Do you want to know how to make money from sponsored blog posts?

Making money from blogging is a major goal for many bloggers. Every blogger starts somewhere and has a goal to achieve big at a certain time. If you are looking to increase your blog income, and interested in working with brands, then this post teaches you how to make money with sponsored blog posts.

Sponsored blog posts add a healthy income stream to the overall blog income. In this post, I will only talk about sponsored blog posts, and how you can make money with sponsored posts on your blog.

First, let’s discuss;

What are sponsored posts?

A sponsored post is any sort of content that a website owner or blogger is paid to publish on their own sites. These posts can be given by companies, brands or any businesses that are related to a specific niche or topic.

Some companies offer the sponsored content and a fixed rate for getting their post published on a blogger’s site. These clients also ask for a link from your blog to their site.

Whereas some clients can also want you to write the sponsored posts in your own voice and obviously, you will charge extra for writing and then, editing the post. It depends on the client’s requirements, and his idea to reach a new audience.

Related posts: 7 Most Profitable Ways To Make Money From Your Blog

How to make money from sponsored blog posts? The Beginner’s Guide For Every Blogger

This post includes affiliate links and you will help me a make a commission if you purchase through such links at no extra cost to you. I use affiliate marketing to run this blog, and I am thankful for all you guys supporting me.

Just to get started with how to make money from sponsored blog posts, I’m showing you a simple process.

A brand contacts blogger/a blogger pitches to a brand —> the brand submits a sponsored posts/the brand asks the blogger to write a post —> content is reviewed by the blog owner —> terms and prices are discussed —> the blogger publishes the post and get paid.

Basically, a brand wants you to promote their product or service and get paid for the publication. They also want a backlink to their site from your blog.

It’s an easy way to utilize your web space, bring new content for your audience, and make money by working with new companies. It also gives you more exposure to the new market.

But, it needs to be done properly because you’re risking your site, readership and the overall credibility. It’s important to learn about sponsored blog posts and find out how to work with clients.

More: How Do Bloggers Get Paid To Blog?

LEARN TO MAKE MONEY FROM SPONSORED BLOG POSTS

Below you will learn all the steps to start making money from sponsored blog posts;

1- Different types of sponsored posts to make money
2- What are the client’s requirement before they work with you?
3- Sponsored post rates
4- How to pitch potential clients
5- How to get more sponsored opportunities

What type of sponsored posts can be published on a blog?

There are many formats of the sponsored posts. It usually depends on the company and the blog owner. If you have a healthy relationship with a brand manager, you can even convince them in a particular format. However, as a blogger or a website owner, you can get paid for any format.

Now, you can make money from sponsored blog posts of the following types;

Some examples are;

Blog posts
Product reviews
Summaries
Infographics
Social media posts
An announcement of a program or a sale
List posts
Videos
Product announcements

As a blog owner, you have the right to say yes or no to a specific format if you think it’s not fit for your audience. It’s best to discuss and put your own terms on the table while working with a brand.

Helpful post – Top High Paying Affiliate Marketing Programs For Bloggers You Must Apply

What clients look for in your blog before they work with you?

In order to make money from sponsored blog posts, you need consistent clients.

So, what does exactly a client look for before they consider an influencer or blogger?

Clients either want a space to access your audience and speak to them or want a link from your website. It basically depends on what your client is looking for.

For both reasons, a client definitely looks for the following important aspects before they consider working with you;

• The domain authority of your blog– The higher the domain authority, the better opportunities you will get. Domain authority is basically the measures, created by Moz, to find out how well a site ranks on search engine results. Basically, you want to build a DA better than your competitors. You can check your site DA here. If your site has a DA equal to 30 or more, you will probably get more great opportunities.
• Your blog has an engaged, and active audience. That can easily happen if your blog is up to date and you are consistent with your blogging routine. Companies and brands prefer to work with bloggers who are highly active and engaged with their audience. Also, you should regularly check if your site is well maintained, and up to date.
• You are taking your blog professionally. The overall look of your site is professional, and you’re actually maintaining it well. Make sure, your site is not cluttered with ads and messed up content. It should have an easy navigation menu and an interactive design.

Another most important thing is that you regularly check your emails, and are quick to respond. If you’re not committed, you will probably end up losing the reputation.

Related post – How To Get Organic Traffic To Your Blog [Read also about SEO strategies, and backlinks]

How to find clients for sponsored posts?

Here’s how to find clients to make money from sponsored blog posts;

• Create a ‘work with me’ page on your blog, and update it. Mention how you would like to work with clients, and how they can easily contact you. One way is to add your email while another way is to add a contact form.
• Network with other bloggers, and swap contacts. When you network and build a trusted relationship, you both can share client contact with each other.
• Apply for influencer networks to connect with brands and clients.

Influencer Networks To Apply

Here are the following networks that connect brands with bloggers. Every brand has its own requirement depending on the region and the demographics. You can apply and see if it fits you.

Webfluential
Izea
Heartbeat
SocialFabric
Linqia
Tapinfluence
Cooperatize
Brandbanker
Payperpost

Most importantly, make sure to update your profile on these sites and complete it. Your profile should be appealing for companies to contact you for sponsored post opportunities.

• Pitch to local companies

Many bloggers first think of working with big brands and when they don’t respond, they quit. The best way to get a sponsored content for your site is to pitch to a local business near you. Form a good relationship with such companies, and offer excellent work to them. Even if they cannot afford to pay you, they will compensate you with some products, etc. And, this will be a good start.

• Reach out to the local companies, and brands and find out if they would like to work with you. Also, find the PR companies and provide your contact details there.

Honestly, I have always received emails via my blog and that is why I try to add my contact details everywhere. Though, I have not actually leveraged sponsored post opportunities to the maximum. Because, I believe in deals that work for both, the client and the blog owner. If a company wants me to publish an entire post for a rate of $30 then I know they’re not the right people to work with.

Know your worth!

So, I am looking to avail myself sponsored post opportunities that pay well and cover the topics that are truly beneficial for my readers. Another reason I have rejected several sponsorship offers is the irrelevant niche.

Always consider your audience first!

Even if you’re new and you’re excited to make money from sponsored blog posts, think about your audience.

Are they interested in reading about a specific topic?
How to make them interested in reading your sponsored posts?

Read: How I Made My First $100 From Blogging And, How You Can Too!

How much to charge for a sponsored post?

Now, you know that how to find clients to make money from sponsored blog posts?

Still, the big question is how to find out sponsored post rates?

It depends on various factors like domain authority, social media influence, the amount of traffic, and an engaged audience. But, don’t undersell yourself! When you take a sponsored post, you will also have to create images, edit and schedule the post and this will ultimately take enough time.

But, remember your experience in the field.

If a blogger charges $250 for a post, then do not compare yourself to that blogger because she has been in the field for the past 5 years whereas you’re still new and struggling to create good content.

I will suggest starting from at least $70 per post if you are new and have been blogging for 6 months. If you have more experience then you can easily charge more.

You can add additional charges for more links. For example, $100 for 2 links to a client’s site for 1 year. If you are willing to promote the post on social media for the upcoming months, you can also charge an additional cost of $50.

I would suggest keeping your prices slightly higher so you have room for negotiation 😉 You may get fewer opportunities with high prices but always value your hours, and work you’ve put into growing your blog. Do not sell your blog space for $20! To get a better understanding of sponsored blog post rates, read this post by Sue.

And, remember to pin this image! 🙂

How to pitch potential clients for sponsored post opportunities?

The trick to making money from sponsored blog posts is to have an engaged audience, engaging content, and a good relationship with other companies.

For that, find out what your client wants from influencers or bloggers. It’s obvious that they have specific requirements and goals when they pay someone. While pitching to brands, make sure you clearly mention what they will get if they work with you. Also, make sure that you’re aware of any rules or guidelines, etc.

Just get straight to the point and be clear. You can also mention what you’re expecting in return. It just makes it easy for them to contact you, and collect more details. If they are specifically looking to get a link from you then they will most likely only consider the domain authority.

Related: Become A Micro-Influencer Today! 

Another tip is to,

Prepare a media kit and attach it along with your email.

A media kit is basically a document that outlines the number of followers, social media reach, and overall statistics of your blog. A well-designed media kit will definitely leave a good impression on brands, and clients. You can simply create a media kit for free with Canva. It has several free media kit templates which you can edit, and save as a PDF.

More helpful posts:

10 Free Blogging Tools Every Blogger Should Use
How To Make Your Pins Go Viral – 7 Simple Tips
20 Things To Invest In Your Blog For Less Than $100
How To Make $1000/Month With Amazon Niche Site

Important tips for publishing sponsored posts

In addition to all above steps, here are few important things you should definitely know to make money from sponsored blog posts.

Lastly, I would like you to know some best practices to get sponsored blog posts;

• Add rel=”nofollow” tag to sponsored links. Many companies insist on do-follow links and ask you not to add nofollow tags. It’s suggested that you should add nofollow links, but if you want to make the deal then you can give dofollow links but know that Google doesn’t favor sites that give dofollow links while they are paid. Read more on this here.
• Do not publish sponsored posts in a row! It will only hurt your readers, and you will lose your readership and trust.
• It’s a good practice to let your followers know that you are working with a brand. Simply disclose and make a healthy relationship. Read more about FTC endorsement guides here.
• Only accept sponsored posts that are relevant to your niche, and are helpful to your readers. If they don’t add value, don’t accept the offer.
• Choose your clients very carefully as your site and audience trust are at risk.
• Add more value with quality images. You just don’t have to rely on on-brand content. You can even include your personal experience, or images while using the product to make it more strong.
• Always keep your tone authentic and engaging.
• Ask for payments in advance. Collect payments at first, and then make the post live. You can even add the post in drafts, and give your client a preview link.
• Set your terms of work, and rates before sending a pitch. In order to make money with sponsored blog posts, you need to be clear on what you will provide at a certain rate.

I have said NO to several clients just because I have always asked for a payment in advance.

You should follow all the above tips to make money from sponsored blog posts.

If you are still using a free blogging platform and want to monetize your blog, then I would suggest you follow my comprehensive tutorial and start a self-hosted WordPress blog today! A number of bloggers have taken my free course, and the above tutorial to start their own money making blogs. If you have any questions, send me an email and I would love to respond.

I’m quite sure you have found this tutorial helpful. This post has given you a process to easily make money with sponsored posts, but it’s clear that you need to pitch, network, and work hard to get clients.

What are your tips to make more money with sponsored blog posts?

Let me know in the comments.