How To Get Your First Sponsored Post & Best Practices
Not sure how to get your first sponsored post for your blog? Below you will find out some of the best practices for sponsored blog posts and places to get your first sponsored post.
As a blogger it is your personal decision whether you want to include sponsored posts on your blog. A sponsored post is a blog post written by you or a client in which you are paid to publish on your blog.Having sponsored posts on your blog is a great way to make money and work with brands, but like everything else there are downsides as well. Sponsored posts come with requirements and you do not always have the creative freedom that you would when writing a normal post on your blog.When writing sponsored posts you want to focus on quality and make it unique. You do not want the post to just sound like a review. Think of ways that you can incorporate the brand without it sounding like a commercial or advertisement.If you have made the decision to include sponsored posts on your blog then I recommend starting small to gain experience. One of the easiest ways to do this is by working with a network that connects bloggers with brands. Some of those include:
This will help you to understand some of the requirements of a sponsored post as well as figure out how much work goes into a post so that you can figure out your sponsored post rate. How much you charge for a sponsored post varies. There really is not a set standard to charge since every blog is different. Try to consider your experience, your influence, and time. A lot of the networks that will provide you with sponsored post opportunities will provide a rate and you can choose to accept it or decline it.You can also reach out to brands by sending them a pitch email to show them how you would be a great fit for their product or service for a sponsored post. Be sure to show them how you can provide value to what they have to offer. I always like to email brands with ideas that I have for sponsored posts. Not only do I know that it will fit well with my site when I do this, but it may be something they have never thought of for a post or advertising. You can also include a copy of your media kit so they can get a better idea about who you are and what your blog is about.Once you have partnered with a brand for your first sponsored post, make sure you have clear guidelines and understand all expectations. This is extremely important when you are reaching out to a brand on your own. You want to be up-front and agree upon all the terms such as the post length, photos that will be included, posting dates, title, promotion, links, payment, and any other necessary information. This will help prevent any future problems or confusion.You MUST abide by the FTC regulations and disclose that the post is sponsored as well as make all links ‘no-follow’ per Google’s TOS. You have to make any link no-follow when you are being paid to post it.Have you done your first sponsored post yet?