Cassey Ho of Blogilates shares secrets for success ahead of SXSW
As the economy grapples with a possible recession, everybody is looking for an avenue to secure themself, even creators of content. As a result, some are coming to realize that relying solely on sponsorship deals or brand partnerships to earn revenue isn't sustainable..
With the possibility of a recession Brand deals, as well as similar deals aren't known as reliable, even for artists who have established large follower counts. Add a downturn into the mix, and brand deals may disappear completely as a source of income for a lot of creators.
Solutions to this problem have emerged, including the creation of social media funds like TikTok's. Although they may seem, they've come under scrutiny in terms of payouts, which are small due to the huge amount of creators seeking a portion of the limited funds. As a result, TikTok is actively testing a revamped creator fund that gives creators higher payments, however it is too early to tell whether this variant of the funds will succeed in what the version of 2020 was unable to do.
In order to get at the heart of how creative people can develop viable businesses that are free from the restrictions of social media, we sit to work with the queen of entrepreneurialism herself, business mogul Cassey Ho, also known as Blogilates.
About 12 and a half years ago, an insignificant home pilates YouTube video earned 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 had the opportunity to concentrate on her love for fashion. Now, she has one, but two multi-million dollar portfolio brands, Blogilates and POPFLEX in addition to an alliance with 24 Hour Fitness, where her unique style of POP Pilates is taught in fitness centers across the nation. In the agreement is her famous POP Pilates online certification course, which Cassey is the host on .
With her ability to leverage her fans and adjusting to the needs of her audience through a range of services, Cassey has created a company that has been in the spotlight for more than a decade.
Take a look at the Q&A with Cassey to learn more about how she has diversified her income streams through digital products, physical merchandise, and more.
Note: The responses have been lightly edited for clarity.
What's your elevator pitch?
It is possible to say that I'm a fashion and fitness-related entrepreneur. My first venture was with YouTube as an instructor of pilates. All platforms included I have more than 14 to 15 million followers with 2 billion views. I essentially got my career started with free training videos to the public, however it wasn't really my intention. I've always wanted to be at the forefront of fashion. I started teaching workouts that helped build a community and later, because of that I was able to reconnect with my first love of fashion. The people I taught to were asking me for yoga mats and clothes and I started dressing my clients. And it's just been such a beautiful journey how social media brought me back towards my initial interest. My yoga mats can be located on Target under Blogilates. POPFLEX is my clothing company.
Let's take a look and discover some of your social media experiences. What inspired you to start your YouTube channel?
I had a side job as a pilates instructor at college. POP Pilates specifically. This is a form of exercise that involves music however, at that time no one was teaching that format. Pilates was taught to only classical music. This is why I was teaching the class at 24 Hour Fitness, and I was finishing my degree, and at the time I was offered a job offer in Boston and was aware that I had to move across the nation and there was no way to be teaching this form of pilates any longer. Due to this, I decided to record an exercise that lasted ten minutes and upload it on the YouTube website in the year 2009. It was only for forty people who were at the gym, that's it. Then, after the video was uploaded the video, I did not look at it again until the following month. It received thousands of views as well as hundreds of users asking for more, and that's the reason why I started Blogilates!
How have you changed the way that you make use of social media changed in your experience since you began Blogilates back in the year 2009?
In 2009, it was YouTube that was used to create video. Facebook was where you could create communities. It was an enjoyable place back then. Through the years, we've had all of these different social media platforms emerge the past, and it's been a lot of work, nevertheless, you need to be able to stay relevant through adapting to new platforms. You have to figure out the best way to reach your target audience on every platform as well as how to produce articles for each. The trick is to stay in the game, but social media, at the end of the day is a tool. Therefore, it is dependent upon who is watching you through the platform, but for the most part I consider it to be a positive thing because it can break down walls and nobody is preventing you from your success. Keep testing and testing until you find a type of content that works but you continue working to succeed each every time.
What's been different since your first launch back in 2009 ? What has changed in the process as a creator on YouTube?
A lot has changed! In 2009, being an influencer wasn't a thing; making money via brand deals wasn't an option; AdSense wasn't even a concept at the time. YouTubers uploaded videos on YouTube because they simply wanted to show their knowledge and funny moments and the content they created. That was it. It was not about becoming famous or becoming YouTube celebrities. In the year 2023, and the scene is so different, and, in many ways, I'm sure it's a lot less genuine.
People want to become creators or influences as they seek recognition and fame. They're letting their self-worth be determined by their own metrics which makes me sad to think about that because a lot of the original creators who started in 2009 were there to make connections. This is why I went to the event. I was looking to instruct POP Pilates. This is why Blogilates is around for 14 years. It didn't fizzle out, and you see that taking place a lot in the case of younger creators. I believe the market is different, and much more competitive. However, it's also fantastic for entrepreneurs because you don't have to rely on traditional media and advertisements for getting your brand there; you can start communicating with potential customers using your smartphone and creating a TikTok short, YouTube video or Instagram Reel.
How was it as you began earning money via YouTube? Do you have a strategy in place to make sustainable earnings? If yes, could you tell us about that program?
Truthfully, I'm not sure whether it was really a plan. There was always a job as a side hustle. There was no plan to go full in the world of YouTube. I had something going on behind the scenes, whatever it was, whether that was selling merchandise or my first and last corporate job. So no, I didn't really have a strategy. But in the beginning, I began to see that YouTubers and bloggers were signing brand agreements that I didn't realize that having an agent or a manager was even possible. One of my bloggers said to me "Don't be concerned about it, you don't need to reach out, just keep building your audience and they will be there.' So that's exactly what transpired. I don't know if I consider that to be a good strategy, but I was focused on my readers and helped them by putting out excellent content that I was passionate about and then everything was born from this. AdSense, brand dealsand anything else constitute a portion of my source of income, but these days it makes up just a tiny fraction of my revenue total because my product is the most important thing.
Did that happen consistently with you? Or did it first begin via social media?
It started out probably more than a split, as I was constantly making yoga mats and yoga bags as well as brand partnerships. They were always there and they would increase, but the more they grew and I became unhappy. I was not a fan brand deals because typically when you sign up for brand deals, you're bound with a business that just doesn't really know or respect your ideas You follow the bullet points of the brief but then you turn in the material, and it knocks off every bullet point, and then they're looking to make a change because they don't like this. It constantly felt like someone was telling me which things I could or should not create with my content and audience. I became so dissatisfied with brand agreements that it's been my intention over the past couple of years to fizzle out of such agreements and concentrate on speaking about my branding.
Now, let's talk about the algorithm. Are algorithms affecting your ability earning income from social media platforms?
Since I began making design videos a year and an hour ago, the way the TikTok algorithm or YouTube algorithm worked, maybe but not as much the Instagram algorithm. But it could decide the fate of a product and the speed at which it will become a bestseller. For example, we had an unflattering video go through the roof and get over 25 million views or more, and it literally was sold out in a couple of hours. Sometimes, however, a video will go viral on one platform and won't on another, and it's the same video. It's interesting to see the results however, and I'm not sure that it's due to my target audience being distinct on every platform, but I think that it's due to the fact that, for instance, TikTok has this high probability of being viral because they can provide the same audience, but whatever it is the case, it's fascinating. The algorithm plays a big role in the performance of videos in terms of performance, thus, playing significant roles in selling. However, if you continue to focus on your product's quality, which I and my team is doing every day, there's no need for to watch the videos that go viral. They're nice, but my company doesn't rely on being viral. It is based on the quality of its product.
As time goes on creatives will be aware that they must use social media as an audience builder and traffic source rather than an instrument for direct monetization like what you've been able to do. What do you think of this development?
You want to be able to offer something worthwhile to your audience. It is essential to provide something of value, be it in education or entertainment. It's not possible increase your audience's number if you're just going to try to extract money from them. Whatever it's for those of you listening this morning: What is that thing that you share with your audience that they'll be able be able to bring home and will be able to remember? Just keep trying to make your message more useful to your viewers, and then when you are ready to launch that product they're going to remember those times that you helped them. They're going to want to join your journey as you launch the product. For me, even although this was not my plan, that's actually what ended up happening.
Free YouTube videos over a time period of about a decade as well as amidst the process of designing products and people who see the process of the product and eager to become part of the process. In the end, by involving their input in the design process and making this product it's a genuine community.
Most creators think the only method to earn income is through brands and affiliate deals on social media. What are the best places to suggest creators diversify their sources of income?
We'll list all ways that creators can diversify their revenue streams. There is no doubt that you've got brands as well as AdSense on YouTube, and TikTok's creator fund. Creators are also able to expand into making products and merchandise in addition to digital services like a service or an online course on . At the end of every day, it is important to ask yourself what is the value you're providing. What is it that people are willing to pay for? You should ask yourself this question because yes, it is possible to create content for free but you cannot give all of your content in exchange 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 stick with the action than if it is offered at no cost.
I believe it's essential to identify what your value is before packaging it into something, which could be a service products, or an article of material.
How did you increase the reach of your social media audience to benefit POPFLEX as well as your Blogilates range of products at Target? Or, how have you directed visitors from social media onto your website?
I show my audience exactly the way I came up with the idea. If I am showing off the coolest piece of clothing, I'm certainly not going to say 'Oh I've got a great sweater. Go buy it. We don't sell to our audience. We're educating them. I create products to address issues. I incorporate them into the process of designing that helps involve them into the process, and to involve with the final product. Their design requests will be considered for product development and then we help make it come to fruition, and in doing that, we build confidence with my customers. We're not just treating them as customers, we treat them as collaborators in the design process. It makes the journey fun for everyone.
In terms of getting my viewers to move from social media to my website I concentrate on the obvious like including an Instagram link. For example, tagging your products. I use links to move my audience from social apps to my website. I also utilize other creators of content to showcase my merchandise and show how my clothing can fit women of all different dimensions and shapes. Our content is what funnels my audience towards my site. Also, I use a newsletter to drive tons of sales.
Where did you begin at the beginning ? What led you to create 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 later, POP Pilates becomes the official pilates of the 24 Hour Fitness centers across the US. So I was looking for an online platform or software to host all of the instructors , and also to show the choreography. But I didn't come across anything. It was while listening to Chalene Johnson's podcast; she was talking in a casual manner about something when she made reference to . And that's how I learned about it ! It really was the sole platform to allow me to do the things I had to do at the size that I needed to do and I am always grateful for it.
Looking at the creator landscape as a whole. What are some of the biggest mistakes you see creators making in today's situation?
I see creators making a lot of mistakes today, but the main problem I'm seeing is that sometimes creators are able to gain traction and a large audience. But then suddenly they get brand deals and their content begins to appear extremely pressured. Sure that they require a pay check, and they need to pay their bills however, at the same time, they're ruining confidence with their followers. I've seen it [this style of content] degrade the brands of creators. Also, I'm intrigued to know how an artist career that is based on an other career develops. As an example, a teacher is now an influencer. Their whole rise to fame is based on being a teacher, but what happens when they cease being a teacher because they've become popular as a creator?
The answer is simple: Get a new course started .
What's one thing that isn't being done by creators enough?
I hear it that everyone wants your product or service. They want to be able to have a product line to ensure that they do not have to talk about different brands constantly. The thing is, I think you have to desire that. You need to be motivated to manage a product business. I think every creator who's built an audience should be able to offer a product or service. This is definitely the place creative people should focus their efforts and you should believe and live your product because if you don't believe in it, it's likely to be a challenge to sell.
What's a piece of advice you can offer someone who is new in this field who would like to get started with their digital offerings?
I think it goes back to what I said earlier about figuring out what the value is that you can provide your customers, and then figuring out the best way to package it up so that people can purchase it. You have to remain focused on what that is. In case you're not certain, that's acceptable. You can test out the concept with the free content. The key is to feel out the people who are watching you. However, I would like to add that you should be very careful about not letting your audience guide you towards a direction you don't feel comfortable going into. If you follow the numbers too much and you are too influenced by the opinions of others it can lead to losing your own identity. It is possible to lose the purpose you have, and you don't know what you stand for anymore This is a major reason why creators are burnt out. Creators who do this become unhappy because they no longer live for themselves. They're creating and living for someone else. Therefore, pay attention to all the signals, including your heart. The bottom line is that you must be creating content that is enjoyable for you because otherwise, it's unlikely to be sustainable.
Take control of your future with digital goods
It's clear--the future of creator success relies upon diversifying the income stream to build sustainable businesses, just as Cassey did.
With digital products, like online courses, in addition to brands and physical products, Cassey has been able to scale her impact across the globe, and ultimately, own her own destiny.
As creators start following suit how they make use of social media is set to shift. It will be used less as a tool for monetization and more as for a source of traffic to guide the audience towards other reliable sources of revenue like digital products.
"The greatest role I have had aiding me in fostering the development of a vibrant community of instructors for Pop Pilates." - Cassey Ho
Already, it has supported more than 55,000 innovative entrepreneurs, earning the sum of $4.9 billion dollars. The number of people supported is increasing as each day passes.
We're cutting out the middleman, so you can keep all of your profit and also own your business model, audience, and brand.
If you want to know more about how to own your destiny and succeed as a creator and entrepreneur, catch Cassey together with Matt Steffanina, 's President/CPO Sean Kim, and Jim Louderback as they perform on the sponsor stage of SXSW later this month..
If you're interested in increasing your revenue through digital products, test out the possibilities with the free trial of 14 days.