This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.
I first started blogging as a way to express myself. I wanted a chance to share my thoughts on things I’m interested in, as well as talk about parenting and living live frugally. Since those days, Frugal Maine has evolved into so much more than its original concept. What started out as a hobby has turned into a money-making venture that helps support my family. Much of the money I earn goes towards helping to pay bills, holiday presents, birthday presents, gas and more. It genuinely makes a difference in our financial situation.
What’s great is that is that though blogging is now my full-time job, it’s something I really enjoy and take much pleasure in. When someone genuinely seems interested in what I’m doing and not mocking me, I can take for hours about what it is that I do. Usually by the end, they are blown away with just what it is I do. Most don’t realize just how much goes into what we do as creators.
If you’re a blogger looking to turn your hobby into a money-maker like me, or are a blogger researching companies to work with, allow me to introduce you to IZEA.
I’ve been with the company since before SocialSpark and Sponsored Tweets, as well as the IZEA ad network merged into one to create one central location for bloggers to converge to bid on campaigns, as well as draft posts. Before we had to visit different signs and now we don’t, which I love. No bouncing back and forth between sites. Having one central location to log into is much more convenient. It’s also better for my computer since I’m REALLY bad about having too many tabs open at once.
Don’t worry, if you’re only looking to monetize your Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or YouTube, you also have that option as well. The process works very similar to blogging campaigns. You will still need to bid on opportunities. However, with Twitter, you write the tweet in their system and once approved, it’s published through the site. You don’t need to do it yourself.
I work with several different companies on campaigns and IZEA has always been one of my biggest money-makers. I believe that the reason behind my success at IZEA is that because I pay for the PRO plan each month AND I always produce content that goes beyond campaign requirements. (In other words, I’m long-winded.)
My experience with IZEA:
I’m not going to say that I’ve had no issues while working with IZEA. I have. But those issues involved system glitches that caused problems when submitting completed posts. Each time that there was an issue, though, I’ve been able to get it resolved. Each person that I’ve worked with and emailed back and forth with in attempt to get problems fixed were extremely helpful and professional. I haven’t had one person who’s been difficult. I feel like my opinion is valued, and that is part of the reason I continue to work with them.
The other reason is that they are very prompt when it comes to pay. I’ve never had an issue receiving pay.
About IZEA:
IZEA created the first social sponsorship marketplace in 2006 and has gone on to have the largest sponsorship system in the world via their IZEA Exchange. Their site connects creators with brands who compensate them for participation in their opportunities. (I’ve personally worked with Tidy Cats, Dollar General, Buca di Beppo, Chase Ultimate Rewards and more.)
Perks of IZEA:
- Get paid 30 days after publication
- Can track your activity, including bids placed, bids accepted and declined, negotiated bids, submitted posts, tweets, Facebook shares, etc.
- Three different plans to choose from: FREE, STANDARD and PRO (See below for further details on each plan.)
FREE plan: (24-hour wait to have access to new opportunities)
- $0 per month
- 3 bids per month
- $100 cashout threshold
- $3 early cashout fee (Fee is charged if you cash out before you reach threshold.)
- Standard support
- No account banner
STANDARD plan: (24-hour wait to have access to new opportunities)
- $1 per month
- Unlimited bids per month
- $50 cashout threshold
- $2 early cashout fee (Fee is charged if you cash out before you reach threshold.)
- Standard support
- No account banner
PRO plan: (Immediate access to new opportunities)
- $5 per months
- Unlimited bids per month
- $24 cashout threshold
- $1 early cashout fee (Fee is charged if you cash out before you reach threshold.)
- Priority support
- PRO account banner (Lets advertisers know “you mean business”.)
- Show up at the top of the list when advertisers look for creators.
How the process works:
Once you’ve signed up, the process of submitted bids on potential opportunities is very simple. If you look under the “NEW” tab on your dashboard, you will see all current opportunities. However, if you’re a FREE member, you’ll only be able to bid on three opportunities per month. With STANDARD, you get unlimited bids.
Once you big, those who are PRO plan members are put at the top and noticed first. (Yes, it may seem hard to justify the $5 per month, but in my experience the price is totally worth it because I make WAY over that each month.) If you’re chosen for an opportunity, you will receive an email that says your bid was accepted. Then you’ll need to log back into the dashboard and review when the opportunity deadline is, as well as the guidelines for the opp. If, at any time, you run into a problem or need a question answered, you can reach out for help via the support/help area.
From there, you write the post, tweet, etc. If the advertiser wants you to make changes, they will let you know. Once your post has been approved, you will be notified via email once again. Then you can copy and paste the post into a new post on your blog and publish. Once that’s done you need to copy and paste the URL of the post into the opportunity dashboard so it can be verified for payment.
That’s it. It’s actually very straightforward.
One word of advice I have is that you should write your post OUTSIDE of the system simply because if you have issues with saving the draft, all that hard work you put in is gone.
Now what are you waiting for? Go sign up with IZEA!!