How to Get Sponsored Blog Posts: 10 Steps to Find Your First Sponsor

If you’re ready to start making money from your blog, you’re on the right track! The fact that you believe in the value of your content is a huge step – one that many struggle with. Now that you have the right mindset, it’s time to turn that confidence into income by landing your first sponsored post!

In this guide, I’ll show you exactly how to get started, and who knows – maybe down the line, you’ll even become a brand ambassador. Let’s take this journey one step at a time.

To be clear, I am not an influencer myself. I am on the other side of the table representing the potential advertiser that content creators often approach. At Themeisle, we have received many proposals for sponsored blog posts for our WordPress themes and plugins. And, even though we don’t do them frequently, we have developed a way to choose the right partnerships and create trustworthy content.

There are several things to take into account when considering a new collaboration. Understanding them will increase your chances of opening more doors. Moreover, these are not industry-specific and will likely apply to your blog as well.

What is a sponsored blog post in the first place?

By sponsored posts, I mean an arrangement where you’re being paid to come up with a topic for a blog post, and then write it in a way that best reflects your views and values while endorsing a brand in an authentic way.

I realize that there’s a lot of nuance here, but in general, the key characteristic from a blogger’s perspective is that a sponsored blog post in nearly entirely within your creative control. As in, you decide what the content is going to be, you decide how to write it, and you are also the one who’s responsible for making it in tune with other content on your blog and your audience’s expectations.

While the brand often provides specific guidelines or key points to include, it’s essentially your job to navigate that and make it all fit.

1. How to find brands in the first place?

Let’s begin by finding you some names for your list of potential clients.

The first thing that comes to my mind is checking out which brands are already doing this type of influencer marketing. Look at your direct competitors and see if they have partnered up with any brands in the past year.

This next one is my favorite: go and network at meetups, events, conferences, or expos where you can connect directly with brands looking for ambassadors or influencers. Take a few copies of your media kit with you (I talk about this in point 5 below).

Try to find startups that have recently received investment and are likely to have marketing budgets to spend. Startups that have just closed a funding round are often looking to scale quickly. Search AngelList and Crunchbase and filter startups by recent funding, industry, location, or company size.

You can also try getting some external help from PR agencies that often represent multiple brands. Reach out and make some new connections. When they start searching for influencers to collaborate with, your name will be remembered.

While I’ve never used them and don’t know what the competition is like over there, you can check out the new online marketing platforms that connect bloggers with influencers. Aspire, Activate, or Influencity allow you to browse campaigns, apply for sponsorships, and pitch your content to relevant companies.

2. Share the same brand values

Before approaching possible advertisers, let’s start by researching the brands you’ll want to possibly endorse. Because they will do it too. This means they will check out your blog and your profile and if your brand values and strategy differ, there won’t be any deal.

Alignment between your values is crucial for maintaining authenticity and building trust with their audience.

Here’s how you can identify the brand values and mission:

Check the company’s website, specifically the “About Us” or “Our Values” pages. Many companies explicitly state their mission, vision, and values in these areas.
Analyze their marketing messages (advertisements, social media posts, email campaigns,product packaging, etc.).
Check the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs to see what causes they support or sponsor.
Review who the company already collaborates with (influencers, organizations, or other brands).
Read customer reviews and testimonials to see how the brand is perceived (TrustPilot, Glassdoor, Indeed).

After you’ve identified what they stand for, try to see if your brand goes against it in any way.

Here’s an example. You own a travel blog that often features across-the-ocean trips. Don’t look for brands that prioritize environmental responsibility or sustainability. They may be unlikely to work with you due to their strong stance against CO2 emissions.

Brand example with a strong sense of environmental responsibility

Moreover, knowing the brand’s values will help you tell their story. This will not go unnoticed and will recommend you for future work.

Passing this first check is not enough. You also have to find the right time to open up a conversation.

3. Pay attention to the business context

This next step is also about research. It’s about assessing your potential client’s business situation to understand their current priorities and position on the market.

Check their website, social media, and news mentions to gather information about what’s happening with their brand. This helps you tailor your pitch and align it with their current goals and challenges.

Identifying the best moment to approach them will increase your chances of being part of their content marketing strategy when they are actively looking for partnerships or promotions.

Keep an eye on press releases and product announcements from brands you’re interested in and reach out to offer your support. PRWeb offers a range of industry filters to monitor.

You’ll also know when not to pursue them, which will save you time and give you peace of mind.

4. Be personal and vulnerable in your pitch

Once you’ve decided who your next prospect is and the optimal timing, you can start drafting your pitch.

There are many theories out there discussing how to draft your email, covering everything from catchy subject lines to beautiful signatures. In my experience, what it comes down to is being able to connect on a personal level with whoever’s reading your message.

For this, you need to stay away from clichés, avoid using too many marketing terms, and just be yourself. By this I mean try adding a little of your personality into it. This will make you stand out from the rest. Oh, and stay away from ChatGPT. Everyone’s using it these days to the extent that everyone sounds the same. You don’t want that.

5. Share audience data

Yes, your personality matters. I know it sounded like you would just win their hearts with it, but that’s not enough. They might like you, but they won’t do business with you unless they get some visibility on their possible return.

To keep things short in your email, mention your top achievement and add the rest of the data in a separate doc.

Also called a Media/Press Kit, this document is often used to provide potential advertisers, sponsors, or partners with an overview of your site’s performance to demonstrate the value of the collaboration.

Include analytics tools or the tracking methods you are using to measure the performance of the sponsored posts, such as audience engagement, traffic, or conversion rates.

Besides these, you can add some credentials like mentioning any major achievements, testimonials from your readers, or any special expertise you have that is relevant to your partnership.

6. Content plan vs single sponsored post

Moving on to the offer you will present, you have to think big. Sealing a new deal takes a lot of work, so it might as well pay up.

That’s why you should go beyond the single-sponsored post and offer a well-developed, long-term content plan. This might contain a series of blog posts, social media promotions, video content, email newsletters, collaborations on product launches or giveaways.

By offering a comprehensive content plan, you position yourself as someone who can provide ongoing value. Even if they might not sign up for everything in your offer, this approach will show advertisers you have a clear vision and are serious about your intent.

As mentioned before, remember to personalize the offer to each potential sponsor. Put yourself in their shoes and select just the things that will bring them the highest value.

7. Show real-life examples

Even if this is your first attempt to get a sponsorship and you don’t have a portfolio to present, it’s important to give a sample of what your work could look like.

For this, pick your favorite brands and write up sample posts just like they were sponsored. I’m not saying you should lie about them; in fact, you should disclose that they are only samples. By doing this, you once more check the “vulnerability” box mentioned earlier.

Having some examples of your writing will help advertisers understand your approach, see your creativity at work, and reassure them that you can deliver the work.

8. Include a video-recording of yourself

TikTok and YouTube are among the most visited websites in the world. But you have a written blog as your primary content format which likely means you’re not very comfortable in front of the camera. I’m with you on this.

It’s perfectly fine to focus on other channels, but a video recording does say something about you: it says you’re willing to be transparent and show who you are.

All it takes is a short, two-minute video to introduce yourself, say something nice about the brand you want to collaborate with, request a quick call, and, of course, smile!

This simple effort will weigh a lot in how people perceive you and it will help you stand out from the competition.

9. Offer discount$$

To make the offer more attractive, create a lower-priced “First-Time Sponsor” deal. While this is a basic marketing technique, you should not dismiss it because it simply works.

People are more likely to buy if they see the original price next to the discounted one. Even if you hadn’t planned a discount, add a price next to it that’s 20-30% higher than your current offer.

Everyone feels good if they believe they got a better deal. Offer a “Special Welcome Deal” and make them feel special too. 🙂

10. Always follow-up

Don’t feel discouraged if you don’t get answers back the first time. There are many reasons why this might happen. Some recipients might have missed your email, or they may have a personal urgency, or they simply forgot to reply. One follow-up is accepted (and recommended).

There have been many situations where following up has proven to work for me. I usually wait 3-4 days and forward my original email mentioning one simple request. This can be a quick question, clicking a link to schedule a call, or watching the video I sent. Having a call to action will increase the chances of hearing back from them.

Don’t be shy or embarrassed to follow up. Most outreach professionals automate this into their outreach process. It’s how online sales work. But you will do it the smarter way because you are personalizing it and you have a clear goal in mind.

11. Request testimonials

Once you’ve finished working with a client, ask them to write you a testimonial. When you collect a bunch of testimonials, use them in your media kit or on your website to build credibility and demonstrate a track record of your work.

Be careful not to ask for too much. I was once asked if I could do a video recording to describe my experience with a training company. I refused it as it would have required quite a complex setup on my part. Plus I hate cameras.

Ready to go?

Have you already tried any of these techniques? What’s been working for you, and where do you feel stuck? Share your learnings below!

It’s often disappointing to reach out and not get an answer. Don’t get discouraged. Just keep going and pivot your approach. Look for alternatives, change your strategy, and ask for feedback. You’ve got this.

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