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This post will be sharing how to get sponsored blog posts for beginners.
One of the quickest ways to monetize your blog is by accepting sponsored posts. This involves writing a blog post centred around a product or service. Unlike the influencing/content creator world, it works differently for bloggers. Typically, you’ll find that agencies mostly scout bloggers on behalf of their clients. Once in a while, you’ll find brands that will reach out directly where you have the opportunity to negotiate and expand into a full-blown campaign with the brand. That is if you have the standard social media metrics. I don’t focus on social media, so my sponsored posts are limited to my blog. I focus squarely on SEO.
Now, there are a few things you need to do before your blog is ready to accept sponsored posts. Again, unlike social media, these factors are not as strict. Yes, it is important to have followers and engagement, but it doesn’t matter when it comes to sponsored blog posts. This is because some brands understand the lifespan of a blog post is much longer than a social media post. Unfortunately, based on the world we live in, they would rather pay an influencer all that money for instant gratification instead of a blogger.
How To Prepare Your Blog For Sponsored Posts
Here are some of the things you need to put in place:
Contact Details
Make sure you have a dedicated contact page on the menu of your blog with all your current and updated contact details. If a brand or PR finds your blog, make it easy for them to contact you with relevant opportunities.
Clearly Defined Blog Niche
Before your blog can be suitable for accepting blog posts, make sure your niche is clearly defined. You can’t just write on random topics without a content strategy, hoping things will fall into place. If you’re still undecided what specific niche you want your blog to fall under, categorize it as a lifestyle blog. It’s the safest option.
Domain Authority
Instead of asking for social media metrics such as followers and engagement, the number one metric PRs use is domain authority. So, as much as possible, work on getting your DA to 20. This mainly involves getting as many backlinks from quality blogs. Except you don’t mind, I hardly ever see opportunities for blogs under DA 20. Even when I do, the pay is honestly not worth the effort. But it is essential to know that the higher your DA, the greater chances for your fee or the fixed fee offered increases.
Quality Content
Before a PR or brand offers your blog a sponsored post, best believe that it would be vetted first. You need to ensure that you’re writing decent quality content. As a beginner, don’t pressure yourself to create perfect high-quality content. Just start slow and be proactive about working on yourself. If possible, learn how to create SEO optimized posts from the onset.
Payment Details
If you’re going to be paid to write blog posts, you need to have the required payment details. Most people prefer PayPal, so getting one in your blog’s name is handy. Also, for non-fixed fees, make sure you factor in PayPal fees before giving your price.
Once in a while, you’ll find brands that will ask for your average monthly pageviews, but they’re few and far between.
Types of Sponsored Posts
A sponsored post can come in the following ways:
- A pre-written post: this is where you’re provided with a pre-written article to publish.
- A link insertion: this is where you’ll be asked to insert a sponsored link for an already exsisting article on your blog. This is why it is important to write quality content.
- A self- written post: this is where you’ll be required to write an article around any topic of your choice as long as it is relevant to the provided link.
The fee for the first two is usually less than the third because it requires less effort. You’ll more likely just be paid admin fees to publish an article or insert a link. But sometimes, you can be lucky enough to find a high paying pre-written post. Trust me; those are the best.
Five Ways To Get Sponsored Blog Posts For Your Blog
In no particular order;
Through Blogger Platforms
This is one of the easiest ways to find sponsored work complied on one platform. They typically have all your details on your profile, so all you need to do is to pitch for the individual assignment that is most relevant to your blog. I previously used GetBlogged before they fell off. I’m not sure what happened, but they changed their modus operands by the second half of 2021. Instead of assigning assignments directly to bloggers which worked so well, they now have you pitch to the brand directly, which just ruined the whole platform. But it is worth trying before completely giving up on the platform. Another platform to check out is Bloggers Required.
Through Facebook Groups
The other day, I talked about how incredibly effective Facebook is for bloggers. So far, I’ve gotten my highest number of sponsored posts from Facebook. Typically, PRs post any opportunity they have to a bloggers’ group. All you need to do is fill the form with your details, and they’ll get back to you. So, you need to make sure you search for relevant blogging groups such as Blogger Opportunites and check them daily. PRs love to post opportunities on Monday mornings, often at the beginning of the month, so bear that in mind.
Through Twitter
After Facebook Groups, I get a few sponsored posts from Twitter. Anytime I find a sponsored post opportunity through the #bloggersrequired #bloggerjobs #bloggerswanted, I add the account to a Twitter list because they most likely will post future opportunities. As a result, I have a Twitter list full of PRs. This way, when I check the list daily, I don’t miss out on any opportunities. Sometimes, Twitter also suggests similar PR accounts. Other times, I go hunting for them. I also have a few agencies on my list where I’ve gotten some gifted opportunities in the past.
By Contacting Brands Directly
I honestly don’t enjoy pitching to brands. I prefer to build my blogs without brand partnerships. It’s just a preference. But if you want to pursue those partnerships, I honestly think you should go for it. In the long run, it’s more lucrative than working with PRs because you get to set your set and negotiate your fees.
By Positioning Your Blogs For Brands To Reach Out
One of the few brand deals I’ve had, the brands reach out to me. As I said, I don’t pitch at all, so anytime I get an email from a brand, I’m just meeting them for the first time. While social media can be a lot of work, it can be great for visibility. So, make sure you’re on all the relevant platforms if brand partnerships are your priority.
Finally,
I hope you have found this post on how to get sponsored blog posts helpful. There’s no doubt that the income comes in handy because it is often unexpected. I’ll never get over getting paid for a sponsored post in the middle of the week. It almost always boosts my mood.
Also, make sure you’re declaring the post as sponsored one way or the other. Some PRs like to be shady to ask you not to tag or categorize the posts as sponsored. I do it anyway. If they still resist, I do it after I’ve been paid. I also prefer to separate my sponsored post into a separate category.
