How to get Sponsored Posts for your blog

Different bloggers blog for different reasons, some want to get their feelings out to the world and others want to make as much money as possible. Then there are those in the middle, those who want to make money but primarily want to give help, advice, their opinion and generally write about what they enjoy. For those people getting sponsored post opportunities are a great way of boosting the money they make from their blog. Sponsored post jobs don’t just fall on your lap from day one of blogging, it takes time to build yourself (and your blog) in to a place that companies feel will ultimately benefit them. Here are five ways to get started:

Move your blog to self-hosted

While using free blog services such as WordPress.org and Blogger.com are great because they don’t cost you anything, they can be a major roadblock to grabbing yourself some sponsored posts. Companies prefer bloggers to self-host their blogs as it comes across that they’re a more serious blogger, it increases their Domain Authority (DA) and is picked up by search engines more effectively. There are many different hosting services on the market so trying to find a package that suites your needs can take time – I recommend Kloudhost who are a UK based hosting service with fantastic customer service (even on a Sunday). They do a range of packages at a very good price and if you use the code “UKBF” you’ll get an extra 20% off your hosting package.

Write unique, engaging content

It might sound obvious but writing content that is different to the rest is a great way to attracted people to your blog, including companies who are looking to pay for you to write them a post. Being able to engage your readers and keep them coming back is a must as it increases those vital stats (views and unique visitors) that every company is looking for when they need a sponsored post doing. If the content has been done to death on other blogs then try to add your own spin on it, a catchy title, interesting images or a different way of writing it. Make it different.

Tweet, tweet, tweet

Social media engagement is a must when it comes to blogging, you want to get people to your blog and you want them to read your content; and hopefully come back. Interacting on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Instagram is a great way of showing your readers that you appreciate them and also a great way to get your name out there. Appropriate hashtag use will get your posts seen by the people looking for those hashtags and using popular hashtags such as #MotivationMonday, #ThrowbackThursday and #FollowFriday will get your social media pages noticed by many, many people. Twitter is, in my opinion, the best place for bloggers and sees the best results. Don’t have time to be on social media all day sharing? No problem, places like Buffer, Hootesuite and Tweetdeck help you schedule posts so you can have a month’s worth of social media content ready to go in such a short time. A good social media following gives you a great chance of being offered sponsored work.

When it comes to finding sponsored posts keep your eyes out for #bloggerswanted and #bloggersrequired as you’ll often find companies, PR agencies and other bloggers using them to offer sponsored content

Connect with fellow bloggers

Developing relationships with other bloggers can be such a useful way of getting yourself sponsored work. Firstly, they might actually ask you to write a post for their blog – this may or may not be paid for, it might be a mutual guest post but it’s still a great way to connect with others as their readers will come over to your blog to read it (again bumping up those vital stats). They might also end up recommending you for a job if they personally can’t do it or a company they are working with is looking for other bloggers. Bloggers can give each other helpful feedback as the community is a wealth of knowledge. Join in blogging communities on Facebook such as UK Bloggers or in weekly Twitter hours.

Get a media kit

A media kit is a visual way of showing your potential clients who you are and what working with you will do for them. It tells them where your posts reach, who your audience is, who you’ve worked with previously and any achievements you have earned – such as newspaper coverage for example. A media kit can take a long time to put together or be expensive if you pay for someone to put one together for you so I use Webfluential. Webfluential create a sophisticated and dynamic media kit for you to share, as it is dynamic it means it never goes out of date – the statistics are always updating.

The Money Shed’s blogging board is filled with useful advice and knowledgeable people so be sure to pop over if you have any questions or need a bit of advice when it comes to getting sponsored posts.