1. What originally attracted you to the IZEA community, and how did you find out about it? I first found out about the IZEA community through my blog buddy’s site. I was intrigued with the idea of SocialSpark. I thought being a part of this community could allow me to work with companies and products that I would like to share with my readers as well as make money at the same time. Win win.
2. Why Lil’ Luna? I chose Lil’ Luna because my mom’s maiden name is Luna, and I’m one of the many crafty “Lil’ Lunas” in the fam {plus, I liked the way it sounded.}
3. What’s been your favorite SocialSpark Campaign? I’ve had several SocialSpark campaigns I have enjoyed, but I’d have to say the one about the movie, Monte Carlo was my fav. I planned a night out with my niece, and we had such a great time watching the movie. I loved promoting it on the blog because it was so adorable.
4. What inspires you to blog? So many things inspire me to blog but the biggest one would be the fact that I love sharing with people {my readers} all the amazing things out there in the world. From crafts to deals and recipes to tips, it is so fun for me to share these things with my readers and inspire them. I have also “met” so many amazing people and have loved getting to know so many bloggers that inspire me on a daily basis.
5. What’s one word of advice you’d give to bloggers who are looking to increase the quality of their content? If I had to offer someone advice about quality blogging, I would say to CHALLENGE yourself. Challenge yourself to do things no one ever has. Be original. Be fun. Be YOU!
6. Complete this thought: If I could I would____. If I could I would…. Like to meet all my “virtual friends”. We are scattered all over the world, but I would LOVE to meet every one of them and be friends with them IN REAL LIFE! 😀
Kristyn’s blog can be found here
1. What originally attracted you to Sponsored Tweets? I have been a publisher with IZEA for about three years, and got in on Sponsored Tweets pretty much the day it started. I was already an active Twitter user and I wanted the opportunity to promote and connect with products and businesses. The extra cash doesn’t hurt, either!
2. What has been one of your favorite campaigns to participate in? Boudreaux’s Butt Paste! There’s a personal story behind it; when I was starting out as a writer in New Orleans about ten years ago, I interviewed and wrote a profile on the inventor of Boudreaux’s Butt Paste, George Boudreaux, when a one of the country’s largest retailers decided to pick up his locally-sold product and distribute it in stores. A few years after our interview, his product started selling like crazy, and he sold his formula to Blairex Laboratories. He’s one of the most genuine people I’ve ever interviewed, he makes a great product I use and recommend, and his story really is a great one about what small entrepreneurs can become. I’ve participated in quite a few Sponsored Tweets and IZEA campaigns about Butt Paste on Twitter and other social media outlets, and I love to share Mr. Boudreaux’s story and my memories of talking with him “way back when.”
3. What do you love most about Twitter? It has almost eliminated my need for text messaging! Sometimes your friends don’t want to hear about everything you’re up to, but chances are, someone on Twitter wants to know what you had for lunch, what’s good on TV or the funny thing that happened to you while you were at the grocery store. And they share it with other people. Who share it with other people! It’s a great way to connect with like minds, as well as the organizations and brands you love.
4. Finish this: Without Twitter I would______. Probably lose friends over their their text overage charges! (see above.)
5. What do you do to market yourself, and get new followers? I do so much to market myself! I have business cards that I send with just about every piece of mail that ever leaves my home – from items I’ve sold on auction sites, to care packages I send to friends, to anything else I can think of. The cards have my Twitter page and a link to my blog – http://bellesouth.blogspot.com – which also links back to my Twitter page. I have links on all my social networking sites. But the most important thing I do is be myself! I respond to people, I retweet things I find interesting, I don’t hide who I am. I’ve built up a decent following in the past few years without compromising myself.
6. Any advice to other Tweeters on how to get more Sponsored Tweets Opportunities? First of all, I don’t think it’s important to get more Sponsored Tweets Opportunities, but rather quality opportunities. You can log in to find tons of opportunities that don’t necessarily fit you or your followers, and consequently, your followers won’t click with the product or on the links. Play around with your topics and see what suits you and your followers the best; what would they want to look at? There are opportunities available on just about every topic.
- Do NOT be a robot! Be a real person! Nobody wants someone who just tweets ads all day on their feed, and you might be unfollowed or worse yet, reported for spam. Spend most of your time tweeting about other things – yourself, your hobbies and interests – and engage with your followers. You will be amazed at what relationships you can develop just through 140-character messages.
- Keep your integrity. This is paramount! If you absolutely cannot stand a certain brand, product or business practice, don’t promote it! You will lose the respect of your followers if you are not genuine. Promote products and services you really believe in. You will get a lot more appreciation in return and a lot more followers if people come to trust you and want to know what your thoughts are.
- Participate in the IZEA and Sponsored Tweets help forum on GetSatisfaction. I’ve found that IZEA has a great staff that really does listen to my concerns and wants me to succeed. If I have an issue, I’ll head over to the forum, post my thoughts and usually hear back from someone within 48 hours.
- Do NOT get discouraged. IZEA is the real deal, but like anything, it takes time, patience and work. If you want to make money, meet good people and build a real following, IZEA is a top-notch and trustworthy company to work with. You may not be swimming in piles of gold after two weeks, but you can make some extra income to help you pay the bills.
Follow Eleanor’s Tweets at @bellesouth
1. What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear WeReward?15 minutes. Haha every second counts when I’m waiting to take a picture at my current location. Always being on the move, that allots for a ton of cash.
2. What device do you claim rewards from? An iPhone 4 with IOS 4.3.5.
3. Where have you checked-in the most? Truthfully, it’s hard to say–I’ve exceeded the limit for multiple businesses. Even so, I continually check into said locations to up my total reward count. Those “Izea Love” bonuses really add up
4. What’s been your favorite WeReward reward claim so far? I’m a big dog lover, so I’d say the Milk-Bone products reward. I mean, you win on multiple levels by making your dog happy, having a cute photo, and earning some money.
5. What company would you love to see using WeReward? While I’d love to see more Products/Tasks available in WeReward, I think it’s more important for businesses to officially hop on board with the service. While their rewards would increase for us users (10 cents to 50 cents!), their potential monetary gains would as well. With more people turning away from television and turning towards the internet, social media/social advertising is the way to go.
6. Most importantly, what’s your favorite way to eat bacon? A couple of weeks ago, a friend turned me onto Bacon Salt. With a seasoning like that, bacon can be included on everything!