by Elizabeth, Delightfully Tacky
The basic reason that companies, shops, or other blogs will want to sponsor your blog is: they can get traffic from the ad placed on your blog. It's just advertising basics. The more traffic your blog gets, the more likely companies will want to sponsor your blog. Don't feel bad if a larger brand or company turns you down or stops sponsoring after a bit, it might just be because your blog doesn't draw in the number of clicks that they're looking for. They are, after all, paying you to get their ad clicked on. It might sound a little harsh, but it's business. I've had some advertisers stop sponsoring because I didn't give them enough clicks. Don't take it personally.
One of the good things about sponsorship, at least for me, is that it pushes me to be a better blogger. I want to create great content, not only because I want to have a good blog, but also because I like the companies and shops and blogs that sponsor me and I would love to be able to send traffic their way!
A good way to support your sponsors while still staying true to yourself (and not becoming a blogger whose posts are only dedicated to shilling their sponsor's wares) is by incorporating your sponsor into your posts in ways that are natural, and also by doing it sparingly. This shouldn't be too hard if you're taking on sponsors that reflect who you are and the products you love.
Some tips!
2) Give them a shout out on Twitter or Facebook! This is fun to do if you're window shopping and find something you really love. I like to tweet stuff like, "Ah! I love this dress from @shopruche! So pretty. http//...." I usually do this anyway, not even thinking that it's a promotion. It's a great way to share little things you find with your readers.
3) Inform your readers of a really good sale they are having or a promotion that will be expiring soon. Or, if your sponsor has a special discount code they've created for your readers, let your readers know about it! Tweet, Facebook, mention it in a post... let your readers know that they get a special discount for following your blog!
4) If you love one of your sponsor's clothing articles, wear it on the blog and link to their website! Your readers will trust the company if they see you wearing one of their items and you really do love it. Note that readers will notice if you're wearing something totally out of character just to promote a sponsor, always be yourself!
5) Don't ever give praise to an item if you hate it, or if it's bad quality. Readers won't want to read awful, snarky reviews… just be honest. Say you received a dress from a sponsor and it's poor quality, that's all that's necessary. If a sponsor continually sends you poor quality items, it might be time to consider removing them from sponsorship. You don't want to be promoting a brand or shop that you don't feel confident is in the best interests of your readers. People will buy things from them and then wonder why you support such a low-quality brand. This has never happened to me though, so I don't feel like it's a frequent occurance.
