How to Increase Revenue with the Hometalk Platform

Part 4 of 4: Branded Content Partnership Opportunities

Welcome back to our exclusive series on boosting your revenue with Hometalk! 

Whether you’re new to the Hometalk family of sites or a seasoned content creator, this four-part series is designed to help you reach the full potential of your Hometalk membership. Over the coming weeks, we’ll dive into ways to leverage Hometalk’s Blogger Traffic Programs, optimize your content, participate in multiple verticals, and even how to explore potential branded content opportunities with Hometalk. Think of this series as your roadmap to Hometalk success!

These posts are brought to you by Hometalk’s Senior Community Manager, Amanda, who will guide you through the logistics, rules, and important details of our creator programs. Plus, Hometalk’s favorite ambassador & blogging super-star KariAnne Wood will be sharing her expert advice, blogging tips, and personal insights from her own experiences on the Hometalk platform.

In this post we will talk about why branded content is such an integral part of being a content creator, how to get branded content deals, and how Hometalk can help you make paid partnership connections with our branded content opportunities.

Why Is Branded Content Important for Increasing Your Revenue

KariAnne's Expert Insight

Truth?

Growing your income as a creator can be super challenging.

It can feel like you are spinning your wheels and not making any money. That's where branded content comes in. Branded content is kind of a game-changer because it opens up a whole new revenue stream. Think about it – you're getting paid to share your content and things your audience loves AND connect with brands that align with your values. 

Whether it's sponsored posts, affiliate links, or exclusive content, branded collaborations can turn your blog or social platform or brand into a sustainable income source. So, if you're serious about growing your influence and making a living as a creator, embracing branded content is a smart move.

How to Leverage Your Branded Content 

KariAnne's Expert Insight

Hometalk is such an easy way to get more eyes on your branded content. 

For example, I have a FrogTape post that I wrote several years ago featuring a baseboard project. I posted it on Hometalk and it sparked additional conversations over there.

You can add affiliate links to the post as well. It’s an amazing way to generate more income for your brand—especially if it increases sales for a brand that you want to work with again. Keep track of the additional sales and circle back with the brand to generate additional branded content opportunities.

For Hometalk

While we don’t encourage posting product-heavy content or posts solely focused on brand partnerships you’ve secured on your own, remember that you’re welcome to include affiliate links within your tutorials and posts.

Posts to Hometalk’s sites should focus on the specific content guidelines relevant to the vertical you’re posting to. However, we want you to benefit as well. If you’re writing an amazing DIY tutorial perfect for Hometalk and have a great affiliate link to a product you used, don’t hesitate to add the link. Similarly, if you have a brand post or video you’re excited about and a direct feature coming up, feel free to include a call-to-action within your featured post to drive readers to your branded content.

How to Secure Brand Partnerships

KariAnne's Expert Insight

Want to get started with brands? Here are 5 tips for working with brands as a creator:

1. Know Your Worth: Don't undervalue yourself. Research industry standards and understand your worth based on your reach, engagement, and the value you bring to the brand.

2. Choose Brands That Are Authentic To You: Only partner with brands that align with your values and resonate with your audience. Authenticity is key. You don’t want your audience to unfollow or walk away from your platform because of a brand partnership. Working with brands you genuinely believe in will make the collaboration more authentic.

3. Clear Contracts are a Must: Always have a clear contract in place that outlines the scope of the project, payment terms, and any exclusivity agreements. It's essential to protect yourself and future opportunities with this brand (or any other).

4. Communication is Key: Maintain open and honest communication with the brand throughout the entire process. Be responsive to their requests and keep them updated on your progress.

5. Deliver High-Quality Content: Always strive to create high-quality, engaging content that exceeds expectations. This will impress the brand and build trust with your audience.

For Hometalk

Did you know that Hometalk can help you make brand connections? Our team is always on the lookout for content creators who might be a perfect fit for brand partnerships that we secure. Here’s how it works:

1. Hometalk partners with a brand to secure a project.

2. We select a content creator to film the requested video or write a post.

3. Hometalk shares this content on our sites and social accounts.

   
   

These partnerships are typically paid opportunities, and creators often receive the product as part of the collaboration. This is a fantastic way to dip your toe into the branded content world if you’re not sure where to start.

Whenever new opportunities arise, we send an email to our Hometalk creators. This happens about 1-3 times a month, so keep an eye on your inbox for emails like the one pictured below to apply for new partnerships. Additionally, if you’re working on new projects and are interested in branded content, reach out to us! If we have partnerships that might fit your work, our team will contact you directly.

Develop Your Video Content Skills

KariAnne's Expert Insight

Here are 5 tips for creating videos for brands as a creator:

1. Lighting is Everything: Invest in good lighting. Natural light is your friend (and use it whenever possible), but you can also use affordable ring lights or softboxes to create professional-looking videos.

2. Audio Quality Matters: Clear audio is crucial. Invest in a decent microphone to minimize background noise and ensure your viewers can hear you clearly.

3. Plan Your Shots: Before you start filming, think about the shots you want to capture. Will you use close-ups, wide shots, or over-the-shoulder shots? Planning your shots beforehand with a storyboard will help you create a more dynamic and engaging video.

4. Edit with Purpose: Don't be afraid to edit your footage. Remove any unnecessary footage and tell a story with the individual clips.

5. Practice Makes Perfect: The more you practice, the better you'll become at creating high-quality videos. Experiment with different techniques, lighting, and camera angles to find what works best for you.

For Hometalk

Hometalk is an excellent platform to grow your video skills! We have a team of amazing hosts for HometalkTV who create monthly video content for our social media accounts and get paid to do so. You can read more about it here! Here’s how it works:

• Each month, our team pitches trending content ideas.

• Our hosts put their unique spin on the ideas to create viral content.

  
  

Being part of HometalkTV is also a great way to connect with our branded content team for potential brand partnerships.

If you enjoy creating video content for your DIY tutorials and are interested in becoming a HometalkTV host, email Amanda Connelly at amanda@hometalk.com for more information.

Conclusion

Branded content is a valuable tool to grow your revenue and showcase your creativity. By leveraging affiliate links, exploring brand partnerships, and honing your video content skills, you can unlock new opportunities and maximize your potential as a content creator.

KariAnne's Expert Insight

Don’t overlook branded content when you are planning out 2025. Make a list of five brands you want to work with and then spend quality time developing a relationship with them by following along with their content and commenting on their posts. Then think of HOW you want to work with them, develop an idea and an action plan and then pitch.

YOU GOT THIS!

That’s it for our four part series on boosting your revenue with Hometalk! 

If you missed part 1 that focused on joining the Blogger Traffic Program, you can read that here!

If you missed part 2 that focused on the importance of self-aduting your posts, you can read that here!

If you missed part 3 that focused on how joining multiple verticals can expand your reach, you can read that here.

For any questions, please feel free to reach out to Amanda at amanda@hometalk.com. 

Thank you so much for reading and being part of our creator community at Hometalk!