Getting to the point where you’re able to make money from blogging is a wonderful feeling. Even if you’re not yet making a full living out of your blog, to be able to build on what you have and work towards financial independence whilst doing something you love is a very exciting feeling! But you need to maintain your integrity- and always remember that it’s your following who have allowed you to get to where you are! Here are a few tips to help you please your following and keep them interested whilst working your way towards greatness!
Make Sure that Not Every Post is About a Gifted Item
Everyone gets excited the first time a PR gets in touch to offer a free product- it’s a little milestone in every bloggers career. Working with PR’s in this way, and reviewing products for your readers is a great way to build relationships with brands whilst giving your readers great content- but don’t tip the balance too far. Make sure you still review products without them being sponsored; if a new product comes onto the market that you know your readers will want a review of, buy it yourself!
Make Sure You’re Honest with Your Readers About Sponsored Posts and Gifting
This is a really important one. Almost all blog readers are well aware of the industry and how we, as bloggers, make a living. It is so important to be honest about when a post is sponsored or gifted, and 99% of the time it won’t affect how your readers take your advice at all! All it takes is a short sentence at the end of a post telling everyone that although your opinions are your own, the post was sponsored. If a brand protests, you have every right to end the project and say you can no longer participate. It’s your blog, and these are your readers we’re talking about!
Create Sponsored Posts on Your Own Terms
If there is one point I could really push forward it would be this one- don’t accept pre-written posts from a brand! It looks odd to have a post that’s written in a different way to how you usually write, and it will never do your blog justice.
Some of the best posts I’ve seen have been collaborative sponsored posts which are inspired by a brand but 100% planned, written and designed by the blogger themselves. You must have full ownership over all your content for your readers to enjoy it, and although it’s absolutely fine to work on sponsored posts your readers and your style should always be at the forefront of your mind. Never compromise your content in return for money- it will do you damage in the long term.
Write In-Depth and Honest Reviews
You might have noticed there is a common theme running through this article- honesty! This not only refers to disclosing when products are gifted, but also to reviewing them. The best way you can show your readers that your opinion is honest is to write great honest reviews! Talk about every aspect of a product; what you love, what could be better, whether you’ll buy it again…the list goes on. I’m not saying you should include negative points just for the sake of it, but just ensure that the fact a product was gifted doesn’t sway your write up of it. After all, if your readers go and buy it off the back of your review and find it’s not what you promised, you may well lose them there and then.
Make Sure You Still Leave Time to Blog Because You Love it!
Don’t just blog for money! Even if you’re getting offer after offer from brands begging to work with you, make sure you leave time to blog for yourself. Think back to when you started your blog, and how much you enjoyed blogging without the money. Don’t turn your blog into a chore by solely blogging when you’re paid too.
Get Feedback from Your Readers
Unsure if you’re following the right path when it comes to sponsored content? Just ask your readers! One thing to do is create a survey of a few of your latest posts- some sponsored and some unsponsored. If the favourites are always unsponsored this doesn’t mean you should stop working with brands- it most likely means you just need to do it better and work harder on making sure your sponsored content is still authentic!
Keep an Eye on Your Stats
The best way you’ll be able to tell how successful your sponsored posts are, is by looking at the stats to see how each posts is performing. You’ll need Google Analytics for this!
How do you make sure that your readers still love your content?
Thank you Rebecca. I am going to try the “Create Sponsored Posts on Your Own Terms” part.