Blogging as a Business: Changing Your Mindset to Grow Your Brand by Michael Huxley

2. What We Will Cover:
• Changing your mindset about blogging.
• The role of the ‘influencer’
• Transforming your blog into a business.
• Building your income streams, services and products.
• Knowing how and what to charge for your services.
• Providing ROI and being professional.

3. Changing Your Mindset.
• The days of the unprofessional hobby blog are over.
• Blogs are marketing and content creating powerhouses and brands
should expect to have a specific budget to work with us.
• Stop begging to be paid. DEMAND IT.
• You are a business, not a charity. You are not free marketing for
brands and PRs.

6. How To Combat The ‘Influencer’ Poison.
Influence is not something we do. It is not something we can sell.
Influence is a BY PRODUCT of what we do. It is the RESULT of our
work and our deliverables.

7. Changing Your Blog Into A Business.
• Professional branding.
• About me page and work with me page.
• Professional media Kit.
• Disclaimers privacy statement and terms and conditions.
• Contract templates.
• Professional pitch and answer templates.

8. Pitching Professionally.
• Publicity Pitch.
• Product Pitch.
• Problem Solving Pitch.

9. Publicity Pitch.
• “I am writing to you in the hope we can work together. I have a
hundred readers every month and if you give me 5 nights stay in your
ultra luxury resort I will give you exposure to them and take endless
selfies of me looking amazing and trying to act natural for Instagram.”

10. Product Pitch.
• “I am writing to you with a marketing campaign idea that you may be
interested in. You need to sell your product/destination to my
audience and I can provide X amount of articles for publication on my
site and yours, professional photography and videography of your
product/service/destination with full rights for use your own
platforms and X amount of social media, with the intention of
providing you with increased sales. I would be happy to discuss your
future marketing needs and here is my media kit and rates sheet for
your convenience.”

11. Problem Solving Pitch.
• “I am writing to you in the hope that we can work together on a
campaign that will help you reach a very specific audience/promote
your brand or service as safe/reliable/a leader in your field. My target
audience and these deliverables would help achieve that marketing
aim. Here are my media kit and rates sheet for your convenience.”

13. Adding A Rates Sheet.
• No longer than a page or two.
• Makes you appear professional and organised.
• Simply lay out all your deliverables and put your price next to it.
• Not essential to put it up on site but it IS recommended.

14. Changing Your Mindset About Getting Paid.
• STOP working for free!
• A freebie product is not an adequate replacement for pay.
• Traditional media have set rates and no brands question that.
• PR agencies and marketing firms have set rates and no brand
questions them.
• Businesses offer services and expect to get paid in return!

19. Knowing How Much And What To Charge.
• Look to the traditional media and marketing world.
• Emulate traditional media prices.
• Look to each other.
• Look at bloggers slightly bigger than you and emulate them.
• Stop working in protected silos.
• Be open, transparent and honest with your pricing.

20. Factors To Consider In Pricing
• Overhead Costs.
• Profit.
• Competitors Pricing.
• Time.
• Skill.
• Online Real Estate.
• Link Juice.
• Deliverables.
• Access To Your Audience.
• Your Brand’s Reputation.
• Audience Size.
• What The Market Will Bear.

21. We’ve Run Out Of Time!
Thank You For Listening.