Apr 20, 2013 |
You know those moments that you think, well, I missed that boat by a mile, and so you quit thinking about the trip? Yeah. So that happened.
Last year when I was otherwise unemployed but had a great amount of time available, I began writing short reviews for Trekaroo. You know Trekaroo. I’ve mentioned them here and there.
So after a few reviews, I received an email. Would I like to become a Superoo? A sponsored reviewer. Well, heck. I get to write. I get to travel (even locally). And they give me an outlet for my creative musings? Who wouldn’t want that. Sure, I said. I’m interested.
Good, they said. We choose our Superoos once a year. In Spring.
Darn, I said. I dislike waiting.
But wait I did. And then, my reviewing slowed. Not because I wasn’t interested. But because I had a Cookbook to produce. And I was still unemployed which meant the wallet wasn’t conducive to excursions. When I did start working, well, you know. There’s these things calls bills I needed to concentrate on.
So. I waited on Trekaroo. And they waited on me.
I was sure I’d missed my chance. That ship has sailed. That plane has flown. (Are you picking up on the travel metaphors here? It’s not intentional. But hey, whatever floats your boat…)
I haven’t written a review for months. Out here in Southern California it’s practically summer. Yup. I’m not gonna be a Superoo this year.
Darn.
Or… am I?
Enter the Email.
Congrats! Your contributions to Trekaroo have caught the eye of our Superoo Council. You have been awarded coveted Superoo status.
After pouring through thousands of Trekaroo passports, the Superoo Council was particularly impressed by your reviews and other contributions to Trekaroo over the past year. Without you, Trekaroo wouldn’t be the top resource for families who love to explore and travel. We are proud to announce you as one of our 2013 Superoos today on our blog.
How. Happy. Am. I!!!
Yes. That’s right. I’m THAT happy! It’s wonderful, as a writer, to see long term efforts pay off. It’s even more wonderful to be recognized when you thought you were buried under the mud.
Thanks for pulling me up and out, Trekaroo.
And now… TheRealMojo68 is ready to fly! Or… drive. Or… eat. Or… play. Or… oh, heck! Just send me somewhere fun!
LET’S GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD!!!
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Check out my Trekaroo Profile and Reviews!
TheRealMojo68
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My Trekaroo Reviews
Destination: Mission Inn, Riverside, CA
Destination: Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island, Michigan
Dec 30, 2012 |
The TV subscription is cancelled. It’s not my favorite moment, and I’m looking forward to a few months down the road when I can afford to resubscribe. But since I’m having trouble paying even just my regular bills, I can’t see my way around paying for TV and not paying, say, the telephone bill or car insurance.
Instead, we spent yesterday watching DVDs that we haven’t seen for a while. Then I delighted myself with Season 1, Disc 1 of FLASHPOINT. Not just any DVD, either. This one is special. This one came straight from the producers in Toronto. I’m gonna miss this show!
We undecorated nearly all of the Christmas decorations. But I’ve an ear infection or terrible head cold or something, which made balancing (like, just standing up) a true circus act, and even my thinking cap wouldn’t stay on.
This morning I feel a little better. Just enough to have my wits about me and not have to ask my brain to turn down the ringing in my ear. It’s hard to hear myself think with all that raucous going on!
With just two days left in this awful year, today I plan to clean my kitchen, put away the rest of the holiday decor, plan an emergency budget for January, drink tea… and read.
So I guess I could keep writing here… but Pages are calling me.
I’m going to learn how to build a Better Blog. For your benefit, and mine. And I’m gonna share with you each step. So you can boost your Blog, too. It’s a win-win.
But first… I have some Dragons to meet.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Sep 27, 2012 |
…so this is love… is one of my favorite Blogs. She’s also on twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook. We connect a lot.
We connected through BlogHer’s NaBloPoMo over a year ago. Since then, I’ve followed her touching stories of being a child therapist, her struggles with infertility, and her amazing adventures in life. Right now, she’s in the middle of a cross-country journey with her husband Casey, her mom Sandy, and their two dogs.
And yesterday, she drove through my part of the world. How awesome is that?! I may live in a little nowheresville-type place, but it’s on the direct connect from L.A. to Vegas. When I heard Jenn would be driving by, I insisted they detour off the freeway and we meet up for coffee!
Being calm and subdued as usual.
It was just like meeting up with an old friend. There was no awkwardness, no debilitating silence. Just a great hour spent with a great friend and her family.
Blog Family: Sandy (mom), Casey (husband), Jenn
We started by mixing up our Starbuck’s. At the appointed time, we both texted each other, “Here”, only to find “here” was about five miles apart. I quickly drove to their location and entered the store. I recognized them immediately, which was a great comfort. I was nervous there might be the pretense of a public persona vs. private, and I wasn’t sure which I’d be encountering.
On my way there, I thought to myself, “I should have warned her I’m a hugger.” But there was no need. I stepped in to the ‘Bucks and there they were. She rose immediately and embraced me like a long-lost friend. Hugs, handshakes, and how-do-you-do’s all around, and we sat down with our lattes and started talking.
There was no “get to know you” chatter. No deep questions. We already know so much. We’re connected nine ways to Sunday. Meeting in person was just the icing on the cake.
New Old Friends
What’s better than wonderful? Terrific? Heartfelt? When they left, there were hugs all around, and I felt a little sad. I was mentally scheming of ways to follow them to Las Vegas. Now that would be a fun pin in the map!
I loved hearing about their trip so far. Favorite moments? Too many to mention. Plans gone awry? They go with the flow. Expectations? Exceeded. Adventures? By the Bucket Load.
I love living vicariously through her posts: the visits to places I’ve been (The Henry Ford Museum). Photos of places I’ve yet to see (Hershey, PA). But my favorite so far is The Story of Road Warrior.
Abundant with photos, her Blog documents the little moments in her life as well as the big ones. Today she posted on Instagram: her dog Skeeter was checking out a picture of us on Facebook. Not to be outdone, Little Cat is now on Instagram, checking out Skeeter, checking out us.
Stalker
Because we do things thoroughly, me and Jenn. That’s why she’s such a great friend. And I’m pretty sure this meet-up was just the first drop in the bucket.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Sep 24, 2012 |
It’s here! The first major cosmetic surgery for Frankly, My Dear…
It’s not finished. It needs a few more changes. But so far, so good.
The first thing you’ll notice is when reading individual posts, the sidebar disappears. This means, if you want links (like Popular Posts, Blog Buttons, and advertising), you’ll have to check out the home page. Can’t find it? That’s because I renamed that button! It’s now “START HERE”.
So go ahead. Start Here.
Let me know what you think.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Sep 11, 2012 |
Recently, I asked my friend Ann of Doodles and Jots how she was able to get a certain company to sponsor a giveaway on her blog. Her reply was simply, “I asked.”
Okay. You’re right. It wasn’t that simple. But it was close. She told me she found a company that she thought would be more willing to sponsor. She contacted them with her proposal, and after a few months of negotiating emails and phone calls, she had her first giveaway!
Giveaways are great. It’s a way to bring more traffic to your Blog and show off your other skills. Companies pay attention to how thorough you review product; what your presentation style is; and whether your photographs compliment their product.
I’ve previously self-sponsored giveaways for books and gift packs, but recently started to seek Corporate Sponsorship. My first two, Aroma Housewares and Scharffen Berger, were exceptionally helpful. They both cross-promoted the Giveaways on twitter and Facebook. Which led to more Blog traffic.
Which, as any Blogger can tell you, is the ultimate goal of Blogging. I’m no longer lowest on the totem pole when it comes to being noticed. This comes in handy when I seek sponsorship from other companies.
I have a basic format to follow when emailing these companies. First, introductions are important. I tell them who I am, what my Blog is, and why I’m writing them (to seek sponsorship). Then I mention numbers. How many unique daily readers do I have? Approximately how many views per month? These numbers are important. I also let them know that these numbers are growing every day. I reference past reviews and giveaways that I’ve done (including links to the most recent post), and offer to review and promote their product. If there’s a specific product I’m interested in, I say so. Otherwise, I’ll leave that to their discretion. Finally, I tell them which social media sites I’m active on so they know how their Sponsorship will be promoted. I end by thanking them for their consideration, and sign off with my name, email address, and Blog site.
As for companies to contact, I try to stick with ones I’m familiar with. For my first Giveaway, I offered to review a product I already had (the Aroma Housewares’ Rice Cooker). All they had to do was agree to offer one to a random winner. It worked!
Soon after, I contact Scharffen Berger and they immediately responded with a better offer: They sent me eight assorted bars of their Artisan Chocolates and offered to provide the same to TWO winners!
There’s no tried-and-true formula for seeking Sponsors. The bigger Blogs (She’s Becoming DoughMessTic being one of my favorites) pretty much doesn’t have to seek out sponsorship. She’s so well-known, so well-put-together, that companies seek her reviews.
I asked Susan of DoughMessTic how she did it, and she advised to follow through. Respond to every email. Follow up. Be polite. And promote, promote, promote!
“Pinterest/Twitter/FB. Use them. Ask friends to help promote.
Do a good job for the sponsor, more will come.”
It was affirming to know that I’m already Doing It Right. I’m reaching out, I’m keeping in touch, and I’m definitely seeking promotion through various social networks.
I Googled “How to Get Blog Sponsors”. While most sites state the obvious “Ask” as their Number One rule, I came across this little gem as well: Post it on the Blog. Seriously. Who woulda thought to write on the Blog itself
“Hey! This Blog Needs Sponsors!”
How much more basic than that can a Blogger get?
Well, I’ve definitely been asking. And getting some remarkably wonderful results. I’m working on a Holiday Gift Basket Giveaway for early November, and while I’m still hammering out the small details, I’ve several sponsors on board already with a few more in negotiations. On top of the ones I haven’t heard back from yet. But I think it will be great.
I don’t want to name names just yet. I want to get a few more attached to this Shin-Dig before the Great Reveal. But trust me. It’s worth sticking around for.
Oh. And if you know of a company who might appreciate a good review and want to sponsor a giveaway, send them my way, would ya? Because
THIS BLOG NEEDS SPONSORS!
Thanks.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
