10 Things to Consider Before Doing a Sponsored Post

Dominique Recommendations blogging tips

I have been blogging for quite a while and have taken on doing sponsored post as a form of revenue for maintaining this blog. Recently I’ve had a rather bad experience with a company who was unprofessional and unethical and it left a bad aftertaste in my mouth.  It only shows that there are still many dodgy and unprofessional people in the blogsphere.  Based on my experience I am sharing  some tips to look out for  before you do a sponsored post so you will not have to undergo such experiences.

1. Get your blog up and running
   Many advertising companies do not accept new blogs with little content on it.  Set up your social media accounts and relevant links to your blog while adding content to your blog.  With regular content on your blog people and PR will start noticing your site.
2. Set up a Google Analytic account and a Statscounter account.
   I have both setup for this blog so that I am able to track the needed information required by PR.
3. Create a Media Kit
   Have  a  page or a PDF of your blog stats and blog info as your business card for you to use when you are approaching sponsors.
4. Check the credibility of the company.
   Even though they maybe a big brand name it doesn’t mean that they are more credible then the small business down the road.  It always pays to do a thorough check especially if they approach you.
5. Adhere to FTC Disclosure  Guidelines
   Disclosures are a must if you do a sponsored post. There are several companies who think that it is not important to follow rules. Ditch them!! It is not worth the $$ if the FTC comes a knocking at your door.
6. Go with the reputable blog networks.
   If you are starting out doing sponsored post  SocialSparks is a good place to start. I have been doing ops from that company for a few years now and they do have great opps for my blog and payment is prompt.
7. Do follow links are a no-no
   I don’t work with companies which require do-follow links. The other party is the only one who benefits from it and Google does penalize you for doing so. I recently received an e-mail from a company which I did a sponsored post a few years ago asking me to change their links from do-follow to no-follow. Upon further inquiry they mentioned that Google had send them regarding unnatural links so they were adding no-follow to all paid posts links to comply with Google’s rulings. I’ve have personally seen sites drop from a PR 3 to 0 overnight as they were being penalized for “do follow” links.
8. Check if it is a good fit for your blog
   Here on Dominique’s Desk I interject my normal posting with reviews/ sponsored posts so that there is a healthy blend of articles/post for every reader. As my blog is a family friendly one I only accept doing reviews of items which families can use and am personally interested in.
9. Negotiate time frame and payment.
   I have experienced companies who go AWOL after you have the sponsored post up and drag on their payment. It is best to have these stated clearly especially if you are dealing with sponsors on a one-to-one basis.
10. Set your advertising rates
    You need to decide what you are worth for the time and effort that you would need to invest in creating the post. You will only be doing yourself a disservice if you sell yourself cheap and work for peanuts.

What other things do you consider before you do a sponsored post?

Disclaimer: :This post has acompensation level of 3.  Please visit Dominique’s Disclosure page for more information.