What do you do for a living, exactly? How do you make money as a content creator?

Our weekly tasks

This is how I usually organize my Mondays and prepare my week:

• Create a to-do list with 
• shot lists
• content creation ideas for the blog
• prepare invoices for the week ahead
• plan production of shooting day – I usually plan wayyy in advance my shootings once a week, and I plan everything, the creative concept behind, outfits, props, and you name every extra detail we need.
• block at least one morning to write a blog post (and if I can do two, I deserve an award)
• review my current projects and upcoming ones, following up and being as organized as possible (this one can be hard because I’m still writing, editing, taking all the pictures and videos and curating every detail of HeyMaca. 
• Yes, I spoil myself with one avo toast and a creative spin session (as I call them) to think of new ways of improving the content I’m already creating. 

Our bi-weekly tasks

• Note all the upcoming national holidays and see what’s best for our content
• Organize media trips and personal ones (yes, I do a lot of research of places, food and what’s best for each travel guide we do)
• Set-up the studio rentals for the month and optimize the space for the different type of creatives 
• Planning meetings with Lucile (the sweetest illustrator) and review the store products we are creating

Income details 

• Sponsored blog posts 

We usually partner with brands we adore, admire and use as brand ambassadors to talk on their behalf when new product lines are launched. These sponsored blog posts are planned way in advance and brands usually pay a fee to receive our point of view and professional pictures or videos posted on our blog. We always share these posts across all our social channels including Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook and of course Instagram. 

• Sponsored social posts (Instagram)

This is the same principle as our blog posts but only produced for one platform: Instagram. Many brands believe in the power of social media and Instagram has been the priority for a few years now. We disclose every single partnership stating it’s sponsored content or ads. 

• Event appearances 

I’ve noticed event activations are more and more popular lately (and I love them because you can interact with many people), and usually, we support these events with social posts (of course). 

• Create content for brands (oh hello, stop motion!)

We usually create content for brands that aren’t necessarily posted on our social channels but on the brands’. Stop motion videos are one of our bestsellers (and most demanded type of content). We also produce pictures, videos, and syndicated blog posts around motherhood, lifestyle, travel and other categories.

• Brand ambassador, the old school way 

I find these activations are super fun, interactive and one of my favourite things to do in the blogging world. These ambassadorships include photo sessions (as a “model”) and partnering as a co-branded collaboration. Our latest examples: La Vie en Rose and RBC. 

• Studio 

Our brand new studio in Montreal is the newest adventure and a new income source we are building (as we speak). The space is fully styled and equipped as a little Pinterest heaven and ready to be rented by other creators and artists in the city. We have photographers, videographers and workshops hosted since March. Stay tuned for our official reveal in a few days!

• Workshops

Coming up soon in the studio, we’re planning new DIY, social media and entrepreneur workshops including tons of goodies and surprises. We’ll explore sponsored workshops as an extra side of income. 

• HeyMaca Shop

Almost ready (pinch me) to launch, our new lifestyle brand will start as an online shop and in selected point of sales in Montreal. I can’t anticipate this as a solid income strategy, crossing all my fingers it’ll work, and as I’ve been saying to myself since I started, you gotta take risks to get rewards, right? 

What we believe, as a HeyMaca brand

• Even if we’re not posting some content we create, we produce them with the same effort and quality. I always think of HeyMaca as a lifestyle brand and everything we do needs to be aligned with our mantra. 
• All our brand partnerships are always done with companies and products we use, love and truly admire. Building a community takes lots of effort, so we are very careful who we select to partner with (even if there’s budget involved), where our brand integrity always comes first.
• We love what we do, and if I reach a tipping point I don’t feel motivated, I evolve into something else. I’d like to think the more you reinvent yourself, the better you’ll be able to create.