation. And you guys have helped me so much over the years. Again, for a little bit of background for people listening, they helped kind of revamp my blog and just make it just more user friendly and more, you know, visually appealing and all of that kind of stuff, but so much work on the back end, because that's something again, that the part of blogging that unfortunately, isn't that fun is like the back behind the scenes kind of stuff, you know, SEO. And, you know, I'm sure that's all stuff that you'll, you guys will go into on your blog or on your podcast, but just, you know, the behind the scenes stuff you guys have been super helpful with, because

it's just stuff that is over my head that I don't have time to worry about or care about, but I have to, unfortunately, you know, not, not all the fun stuff that we talked about today, but yeah, you guys helped me a lot with that. So if you are wanting to follow me, I would love to connect with you. You can find me on Instagram at wellness for the win. And my blog is wellness for the win.com. So like I mentioned, I'm a dietician. I follow, or I share a lot of healthy recipes and food ideas and wellness tips in general, but I also share a lot of motherhood and just real life stuff. And just, I hope to show people how they can have a healthy balanced life that just And just, I hope to show people how they can have a healthy, balanced life that just helps them, you know, feel their best again,

physically, mentally, emotionally, all of those things. I'm very, very passionate about that. So yeah, thank you for listening. And I hope you guys enjoyed it and found some value in our conversation. Thanks, Hannah. Thanks so much for tuning in today. If you'd like to continue the conversation about blogging with us, please find us on Instagram at Spark Media Concepts. You can also sign up for our weekly newsletter where we share blogging tips and inspiration. You can sign up by finding the link in the show notes. For those of you who are ready for the next step and want to start your own blog,

join the waitlist for the ultimate blog bootcamp. The link to join the waitlist is also in the show notes. Go out and make today a great day.