Cassey Ho of Blogilates shares strategies for success prior to SXSW
In the midst of an imminent recession, people are looking for a way to protect their own businesses, which includes content creators. This is why some are coming to realize that the sole reliance on sponsorship deals or brand partnerships for revenue isn't sustainable.
A possible recession aside, brand deals as well as similar deals aren't known to be reliable even among creators with massive followings. Incorporate a recession in the mix and deals may disappear completely as a source of income for many artists.
Solutions to the ongoing issue have been developed, among them Social media creator funds like 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 the limited funds. To address this, TikTok is actively exploring a new version of the creator fund that will give creators more pay-outs. However, it is too early to tell whether this new variant of the funds will succeed in what the version of 2020 could not.
To understand the underlying principles of the question of how entrepreneurs can create sustainable businesses free of the limits that social media has, we sit to work to talk with the queen of entrepreneurship herself--business mogul Cassey Ho, aka Blogilates.
More than 12 years ago, a small Pilates at home YouTube video led to Cassey's elevation to influencer status. She's motivated over 14 million people through her videos that have been watched nearly two billion times.
This meant that Cassey could focus on her love for fashion. Now, she has only two, but two multimillion dollar portfolio brands, Blogilates and POPFLEX and a partnership with 24 Hour Fitness, where her signature format POP Pilates is taught in fitness centers across the nation. The partnership also includes her trademark POP Pilates online certification course, which Cassey runs on .
Through leveraging her followers and adapting to their needs by offering a variety of products Cassey has created a company that is trending for more than 10 years.
Take a look at the Q&A with Cassey to learn more about how she has diversified her income streams through physical products, digital goods as well as other sources.
Note: The responses are lightly edited for clarity.
What's your elevator pitch?
One could say I'm a fashion and fitness-related entrepreneur. My first venture was with YouTube as a pilates instructor. On all platforms I have more than 14 million or 15 million subscribers with two billion views, and basically started my journey with free workout videos to people but this was not my main goal. I always wanted to be at the forefront of fashion. I started teaching workouts, built a community, and later, because of that I was able to return to my initial passion of doing fashion. The people I taught to were asking me for yoga mats and clothes, so I began to dress my audience. It's been an amazing journey as social media led me back to my initial love of yoga. My yoga mats can be located in Target under Blogilates, and POPFLEX is my clothing business.
Let's dig in and understand some of your social media experience. What led you to ultimately create your YouTube channel?
I was employed as a part-time instructor as a pilates instructor in college. I taught POP Pilates specifically. This can be done with music and at the time nobody taught that style of Pilates. Pilates was taught to the absence of music, or only to the classical genre. This is why I was teaching the class at 24 Hour Fitness, and I was about to graduate, and at the time I received an with a company in Boston and was aware that I had to move across the nation and there was no way to be teaching this kind of pilates anymore. Because of this I decided to film a ten-minute workout and then upload it on the YouTube website in 2009. The video was intended for just 40 participants in the gym. That's the end of it. After I uploaded it the video, I did not look at it again until about a month later. The site had thousands of visits and hundreds of comments asking for more, and that's the main reason for Blogilates!
What has your approach to make use of social media changed in your experience since you began Blogilates in 2009?
In 2009, it was YouTube was the form of video. Facebook was where you created an online community. It was a great location back in the day. Throughout the years, we've had many different social media platforms emerge the past, and it's been exhausting but you have to be able to stay relevant through adapting to new platforms. It's up to you to determine what you can say to the people who are on them and also how you can create material for each. It is essential to continue playing the game, but remember that social media at the end of all is just a tool. Therefore, it is dependent upon who is watching you through this tool. However, for the most part, I think it's an excellent thing since it can break down walls and no one is gatekeeping you from achieving your goals. Keep trying and testing until you find a type of content that is effective, and then you keep trying to do it and improve it each time.
What's been different since your first launch back in 2009 ? What has changed in the process of being a creator on YouTube?
A lot has changed! In 2009 it was not an option; earning money via brand deals was not a trend; AdSense wasn't even a concept in the past. Videos were uploaded on YouTube for the simple reason of wanting to share their expertise and funny moments and their content. That was it. It was not about becoming famous or becoming YouTube celebrities. In the year 2023 and the world is so different, and it's different in many ways. I'm sure there's less authenticity.
People want to become creators or influences due to the desire for the spotlight and recognition. Their self-worth is driven by the metrics that they're chasing, and it's unhappy to think of it because most of the first creators who started in 2009 were there to make connections. This is why I went to the event. I wanted to teach POP Pilates. That is one of the reasons Blogilates has existed for 14 years. It hasn't ceased to exist which is happening a lot with new creators. I think the landscape is different and more competitive. It's great for entrepreneurs since there's no need to depend on traditional media and advertisements to make your name known there; you can start making connections with your audience by turning on your phone and making a TikTok and YouTube short or an Instagram Reel.
What were your experiences as you began earning money on YouTube? Do you have a strategy for generating a steady income? If so, can you provide us with the details of that program?
In all honesty, I'm not sure whether it was really a strategy. I always had a job in the background. It was never to get fully involved on YouTube; I always did something in the background whether it was selling stuff or at my very first company job. That's why I didn't really have a strategy. However, in the beginning I began to see that YouTubers and bloggers had been receiving brand contracts, and I didn't even think that getting an agent or manager, was possible. I remember one of my bloggers said to me 'Don't worry about it, there's no need to reach out. Just keep growing your fan base and they'll be there.' So that's exactly the situation that happened. I don't know if I considered that a plan or not, but I did my best to focus on my followers and worked to serve my audience by creating amazing content I was deeply about. Then everything was born from this. AdSense, brand dealsand anything else are a part of my revenue stream, but today, they make up less than one percent of my revenue total because the product is the main aspect.
Did that happen consistently with you? Or did it first begin on social?
It was initially than a split, as I was constantly making yoga mats and yoga bags, and brand deals were in the pipeline and they'd increase however, as they increased, I also became more unhappy. I was not a fan [brand deals] because oftentimes in these deals you're tied up with a company that just doesn't really recognize or believe in your vision It's like you go through all the bullet points on the brief. Then you submit the material, and it knocks off every bullet point, and then they're looking to make an adjustment because they don't like it. There was a constant sense of someone was telling me what I can or cannot create with my content and audience. I became so unhappy doing brand deals and it's my aim over the last couple of years to fizzle out of such deals , and instead focus on talking about my branding.
Let's discuss the algorithms. Are algorithms affecting your ability for earning money through social media platforms?
Since I began making design videos a year and two months ago, I realized that the way that the TikTok algorithm or YouTube algorithm worked, maybe more than the Instagram algorithm. It could define the future of a product and the speed at which it will be sold out. We had an unflattering video go through the roof and get over 25 million views or more, and it literally was sold out within a matter of hours. Sometimes, however, a video can go viral in one place but not in another. It's exactly the same thing. It's fascinating to observe how it performs, and I don't think that it's due to my target audience being different on each platform however, I believe that it's due to the fact that, for instance, TikTok has this high likelihood of becoming viral due to the fact that they are able to serve it to a look-alike audience regardless of the audience, it's interesting. The algorithm plays an important role in how the videos do, and therefore, plays an important role in the sales. However, if you continue to focus on creating a high-quality product that's what my team and I do every day, then you do not need to watch the videos that go viral. The videos are great, however, my business doesn't depend on going viral, it relies on an excellent product.
In the coming years, creators will realize they must use social media more as an opportunity to build audience and traffic source, and less as an instrument for direct monetization like what you've already been able to achieve. Do you have a view on this trend?
You want to be able to offer something worthwhile to your viewers. Your goal is to add worth, whether it's for entertainment or education. You're not going to grow an audience if you're just going to attempt to make money off of them. Whatever it's for those of you listening to this moment: What is that thing that you share with others that they'll want to take home and keep in mind? Just keep trying to help your audience And when you are ready to launch your product, they'll be able to recall the times you help them. They'll want to join your journey as you launch your product. Even although this was not my plan it was what ended up happening.
Videos on YouTube for free over the course of a decade, as well as amidst the process of designing products and fans seeing the journey of the product, and wanting to become a part of it. Then, by including people in the process of designing I've created this project that I'm creating a real community.
A lot of creators think their only option to earn cash is to make affiliate agreements on social media. Where would you suggest that creators diversify their internet sources of income?
Let's look at all ways that creators can diversify their sources of income. Of course, you have brands and you can also use AdSense on YouTube and TikTok's Creator fund. Creators are also able to expand into making products and merchandise, as well as digital products like a service or online training course . In the end the day, you have to ask yourself what you are offering. What are people willing to pay for? must ask the question, because you can make free content however, you shouldn't be giving all of your content for free. In the event that you do, you'll get burned out. Additionally, the behavior of consumers has proven that when somebody purchases something, they are more likely to follow through by doing what they say than when it is offered for free.
I think it's important to define what your worth is, and then wrap it up into something which could be a service products, or a piece of content.
What strategies have you used to increase your audience on social media to promote POPFLEX and the Blogilates range of products at Target? How have you directed visitors from social media onto your website?
I will show the audience what I thought of when I created an idea. When I show off a cool sweater, I'm not just telling them 'Ooh, here's a cool sweater. Go buy it. Also, we aren't trying to sell the product to the public. We're educating them. I design to solve challenges. I include them in the process of designing and help to include them throughout the process and involve in the process. Their design requests are passed on to the development team, and then we help make it come to fruition, and in doing that, we build trust with my clients. We don't treat them as clients, but we're treating as co-designers. This helps make the experience enjoyable for everyone.
In terms of moving my audience from my social media accounts to my site, I focus on the obvious like including an Instagram link. For example, using tags to promote your items. Links are a way to direct my followers from social media to my site. Additionally, I use other creators of content to show off my products and show how the clothing will fit women of all shapes and sizes. Yes, the content we create is the reason my visitors are directed toward the website. Also, I use a newsletter to generate a lot of sales.
What was the first thing you decided to work on ? What inspired you to develop 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. Fast forward several years and POP Pilates becomes the official pilates of the 24 Hour Fitness centers across the US. This is why I wanted to find an online software or portal to house all of the instructors , and also to show the choreography, and I didn't come across anything. I happened to be listening to Chalene Johnson's podcast. She was talking casually about something and she mentioned . That's when I learned about it ! It truly was the sole platform to let me do what I wanted to do at the size that I needed to do it so always so thankful for it.
Looking at the creator landscape in general. What are some of the most costly mistakes creators commit in this environment today?
I see creators making many mistakes in the present however the most common issue I've seen is when creators gain a lot of attention and have a huge following. Then suddenly they are offered brand contracts and the content they create starts to appear extremely forced. Naturally, they need a paycheck, and they need to pay their bills, but at the same time, they're ruining confidence with their followers. It's happened to me. of content] decimate the brands of creators. In addition, I'm interested to learn how creating a creator career based on other careers plays out. A teacher, for instance, turns into an influencer. Their whole rise to fame is based on being a teacher. But what happens when they cease teaching since they've been so popular as a creator?
What do we suggest? Get a new course started .
What's the one thing the creators don't seem to be doing enough of?
Everyone tells me every day that people want what you have. People would like to have a product line in order to not need to talk about different brands constantly.' Here's the thing, I think you have to be interested in that. You must be able to envision running an enterprise that is based on products. I think every creator that has built a following should be able to offer a product or service. I think it's definitely where creative people should focus their efforts, but you need to be a believer and actually live the product. If you don't, it's going to be very difficult to make sales.
What's a piece of advice you have for someone new on this journey who wants to get started with their digital products?
I believe it is a reference to the point I made earlier, determining what value that you can provide your customers in the first place, then finding how to package it so that people can purchase it. You have to remain focused on what that is. If you're still not sure, that is fine. You're able to determine what that thing is through no-cost content. The key is to feel out your audience. However, I would like to add, you have to be very careful about not following your audience towards a direction you don't feel comfortable going into. If you follow the numbers and you are too influenced by the opinions of others it can lead to losing your own identity. Then you lose your motivation and don't really know who you are anymore This is a major reason that creators become exhausted. People who create this way become unhappy because they no have the freedom to live for them. They're creating, living and being someone else. Be aware of all signals, not just your heart. At the end of the day, you need to create content that is enjoyable for you or else this is not going to last.
Take control of your future with digital products
It's evident that the future of the creator's success depends upon diversifying the income stream so that you can create sustainable enterprises, exactly as Cassey did.
With digital products, like online courses, in addition to tangible products and brand partnerships, Cassey has been able to increase her influence across the globe, and ultimately, own her future.
As creators start following suit how they make use of social media is set to evolve. They'll use it not as a method of monetization and more as for a source of traffic to guide the audience towards other stable sources of revenue, like digital products.
"The biggest role has played is aiding me in fostering an active community of instructors for Pop Pilates." - Cassey Ho
It has helped over 55,000 creative entrepreneurs to earn a collective $4.9 billion. This number is growing as each day passes.
We're ditching the middleman and allowing you to retain all of your profit and also own your customers, model of business and even your brand.
For more on how to take control of your destiny and be successful as a creator and entrepreneur, catch Cassey, along with Matt Steffanina, 's President/CPO Sean Kim, and Jim Louderback, on the -sponsored stage at SXSW in the coming month..
If you're ready to start diversifying your income with digital services, check them for yourself the possibilities with fourteen-day free trial.