I love sponsored blog posts! It’s an easy way to make money online with your blog. It doesn’t matter if the blog is one of your side hustles or a full-time job.
Sponsored blog posts have so many beautiful benefits. They help you connect with your readers, offering your subscribers great deals that will save them money, and educate your followers about great new products (that they will want to buy). Best of all, it’s not hard to get started. Learning how to make money with sponsored posts is a simple process.
How much money can you make with sponsored posts? Well, in my best month, I made over $7,000 with sponsored opportunities. Writing sponsored content is an excellent way to get a bunch of free stuff, get paid, and offer value to your readers.
Provide your readers with quality sponsored reviews of products or services they’ll love! And the best part about it is that you don’t need a ton of blog traffic to begin monetizing this way.
Get Your list of 150 Influencer Marketing Agencies Here.
So, if writing sponsored post is so great, why isn’t everyone doing it? Well, the problem is, many bloggers don’t know where to get started, what to charge for sponsored content, or how to keep those opportunities strategically coming in! This post will show you step-by-step how to implement a sponsored posts strategy on your blog. So, read on to learn how to make money with sponsored content.
Sign Up to Make Money with Sponsored Posts
An influencer network is a marketplace where you sign up to partner with companies who are looking to tap into the power you have with your audience. At first, you may worry joining an influencer network will dilute your posts or overwhelm your audience, but it couldn’t be further from the truth.
Writing paid posts is part of running a successful blog business. Your readers want to know where you purchased your favorite products and services. Plus, this content is healthy for the growth and success of your blog. Sponsored blog posts add to your domain authority and give you more specific content to share.
Readers will love your recommendations and product reviews. They follow you because they trust you and like your style. Companies realize your power and are willing to pay you for your influence.
They understand your sponcon is excellent advertising for them, but only if you share a target audience. Typically, companies want to pair with influencers who hold clout with their market, so they’re careful to make sure your brands align.
If you want to know how to make money with sponsored posts, signing up for influencer networks is the best way to begin. The more networks you are a part of, the more opportunities you’ll see (and the easier it will be for you to find a match).
Don’t know where to start? Jas has got you covered. I spent weeks putting together a list of the top-paying influencer networks. Downloading this list is a great way to get started with sponsored posts and affiliate links in your content. Oh, I forgot to mention…I now give it away for free. It’s all yours when you click the link below.
Get Your list of 150 Sponsored Post Networks Here.
Complete Your Profiles on Influencer Networks
Once you find several networks you want to join, fill out the influencer profiles. These will consist of background questions like who you are, how many followers you have, and information about your blog or website traffic and audience. The most important rule is to always complete the profile 100%!
Some channels won’t even let you move ahead until you fill in every question on the profile form. Others will only offer sponsored opportunities based on what you fill out (and if you leave questions blank, they won’t send anything).
One network I work with, IZEA, offers more influencer opportunities based on the information you share. The more details you provide, the more opportunities to make money with sponsored posts you’ll see.
A few other networks that give you more influencer marketing campaigns based on you filling out your profile include:
- Real Clever
- Influence Central
- Activate
- Quotient Social
One additional benefit to completing the profiles is the potential search engine traffic you can get from being on these networks. This is another way for people to find your blog. So why not make it easy to find?
Create a Media Kit
Create a media kit so that your application will stand out from the crowd. Think of it as a resume or advertising page for your blog. Brands look at media kits to determine who the most relevant influencers are for each campaign. Your media kit gives you a way, to sum up your expertise, audience, and traffic in an easily digestible format. All the stats should be right there in the kit, along with your name, URL, relevant social media sites, engagement rates, and other essential details.
Use eye-catching designs and graphics in your media kit. Your kit should showcase your professionalism (especially if you’re a pro-blogger) and should make advertisers want to partner with you. And while this is great for getting more sponsored post opportunities, it is also a way to get more paid ads in the form of display ads, social media ads, and even long-term campaign deals.
Are you stumped on what to create? Canva makes it really easy! Check out the massive selection of awesome media kit templates to help you begin the process. You can riff on one of the ideas shown on the website or use it for inspiration to create your own professional marketing piece.
Create your free account with Canva here!
Know Your Audience
When you start to write a post, whether it’s on beauty, personal finance, decorating, or something else, the number one priority should be to know and connect to your audience. You should always have exactly who you’re writing to in mind. So, first, get to know your readers, their habits, problems, and how to help solve those problems. Then, write the post to speak to them.
On the technical side, it’s also essential you thoroughly know your own blog and website stats such as page views, unique views, organic reach, and social media followers. These crucial bits of info will help you paint an accurate picture of your readership.
I recently had a great question on this topic from a reader of my blog:
Question: Hi, I just have one question: how were you able to land sponsored work as a brand new blogger? Every affiliate and sponsored blog post opportunity I come across requires x number of followers–followers I don’t have yet. But the problem is, I need to monetize immediately! So what did you do to start earning money in your very first months?
Answer: Excellent question! Many bloggers worry about this when they start a blog. They think they need to look for other side hustles to supplement their blogging income, but the truth is it’s easy to make money with sponsored posts.
So, there are two parts to your question. I want to make sure I answer:
- How did I make money in the beginning?
- How did I get my first sponsored post gig?
Let’s start with the first question. How did I make money with sponsored blog posts when I was starting? The truth is I didn’t. I mean, I did… but not enough to even really call it income.
I was running ads with Google AdSense from day one, though. Although the income is small to start out, it’s still something. As your audience grows, so will your income and your opportunity to apply for higher-paying ad networks.
As for the second question, I landed my first gig by knowing my audience. Sure, it was a small audience – less than 2,000 visitors a month. But I still managed to land my first gig.
I did an in-depth analysis of my audience on Google Analytics, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Depending on the channel, you will learn their genders, ages, and even what they like to do.
Once I learned this, I applied to every gig where the target audience matched up with my data. I told them my audience majority were millennial women interested in learning more about bettering themselves. They were comfortable buying online and loved products that could make them better, from makeup to diets or financial advice.
And I got my first gig! (With hardly any followers.) Now, it isn’t to say you don’t need the numbers, but you certainly do. So I dedicate a few months to learning more about a particular social media until I master it.
One year, I focused on Instagram influencer marketing as well as growth. Another year, I focused solely on Pinterest. Keep working on building those numbers since you will see more money as your traffic grows!
Give Complete Responses on Each Sponsored Post Application
Once you’ve found an opportunity that looks promising, it’s time to apply. Like filling out your profile, it’s vital to remember you should NEVER leave part of the application blank, even if the answer is optional.
Offer a thoughtful and thorough response, and don’t rush. Instead, take your time and carefully read the questions so you can leave clear, well-written, in-depth answers to each question.
Read and re-read your post-application before you click send. Make sure you didn’t forget to answer any of the critical questions and remember to give thoughtful, thorough answers.
Get Your list of 150 Influencer Marketing Platforms Here.
Only Apply for The Best Opportunities
I know this tip is a little like, duh, but it happens all the time. Bloggers and influencers get so excited to see the opportunities that come up, that they apply for EVERYTHING. This wastes your time, your audience’s time, and can even hurt your brand.
Remember, your audience depends on you to share honest details and advice. They want to hear about the brands you genuinely like and care about. Otherwise, you risk becoming another spammer.
It’s also important not to sell yourself short. Don’t bother to apply for campaigns offering less than $200 per post or less than $50 for social media. Wondering what amount of money you should charge? Use a tool like my Sponsored Price Calculator to know what’s appropriate.
To make money with sponsored posts, remember it’s essential to spend more time applying than sifting through opportunities. Don’t get too bogged down looking for the perfect fit. (Easier said than done, especially if you’re following the advice above, I know.)
The best way to use your time wisely is to use Blogging Money Update!
The Blogging Money Update
What is Blogging Money Update, you ask? It’s a fabulous tool to get the best paying opportunities, ranging from $65-$5000 right in your inbox! There’s no need to log in to 100+ accounts every day to find one paid post that works for you. Instead, simply open this email three times a week and get ready to make money!
You’ll receive three emails per week—on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. There are also bonus emails and helpful content from time to time. You’ll receive anywhere from 10-15 sponsored opportunities in each email.
So, if you’re ready to say goodbye to logging into sponsored blog post websites on the daily, sign up for the Blogging Money Update! From here on out, you only need to log in when you know there’s the perfect sponsored opportunity waiting for you on the other side!
Click Here To Learn More About The Blogging Money Update
Blogging Money Formula
Getting the opportunities sent straight to you is the first step, but that’s not all you need. You also need to know how to write a sponsored blog post, what you should charge for paid advertisements, and how to form long-term brand partnerships. That’s how you can make some serious dough with sponsored content.
Interested? You should join my online program called Blogging Money Formula!
Blogging Money Formula is an online course that shows motivated bloggers how to go from making a few (or no) dollars to making consistent money with their blogs every single month. I show you how to set up the foundation you need to make REAL income with your blog that will make a difference for you and your family in the long run.
The program will teach you:
- How to establish yourself as a professional blogger: I’ll show you everything your blog needs to be recognized as a professional blogger.
- How you can properly apply for sponsored posts so you get selected for more opportunities: I will show you step by step how to apply so that brands choose you more often!
- Getting brands to reach out to you: I’ll show you what you need to set up on your blog so that brands reach out to you, as well as where to go to put yourself on their radar.
- Building long-term relationships with brands: This way, you can get recurring business with brands instead of having to pitch new ones all the time.
- How to write content that appeals to your audience and the brand: Because great content does not need to be either-or!
- How to drive traffic to your blog posts: Great results produce repeat customers, and I will show you how to make that happen.
BLOGGING MONEY FORMULA IS NOT CURRENTLY ON SALE, BUT YOU CAN JOIN THE WAITLIST HERE AND BE THE FIRST TO FIND OUT WHEN IT IS!
The beauty of being an influencer is that you’ve built up a core following of people who know you, love your advice, and trust your recommendations. If you’re ready to learn how to make money with sponsored posts, follow these steps, and you’ll be earning money with your blog in no time!
Great update!
What a informative post!!
I think this is the best info about sponsored posts.