One of the fastest ways to make money by blogging is with blog sponsors. Companies have realized how valuable blog content can be for their brands, which means that they’ll pay to have their products and services highlighted for your audience. But how do you find blog sponsors for your site? It can be easier than you think.
Finding Blog Sponsors by Giving Interviews
Giving interviews are a great way to get sponsors to notice you. One of the easiest ways to find places that need an expert’s opinion is to use a service like HARO. HARO stands for Help a Reporter Out and it’s a daily service that reporters can use to find experts for their articles. You’ll be able to receive an alert a couple times a day and email a reporter directly if there’s an article you can help with.
You can also use Twitter to find journalists who need a source to quote. The hashtags #journorequest and #prrequest can be used to find journalists. #journorequest is primarily for British news outlets, but it’s still an option if you’re based in the U.S.
Finding Blog Sponsors with Outreach
Another way to find blog sponsors is with outreach – after all, you won’t get anything if you don’t ask for it! Many companies have a dedicated blogger outreach program. Think about what brands you’d like to work with and search on their site for a sign up form.
When you’re doing outreach, consider your pitch letter like a mini cover letter for a job. You don’t need to have an idea for the sponsored post, but you should make sure that you give a few statistics for your blog, including page views and current social media stats.
Before hitting submit on this form, double check that your email address and your blog website are correct. If the sponsor can’t find your site or can’t email you back, they’re not going to spend the time to hunt you down.
Finding Blog Sponsors by Networking
Networking is another easy way to find blog sponsors. Consider attending a blogger conference in your niche and changes are good that you’ll be able to find companies that are looking for bloggers.
If you’ve never attended a blogger conference, it can be overwhelming. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there – if you see a brand representative you want to talk to, go up and start a conversation! Hand out business cards with your current blog stats and social followings and ask for theirs! Once you’re home, follow up with the brand rep – don’t wait for them to contact you if you really want to work together. They were likely overwhelmed with cards and it could take them some time to weed through their stack of business cards. Being proactive will help you stand out among the crowd!
Finding Blog Sponsors With a Sponsorship Page
If you want sponsors to come to you, you have to make it easy. You can do that with a dedicated sponsorship page on your site. Make sure that it’s easy to find – putting in the top menu with your contact page is a great idea. Sponsors will likely only spend a minute or two on this page so it’s important that your email address is easily noticeable.
This is a great place for your media kit. Create a downloadable PDF and don’t forget to update it every couple months as your stats change.
Finding Blog Sponsors With Instagram
Instagram is the fastest growing social media site and brands are realizing the power of influencers on the platform. To take full advantage of Instagram, work to get up to 10,000 followers on your page. When you reach this threshold, you’ll be able to use the swipe up feature, which means brands will be able to provide you with an affiliate link to products that you’re highlighting.
Instagram makes it difficult to find contact information – you can’t send messages from a browser, which is difficult for brands. Make sure the brand representatives can reach you by adding your email address directly to your profile. If you’re worried about spam, create a secondary email address, but make sure that you check it regularly!
Finding blog sponsors does take a little effort, but it’s not impossible! Use these tips to find brands that will be happy to sponsor your site to really monetize your blog. Once you’ve established a relationship with a brand or two, you’ll find that it’s easier to find additional sponsorships to keep your site profitable.
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Say No to Sponsored Posts If the Content Doesn’t Match Your Site’s Theme
Some companies just want to get their name (and their links) out on a popular blog. If you’re approached by a company that’s in a niche not related to your content, consider saying no, even if they offer you a large sum of money. This is especially true if they offer to write the content for you. This is a sure-fire way to know that the company is only interested in gaining backlinks and using your site to help their visibility in Google.
Say No to Sponsored Posts If You Don’t Like the Product
If you’re recommending products on your site, you should definitely make sure that you enjoy using them. Although it may seem like common sense. many bloggers and influencers will accept any product that makes them some money. If your readers can’t trust that you use and enjoy the products you recommend, they’ll stop interacting with your content and you’ll lose all credibility.
If you do receive a product from a company, in exchange for an endorsement or a review and you end up not liking the product, talk to your product representative! Don’t post something inauthentic or pretend you never received the product. Tell the representative your concerns and ask how they’d like you to proceed. Some will want you to forgo posting about the product, while others may want you to be honest about your concerns. However, don’t post a scathing review on your site without talking to the brand. Professional courtesy means you should give them the option of cancelling the post, if you don’t like the product.
When to Say No to Sponsored Content Opportunities
Say No to Product Only Sponsored Posts (Sometimes)
Some brands don’t have a budget to pay for sponsored posts and will instead just provide products for you to use. Although it’s understandable that you want to earn money with your sponsored posts, it is okay to accept product only sponsorship, as long as you follow a few rules!
Rule 1: Make sure you actually want the product. If the product offered by the company is something you could actually use and incorporate into your blog, feel free to accept it!
Rule 2: Make sure the brand is easy to work with. When you’re creating content that a brand can use in its social channels, make sure that they’re not asking for a lot of oversight or restrictions on your post. It’s important that you have the ability to be creative with these posts.
Rule 3: Make sure you retain ownership of the content. Lastly, make sure that you remain the owner of the content. If the brand is going to use your content on their social channels or on their own blog, check with them that you’ll get credit as the creator. If they’ll tag you from their social channels, this could even help you gain more followers, depending on the brand.
When you are careful and choosy when it comes to sponsored posts, you may make slightly less money while blogging. However, as you grow your partnerships and content, you’ll get on the radar of the right kinds of brands for future sponsored posts. Don’t be afraid to be picky!