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Today’s 1:30 session features the Parenting Bytes podcast crew (Rebecca Levey, Andrea Smith, Amy Oztan, Nancy Friedman, Lance Somerfield) They are recording their podcast live with us today.
55% of active daily social media moms have made a purchase based on a blog post review. But in a general Facebook poll, they found that the “average user” doesn’t read blog reviews, only follow brands they already love, and don’t like when other brands clog up their feeds.
Three questions to ask yourself about potential sponsored posts: Am I being paid? Am I really interested in the topic? Are my readers really going to be interested in the topic? Make sure you have two out of three. It’s not always financial; it’s also about passion. Can you be authentic about it? Only work with a small number of brands with which you can really get to know and are comfortable with.
If you find yourself writing sponsored posts that are 100% gushing, it’s not going to come across as authentic. Real life means everything has pros and cons, so share the good and the bad. As a parent, what are you looking for from brands and products online? Have the same type of organic conversations that you have on the playground elsewhere offline.
Why do parents follow brands on social media? 68% follow for deals and discounts. This is a very good point. If you’re writing product reviews on your site, try to include a coupon code if one is available. That’s the added value your readers are looking for.
Journalists (the traditional kind) are not allowed to accept trips and extra special perks in exchange for coverage, but even though you can go on these experience trips, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you should. If the product you’re being asked to promote takes a backseat to the perks, your readers are going to squirm. Make sure you believe in the product first.
There was an article in the Washington Post recently about how moms are winning the Internet.
Advice being given by content repackaging sites: “All of our writers have sources, of course, but I always tell them to go to Facebook and look at what the moms are saying.” Some opposing opinions on the panel about whether or not this is good. Is it giving women what they want, or is it stealing content from moms like those of us in this room and repurposing it for their profit?
Lance talks about it from the dad blogger perspective, trying to reach dads and the moms/partners.
Listicles are the most trafficked and most commented on posts on the dads site. This can likely be generalized to social shares for articles on other topics, hence the popularity of content farms like Buzzfeed.
“I don’t like being part of making hundreds of millions of dollars for someone else. I don’t like it. It doesn’t feel like I’m being empowered when they’re taking the content we’re creating and sharing for their own profit.”
(Yeah. Why are they hiring 20-something kids out of college and telling them to think like a 40-something mom? Why aren’t they hiring actual moms? Their actual target demographic?)
Time for Q&A
Cecily has gone viral 5 times, and she has seen absolutely no long-term benefit from it. Sometimes going viral can cause more trouble than it’s worth. Although sometimes it can be good to be able to say you had a post that hit 50,000 shares when you make your portfolio.
How do you handle kid expectations due to toy reveal videos? No one has a good answer. Kindle Free Time gets a shout-out for screen time management.
I asked a question about having a 10 year old son with Asperger’s who doesn’t really stick with screen time limits. Can an argument be made for not limiting screen time for kids?I got a good answer. We probably shouldn’t put it all under the heading of generic “screen time.” If your kid wants to learn to code, or they want to read and watch educational content, that shouldn’t be lumped in with watching silly YouTube videos or playing video games.
When it comes to online information sharing, use the parental controls provided on various devices and platforms, but you also need to have a serious conversation about personal information. Tell them specifically not to give out phone numbers, home addresses, or names of their schools. Kids don’t differentiate between offline friends and online friends, and can’t imagine the dangers of sharing personal information with strangers.
That’s me: Christina Gleason. I’m a writer, editor, and disability advocate. I'm a multiply disabled autistic lady doing my best in this world built for abled people. I’m a geek for grammar, fantasy, and casual gaming. I hate vegetables. I cannot reliably speak, so I’ll happily conduct business over email or messaging instead.
I was just searching for something else in Facebook and found this. I don’t understand how I didn’t see it before now, because you tagged me! Thank you for this great write-up.