As we round out 2018, here’s a look back at some of the ways blogging and influencers became trending topics in 2018. You can see them as important milestones for the world of blogging as major news organizations took notice of the work we do and the importance of working with bloggers to share a marketing message. We hope this list inspires you to take a deeper look at blogging. Take a photography course. Speak at networking and social media events. Launch your own product. As these unforgettable blogging news stories of 2018 show us, there are no real limits to what we can do as content creators.
Top Blogging News Stories of 2018
Instant Pot Sales
One of the best selling cooking appliances in recent history is the Instant Pot. According to CNBC, the appliance that’s a mix of a crockpot and pressure cooker hit the market in 2010 but was not a top seller at first. Instant Machine CEO Paul Wang created the product out of his own desire to create healthy meals for his family. According to the New York Times, “Sensing viral potential, Instant Pot sent test units to about 200 influential chefs, cooking instructors and food bloggers. Reviews and recipes appeared online, and sales began to climb.”
By 2018 things had turned around tremendously “when Instant Pot broke its own Prime Day record with 300,000 units sold over 36 hours,” according to CNBC.
Food and health bloggers were creating cookbooks, recipes, Facebook videos, and groups – thanks in large part to the initial rave product reviews from bloggers and the viral posts they launched.
Instant Pot Takeaway: Our agency crafts marketing campaigns for brands that include product reviews, recipe creation, and event coverage. Contact our CEO Nadia Jones to request a proposal.
Payless Prank
Thanks to an ingenious marketing idea, Payless Shoe stores decided to show that its styles, while on the affordable end of the shoe spectrum, can appeal to even high-end fashion bloggers. It pulled a prank by hosting an event in a chic shoe boutique called “Palessi ” which is a play on words for its name. The influencers didn’t know that the shoes they paid hundreds of dollars for were actually sold in Payless stores for about $20 a piece.
ABC News covered the Payless Prank and the aftermath.
Millionaire Mini-YouTuber
The highest earning YouTuber for 2018 isn’t old enough to vote or drive. In fact, he’s still in middle school.
When Forbes released its top money-making YouTubers of 2018, it reported how 8-year-old Ryan’s Toy Review YouTube channel earns $22 million a year. Not only do his toy unboxing and demonstration videos earn million of video views and ad revenue, but Ryan partnered on a toy line with Walmart.
Check out Ryan’s Toy Review YouTube channel if you’d like the inspiration to get busy vlogging. How active is your YouTube channel?
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How was your 2018?
As we look ahead to 2019, we asked our community members on our The Network Niche Facebook page to share a GIF that describes what their blogging experience was like in 2018. We invite you to share yours too.
