How to Incorporate Brands into Blogging Your Truth

Did you reflect on yesterday’s post about the different ways you could blog your truth? What did you come up with? Don’t forget to go back and tell me in the comments. For today, I want to touch on one more important aspect of being true to yourself as a blogger.

When I started back up with blogging in March, I knew I wanted to write about loss and share that it’s possible to overcome tragedy and move forward in a positive way. But I was also drawn in by all the hype of becoming a big blogger and getting paid big bucks to write while earning free goodies and attending awesome parties. I tried to find my niche, but nobody wanted to partner with someone who talked about such a tough subject.

So I did some random reviews and giveaways, and while it was fun, it was just okay. It didn’t feel right. Something was off.

I was reviewing new music CDs, getting pitched opportunities that had nothing to do with my audience, and grasping at straws just to fit in and get noticed.

When I dug deeper, I knew why. I wasn’t blogging my truth. I wasn’t being authentic.

So I gave up. I wrote off any and all reviews and giveaways. I still went to conferences and I still envied the bloggers who connected with brands and were able to incorporate them into their blogs.

Then, at my last conference, I had an epiphany. 

I could still work with brands AND blog my truth. I just had to figure out how to connect the two in an authentic way.

How did I do this?

I thought about what my truth was. I’m a mom. I’m a wife. I blog about overcoming loss. Surviving life afterwards and all the ups and downs of having preemies and therapy and how I deal with it all.

• I craft with my kids all the time, yet I never blogged that, even though it related to my life after loss. Recently, I partnered with Blinds.com on a project that allowed me to do just that.
  
• I ate cupcakes daily as a stress-reliever, yet I never thought to partner with a brand that dealt with baking – one of my favorite things – to write about this and share my favorite stress-relievers. I’ve worked with Smallcakes Houston, eating their amazing cupcakes and helping spread the word to my mom friends.
• I drink coffee to get me through my days – my long days of therapy and appointments. Seattle’s Best and I just partnered and I’m doing a giveaway that ends this Friday – be sure to enter!
  
• Ever since getting pregnant and having my babies, I enjoy the lovely occasional ‘leak’ that other moms do. Just partnered with KnixWear as one of their ‘Knixperts’ to share about their line of moisture-wicking underwear.

And I’ve got more opportunities coming. It was all about adjusting my perspective and finding my value to potential brands. In fact, I’m getting ready to throw my babies’ 2nd birthday party – their first real one since they couldn’t be around people the first year – and I’ve reached out to brands to exchange hungry caterpillar party supplies for blogging about their brand. SCORE! This is related to them being preemie, to loss, etc. and it builds up my brand-relationship credibility.

You can do this too – if you think that you’ve got a topic that wouldn’t interest brands, don’t try to mold to them – don’t fake it. Instead, find your angle. Figure out how you can find an in with a brand you want to work with – you’d be surprised at what potential is out there!

What’s one of your dream brands to work with as a blogger? Tell me about it in the comments below.

For more of my 31 Days Of Blogging Your Truth series, click on the image below.