The Thing about Sponsors
I get it. I really do.
Sponsors are awesome. In a way.
We all want to make money on the side from our blogging efforts. Big or little. And some bloggers are doing a pretty darn good job of it. While others are like me and their sponsoring efforts have well, turned into a big giant swap party.
Sometimes I think I'm doing my sponsors an injustice. Am I really giving them the right amount of exposure? Should I even have them? Does my blog bring in enough traffic to justify having them. I've thought about doing away with sponsors altogether several times. Mainly because I don't think I can offer my sponsors what they could get on other blogs. Plus it's time consuming. Having sponsors is a whole other job in itself. Hosting giveaways, scheduling guest posts and sponsor features. I mean the list goes on and on.
We all want to make money on the side from our blogging efforts. Big or little. And some bloggers are doing a pretty darn good job of it. While others are like me and their sponsoring efforts have well, turned into a big giant swap party.
Sometimes I think I'm doing my sponsors an injustice. Am I really giving them the right amount of exposure? Should I even have them? Does my blog bring in enough traffic to justify having them. I've thought about doing away with sponsors altogether several times. Mainly because I don't think I can offer my sponsors what they could get on other blogs. Plus it's time consuming. Having sponsors is a whole other job in itself. Hosting giveaways, scheduling guest posts and sponsor features. I mean the list goes on and on.
Last year when I initially decided to take on sponsors I thought the offers would just come pouring in. Yeah, that never happened. So when that didn't happen I started talking to a few blogger friends, getting opinions and decided that swapping ads could be very beneficial for myself as well as other bloggers. It's not paying any of the bills that way, but still, it allows me to showcase other bloggers as well as get my blog name out there.
In the end I'm so glad I didn't give up swapping ads. If I had I never would've met some of the awesome ladies I've had the chance to get to know over the past few months. Take Megan for example. This girl is, by far, the sweetest, kindest and most patient blogger I've met. We've become quite close friends through the past few months of swapping ad spaces and exchanging e-mails. Y'all, this is the kind of girl you want as a real-life friend.
Here are just a few tips I've learned during my feeble attempt at taking on sponsors:
1. Sponsors aren't for everyone, but if you do consider accepting sponsors (whether paid or ad swaps) remember that your job is to give the most exposure possible to your sponsor. Gentri has a great tutorial for maximizing your sponsors by rotating your sponsor ads with each page refresh.
2. Consider swapping ads for awhile until you feel your blog can produce the kind of traffic that warrants the sponsors hard earned cash.
3. Be sure to accept sponsors who actually fit with what you believe in. I think one problem with sponsors is sometimes you get sponsors that don't fit your blog. They blog about completely different things than your blog or you don't have the same morals, beliefs, etc.
On the other hand if you're looking to sponsor someone, it can be quite tricky trying to figure out who exactly is going to be worth sponsoring. I've definitely benefited from sponsoring particular blogs, and then others...not at all. It's your job to find out what that difference is exactly, so you can benefit your sponsors the most!
What about you, do you have any do's and don't's to add to this list?!
Let's hear it!!
I had sponsors for a month and that was it for me. I felt like I had to blog, schedule posts, giveaways... It was too stressful. Maybe in the future, I'll try it again. But for now, I want to keep it simple! With no sponsors, I have no obligations and blogging can be just for fun, like it was supposed to be (for me at least)!
ReplyDeleteI think this is a really great post, Alisha. I didn't start accepting sponsors until I hit about 600 GFC followers, and I didn't ever have a wait list until almost a year later, which just goes to show that it takes time and a very substantial following before you ever make a decent amount off of it. I'm STILL not there. For the amount of time I put into blogging?! NO WAY does the money justify it. But my hopes are riding on other opportunities in the future, and also the joy that blogging brings me helps to justify the lack of $$. Everyone has to decide for themselves what works best for their situation!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness... you are so so nice!! I didn't see this post earlier just cause life has been entirely insane and busy so I've been too far behind on my blog reading. So apologize I didn't see this sooner. But oh my gosh! Alisha, YOU are amazing and I feel so so blessed to know you and be your friend! You are the nicest and most genuine person I have met and I cannot even express my gratitude for the support you have always shown me. Thank you so much for your kind words!
ReplyDeletealso, I agree with everything you said about sponsors. It can definitely be time consuming and frustrating. But meeting people like you is totally worth it :)