Jenny Melrose is a lifestyle blogger, business coach and podcast host who helps other bloggers monetize and grow their online businesses through goal-setting, accountability and the unique pitching process she developed for working with brands.
Jenny is a former inner city school district reading specialist who “retired” from her teaching career when her blogging income far exceeded her salary. Through hard work and dedication, her lifestyle blog, The Melrose Family, became regularly sought out by nationally recognized brands such as Neutrogena, Smuckers, Glad, Costco, Stanley Steamer, Sara Lee and many more. The unique pitching process Jenny developed for working with brands transformed an empty editorial calendar into one that was completely booked months in advance.
Today, Jenny combines her passion for teaching with her extensive experience working with brands to help other bloggers monetize and grow their websites and social media outlets. She offers videos, e-courses and coaching on JennyMelrose.com; she runs a private Facebook group for influencers looking to share knowledge and take their businesses to the next level; and she hosts a podcast, Influencer Entrepreneurs with Jenny Melrose.
Jenny is also a public speaker and a consultant.
Jenny Melrose Show Notes
Contact:
Jenny Melrose
Pitch Perfect Pro
The Melrose Family
Instagram
Mentions:
Social Blue Book
Bloggers Legal
Businessese
Questions:
What did you do before you started your lifestyle blog?
Did you take the kids out of their regular classes and help them with reading, is that what you did?
Was it a gratifying job?
Did you start your blog while you were still working?
When did you realize that you could stop working as a teacher and do the blogging full time?
I would have felt like it wasn’t enough time, did you feel that way or did you feel the challenge?
How long were you blogging before brands started to reach out to you for sponsored posts?
Do you think it was because it’s a lifestyle blog instead of a food blog?
Can a blogger do too many sponsored posts? And what do you say is a good amount?
Do you teach how to wrote a sponsored post so it’s more like you are talking about?
How many times would you contact a brand without hearing back before you give up and move onto another brand?
What is the threshold where a blogger feels like they are ready to reach out to brands?
How long would you wait between contacting a company once and the second time?
When someone sends an first contact in email, would you recommend sending a media kit with that email or wait for them to contact you back?
And this is all in the Pitch Perfect Pro Course?
If you were to give one word of advice to bloggers about sponsored posts, what would it be?
Once you find a brand that wants to work with you, can you recommend a contract template?
On a Facebook group, someone posted trouble about not getting paid, is there a way to avoid that?
What is a reasonable time frame from delivering a sponsored post and payment?
How do you see the industry evolving, Is there an upswing on sponsored posts as opposed to ads on the site?
With all the things that you have going on, how do you stay motivated when you spend a chunk of time motivating others?
Great podcast Elaine, Jenny is a lady full of energy. Her support is so much needed as bloggers are often women and we have a reputation for being very bad negotiators, especially when it comes to our remuneration. Some great tips in here.
Thanks Laura! I agree!
Honestly, it’s exhausting to just listen to everything Jenny has going! She has more energy than the Eveready Bunny! Another very interesting podcast, Elaine! Thanks for all of your hard work!!
Thanks so much Beth! Yes, she has tons of energy!