Classy Mommy Site Warming Wrap-Up!
Last Tuesday night we came together on Twitter to Site Warm Colleen Padilla’s fabulous site, Classy Mommy, and when we weren’t busy breaking Twitter (!), we were exchanging wonderful tips and hearing from an amazing expert panel. The pace was frenetic, the energy was high, and the results were incredible.
Here are the best practices that came out of the night’s event.
There was a huge interest surrounding product reviews. How can you get started reviewing products? What do you do if you don’t like the product? Here are some of the top tweeted tips:
– Mom Central is a great source for me for product reviews: http://www.momcentral.com/ have blog tours on a regular basis.
-Start by reviewing your own finds. As soon as I did product reviews on my site, a few months later they were knocking.
-Go directly to PR departments to get reviews – most want numbers, though, so be sure you can give them exposure to make it worthwhile
-Start by reviewing your own finds. As soon as I did product reviews on my site, a few months later they were knocking.
-Go directly to PR departments to get reviews – most want numbers, though, so be sure you can give them exposure to make it worthwhile
-Contact companies directly and ask to review their products
-Be honest, but try to find positives
-If it is obvious that you are not honest in your reviews, your readers will quit reading if they think you are writing reviews just to get free stuff.
-If you don’t like a product that you’re reviewing, tell them first privately.
-Follow companies on Twitter with products you love
-If I don’t like a product, I don’t post the review unless the company insists. I’d rather only spread the word on products I like.
-Signing up with http://www.one2onenetwork.com/ will also get you in on product reviews.
-Don’t forget to note that the IRS sees review products as income if not given away – need to be claimed on taxes!
-http://www.bzzagent.com/ is another great place to get products to review
-I started reviewing products on my own that we used, loved or featured items I “stalked” (aka cound not afford!) online
-Be honest, but try to find positives
-If it is obvious that you are not honest in your reviews, your readers will quit reading if they think you are writing reviews just to get free stuff.
-If you don’t like a product that you’re reviewing, tell them first privately.
-Follow companies on Twitter with products you love
-If I don’t like a product, I don’t post the review unless the company insists. I’d rather only spread the word on products I like.
-Signing up with http://www.one2onenetwork.com/ will also get you in on product reviews.
-Don’t forget to note that the IRS sees review products as income if not given away – need to be claimed on taxes!
-http://www.bzzagent.com/ is another great place to get products to review
-I started reviewing products on my own that we used, loved or featured items I “stalked” (aka cound not afford!) online
How do you get started making money as a blogger?
-Read @ToThink’s post on stepping outside the mommyblogger box http://snurl.com/5ccnk & head to @jessicaknows #15days to kick it up a notch
– Re: ads on site: Might want to start with Google Adsense, but you may not like the ads. Try a network like BlogHer.
-The best way to start allowing ads is http://www.scratchback.com/
-Re: drawing advertisers: I’m finding out that a lot of it has to do with actually putting up things like “your ad in this space – email for rates
–Bloggers: Have you tried Project Wonderful ads? I’m loving them for frugal bloggers and Etsy shops to get adspace on my blog – Project Wonderful is ad space based on competitive bidding http://projectwonderful.com/
-Re: Blogger to paid blogger…. use all channels, affiliate, add networks, click ads… It take a combination to do it
–Bloggers interested in media coverage should sign up at Helpareporter.Com and follow @skydiver
-Read @ToThink’s post on stepping outside the mommyblogger box http://snurl.com/5ccnk & head to @jessicaknows #15days to kick it up a notch
– Re: ads on site: Might want to start with Google Adsense, but you may not like the ads. Try a network like BlogHer.
-The best way to start allowing ads is http://www.scratchback.com/
-Re: drawing advertisers: I’m finding out that a lot of it has to do with actually putting up things like “your ad in this space – email for rates
–Bloggers: Have you tried Project Wonderful ads? I’m loving them for frugal bloggers and Etsy shops to get adspace on my blog – Project Wonderful is ad space based on competitive bidding http://projectwonderful.com/
-Re: Blogger to paid blogger…. use all channels, affiliate, add networks, click ads… It take a combination to do it
–Bloggers interested in media coverage should sign up at Helpareporter.Com and follow @skydiver
It’s no surprise that during a party on Twitter, the topic of Social Media was hot:
Re: Use of Social Networking Sites:
@JessicaKnows uses three on a daily basis: Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn – Better to use a few and be really active.
@KatjaPresnal I only use LinkedIn, Facebook, and my favorite, Twitter, for social networking. Focus on quality not quantity.
@JessicaKnows uses three on a daily basis: Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn – Better to use a few and be really active.
@KatjaPresnal I only use LinkedIn, Facebook, and my favorite, Twitter, for social networking. Focus on quality not quantity.
Regarding number of followers on Twitter:
@GeekMommy It’s not as much as a secret as it is a matter of time and listening. I think it’s more important that I follow over four thousand. I don’t have 4200 followers so much as I have 4k+ people I get a chance/privilege to interact with on Twitter
@jessicaknows My number of followers is high because it grew over time and I’m an avid twitter user – over 3500 now.
@GeekMommy It’s not as much as a secret as it is a matter of time and listening. I think it’s more important that I follow over four thousand. I don’t have 4200 followers so much as I have 4k+ people I get a chance/privilege to interact with on Twitter
@jessicaknows My number of followers is high because it grew over time and I’m an avid twitter user – over 3500 now.
Advice for companies: @RonisWeigh Companies need a ‘face,’ personality to their twitter presence. Users are savvy today.
For those interested in gift ideas from Classy Mommy, home of the product finder for Classy Mommy’s and Classy Daddy’s, check out these top picks:
Thank you panel, thank you party-goers, and especially, thank you Classy Mommy!