If you’re a blogger or podcaster wondering how in the world others in your field have caught the attention of major sponsors, you aren’t alone. Working with brands can take your content monetization to the next level, but sponsors don’t just materialize out of thin air and offer you cash for your blog or podcast – at least, not most of the time.
I get email questions about sponsorships at least once or twice a week: How do I find brands who want to sponsor me? Should I work with such-and-such a brand or will it make my fans angry? What can I do to make more money working with sponsors?
I’m not going to sugar-coat things; working with brands can sometimes be a challenge. Many brands don’t fully understanding blogging and podcasting, so you often have to be an educator as much as a salesperson. Our ebook is all about helping you learn these skills so you can be successful when working with brands.
Let me give you a little sneak preview of the ebook with a quick FAQ about sponsorship!
What is blog/podcast sponsorship? Is it right for my blog/podcast?
Brands want to advertise their products and build their communities, and they can do so by working with influential bloggers and podcasters. This can be in the form of advertising, or you can work more in an ambassador type of relationship. Sponsorship is not right for every blogger or podcaster, but there are so many different options for sponsorship deals that you should definitely consider the options before writing it off completely.
What kind of sponsorship deals can I offer?
Depending on your type of content and niche, you can offer anything from banner ads on your sidebar to travel sponsorship deals where a company will pay to send you to a trade show. Other common sponsorship options include spoken ads (like commercials) , sponsored posts, sponsored social media messages, and wallpaper sponsorship.
How can I make myself attractive to sponsors?
The best case scenario is a sponsor emailing you with interest in working out a deal. This will never happen, however, if you’re unattractive to sponsors. You have to have quality content, decent traffic numbers, and a media kit. It can also help to create an advertising page and use language on your blog or in your show notes that will help sponsors find you when they’re searching for opportunities.
When will sponsors start contacting me?
You might be sitting around and waiting by the phone for a pretty long time. Instead, take matters into your own hands! Our ebook goes over five great techniques you can test out in order to find sponsorship deals instead of just waiting for them to happen. Be proactive!
Should I work with Brand XYZ?
In every niche, there are certain brands you want to avoid. It’s important to evaluate every potential sponsor, rather than just saying yes every time money is offered. There are several types of sponsorship deals you should avoid at all costs – and when you say no, you can definitely do so in a way that doesn’t burn any bridges, so you can potentially work with the sponsor in the future on a different deal.
How much should I charge?
That’s a huge question, and the answer depends on several factors, including your traffic, the type of sponsorship, and your niche. Our free ebook covers this question in much more detail, along with some step-by-step options for setting prices.
How can I make even more money working with sponsors?
Are you offering package deals? Have you reminded brands already working with you about their sponsorship options? Have you created a relationship that will last long-term? Yes, you can make hundreds or even thousands of dollars per month with a single sponsor if you’re smart about it!
Our Brand New Ebook is out! The Ultimate Guide to Blog and Podcast Sponsorship http://t.co/2yWnMLdr #nmx written by our own @allison_boyer
@allison_boyer Awesome! Can’t wait to download this! Great timing for me – I just started my podcast last week. #nmx
@AgilitySocCues Hope you enjoy it! 🙂
@allison_boyer you might find our media kit useful to share an example http://t.co/5UJSL5Zm #nmx
@skooloflife Thanks, Srini! We have a Brilliant Bloggers coming up about media kits, so I’ll be linking to as many as I can find! 🙂
@allison_boyer cool ask @davidcrandall too because he recently designed another one for a client
@allison_boyer great job on the ebook too. you covered lots of angles 🙂
@wordsdonewrite @allison_boyer so proud of her.
@delwilliams Me, too, Del. Yes, that @allison_boyer is the content creation QUEEN! Scratch that. She’s the KING and 2nd to none 😉
@TBEXevents This is great!
@the_wynns Glad you like it! 🙂
@allison_boyer Congrats, we should chat soon. Non-ebook version of this coming out soon?
@Uriyya No plans for a print copy of this ebook, but never say never! 🙂
@allison_boyer Cool. 🙂
As the author of the book “More Podcast Money” I have to say I’m impressed. I’m only on page 50 and I love all the additional resources you have mentioned. Great Job Allison! @allison_boyer
Thank you, Dave!!
That’s so neat to hear! If YOU’RE impressed and you’ve written on the topic, that’s a wonderful endorsement. I think Allison knocked this out of the park, personally!
Thanks for reading, Dave!
Thank you very much!
-Anjani