Cassey Ho of Blogilates shares strategies for success prior to SXSW
While the world is grappling with the likelihood of a recession, many are searching for ways to safeguard their own future, which includes the content creators. Some have come to the conclusion that using only sponsorship deals or brand agreements to earn revenue is not sustainable..
With the possibility of a recession, brand agreements or similar ones aren't widely regarded as solid, even among artists who have built large follower number. Throw a recession into the mix, and brand deals could cease to be an effective source of income for a lot of musicians.
Solutions to this issue are being developed like the creation of social media funds like TikTok's. While they might seem like a good idea to be a good idea, they've been criticised regarding the payouts they're not that big because of the high quantity of creators seeking a portion of the limited funds. This is why TikTok is currently trying to evaluate a brand new creator fund that would give creators more payouts. However, it is not yet clear if this new version of the fund can succeed in what the original version from 2020 could not.
In order to get at the heart of the matter of how entrepreneurs can build viable businesses that are free of the limitations that social media can impose been imposing, we set up for a chat with the hero of entrepreneurship herself- Business mogul Cassey Ho, aka Blogilates.
More than 12 years ago, a tiny house pilates YouTube video earned Cassey's rise to the status of an influencer. Cassey has inspired more than 14 million viewers with her YouTube videos, which were viewed over 2 billion times.
In the end, Cassey could focus on her love for fashion. Today, she's got just two million dollars of portfolio brands, Blogilates and POPFLEX and the partnership with 24 Hour Fitness, where her signature style of POP Pilates is taught in gyms across the United States. It also comes with her trademark POP Pilates online certification course and certification course, which Cassey runs on .
With the help of her followers, and adjusting to the needs of her followers with a variety of items, Cassey has created a company that is trending for over 10 years.
Check out through the Q&A with Cassey to learn more about her strategies for diversifying her sources of income through digital and physical products and other avenues.
Note: Responses are lightly edited to improve the clarity.
How do you pitch your elevator tune you choose to use?
It is possible to say that I am a style and fitness-related business owner. I began my career through YouTube as a pilates instructor. On all platforms, I am between 14 and 15 million subscribers with 2 billion views. I started out by providing the free videos of workouts for people however this wasn't my goal in the first place. I've always dreamed of being at the forefront of fashion. When I first started to teach workouts, I built a community after which I found myself reunited to my initial passion for doing fashion. My students wanted to purchase yoga mats and clothing which is why I started dressing my clients. It's been wonderful journey that social media brought me back to my first passion for yoga. Yoga mats are placed in Target under Blogilates. POPFLEX is my company to sell clothing.
Let's take a look at the social media elements of your journey. Why did you decide to start the YouTube channel?
I was employed as a part-time instructor of pilates while in college. I taught POP Pilates specifically. This can be done with music and at the time, no one taught this type of Pilates. Pilates was performed with not any music or even traditional music. That's why I was the instructor at 24 Hour Fitness in Boston. I was about to graduate from the college, and at that point I was offered an offer from a business that was located in Boston and knew that I would have to travel throughout the United States and that nobody was going to be teaching this style of pilates anymore. In this light, I decided to record a 10-minute workout and then uploaded the workout to the YouTube website back in 2009. The goal of the video was just 40 people at the gym. That's all it was. After I uploaded it to YouTube and then deleted it, I did not look at it again until about a month later. There were many thousands of views, as well as thousands of users requesting more. This is the genesis of Blogilates!
How have you approached your strategy to make use of social media improved your daily life since you began Blogilates since the year 2009?
In 2009, it was YouTube that was used to create video. Facebook was the place to create an online community. It was a great place to be back in the day. Over the past several years, we've witnessed the various social networks emerge into the present, and it's been a lot of work. However, you must be able keep your relevance by adjusting to new technologies. It is essential to determine how to best reach the people who are on them and also how you can create posts on every one. It's essential to keep playing the game, but keep in mind that social media at end of the day is a tool. Therefore, it is dependent on who's watching you on that tool, but for the most part I consider it to be very beneficial since it can put barriers in your way, and there is no one hindering your progress. You can keep exploring and testing until you come across a form of content that is effective and continue to work on making it better every single time.
What's changed since your first launch in 2009? What's changed as an creator for YouTube?
It's been some time since we've had a significant changes! In 2009 , the year 2009, being an influencer wasn't something that was popular; earning cash through deals with brands was not a trend; AdSense wasn't even a idea in the past. Videos were uploaded on YouTube for the purpose of allowing users to display their talents, as well as humorous moments, as well as the videos they made. That was it. The goal wasn't to become famous or become YouTube famous. Then we come to 2023 and our world is very different and different in many ways. It's likely that there's less authenticity.
There are many people who want to be creators or influences because they're chasing success and recognition. Their worth is determined by the amount of money they earn, and it makes me unhappy to think of it because some of the first creators in 2009 wanted to make connections. That's why I was there. I was there to help teach POP Pilates. And, I believe that is one of the reasons Blogilates was going on for over 14 years. It didn't go out of business as you can see taking place a lot especially for the younger entrepreneurs. The market is now different and even more aggressive. But, it's also an ideal opportunity for entrepreneurs as you don't have to rely on traditional media and advertisements to get your name noticed and you can make connections with your customers with just a few clicks on your smartphone and making an online video using TikTok, YouTube Short or Instagram Reel.
What was your experience when you began earning money on YouTube? Did you have a system that you could use to earn a sustainable amount of money? If yes, could you elaborate on the system?
Actually, I'm not quite sure which was the plan. There was always an opportunity that was in the background. There was no plan to become a full-time contributing member on YouTube. I was involved in something behind the scenes, whether it was selling products or working at my very first and last company job. That's why I did not have a strategy. In the beginning, I realized that bloggers and YouTubers have been signing brand contracts but I didn't think the idea of getting an agent, or a manager, were likely. I remember one blogger friend of mine said "Don't be worried about it; there's no reason to speak to anyone. Just build your fan base and they'll appear.' So that's exactly the situation that occurred. I'm not sure whether I consider that to be an appropriate strategy However, I was focussed on my audience and helped them through creating content I believed in all of the other things resulted from this. AdSense, brand agreements, and so on constitute a portion of my source of income, but these days it is only just a small portion of my overall income since my content is the most important factor.
It was always that way for you? Or did it begin primarily via social media?
It was initially divided because I was always designing mats or yoga bags with brand names. Brand-related deals were always in the works and would increase in the beginning, however the rate of increase was so high that I got angry. I didn't like the idea of these deals since often in these agreements they are tied to the company that doesn't know or believe in your vision You follow all the points laid out in the brief but add your content and knock off each bullet point. Later, they're seeking for a change because they don't like it. It was a constant sensation of being told what I should or shouldn't be doing with my content and audience. I became so unhappy with these agreements which is why it's been my aim over the last couple of years to fizzle off of these agreements and concentrate on promoting my brand.
Let's now talk about the algorithm. Do algorithms affect your capacity for earning money through social networks?
When I started making video designs a year two months ago, I was able to see how the TikTok algorithm or YouTube algorithm functioned, and maybe not so much the Instagram algorithm, could truly determine the future of a product , and also how fast it's going to become a bestseller. As an example the legs-inducing video go through the roof and reach at least 25 million or more views which sold out the product within a matter of hours. However, sometimes something can be famous in one location but not be on the other, even though it's exactly the same thing. It's intriguing to know what is happening, but I'm not convinced that it's due to my viewers are distinct across all platforms. I think this is due to the fact that, for instance, TikTok has a higher chance of becoming viral due to the fact that it is able to serve a look-alike audience regardless of the audience the case, it's fascinating. The algorithm plays a significant role for the effectiveness of videos with regard to performance thus, playing a big part in the selling. However, when you are focusing on the quality of your product and quality, which is what me and my team is working on every day, there's no need for those viral videos. They're great but my company does not depend on it becoming viral. Instead, it depends on an excellent product.
With time, creators will recognize that they need to use social media to be more of an avenue to expand the audience and to increase traffic sources, and less as directly instruments for monetization as you have previously. What are your thoughts about this new trend?
It is important to give something to the people that watch your work. It is essential to produce something valuable, whether it entertainment or educational. It isn't possible to increase the amount of your customers by just try to extract money from your audience. That's why whatever you're hearing to this moment: What is that element you convey to your audience that they'll be able to bring home and keep in mind? Just keep trying to help your clients, after which when you're getting ready to introduce your product, they'll be able to remember how you assisted them. They're going to want to join your journey as you announce your product. For me, even while that wasn't exactly the strategy I had in mind it was what happened.
Videos on YouTube for free over a period of 10 years. During that time, I'm making products, as well as those who are aware of the making of creating the product and would like to be a part of the process. In addition, by involving them who are involved in the process of creating and developing this product, I'm doing a true community.
Many creators believe that their only option to earn earnings is through the use of brands or affiliate contracts on social media. What are the best places to suggest makers diversify sources for revenue?
We'll look at the various ways creators could diversify their sources of income. Naturally, there are branding deals as well as AdSense on YouTube, and the TikTok creator fund. Creators are also able to create products and merchandise, as well as digital products like services, or an online training course . At the end of the day it is your responsibility to determine what you are providing. What are the things that users would be willing to spend money on? It is important to ask as you're in a position to create material that's cost-free, but you cannot provide everything to get it for free. In the event that you do, you'll get exhausted. Additionally, it is an established fact that when a person purchases something, they are more likely to stay the way they're told to go as opposed to when the item is provided as a free offer.
I believe it's essential to determine what your value is, and then wrap it up into something which could be a service a product or content.
What strategies have you used to leverage the social media following of your site in order to advertise POPFLEX as well as your Blogilates collection of items on Target? How have you funneled the traffic from social media on your site?
I'll share with the crowd how I came to this idea. If I present my coolest outfit I'm not saying "oh I've got an awesome sweatshirt. You should purchase it. The product isn't being sold to the people who are watching. They are being educated. I develop products to tackle the issues. I include them in the process of designing and help to include them into the process, and also to participate in the development process. Their design requests will be considered for product creation, and we then turn it into real. This is how we create confidence with my customers. It's not about treating them like clients, but we're also treating them as partners in the process of design. This helps to make the experience enjoyable for everyone.
In the sense of getting my audience from my social media accounts to my site I concentrate on the obvious, like putting a hyperlink on my Instagram. For example, using tags to promote your items. Links can be used to guide my customers away from my social media accounts to my site. In addition, I utilize other content creators to display my items and also show the way my clothes can be worn by women of all different sizes and shapes. Yeah, our content will draw my customers towards my site. Additionally, I utilize newsletters to generate a lot of sales.
What was the very first reason you chose to get involved in conjunction with your Pilates ? What inspired you to develop the Pop Pilates courses on ?
I was desperately looking for a website that could host my instructor certification program so at the top of the show, I discussed about teaching POP Pilates at 24 Hour Fitness. In the next few years, POP Pilates becomes the official pilates of the 24 Hour Fitness centres all over the US. This is why I wanted an online platform or program to house all of the instructors , as well as to demonstrate the choreography. I couldn't find anything. I was watching Chalene Johnson's podcast. She was speaking in a casual way about something , and she brought up . That's when I learned about it ! It's the only option that would permit me to accomplish the task I had to complete with the scale I required to accomplish and I am always grateful for it.
The creator landscape overall. What are some of the costly errors creators make in the present?
Creators make many mistakes at present, however the most common issue I'm seeing is when they get a great deal of traction and a large number of viewers. And then, the moment is when they receive brand deals and the content that they produce starts to look extremely stressed. There is no doubt that there's the need to earn a wage in addition to paying bills, but at the same time they're damaging the trust of their fans. I've witnessed this style of content] degrade creators' brands. In addition, I'm interested to find out how an artist's career built on a different career evolves. As an example, a teacher transforms into an influencer. Their entire rise to fame is based on teaching, but what happens once they stop being a teacher because they've become successful [as an author]?
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What's the one thing that's not being accomplished by creators in the amount that they could be of?
Every day I hear that people would like what you have. They would like to have a product line in order to not have to speak about various brand names all the time. However, I'm of the opinion that you should have a desire for that. It is essential to envision running a product company. I think every creator that has earned a following must be able to offer a item or service. This is definitely the place the creators and their followers should seek, but you need to believe in and live the product. If not, it's going to be very difficult to sell.
Do you have any suggestions you can offer an individual who's just started on this journey and is looking to begin their journey with digital products?
It appears to be akin to what I mentioned earlier, determining the worth this product provides its audience, and then finding out the best way to display the product in a manner that makes it available to purchase. You have to keep your eyes on what that is. If you're not certain it's okay. It is possible to test this idea by downloading the free content. The goal is to assess your target audience. It is important to note that you need to be wary to not follow your audience's lead in a direction that isn't something you feel confident in. If you aren't paying attention to the statistics too carefully and you post too many remarks, you are unable to identify yourself. Then you lose your motivation and don't really know the principles you adhere to. It is one of the main reasons why creators get burned out. People who create this way feel unhappy as they don't have the time to live for themselves. They're living and creating to serve someone other than themselves. Be aware of every signal, even your heart. At the final point, you have to be making material that is enjoyable for you or else it will end as a failing.
HTML0Take control of your future by using digital products
It's evident that the future success of the creator is dependent on diversifying income streams in order to establish sustainable companies just the way Cassey has done.
With digital products, like online courses, in addition to physical and brand-name products, Cassey has been able to expand her reach around the globe and eventually take control of her life.
When creators begin to follow suit how they make the use of social media is likely to change. It will be used more a means of revenue generation as opposed to an opportunity to drive viewers to more reliable revenue sources including digital goods.
"The greatest role I have been able to play is helping me establish a an active community of instructors for Pop Pilates." -- Cassey Ho
Already, it has supported more than 55,000 creative entrepreneurs in bringing home a staggering $4.9 billion. The number of beneficiaries is increasing every minute.
We're going to get rid of the middleman , so you'll be able to keep all of your profits and also own your company's model, your audience and even your brand.
If you're interested in learning more about how to own your destiny and succeed as an entrepreneur or creator be sure to catch Cassey together with Matt Steffanina, 's President/CPO Sean Kim, and Jim Louderback when they take to the stage for sponsors at SXSW later this month..
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