How I Got My First Brand Deal as a Personal Finance Creator - YFCD #14

Welcome back,

Tomorrow's the first Club Catch-Up, a weekly get-together where members get an interrupted hour to work on the creative side of business.

The first 45 minutes will be dedicated to working on whatever you deem as a priority - it could be writing a weekly blog, finishing a client newsletter, scheduling social media posts, updating website copy, etc.

Then, the last 15 minutes will be an opportunity for members to chat, ask questions, and get feedback.

It'll be hosted on Zoom and for the first attempt, we're trying 11am CST to see how it fits everyone's schedule.

If you'd like to join us, just reply to this email and I'll get you added to the calendar invite.

Getting Paid to Create

When I started my firm, I planned to get clients through content & eventually follow a similar path to Brittney Castro's influencer model.

Knowing that I needed to get my reps in, I published the first video in summer 2020 (two weeks after launch):

Following the firm's "welcome" video, I started writing blogs & using them as scripts to record a video version (seen above with Financial Advisor vs Robo Advisor).

Once the video was published, I'd go back & embed it within the blog to help with SEO & reader experience.

I kept up with a weekly blog+video combo for several months until I started feeling overwhelmed by trying to do too much..

Because at the same time, I was also trying to make TikToks about the stock market at the McDonald's drive-thru:

And publishing a weekly video series that ended up lasting a year and a half (which also got featured in Investor's Business Daily):

It was A LOT of video. I was also posting & distributing them regularly to Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

It felt like I was doing everything I could to get my name out there.

And after some time, I started getting closer to the "paid influencer" spot I had dreamed of a just couple years prior.

In early 2022, someone who I'd been following for a while reached out via DM and asked if I wanted to make short financial education videos for their brand:

19 months after publishing the first video.

I replied back, went out to New York, met up with Jaimin for lunch (the founder of the company), and we discussed what the relationship would look like.

(If you love Mexican food & street tacos, try this place next time you go)

When I got back home, we got the details ironed out & my goal was accomplished:

I'm not sure that I can disclose the exact amount paid, but it was a round number more than $50 & less than $150/per video.

The nice thing: while getting paid to make videos for their brand, I could also post them under my own account - essentially putting me in a position to get paid for what I was already doing

Eventually, the arrangement ended once all the necessary videos had been recorded - but I can't describe the confidence that came from someone else seeing value in what I was doing.

How to Use a Graphic as the Starting Point for a Blog Post

Lil Wayne used other rappers' beats to become one of the most prolific artists in the mid-2000s.

Rather than making every song from scratch, he'd often take popular songs, record his own verses over them, and publish 10-20 of them together as a free mixtape.

(If you'd like to listen, here's the best one)

Because the projects were released for free, it was easy for anyone to listen & share. And because he made the songs unique with his own lyrics, the original artists would often share or support what he was doing - giving him free distribution & attention.

While we're not laying down 16 bars, we can use the same tactic & strategy to make it easier to create content.

For example, this graphic from Visual Capitalist shows how the ultra-wealthy invest their money:

It's super unique, well-designed - you could easily turn this into a blog post with a simple framework:

• Give credit to the original source more often than not
• Share a few of your initial thoughts when looking at the graphic, what stands out to you, what's surprising to you - people like to see how other people think
• Figure out what your client base (or desired client base) would find valuable as a takeaway - what can they learn, or what can you teach them from the graphic?

Here's an example title & outline you could use for this one:

How the Wealthy Invest Their Money (Visual Breakdown)

Visual Capitalist recently published a report that shows how people with over $30,000,000 invest their money:

*insert graphic & link

While you may not have $30,000,000 to invest, there are a few things here that I believe can help you on your financial journey.

Point #1 - Why they own so many homes, the possible tax benefits

Point #2 - The diversification between equities, bonds, REITS, gold

Point #3 - Why they invest in commercial real estate - the benefits & drawbacks

Creative Corner

[Graphic] 2024 Contribution Updates - includes two different versions that can be edited to best reflect your client base:

• Before downloading, be sure to update the text at the bottom to your own website URL
• When shared on twitter, the graphic is formatted so that none of the information is cut off (while taking up as much space in the feed as possible)
• This could also be used as a starting point for a blog post on your firm's website where you dive into the nuances & different account types - maybe titled Financial Numbers to Know in 2024 (Contribution Limits). You could also add relevant 2024 dates to the post, like quarterly tax deadlines, open enrollment, etc.

I appreciate your attention,

Treyton DeVore

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