Let’s Talk About Sponsored Posts/Partnerships – The Often Taboo Discussion

Taboo:  prohibited or restricted by social custom.  I have to say,  Sponsored Posts/Partnerships seem to fall into this category.  And, here I sit in front of my computer, trying to come up with the words to share with you.  Sometimes they just pour forth like a raging river and other times, like this…you can hear crickets!

 Today’s post is a serious one and I really want to ensure I’m expressing myself well.  I don’t want to come across as if I know everything because believe me, I am still learning each and every single day! But I’m talking about something that is just a little taboo, and not always openly discussed, and I’m finding the right way to express myself a little challenging, especially since I like to avoid conflict – sometimes to the extreme! But, here goes…today I want to talk about collaborations, sponsored posts, and affiliate links.  The above picture is from a sponsored post/collaboration I did with a company. This post was at least 16 hours in the making.

One of the things I’ve noticed, both on my page and on other people’s pages, is that these sponsored posts just don’t do as well as regular posts.  What is it about them, do you think, that turns people off?  Is it just that they are sponsored or is it the way they are presenting them?  You see, I really want to make this work and I want to stay true to those friends that follow along, so I’m asking you for your input and your thoughts. 

These posts usually take a lot of work to plan and put together.

For this collaboration I literally took my whole dining room outside!

Let’s start by taking a few steps back so you can see how this journey began for me.  It was all very innocent and very unexpected. It started in the summer of 2015 – 3 years ago – and has been an absolutely unbelievable dream.  I was sitting on the sofa with my daughter, when she casually asked if I was on Instagram. My response? “What is Instagram?” With a cute little laugh she asked for my phone and voila! I was an “Instagrammer.”

The first six months I really didn’t post much…a picture here and there of my dog, a flower, you know – just things I loved or found pretty. I had my own small design company already, for about eight years.  A design company where it was just me, but with Instagram I now had an outlet to share, ask questions, and to be inspired!!!  And boy, was I inspired!  It wasn’t long before I realized there was a whole other part to this community known as Blogging. Initially, I kind of treated my page as my mini-blog and then stories came and I started to use those for sharing projects and ideas. Eventually, my blog came and here I am. I also noticed that people were sharing products and companies that they supported or liked working with and I started getting asked to do collaborations/partnerships or sponsored posts as well.  I knew nothing about this part of Instagram or Blogging. In fact, I was very naive for a very long time!  You see, people didn’t share their experiences around this sort of thing and the people I dealt with didn’t talk about how to do it at all. And well, being the introvert that I am, I didn’t even think to ask the right questions.  So I waited to see if brands would contact me…and they eventually did.

Here is one of my very first collaborations:

Now I know that you can actually approach a company with a proposal and set up a collaboration/partnership or sponsored post that way.  It’s okay to take the initiative! Be bold and go after what works organically with your feed.  Initially, I didn’t do very many. I was very naive and I didn’t want to turn my friends (you), those who took the time to come to my page and read what I’d written and to even leave comments, off. But eventually I realized that there were items I was being asked about all the time. So… I started doing small collaborations. Companies would send me a product to use and I would write a very honest post on what I thought about that product.  I discovered this could be good for my followers (great deals, giveaways, and discount codes).  

I am now a full-time Blogger/Instagrammer. I don’t really consider myself an influencer – I don’t really like that term as I don’t want to think that I influence people, but rather, share products and sales that they might find useful.  One of the reasons I can do this full-time, is because of the brands I have been so lucky to work with.  So, that being said, I am compensated by brands, both with product and with money, for sharing an honest opinion of their products.  It is basically a paid endorsement and seems to be growing in popularity on social media by the day!  Let’s just say it is the new way of reaching people through marketing.  It is organic and an honest opinion.

Now that this is out of the closest, so to speak, I want to take a moment and share a few things.  Every time I have a collaboration/partnership with a company, I turn at least 2-4 other companies down. Why? Because I want to be true to my brand and loyal to my friends! I cannot and will not share/endorse something that I do not believe in. I also don’t want my page to look like an advertisement, so I promise not to do too many. I only ever share products or services I truly believe you would be interested in🍂

When I do partner with a company, it is really important to me that I share why I like it and why I’m sharing it.  I also try to be organic within my own feed.  I didn’t know going into this how time- consuming it would be to create, photograph, and write up these collaborations!  We are talking days, not hours, as well as re-edits because many brands want the ability to edit your post prior to giving their approval. So why do I do this? 1) Because I truly love sharing amazing products with you all as well as great sales and discounts, and 2) Because it allows me to continue to do what I love and to earn a living doing it.

I consider myself extremely fortunate to be able to do this and to share this experience! The other thing I love is the ability to work with both new brands and brands that I’ve loved for years – essentially, taking my passion and sharing it with others. Not to mention the income allows me to continue to grow, share, and it definitely keeps hubby happy 🙌🏼 After all, I do need a reason to repaint the bathroom yet again 😂

So, when you see ‘AD’ or ‘Sponsored’ on my Blog or Instagram page, I would ask that you take a second to see if it is something you’d be interested in, and if so, take a sec and give it a like and/or a comment ❤️Every like/comment helps the brand determine if they will continue to work with us.  So your support and kindness is extremely appreciated and helps…a lot! In fact, every like, and every comment, makes a difference..🙌🏼

I hope this helps you understand the “why” behind collaborations and sponsored posts/partnerships and that the next time you see a post that says AD or Sponsored, you won’t just scroll by. I can tell you that every one of those posts has taken the person that is posting a lot of time, thought, and effort and they will appreciate your support.

Please leave me any questions you might have and I will do my utmost to answer them to the best of my ability. Thank you again for your continued support and encouragement 🙌🏼

 

Karan❤️

xxox