Blogging and social media influencing has been a huge part of my life for the past few years, and it has truly opened some wonderful doors for both myself and my family. A lot of people don’t realize how hard blogging actually is, but it is definitely worth all of the hard work and dedication! If you think blogging or social media influencing may be for you, the websites below can help you get started. If you are already a current blogger, I have listed a few websites that can help you connect with more brands and possibly make some great income!

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Websites To Earn Gift Cards/Cash:

•  Crowdtap –Crowdtap offers daily “missions” such as surveys, comments, media shares, and photo entries each worth a different number of points.You must keep checking daily for new offers since they do not email you when missions become available. Each time you reach 1,000 points. you receive a $5 Amazon gift card. I have currently received over $375 in gift cards from this company. 
• Product Reportcard– This site is a survey & review site all in one. It’s a little difficult getting approved for product tests, but they pay fairly well. Payouts include amazon gift cards, paypal gift cards and many more.
• Opinion Outpost – Take Surveys and earn points for every survey you complete. Cash out your points for PayPal credit, Amazon gift cards, iTunes gift cards, and more. Surveys are fairly easy and it is not hard to qualify. 
• Inbox Dollars– This one is fairly easy. You take small surveys until you reach the cash out amount which is $30. You can also play games, and do small tasks for extra cash. It’s a little hard to qualify for higher paying jobs, but the smaller paying jobs add up quickly! You can cash out with amazon, paypal, or other gift cards.

Websites To Receive Free Products:

• Influenster–I get a TON of free stuff at this site. All you have to do is take small surveys to see if you qualify. If you do, influenster will send you a “voxbox”. Once you receive your box, you have a certain amount of days to complete your actions. Completing actions gives you badges which can also help qualify you for future boxes.Very easy!
• Bzzagent– This is one of my favorite survey and product sites. Each survey is worth around $2.00 and its pretty easy to qualify. Haven’t gotten many free products.
•  Crowdtap –I receive LOTS of products from this page. Qualifying is fairly easy but they do not send many invitations. You must keep checking daily for new offers.
• Pinch Me– This is my FAVORITE product page. You receive a box of products to review once a month. The only catch is that products are limited so you must claim them quickly or they will run out of stock.
• Smiley360 – I really like this page and i get about 2 full size products a month from them. They send you survey to see if you qualify for the mission. Each “mission” gives you a list of things you must do after receiving your product. Some require a share on Facebook or a third-party review. Its pretty easy if you can qualify.

Websites For Current Bloggers And Influencers:

• Linqia-  Linqia is one of my favorite platforms. They use PerformanceMatch™ to determine the right mix of creators, which means you will only get accepted into a campaign if you are a good match. Their campaigns pay by performance, so the more performance your posts get, the more you get paid! To sign up for Linqia you must already have 2,500+ cumulative social followers or at least 2,500 monthly visitors to your blog or YouTube channel. You must also be located in the US or Canada, and post on your blog or primary channel at least once a month. 
• Dealspotr- Dealspotr is a free community-driven company created to be a one-stop location for those seeking best deals. Influencers earn gift cards and/or money via PayPal by updating deals and sharing content. There is also a campaign dashboard that allows influencers to earn more money by working hand-in-hand with brands. The pay is based on your “Influencer Score” which is calculated by your social media platforms. 
• Socialix– Socialix is a marketplace of content creators and brands to network, collaborate and join forces for win-win results. Brands post details of what they are looking for, and blogs can apply for the collaboration. You can earn free products, cash, or both depending on the type agreement you pitch to the company. Bloggers must have at least 5k Instagram followers OR 5k YouTube followers to sign up for this website. 
• Fly By Promotions– Fly By Promotions is a family and faith based platform. When there are blogging opportunities available, you will receive an initial email which gives you the chance to ‘opt-in’ for the review. Once you opt-in, you will receive a second email confirming your participation with the specific product review information. Next the product will be sent to your preferred physical mailing address and the reviewing can begin! 
• AmbassadHer- AmbassadHer was created to empower women by allowing them to receive free products and cash rewards to promote brands online and offline so that any size brand can work with influencers regardless of their size. This is a great platform, however there is a $2.99/month membership fee. This allows the brand to connect you with more opportunities.

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Things To Consider Before Jumping Into The Blogging World:

Time: First and foremost, I can’t stress the amount of time it takes to keep a blog running smoothly. Between posting consistently and then keeping up with social media, it can quickly become a full time job. There are months where I’ll only have one or two posts, then months where I am so overwhelmed that I have to turn down products and possible income. Blogging can be very seasonal. There are months where it may seem like I’m putting out more money than I’m getting in. Sticking with it and being consistent is absolutely crucial! Although blogging fluctuates, be prepared to spend several hours a day keeping your blog running smoothly.

Money: Everyone gets excited when they hear about all the extra potential income bloggers can make. As an established blogger and influencer you can charge for product reviews, sponsored posts, guest posts, and much more. I can’t forget to mention all of the freebies that brands sometimes send in exchange for honest feedback. As I’ve mentioned before, blogging can be seasonal. There can be months where you make an extra $2,000-$3,000 a month, and then the very next month you’re recording $0 income and your website fees are due. You can’t run a successful blog without first coming out of pocket. The reality is that sometimes you’ll spend more money on your domain, advertising, and marketing than you’re actually pocketing. It’s a risk you have to take if you’re truly interested in your blog taking off. A successful blogger needs to own their domain, giving them legal rights over their content. You’ll also need a host (like WordPress) which is usually a yearly fee. If you want to take it a step further, you can also pay a fee to get a custom and original logo which can make your blog more recognizable. To sum it up quickly, you need to spend money to make money!

Legality: Bloggers and influencers have their own set of laws that they absolutely MUST follow. The most basic law targeted to bloggers is the FTC guidelines regarding product reviews and advertisements. If you intend to post feedback about products or services, you must clearly disclose your partnership with the brand. This is Section 5 of the FTC Act (15 U.S.C. 45), which basically means if you are working with the company you’re featuring, you must let your readers know. If you got paid or got a free product in exchange for honest feedback, you must let your readers know. The only time this doesn’t apply, is when you’ve purchased the product yourself and have no relationship with the brand whatsoever. (See the cute images at the end of my posts? Yep, thats a disclosure!) Bloggers and influencers also need to be aware of copyright laws. If you Google an image of a flower and then post it on your social media, you could potentially be setting yourself up for a copyright lawsuit! This law not only protects others, but it can also protect you if other bloggers try to steal your content (which happens more than you think). Last but definitely not least, bloggers and influencer absolutely MUST claim their income on their taxes. Even if you claim your blog is simply a hobby, the second you begin to make any form of income it needs to be reported. Create a document or a spreadsheet and keep track of EVERY source of income including the company name and total fees you were paid. Most companies will send you 1099 forms at the end of the year but even if they don’t send you a form, you still have to claim that income. Some of this may sound a bit scary, but once you’re aware of the laws and guidelines it’s actually quite easy to follow.