Even if the motivation behind your blog was to use WordPress as a platform for you to share out loud your thoughts, there comes the point where the winds of your motivation shift and you wish to roll with and in the big-boys’ club.
A time when you feel that your blog needs a bigger platform that will let you reach a wider audience.
Now, I don’t know much about you, but when you have written more than 50 well-researched blog posts, and people are linking to your site or mentioning it a lot more, you always want more: more mentions, more likes, more shares, more recognition, and of course, a bigger brand presence.
When this happens, you will realize that the blog-to-social media space and followers are not enough – and the only way for you to grow and make money will be through the use of your beautiful words to curate unique, compelling, and selling sponsored content.
Whether you are a blogger or not, you have seen your favorite bloggers posting content about specific brands or branded products. That could be you too (if you so much wish for it to happen).
So,
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What is a Sponsored Review?
A sponsored review, also called a sponsored post refers to a blog post or an article which you publish on your blog after receiving a request from an advertiser. You do this at a fee.
Often, an advertiser will come to you asking you to promote their product by posting a blog post or an article about the said product on your blog. In exchange, you will receive a certain amount.
Your pay will vary depending on your website’s stats and your size.
The advertiser will look at your analytics, Domain Authority, and Alexa or PR, among other factors to determine your pay. These metrics are also used to determine the blogger who gets the job.
Also, you should know that you are only chosen to promote/ write about a brand or a product if your writing/ content is in the niche the advertiser is in
It’s important to mention the fact that the sponsored reviews/ posts use advertising systems like AdSense.
If you believe that your blog could help you land great advertising gigs with advertisers, then you should always be truthful and honest, always put your audience first, and never sell yourself short.
Now then, how do you get started with the creation of sponsored reviews or posts?
Well, first things first, the first few reviews will be scary – and that is a good thing. This might sound like a cliché, but fear is what propels you to greater heights.
Disclosing your brand relationships for all your sponsored posts
Legal matters may not be your cup of tea, but if you are going to use your blog for sponsored reviews, you have to look at all the legal aspects.
For example, you want your readers to know that the post you just put up is sponsored content. If you are publishing or sharing that blog post on Instagram, for instance, the #Ad is important.
Since the rules on sponsorship reviews vary depending on the platform you choose to advertise on; you must read the fine print with the terms or conditions of service. And if you are publishing affiliate links within your blog posts, you are required to state that you will receive/ earn a commission, at no cost to your site visitors and subscribers should they choose the but the product using the link in your site.
Often, this disclosure should be at the top of your post or next to the link. For blog posts, always disclose the sponsorship bit at the beginning of your article.
Post Writing Guidelines
In most cases, the terms of creating the sponsored review will outline that the posts should be written as per the terms and guidelines set by the advertiser. Also, the posts should be permanent and also archived.
The other bit about sponsored reviews is that you are required to create high-quality content, in a non-promotional language, in third person voice.
When will the advertisers come?
While there is no set time during which you can expect advertisers to fill your inbox, there are things about your blog that will tell advertisers that time is ripe for them to approach you.
And because the advertisers are always looking for the best places and ways of promoting their services or products to their wide audience, they are a bit specific. Some of the things they check include:
Whether or not a blog can satisfy their needs, if the blog is the best way for them to build trust among their audience, and if your blog will help them make sales/ build subscribers, traffic or expose them to a larger and wider audience, among other elements.
As mentioned above, they will check your DA/ PA rank, your Alexa rank, competition, Social stats, as well as your ranking on SERPs.
Speaking of stats, try hitting an Alexa Rank of about 100K, a DA of above 15, and you should have at least 2 sponsored posts (even is low-rated) to build your credibility against your competitors.
How and Where to Get Sponsored Reviews for your blog
The Marketplace – Yes, there exists a marketplace for your sponsored posts, like everything else on the internet. All you need to do is to create an account in the marketplace then get your blog listed.
The other place where you could get paid for your blog posts includes Google Search.
How to Attract Advertisers
- Clean up your blog and get rid of the mess and the unprofessional bits of the blog.
- Work on building the right audience by developing a reader persona, creating appealing content, promoting the content on the right platforms, and growing the mailing list.
- Next, compile your stats
- Set prices. Realize that even though you might have to write blog posts for free in some cases (to build your relationship with your client/ foster engagement or to build a portfolio for future use), you should set a price. When starting, you might have to take lower rates, but as mentioned above, do not sell yourself short.
Finally, before you create a sponsored post, make sure you like the brand and their products, as well as the team behind the brand. Also, the brand should be aligned with your site, needs of your audience, and what you represent.
