How do you fill the gap in an underserved, growing niche of influencers? You start your own company! And, that’s exactly what Chelsea Day did in founding Millennial Blogs.
Recently, we had the opportunity to spend quality time with the fabulous Chelsea, blogger extraordinaire and content creator of the blog, Someday I’ll Learn. Tiffany and I were privileged to be invited to her Sunset Millennial Summit, a pre-conference event before the start of the Women Get Social conference in San Diego this past weekend. Chelsea orchestrated this event to connect bloggers near and far along with Amy from Beloved Atmosphere at Amy’s beautiful Sunset Vacation Rental in San Diego.
As if being a wife, mother to 2 boys under 2 AND a blogger running a full-time business wasn’t enough, Chelsea took a leap of faith and with a “why not me?” attitude, founded a network connecting brands to bloggers for the underserved Millennial niche. I got the opportunity to ask Chelsea specific questions about her new company and am sharing this interview with readers:
Carole:
Chelsea, our readership runs the gamut of the female demographic from 24 to 65. So, to clarify for our readership, will you ‘define’ Millennial for us?
Chelsea:
The millennial generation includes people born from approximately 1978 to 1998. This group is unique as the most ethnically and racially diverse generation in history and the first to consider digital social activity to be a normal part of life. Due to 9/11 and other major crises in recent history, this group has become strongly civic-minded with an urge to understand their place in society and positively affect the world. Advertisers who approach our group aren’t necessarily seeking out a specific age or birth year; rather, they are looking to be part of the authentic stories and open feedback that this generation is known for.
Carole:
Why did you decide to branch out from blogging on your personal blog, Someday I’ll Learn, and start Millennial Blogs?
Chelsea:
I started receiving an overwhelming amount of requests from brands looking for blogs with a similar style as Someday I’ll Learn. Nobody was bridging the gap between brands and bloggers in this generation so I said, “why not me?”
Carole:
If you could give 3 major tips for branding yourself as an “influencer”, what would they be?
Chelsea:
- Be yourself. There is no one better than YOU! If you try to imitate someone else, it will come off as disingenuous.
- Set concrete goals. Instead of, “I want to be The Pioneer Woman,” try “I want to grow my email subscriber list to 1000 people,” or “I want to appear on a local television station.”
- Find a tribe. You are not an island. Surround yourself with positive people who will help lift up your brand.
Carole:
Do you have any tips for working with brands and sponsors?
Chelsea:
Network like crazy and create good content. Don’t be afraid to approach brands and sponsors directly at conferences and on the internet to ask what needs they have that you can help with.
Carole:
Can you explain the difference between hiring a publicist, or a manager or working with networks like Millennial Blogs?
Chelsea:
Publicists or managers typically represent bloggers and other influential personalities on an individual basis, negotiating contracts for them and taking a percentage of their income. This can be very lucrative for bloggers who have a HUGE audience, but bloggers with smaller traffic get lost in the shuffle. Networks manage a large list of smaller and mid-level bloggers, negotiating sponsorship with companies on behalf of many bloggers at once. This is particularly helpful for brands who want a large volume of content. Networks also provide a level of camaraderie and education for their members that isn’t always present with a one-on-one publicist relationship.
Carole:
Working with brands, social media is a huge part of the strategy. Do you have any tips about engagement, increasing “likes” and “follows” on the major social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram? Do you have any tips about the other social media platforms such as Google+, StumbleUpon, Reddit, Digg, Tumblr, etc.?
Chelsea:
This all comes back to your “tribe.” As in many industries, blogging is about support from your peers. I ask my closest blogging friends to interact with me on Facebook, Twitter, etc. to get the conversation started, and I do the same for them. StumbleUpon is a manual process but it is wildly successful for many bloggers. I don’t use Reddit or Digg since they’re known for having trolls (angry commenters), and who the heck has time for that? Tumblr has a huge amount of potential, especially for people looking to showcase their more personal humorous or artsy side, but it won’t serve as a replacement for bloggers looking to make money with product placement.
Carole:
The brands usually want to work with bloggers that are heavily engaged in the “Big 4” social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. As a working blogger, you understand the time commitments that all bloggers juggle day-to-day. If you had to choose only two social media platforms to engage in because of time commitment, what would they be and why?
Chelsea:
Twitter and Pinterest. I personally love Instagram, as well, but there isn’t a direct connection to the product there, and brands are being very slow to jump on board. I don’t have the patience for Facebook’s constant algorithm changes.
Carole:
Is there a social media platform on the horizon of exploding and why is that important to bloggers and brands?
Chelsea:
Google+! The search engine benefits of this platform are huge, and it’s future-proof in that it’s flexible and easy to share content in whatever form fits your life best. Google runs the search engine world, and they are obviously rewarding online personalities who are interacting well on the G+ platform.
Carole:
As a blogger, what is your process after you hit the publish button?
Chelsea:
I use a plugin to share my content out to Facebook Twitter, Pinterest and Google+ every morning. Then, my assistant and I spend time each day interacting on those platforms, answering comments and emails, reporting links back to relevant sponsors and negotiating contracts for future endeavors.
Carole:
What is the most valuable piece of information and/or advice that you want to share about blogging and working with brands?
Chelsea:
Put your family first. The internet will always be there.
Thanks, Chelsea, for the brilliant in-depth interview! I know Millennial Blogs will morph into a powerhouse sooner than later with Chelsea at the helm. Check out Chelsea’s Millennials Blogs for further information about working with this growing company!
I’ve taken the liberty of making one of Chelsea’s photos “pin-worthy”. Let’s support Chelsea and pin this to our Pinterest boards!
Tootles,
Related Posts:
(other posts about Chelsea)
This was really fun to sit and think through. Awesome reflection for us all, I think, to contemplate our business practices and processes!
Well, Chelsea, this post was really, truly written by you! I just came up with the questions! Thanks for your willingness to make it happen.
Great interview! It helps to get the recap summarized. Going to ‘pin’ now!
Thanks, Lynnee! And, thanks for pinning to Pinterest!