Many bloggers write for the creative outlet, or as a record of their family life, but some like me, want to turn it into a business or make some money from it. It’s possible to earn money from your blog, from some extra money on the side to a 6 figure income. For me, I earn a decent part time wage and it constantly improves. It does take hard work and commitment, but if you’re willing to put the work in, the rewards are there. There are several ways to earn money as a blogger and from your blog, but today I’m concentrating on where to find sponsored posts and paid social media posts. This is when you are paid to write about a brand, product or service and usually include their link in the post. They can be reviews, infographics or a particular event promotion. It is usually when the company has a new product to promote.
Some brands and SEOs will come to you directly, so it’s important that you have a way to contact you on your blog – a work with me page, a contact form/ email address at the least. Put your contact details on your social media bios too. Keep your about me page up to date, and keep a mini about me in your sidebar or footer, so brands can see at a glance if you’re a good fit. Once your DA (Domain Authority) goes over 20, you’ll start getting emails to work with you. It’s up to you what you want to include. You should always disclose a sponsored post, ideally at the start of the post, otherwise you may be misleading readers. If you are paid to include a link in a post, or given a product in exchange for a link, Google prefers it to be no-follow, but there is no legal requirement to make it so, only to disclose.
Here are the sites I use to find and apply for sponsored posts. There are many around and more and more spring up all the time, some end up never providing any work, but it’s always worth signing up if you’re asked. I’ve also included some Facebook groups further down that advertise opportunities and reviews.
Valued Voice – You add your website(s) and social media channels and they contact you with guest posts. You can choose the title that best resonates with your voice and audience and you set the price. You can accept or reject the job, and there are also limited-time offers which can be a bit less than the usual price but are worth grabbing as they soon add up. I get around $100 per month from them. They pay out on the 1st of the month, or you can request an early payout at the cost of $5.
The Blogger Programme has mainly gifted campaigns and a few paid campaigns.
Link Publishers You set your prices and websites that you own, and then you get offered guest blogs to publish. You have control over what you accept.
Valued Voice Similar to link publishers, you register with them and add your websites, metrics and your rates. They have two ways of offering work, you get offers that are from the rates you set, and also limited time one off offers that are sometimes a bit under what you would accept. I get quite a fair amount from them. When you cash out, you get paid once a month, if you want it sooner there is a $5 fee.
The Press Loft You can get press images, and press releases, and are matched with suitable campaigns. They also have affiliate links for the products.
Get Blogged – they separate the jobs into DA brackets. It’s not amazing pay but good when you need some money and occasionally has some gems. Worth signing up for and is free to join.
Tribe is an app where you choose a brand to work with and create an Instagram post and caption. The catch is they may not choose yours. You choose the price. A lot of the time I don’t apply because I don’t own what they are trying to promote and I’m not buying it on spec. They do have a fair few ones that don’t need product placement so keep an eye out.
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- Essential Tools all successful bloggers use
- Twitter Tips
- 10 quick traffic tips to boost your traffic today
- 20 Tailwind Tribes to skyrocket your traffic
Awin marketplace If you’re on Awin as an affiliate, you can post your own services on their opportunity marketplace.
Takumi is for sponsored Instagram work. They have an app, and they check your account and decide if you’re worthy. (I’m not – but I’m not bitter, much!)
Tots 100, Trips 100, Hibs 100, Foodies 100 – All part of the same network Flea enterprises, you pick the one relevant to your niche, but you can still get campaigns from any brand. Once you sign up and display the badge on your site you get a ranking, which changes every month according to different metrics. They get a lot of work from brands and you can apply via email or the app.
Sign up for the mailing list and get a free blogging checklist for a promo checklist of what to do after you hit publish to boost traffic.
Facebook Groups for Sponsored Posts
UK parent blogger opportunities
Parent Blogs is my group, I sometimes share reviews and sponsored posts if the company wants me to, or if I can’t do it myself.
You could also think about gathering a group of like-minded bloggers and creating your own share group between you where you share contacts (with their permission) and opportunities. You have to trust each other and keep it small.
Other ways to find sponsored posts
Keep an eye out on Twitter. Follow PR accounts, particularly of those that work with brands you want to work with, or are aligned with your niche. Search the hashtags #bloggersrequired #bloggerswanted #prrequest #journorequest
Pitch! Do you have an idea for a sponsored post or an angle on a story or product? You can pitch directly to the brand or PR. Include your media kit and rates. Maybe you have a craft idea around a product or a personal story.
Do you get sent press releases? Reply to them with an angle on the product or service you can write about, and why they should work with you. Attach your rate card or suggest a price. Some of them do have a budget to use, and I’ve got lots of work this way. Sign up to Press Loft and Response Source to get press releases.
I hope you found this useful, I will keep this list updated as I go along, and if you know any others, let me know!
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12 Comments
Really useful! Thank you x
October 8, 2017 at 6:05 pmThank you for so much value
September 24, 2019 at 11:10 pmThis is a great post full of useful information! Thank you :).
October 18, 2017 at 11:26 amThanks, Jenny, some new ones I’d not heard of! Have book marked 🙂 x
December 4, 2017 at 5:15 pmThank you for your work. Very useful post.
March 28, 2018 at 7:17 pmThank you, Jenny! Would you believe I’ve been looking for exactly this? So many opportunities seem to be for US bloggers only!
August 3, 2018 at 8:04 pmThanks for linking to this on Facebook for me. Guess how I will be spending my morning now? Unfortunately I have only just started blogging so don’t think I will be suitable for many, is it worthwhile adding my profile to some sites as surely they auto update when you gain new followers?
October 16, 2018 at 9:34 amOf course, add yourself now, sometimes it’s not about how many followers you have, it’s about your niche, your voice and your engagement levels.
October 16, 2018 at 11:48 amdefinitely worth it
November 27, 2019 at 6:54 pmThanks I messaged you
November 30, 2019 at 9:44 amGreat info given for the Blogging !!!
August 5, 2019 at 6:41 amAW! thanks very much for this. will deffo read and study this thoroughly .
June 9, 2020 at 1:07 am