Dress: MYKA LIMCHOC; Shoes: NINE WEST
After a super long time of not posting anything, Chuvaness, one of my all time favorite bloggers, blogged again last week. Tuwang tuwa ako when I saw it. Chuvaness, along with Frances Sales, Saab Magallona, Tina Tagle, are some of the very few blogs na natutuwa ako basahin because real siya. These are the blogs that are both informative and parang nakakachismis ka sa buhay nila. Masarap basahin because may wit, may humor and hindi boring.
That is the reason why I got really sad when I thought CVS stopped blogging. Nabawasan ang binabasa ko.
In her recent blog post, she mentioned that Instagram killed blogging. She’s right. Everybody’s in Instagram na. Even ako, I find myself writing mini blog posts in Instagram. It’s an instant kwento which is easy to do and easier to read ng mga followers. Pa-instant ng pa-instant na ang preference ng mga readers ngayon. Hindi ko nga sure if may mga tao pa out there na nagtiya-tiyaga to read personal blogs on a daily basis. Baka lahat nasa Facebook na nga and Instagram.
Also, I noticed, ibang iba na the blogs nowadays. Eight years ago when I started blogging, ang mga blogs out here are personal blogs. Wala masyadong advertisement. Raw sila and ramdam mo talaga from the heart ang articles. Sadly, nagbago na the blogs ngayon. Parang naging commercialized yung mga blogs. Ang sad. Hindi mo na tuloy alam if authentic ba talaga the things that they are endorsing. Bihirang bihira yung blog na balanced yung pagka-real niya and yung pagadvertise ng mga kung ano ano. I know a few bloggers who still have integrity in writing about products that they really like lang. They don’t blog about the products because binayaran lang sila. Ginagamit talaga nila yung produkto. Yung iba kasi “may-ma” eh. As in may masulat lang.
A few days ago, I received a message from a friend who sells stuff online. Sabi niya, “Anong isasagot ko sa mga ito?”. One lady was asking if nagbibigay ba siya ng discount pagblogger. Another lady was messaging her to asking her for products so that she can endorse daw her online store.
OKAY. I WILL GIVE MY OPINION ABOUT THIS PERO BATO BATO SA LANGIT, ANG TAMAAN WAG MAGALIT HA?
This is my blog and walang pumipilit magbasa sa inyo nito. If tamaan kayo, reflect kayo ng slight bago kayo mag-amok.
Number 1, I don’t understand why some “bloggers” feel that they are entitled to discounts. Baket?! Business is business. You can buy or not buy. May mga puhunan din ang mga yan and need nila kumita. Bumili ka muna kung gusto mo talaga. If kilala ka ng seller, she will give you a discount.
Number 2, I also do not understand why some “bloggers” ask for products para “ma-endorse” nila. Hiyang hiya ako sa ganyan. Not unless for a charity event, I do not ask for free stuff from brands.
People, we are not entitled to discounts. We are not entitled to free products. These are given to us ng kusa ng sellers IF THEY FEEL NA MAY MAHIHITA SILA SA ATIN.
MAHIHITA (verb), meaning: may mapapala.
Meaning, you need to establish yourselves first. Magtrabaho ka muna. Grow your blog. Pagandahin mo. Build your credibility. You need a following. You do not need to have a huge number of followers. Ang kailangan is influential ka. Your readers need to trust you. The brands need to see that your readers trust you enough to try out the products that you write about. You need to prove this first and this can take you years. Walang instant sa credibility, mga bakla. Bini-build yan.
If you have already done this, kusang lalapit ang mga brands sayo.
If feeling mo credible and established ka na, dun ka magstart i-alok yang sarili mo sa kanila.
Remember guys, these sellers have a businesses. May mga puhunan ang mga yan and siyempre ayaw nila malugi. These business owners also have evolved. Natuto na ang mga yan all these years. They do background checks sa mga bloggers/”influencers”. They look at your social media accounts. They check the engagements. They check the comments. They read your blogs. Tinitingnan nila how ka magsulat.
If inalok mo ang sarili mo and the brands see that you have not established yourself yet, mapapahiya ka lang. Remember, first impression lasts.
I also learned that naguusap usap these sellers. They share among themselves who the bloggers they like and who they don’t like. Sino yung nakaka-deliver and sino yung hindi. Remember that.
So my point is, LET YOUR WORK DO THE TALKING. Ayusin niyo muna your own branding. Work on it. Brands and income will follow. Trust me.
I know that some of you, ang gusto lang din is makatulong lalo na sa mga local sellers. If that is your goal, hindi niyo kailangan humingi ng libre. Buy something from them if you really like their products then post it online. Mararamdaman yan ng seller if marami kang referrals. Dun ka nila bibigyan ng products ng kusa so you can advertise them.
I have a suggestion too. If you are serious about all of these, get yourself a manager para sila yung magaalok ng blog mo sa brands. With this, you can concentrate on your blog while the blog manager works on getting advertisers for your blog.
Yun lang guys. To the newbie bloggers who are reading this, I hope hindi niyo masamain. You just need patience, the right attitude and passion in what you’re doing. Your blog will grow. Promise.
Happy weekend =D
“Hustle until you no longer have to introduce yourself.”
-anonymous