Blogger Spotlight: Surviving a Teacher’s Salary

One of the coolest things about being a blogger is the ability to form and cultivate relationships with brands we love.

I remember the very first time I felt like “media” for a big brand. It was thrilling and terrifying. The honor, the privilege, the responsibility…

Working with brands is an art, a balancing act and an important part of learning to utilize your blog platform in a way that is open to monetization.

I’ll write more on this later, but for now I’ll just say that many bloggers do brand relationships wrong.

The ones that get it right ease it into their content seemlessly, never sell out and only work with brands they love.

Today I’m spotlighting Crystal from Surviving a Teacher’s Salary for Working with Brands.

Crystal’s blog is in the saving money + teacher blog niche. Because of this, her blog is perfect for educational brands.

Crystal has learned to work with these brands in a way that benefits the reader, benefits the brand AND scores her some free loot and compensation.

The perfect balance!

I recently had the chance to interview Crystal, and I thought you’d love to hear her responses:

Q1: What was the first brand you worked with that was an “Eeek!” moment for you?

Oh man that’s a tough one! There are SO many brands that I am grateful to work with but I think the one time that really sticks out to me is when Best Buy asked me to be their ambassador – it felt like such a huge accomplishment and a huge honor.

Q2: How do you balance your brand posts with your regular content? Is there a balance you strive for or does it come naturally?

For the most part it comes pretty naturally. I constantly try to step back and think about what I would look for in a blog, and then implement that on my site. Am I really going to visit a site that only has sponsored content or am I going to visit a site that has a personal interaction with the writer and really shows a unique and informative view of things. I am a firm believer in sticking with my niche and not accepting sponsored campaigns that doesn’t fit my site – it doesn’t benefit the brand or my readers.

Q3: What is the coolest thing working with brands has enabled you to do?

The coolest thing working with brands has done for me personally is just to open up possibilities. The hope and excitement of something bigger than I could have ever dreamed. Whether it’s meeting celebrities, or having the opportunity to travel it always provides a new experience and the encouragement to reach for more. It’s given me the desire to learn new things and strive for better than just settling for average. I’ve been able to provide some pretty cool opportunities for my family and that makes me feel good!

Q4: What advice would you give to bloggers that haven’t worked with brands before, or maybe that want to take working with brands to the next level?

Go for it! Don’t be afraid to ask! But also don’t be afraid to be turned down for something. No matter how small or big my site has become there are always “yes’s”, there are always “no’s”! Accept it, see if you can improve something and keep trying! You NEVER know what opportunities will come your way!

Thanks for answering Crystal!

Go on over and check out some of the great content on Surviving a Teacher’s Salary (click the pictures) :