Cassey Ho of Blogilates shares secrets for success ahead of SXSW
In the midst of the possibility of a recession, people are looking for a way to protect themself, even the creators of content. In the process, many are coming to the realization that using only brand deals and sponsorships to generate revenue is not sustainable..
A possible recession aside brands, deals with brands as well as similar deals aren't known for consistency--even for creators who have established large follower counts. Throw a recession into the mix and deals could disappear altogether as an option to earn income for many artists.
Solutions to this problem have been developed, among them Social media creator funds similar to TikTok's. While they may seem, they've been criticized for their small payouts because of the huge amount of creators requesting a share of these funds. To address this, TikTok is actively testing a revamped creator fund which will offer creators greater pay-outs. However, it is too early to tell whether this revamped version of the fund can be able to do what the 2020 version did not.
To understand the underlying principles of how creative people can develop sustainable businesses free of the limitations on social networks, we set down to talk with the queen of entrepreneurialism herself, business mogul Cassey Ho AKA Blogilates.
About 12 and a half years ago, a modest house pilates YouTube video earned Cassey's elevation to influencer status. She's inspired over 14 million people through her videos that have been watched over 2 billion times.
In the end, Cassey could focus on her love of fashion. Cassey now has not only two, but two multimillion dollars portfolio brands: Blogilates and POPFLEX in addition to the partnership with 24 Hour Fitness, where her signature format POP Pilates is taught in fitness centers across the nation. In the agreement is her famous POP Pilates online certification course that Cassey hosts on .
With her ability to leverage her fans and adjusting to the needs of her audience through a range of services, Cassey has built a business that has been in the spotlight for more than 10 years.
Dive into the Q&A with Cassey for a deeper look at the way she's diversified her income streams through physical and digital merchandise as well as other sources.
Note: Responses were lightly edited to improve clarity.
What's the elevator song you use?
You could say that I am a fashion and fitness business owner. I started off on YouTube as a pilates instructor. On all platforms I have more than 14 to 15 million followers with two billion views, and essentially got my career started by offering free home exercise videos to users, but that really wasn't my goal. I've always wanted to be fashionable. I began teaching yoga, built a community, and then because of it I was able get back to my original desire to be a fashionista. My audience was asking for yoga mats, clothes, and clothing, so I began to dress my audience. And it's just been such a beautiful journey how social media brought me back towards my original passion. Yoga mats are found in Target under Blogilates. POPFLEX is my company for clothing.
Let's dig in and understand the social media aspects of your experience. What led you to ultimately start you own YouTube channel?
I had a side job instructing pilates at college. POP Pilates specifically. It can be done with music and at the time nobody was teaching that format. Pilates was done to no music or just classical music. This is why I was teaching the class at 24 Hour Fitness, and I was about to graduate, and at the time, I got a job to teach in Boston and I knew I had to move across the country and that there was no way to be teaching this kind of pilates again. Due to this I decided to make the workout in ten minutes, and uploaded it to this YouTube website in the year 2009. It was only for 40 participants in the gym. That's it, and then after I uploaded it the video, I did not look at it until a few months later. It received thousands of views as well as hundreds of users asking for more information, which is the main reason for Blogilates!
How have you changed the way that you use social media changed your life since you started Blogilates back in the year 2009?
In 2009, YouTube that was used to create video, and Facebook was the place to create a community. It was a nice spot back in. Over time, we've had all of these different social networks come into play the past, and it's been a lot of work, but you have to remain relevant by adapting to the new platforms. You must figure out how to speak to the people who are on them as well as how to produce material for each. You have to keep playing the game, but remember that social media at the end it all is an instrument. It all depends on who's watching you on that tool, but generally speaking I consider it to be a positive thing because it breaks down barriers and no one is gatekeeping you from your accomplishments. It is possible to keep testing and testing until you discover a form of content that is effective, and then you keep working to improve it each occasion.
What has changed since you first launched in 2009? In terms of being a creator on YouTube?
It's been a long time since we've seen any significant change! In 2009 it was not an option; earning money via brand deals wasn't a thing; AdSense wasn't even a feature in the past. YouTubers uploaded videos on YouTube for the simple reason of wanting to show their knowledge, their funny moments, and their content. That was it. It wasn't about getting famed or becoming YouTube celebrities. Fast forward to now, 2023, and the scene is so different, and in many ways, I'm sure it's not as authentic.
Some people are looking to be influential or create due to the desire for recognition and fame. Their self-worth is driven by the metrics which makes me sad to think about that because a lot of the original creators who first started their journey in 2009 were there to meet. That's why I was there. I wanted to teach POP Pilates. And, I believe that is the reason Blogilates has existed for fourteen years now. It didn't fizzle out, and you see that occurring a lot among young creators. I believe the market is different and more competitive. It's an excellent opportunity for entrepreneurs as it doesn't require relying on traditional media and advertisements for getting your brand and out there. You can begin making connections with your audience with a simple switch on your mobile and creating the TikTok short, YouTube video or Instagram Reel.
What was your experience like when you started earning income via YouTube? Do you have a strategy that you could use to earn a sustainable money? If yes, please provide us with the details of the program?
Truthfully, I'm not sure if it was a true idea or not. I had always had work on the side. It was never to be a full-time contributor the world of YouTube. I was working behind the scenes, regardless of whether I was selling things or working my first and final company job. So no, I didn't make a plan. However, in the beginning I started to realize that YouTubers and bloggers were getting brand deals but I didn't think that getting an agent, or even a manager was even possible. I remember one of my bloggers said to me "Don't stress about it; there's no need to reach out, just keep building your following and they'll arrive.' So that's exactly the situation that happened. I don't know if I considered that a plan however, I was focused on my readers and helped them by putting out amazing content I was strongly about, and everything else resulted from that. AdSense, brand dealsand anything else make up my revenue stream, but these days it makes up just a tiny fraction of my revenue total because it's the primary thing.
Was that always the case with you? Or did it start out primarily with social media?
It started out probably more divided because I was always making yoga mats and yoga bags as well as brand partnerships. They were always there and they would increase, but as they increased, I also became more unsatisfied. I wasn't a fan of them [brand deals] because oftentimes when you sign up for brand deals, you're bound up with a company which doesn't fully recognize or believe in your vision It's like you go through the bullet points of the brief, but you submit your content and knock off every bullet point. Then they want to make an adjustment since they aren't happy with it. There was a constant sense of people telling me what I can or cannot use my own material as well as my readers. I became so dissatisfied with brand agreements that it's been my aim over the last several years to fade off of these agreements and concentrate on speaking about my brand.
We'll now discuss the algorithm. Have algorithms affected your potential earning income from social platforms?
When I started making video designs a year a half ago, how the TikTok algorithm, or the YouTube algorithm functioned, and maybe but not as much the Instagram algorithm. It could decide the fate of a product and how quickly it's likely to become a bestseller. For example, we had an unflattering video go through the roof and gain over 25 million views or more in a matter of minutes, and sold out the product in a couple of hours. However, sometimes a post can go viral in one place but not on another, and it's the same video. It's intriguing to know the results in this regard, and I'm not convinced it's because my viewers are different on each platform however, I believe that it's due to the fact that, for instance, TikTok has this high chance of virality because they are able to serve the same audience regardless of the audience the case, it's fascinating. The algorithm plays an important role in the performance of videos in terms of performance, thus, playing significant roles in selling. However, when you remain focused on a great product, which I and my team does every single day, you don't need these viral videos. The videos are great, however, my business doesn't depend on making it viral. Instead, it relies on an excellent product.
We're predicting that going forward creatives will be aware that they must use social media more as an avenue to increase audience size and as a traffic source, and less as directly monetization tools like what you've already been able to achieve. Do you have a view on this trend?
You want to be able to give something to your audience. It is essential to provide worth, whether it's for entertainment or education. You're not going build a following if you're just going to attempt to make money off of them. That's why whatever you're doing for those of you listening to this moment: What is that aspect you communicate with your audience that they'll be able to take home and keep in mind? Just keep trying to assist your customers, and then when you're ready to launch your product, they'll think of the time you help them. They'll want to become part of the process as you release your product. For me, even while this wasn't the plan I had in mind it was what happened.
Free YouTube videos over a time period of about a decade as well as amidst the process of designing products and people who see the process of the product and eager to become part of it. Then, by including their input in the design process and making this product I'm doing a true community.
Most creators think the only way to make income is through brands and affiliate agreements on social media. Where would you suggest that creators diversify their internet revenue streams?
Let's list out all of ways that creators can diversify their sources of income. Naturally, there are branding deals as well as AdSense on YouTube, and TikTok's creator fund. Creators may also consider creating merchandise and products and digital goods like services or online training course . In the end your day, you need be able to determine what value are you providing. What do people want to pay for? must ask this question since it is possible to create content for free but you cannot give away everything at no cost. In the event that you do, you'll get exhausted. In addition, research is a proven fact that when a person purchases something, they are more likely to stay in their purchase than if it is offered for free.
I think it's important to identify what your value is and then package the value into something, which could be a service an item, or information.
What strategies have you used to increase your social media audience to promote POPFLEX as well as your Blogilates line of products available at Target? How have you directed visitors from social media onto your site?
I will show the audience how I came up with the idea. If I am showing off a cool sweater, I'm not just telling them 'Ooh I've got a great sweater. You should buy it.' Again, we don't sell to our audience. We're educating them. I design to solve problems. I involve them in the design process, which helps to involve them into the process, and to involve them in the outcome. Their design requests are passed on to the development team, and then we help make it occur, and by doing so we establish trust with my clients. We're not just treating them as clients, but we're treating them like co-designers. It makes the journey fun for everyone.
In terms of shifting my followers from my social media accounts to my website I concentrate on what is obvious, such as putting a link on my Instagram. For example, using tags to promote your items. Links are a way to direct my customers from my social platforms to my site. I also use other content creators to show off my products in addition to demonstrating how my clothing can fit women of all different shapes and sizes. Yes, the content we create is what funnels my audience towards my site. Also, I use a newsletter to drive tons of sales.
How did you ultimately start at the beginning ? Why did you decide to design the Pop Pilates courses on ?
I was desperately searching for a site that would host my instructor certification program so at the top of this podcast I talked about the possibility of teaching POP Pilates at 24 Hour Fitness. In the next few years, POP Pilates becomes the official Pilates program at every 24 Hour Fitness in the US. So I was looking for an online portal or program that would house all the instructors , and also to show the choreography. I could not find any. It was while listening to Chalene Johnson's show on her podcast. She was talking in a casual manner about something when she made reference to . And that's how I found out about ! It really was the only one that could let me do what I wanted to do on the scale that I required and I am always grateful for that.
The creator landscape as a whole. What are the most common mistakes that creators making in today's environment today?
There are creators who make a lot of mistakes today, but the main issue I've seen is when creators are able to gain traction and a large audience. Then the moment comes that they get brand deals and the content they create starts to feel extremely unnatural. Sure there is a need for a salary, and they need to pay bills however, at the same that they're losing confidence with their followers. I've seen it [this style of content] degrade creators' brands. In addition, I'm interested to know how an artist career that is based on another career plays out. A teacher, for instance, becomes an influencer. Their whole rise to fame is due to being a teacher, but what happens after they stop being a teacher because they've become successful [as a creator]?
Our answer? Start a course on .
What is one thing you don't see creators doing enough of?
I hear it that everyone wants what you have. People would like to have a product line in order to not need to think about competing brands all of the time. The thing is I'm of the opinion that to want that, you need to be motivated to manage any kind of business that's based around products. Every creator who's built an audience should have some type of item or service. It's definitely where people [creators] should go and you should believe and live your product, because if you don't believe in it, it's going to be very difficult to market.
What's a piece of advice you have for someone new to this path who is looking to start using digital tools?
I think it goes to what I mentioned earlier regarding determining what value that you can provide your customers in the first place, then finding a way to present it in a way that it is available for purchase. You have to know what the value is. And, if you're not certain, that's fine. You're able to determine your idea with the free content. The key is to feel out the people who are watching you. However, I would like to add that you must be cautious in not let your audience steer you in a direction that you aren't comfortable in. If you follow the numbers too much and make too many comments it can lead to losing your own identity. You can lose your purpose and don't really know who you are anymore This is a major reason creators get exhausted. People who create this way become unhappy because they no have the freedom to live for them. They're living and creating for somebody else. Therefore, pay attention to every signal, even your heart. In the end, you have to be creating contents that make you feel happy because otherwise, it's unlikely to be sustainable.
Take control of your future with digital products
It's clear--the future of the creator's success depends on diversifying income streams in order to establish sustainable businesses, much like Cassey did.
With digital products, like online courses, in addition to physical merchandise and brand deals, Cassey has been able to make an impact around the world and ultimately, own her destiny.
If creators are beginning to follow suit their peers, the ways they utilize social media is likely to evolve. They will use it not as a method of monetization and more as an avenue to direct their audience to other, reliable sources of revenue like digital merchandise.
"The most significant role that HTML0 has played is in helping me foster a vibrant instructor community for Pop Pilates." - Cassey Ho
has already supported over 55,000 creative entrepreneurs to earn the sum of $4.9 billion dollars. This number is growing as each day passes.
We're going to eliminate the middleman so you can keep all of your profit and also own your audience, business model as well as your name.
To learn more about how you can take control of your destiny and be successful in your career as an entrepreneur and creator Catch Cassey as well as Matt Steffanina, 's President/CPO Sean Kim, and Jim Louderback at the sponsored stage of SXSW in the coming month..
If you're looking to begin expanding your earnings through digital products, test your luck your options with fourteen-day free trial.