5 Effective Ways To Get Blog Sponsorship Deals

How to get blog sponsorship deals. Even if you’re experienced with working with sponsored blog content, there’s a pretty good chance that you’re leaving opportunities (and money) on the table.

Before we dig into this guide on how to get blog sponsorship deals as a newbie, make sure you download my free sponsor pitch deck template for bloggers and influencers.

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This is the exact pitch deck that I sent brands when I was hosting a summit, which landed me $14,500 in sponsorship cash. Get your access code delivered to your inbox in less than a minute.

5 Effective Ways To Get Blog Sponsorship Deals

How to get blog sponsorship deals, and keep them.

If you are currently working with brands, there’s a good chance that you’re working through a network or some sort of third-party agent that sets you up with these opportunities.

If this is the case, you’re leaving a ton of opportunity out by not pitching to brands directly and forging those relationships on your own.

You are far more likely to earn considerably less through third-party networks. Not only that, but they retain control over the content, products, deliverables, etc.

When you establish your own direct relationships with brands, it’s a complete game-changer. You have the power- you can negotiate your own fees, content, deliverables.

This means you retain more control over your blog’s messaging while earning more revenue. Win!

So why then, are third-party blog sponsor agents or networks so popular?

Because they provide an easy entry point for brand new bloggers with low page views, and a smaller social following to acquire sponsored content and lift their efforts off of the ground.

Everyone has to start somewhere.

Even with a small following, you can land deals shortly after launching your blog for around $100 a post. Here’s how to get started:

1. Join Influencer Networks

These are networks that exist solely to connect brands who are searching for sponsored content with either bloggers or social media influencers.

This generally works in the following workflow:

1. You apply to be part of the network
2. Once accepted, you begin to apply to specific campaigns that are in the pipeline.
3. Once chosen, you’ll earn anywhere from $50-$500 per post, depending on the
   requirements of the network.

This is an easy way to get started working with brands.

Once you have experience with a few pieces of sponsored content, you’ll have a portfolio to show to other brands as an example.

Not only that, you’ll gain valuable experience with the entire process and know how long the work takes you.

This will help you be prepared of how much you want to charge brands going forward and how to allocate your own resources.

Here are a few networks to get started:

• TapInfluence
• BlogLovin’
• BlogMeetsBrand
• Acorn Influence
• Activate

2. Create A Sponsorship Proposal

So, you’re ready to start pitching brands directly about partnerships rather than using third-party networks.

Now you need to create a sponsorship proposal deck, or blog media kit.

This is a way to document and showcase who you are, your brand, your audience, stats, benefits, and rates/packages.

Instead of just a document you send to prospective sponsors, you can opt to create an online sponsorship proposal that is branded, full of rich media and showcases your latest work and rates.

Related: How to create a media kit

3. Brainstorm Possible Sponsors

Once you have your deck built, which is a massive step forward, but who should you send it to?

It’s time to start drafting a working list of the brands that you’d like to work with and would be a good fit for your blog.

If you’re serious about starting to work with companies in connection with your blog, it’s important that you understand that this is a laborious process. It’s work and will need to be approached as such.

Related: How to start a blog + monetize it into a 6 figure business

This is not as easy as just slipping a few affiliate links into a blog here and there. Working with big brands requires a structured approach to outreach.

When seeking blog sponsorship from brands, you must have a strategy to proceed with pitching, negotiation and collaboration.

Start by making a list of your dream team:

• Make a spreadsheet
• List all the products you use on a weekly basis
• Jot down additional companies you want to be a part of

When you have your list ready, it’s time to start sending out emails to introduce yourself to the brands you want to work with.

Let them know why you want to work with them, what you offer, and what your pitch is.

Remember to include a link to your media kit!

[adsense]

4. Nurture Relationships With Your Blog Sponsors

Depending on the ROI you’re able to deliver to blog sponsors, you should take extra steps to ensure that your sponsors stick around for a while.

Thanking your sponsors once a month in a blog post is a good way to send additional traffic to your advertisers.

You can also highlight a specific sponsor with a dedicated post about their brand. Keep in mind the reason why blog sponsors give you money in the first place.

The majority of the time, they are sponsoring your blog to make more money through their business.

If you can help them make money, obviously, the relationship will flourish.

Making money for these sponsors does not have to be attributed directly. Link campaigns are usually formulated around rankings, so it’s hard to correlate how a text link may increase revenue.

The most important thing you can do is figure out how you can continue to deliver value to your blog sponsors and your readers.

Your job is to act as an intermediary point between the two groups and connect them- that is how you continue to make money with your blog.

5. How To Negotiate Blog Sponsorship Contracts

Companies can be demanding clients and they can restrict how you carry out your monetization plan by altering the way you approach advertising on your site.

There are blog sponsorship deals that will request exclusivity, meaning they’re the only business of that type that advertises on your site. This means you will have to turn away other opportunities.

There are others who will demand that you always place their products or brand in a positive light.

Dealing with these relationships can be difficult and will eventually test your patience, but the rewards are worth the work.

Here’s how to ensure success as you onboard brands for blog sponsorship:

Be Clear On The Topic

Know your persona and what you’re writing about. If you have a site that isn’t driven and clear on the subject matter, it will be hard for potential sponsors to see why they’d be a good match for your site.

Companies want clear ideas about the content you’re creating and how that applies to their brands.

Keeping on the topic is incredibly important when you have active blog sponsorships that are actively using their brand on your site.

Make it easy for sponsors to know everything you’re writing about so there aren’t any surprises.

Be Clear About Promises

Be sure that both you and the prospective sponsor understand what control the relationship will offer the advertiser.

Outline the scope of the project and how you’ll approach both content and advertising placement of your sponsor.

The advertiser should also be clear about its expectations of your brand and how you approach content.

Know Your Audience

Educate yourself on the people who are reading your blog before you seek paid sponsors for your blog.

With blog sponsorship, you will absolutely have to address the question of who these people are.

You need to track and document the activity in your bustling little community and analyze the data in your web analytics.

5 Effective Ways To Get Blog Sponsorship Deals

No matter what content your blog is about, who your dream brands are, or where you current audience numbers are, you need a strategy to land and keep blog sponsorship deals.

Have a strategy that you can replicate and then execute on it. Get a  media kit aka sponsorship deck prepared, make your list of your dream brands, and then pursue them.

For more training, enroll in the HerPaperRoute course “Paid To Post” which is a micro-influencer handbook for any blogger and influencer looking to scale. This training shows you exactly how to monetize your social following. Details below!

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