Sponsored Content: The Why & How

The Why

I shouldn't have to defend myself or my little blog but sometimes as a blogger you come across negative comments online and hence I felt the need to write this post.

I've written a hella lot of collaborative content lately. True. In fact my friend Ruth and I counted on Friday evening and stopped at sixty. That's sixty sponsored posts since April. I get that not everyone wants to read sponsored posts, but a girl has to make a living. And in my case, I'm monetising my blog to help pay off my debt management plan. 

Truth be told, I'm gonna milk my blog for all it's worth to better my future and why the hell not? Making money doing something I love is a dream come true. I've always stood on my own two feet and tried to be independent. And if I can help myself financially by taking on more sponsored work then I'm going to do so. I could have chosen to be deceitful and not mark these particular posts as collaborative but that's not my style and I've always tried to be honest and transparent as a blogger. 

I also try really hard to create content that - collaborative or not - still brings something of value to you guys as the readers. I myself hate blatant adverts so I try to bear this in mind and always put effort into creating posts that give some kind of advice or make for an interesting read and then I'll work the paid link in somehow. This way I feel I'm still keeping in with the GirlGoneDreamer style. 

I like to think (or hope) that you enjoy reading my sponsored posts as much as my others because I do put so much effort into them. And obviously I'll still be writing non sponsored content in the future too, it just so happens that lately I've been contacted for a lot of commissioned work. Speaking of which, although I've worked incredibly hard these last few months, I also feel very lucky to have been given the opportunity to take on the collaborations I have. For the first time in years, things are looking up both career wise and financially. 

To summarise, everybody is going to have an opinion, but never quit if you have a dream. I sure as hell won't be doing. 

The How

For those of you who are reading this and are keen to do collaborative work, I have a few snippets of advice.

1. Be consistent. Create and publish content on a regular basis if you want to get noticed.

2. Network 24/7 - On Twitter, on Facebook groups, Instagram and via email. I literally never stop doing this.

3. Get yourself added to some PR databases. If you're unsure how, simply put out a tweet requesting to be added and add the prrequest hashtag.

4. Speaking of which, keep up with the prrequest and bloggersrequired hashtags on social media. Often PR companies and brands will put out word when they're in need of bloggers.

5. Respond to all your emails, even if it's to politely decline. Brands and PR people talk. I've got a lot of work through word of mouth.

6. Be prepared to work for a lot less in the beginning. It won't be forever. Once you're more established, bigger brands with bigger budgets will approach you. 

7. Work on your DA growth. (Domain authority) As it grows so will your fee.

8. Lastly, don't give up! Stick with it and you'll get there. I'm only ever an email away if you want some helpful advice.

What are your thoughts on sponsored posts? 

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