Sponsored blog posts are a great way to make money with your blog.

There is a right way to sell these types of posts and a wrong way to do it, though. You have to be careful because if you do it wrong, it can really harm your reputation and even cost you money.

If you want to learn more about sponsored blog posts and how to use this tactic effectively to earn a profit with your blog, then I suggest you keep reading this guide.

What are Sponsored Blog Posts?

A sponsored blog post is a post created to advertise a product or service.

Most sponsored blog posts do provide some form of value and quality content if created properly but the main intention of the post is to advertise something in hopes that readers will click links to products and services and make a purchase.

Some sponsors create fast, low-quality content for sponsored blog posts because they want a quick backlink.

It’s important to recognize that and prevent those posts from being published on your blog.

Sponsored blog posts typically cost money to make and can often yield a large profit if priced correctly. However, many companies and ad agencies will attempt to take advantage of bloggers and offer the lowest price possible.

While sponsored blog posts aren’t the best kind of blog profit generator, they can still earn you quite a bit of money if you adopt the right strategy.

Benefits of Sponsored Blog Posts

There are many benefits of sponsored blog posts for both you as the blogger and the brands who are paying for the sponsored content.

As a blogger, you are adding a revenue stream. To make a serious profit, you have to have multiple revenue streams. Sponsored content is often a revenue stream that many bloggers adopt.

It also gives you an opportunity to collaborate with relevant brands. You might have a goal to network and collaborate with a certain brand, and sponsored content opportunities might be one of the best ways to connect with that brand.

Sponsored blog posts also give you an opportunity to give a variety of different content, break things up a bit, and help you take a break from writing if you need one. You should definitely be the dominant content author on your blog, but guest bloggers and sponsors can help diversify your blog a little bit more.

For brands and companies, sponsored blog posts are an opportunity to increase brand awareness and often generate backlinks. Many sponsors request at least one do-follow backlink. It’s really up to you to allow it or not, as Google does ask that we don’t sell links.

Brands can also access new and targeted audience segments by sponsoring content on your blog. The brand should do research first before requesting a sponsorship. You can usually determine if they’ve done their homework, too. That will help you weed out the spammy ones better.

Brands also get authentic promotion through trusted voices when they sponsor content. You have an audience that is loyal to you and trusts you. That is helpful to brands looking for an audience willing to purchase something. But with that comes the responsibility of ensuring that you post trustworthy sponsored content.

Sponsored blog posts have many benefits for both the blogger and the brand you plan to work with.

How to Attract Blog Sponsors

There are a few ways to attract better sponsors and get sponsored blog content on your blog.

The best way to attract the best sponsors is to build up your blog as best as possible. This means you need to write high quality content that is packed full of value. Tackles the pain points, needs, and wants of your audience and turns them into loyal readers who share your content routinely. The best brands looking to pay for sponsorship are looking for blogs that offer the best content with the most loyal audience.

You can also find brands who will sponsor content by networking with your favorite companies. Write reviews for their products and post them on your blog. Make sure the review is of the highest quality possible and very informative. Then, contact the brands you made the review for and share it with them. They’ll take notice, especially if you’re getting a lot of engagement with the reviews.

You should also create a page or advertising kit to outline your policies and other information about how sponsored blog posts will work with your blog. Include statistics and metrics to show what your content does, include any rules you have about the content, and include any additional information that might be required. Consider keeping the prices off the kit and sharing them in email during negotiations.

If you truly want to attract the brands that you really want to work with, be sure to do things that will attract them to you.

Crafting Sponsored Blog Posts

There are two ways to craft sponsored blog posts. The common way is that the brand creates the articles and sends them to you to publish. The uncommon way is that you write the article, but if it’s a review, it’s not as uncommon.

If you need to write it, you need to write it as if it were your own content. It needs to be high quality and packed with value. You do need to emphasize the links and encourage people to click on them, but you should also make sure it’s packed with value in the process. Don’t ever write something generic.

If the sponsor is creating the content, you need to have editorial rules in place. My rules are simple. I will only accept content written by a human—no AI-created content. The content has to be valuable—no generic content. I only accept long-form content that is at least 1,000 words or more. I emphasize that I like content that is around 2,000+ words more than anything. The content also has to be unique—I run system checks to ensure it isn’t posted anywhere else.

It’s okay to require that sponsored blog posts be of the highest quality possible. If that’s a problem, then you need to stay away from that sponsor because they’re likely up to no good.

Legal and Ethical Considerations

There are important legal and ethical considerations to consider when using sponsored blog posts as an income stream on your blog.

First and foremost, every sponsored blog post should have a sponsored content label attached to it. Some brands will try to talk you out of this, and in all honesty, it’s unethical and could even be illegal in some areas. You should always label sponsored content as sponsored. Those who advise you not to are just looking for a backlink and trying to cheat the system.

Be careful with using third-party images. If you use an image that is protected by copyright or requires a commercial license, you can be held liable for copyright infringement. This means that you’ll have to pay for the risk of being sued for even more money. Some websites use AI to scan for these protected images so that they can make money from you. The best way to go around this is to not accept third-party images or require licenses for images sent to you.

Make sure you have a disclaimer about sponsored blog posts. Your audience needs to know your guidelines for this kind of content. They also need to know how you feel about it and that you use it to generate revenue. Every blog should have a disclaimer if it’s making money. You can create a dedicated policy or even put a section in your Terms of Use about it.

Be careful what products and services you allow to be sponsored on your blog. If the product or service is something you wouldn’t ever use, do you really think it’s a good idea to promote it to an audience that trusts you to never lie to them? Don’t allow junk to be sponsored on your blog. I reject 9 out of 10 sponsored blog posts that I get because of my requirements for the best quality products and services possible. Reputation and loyal audiences are way more important than a couple of dollars here and there.

When accepting sponsored blog posts and content on your blog, make sure you follow the rules, laws, and ethical responsibilities of bloggers.

What to Charge for Sponsored Blog Posts

Then comes to main question of the day!

How much should you charge for sponsored blog posts?

Many factors go into play here. You need to consider your blog’s metrics. How many views do you get a month? How many shares is your content getting? How much engagement and comments do you get?

My main blog is widely viewed and shared. I charge a minimum of $250 for a sponsored post, but when I first started offering it, I charged $50. I made sure I didn’t offer it until my blog started getting traffic, and I feel that’s important.

It’s okay to start with a cheaper price, but don’t undersell or let brands bully you into a much lower price.

I get advertising agencies and brands telling me that my price is too high and that they can afford $20. At that point, I tell them I’m not interested and usually refuse to do any more business with them. Those people are trying to take advantage of bloggers, plain and simple.

Now, if you find a legitimate company that wants to negotiate a better price, listen to them and consider their offerings as an option.

It’s okay to start with a low price and raise it as your blog becomes more popular. As I said, mine started out at $50, and now it’s $250 for the basic plan. Know your blog and your worth, and make sure your sponsors respect that worth.

Just don’t be a sellout because you have to make as much money as you can.

People notice it, and you’ll gain that sellout reputation.

Now, Over to You!

And that sums up my article on sponsored blog posts. Follow the advice above and you should be able to start making a decent income from your sponsored content.

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About the Author

Shawn Gossman has created content, blogged, ran online communities, and shared a passion for digital marketing for over twenty years. Shawn believes the best way to help content creators, businesses, brands, and marketers is to give away more than you sell. The same advice is recommended for the readers who follow this blog. Shawn also offers various services for extra help in content creation and blogging.