So you want to sponsor someone…

Ok. So we talked about what Sponsors SHOULD do.  Now we need to talk about what YOU should look for when you’re ready to pay someone cold, hard cash to promote your blog!

First things first… Ask Around!

The bloggers you know, will know! Ask on twitter or Facebook. Fire off a couple emails asking for recommendations. Happy bloggers will gush and tell you everything you want to know. Unhappy bloggers will tell you more than you need to know. Either way, you’ll know where to start looking.

Check Them Out!

What are they offering? – Typically you’re going to find options ranging from just ad space all the way up to weekly guest post options, and everything in between. Most offer Facebook mentions, Tweets and shout outs as well.

What are their stats? – Some bloggers have their stats right on their sponsor/advertise page. Some have no information at all. If you’re willing to do your homework and a little snooping, you can get a rough idea of what type numbers they have, but you won’t be able to find out the page views. Page views is the number you want to look at. Anyone can have a huge “following”, but does that following translate into page views, comments and interactions?

What type of interactions do they have/do they do? – Do they get lots of comments on their posts? Do they tweet/respond to tweets? What do they post on their Facebook page? Do people respond to them?

Ask for referrals – Near the end of the month ask the people who are currently on their side bar how things went. Were they satisfied? Did they get everything promised? Did they see results?

Watch and Wait!

This is probably the HARDEST part, but in the end its going to be worth it. It gives you a chance to see how they promote the blogs they’re working with. Pay attention to the details. How do they run giveaways? What do they tweet for their sponsors? Do they do the things they promise for their other sponsors?

Here’s what other bloggers have to say about finding a good blog to sponsor…

“When looking for blogs to sponsor I always look to see where else they
have their sponsor links. I also look at what they do with their sponsorship.
I think it should include: media shout outs, optional guest post and group giveaways”
~ Helene from Helene in Between

 

” 1 I have the Alexa Toolbar installed, I use it to tell me how the site ranks on Alexa.
2 Forget followers, look for page views. 3 What is included in the ad package?
Not always a big deal though, like this month, I advertised on a blog and all I got was
the ad space, no biggy though, I gained a lot of traffic from it. 4 If there are other things
offered with your ad space, look and see how the blogger is utilizing Social Media, if you
are paying extra so you can get tweets, pins and such, make sure they are doing that for their
current sponsors. 5  It never hurts to contact a current sponsor yourself and see what they
have to say about their experience.”
~ Kendra from A Proverbs 31 Wife

” Here’s what I look for when I’m looking for a blog to sponsor:
1) A blog that has a much larger following than mine. 2) Doesn’t charge an arm
and a leg for their sponsor spots. 3) Has interactive follower base. 4) Is interactive
with me {previously or currently…meaning while not a sponsor, they interacted
with me somehow} (via tweets/facebook/instagram/on my own blog). 5) If it’s a
larger ad spot I’m looking to sponsor, than I want the whole kit and kaboodle
offered to me…my own giveaway option or guest post option; lots of social media
shoutouts. This is important to me because if I pay to be in that spot, I want to get
my money’s worth! 6) If it’s a smaller ad spot, then I look for the opportunity to
participate in a group giveaway and maybe a few social media shoutouts.”
~Taylor from Goings on in Texas

“When looking for a good sponsor I like to see how up to date their stats are and talk
to their sponsors to see of they would recommend that I sponsor that persons blog.
It helps a lot!”
~ Stephanie from Vintage Modern Wife

 “When I am looking for a blog to sponsor I look for someone with great interaction.
Oddly enough huge blogs I have had the worst experience on. The more medium-sized
blogs with 500-1200 followers I have had the best results from! People who have
a consistency in their readership. Loyal commenters daily tell you a lot about a blog.
They may have 10,000 followers but no comments everyday.That tells me they don’t
interact with their readers and its a turn off 🙂 !”
~Neely from A Complete Waste of Makeup

“My biggest advice when looking for blogs to sponsor, is to not put too much clout in
their numbers. Check and see what they offer to sponsors and if they actually DO IT.
Look through old posts, ask their current sponsors… they’ll tell you if they would sponsor
again. Some “big” blogs feel that just because you rent a piece of their real estate, results
will happen. Not so most of the time. You are paying them… make them work for it!”
~ Brittany from Naturally Estes

I look for someone who’s genuine online. Who shows who they are and isn’t just about
the numbers. I would rather have quality referrals than a mass number of people who
won’t remember who I am the next day.
~Jac from babEblessings

So there you have it! Basically it all boils down to doing your home work. It might seem like a lot of work. In fact, it kind of is a lot of work, but if you want to get the best results and avoid disappointment, than it is a worth while investment of your time!

What do you look for when you want to sponsor someone?