Update: Be sure to read part II of this post for a more accurate explanation about what you should be charging for sponsored posts.
Before I became an active member in the blogosphere, I had absolutely no idea that people made so much money by blogging. Now, a year later, I'm still fascinated at how some people have turned blogging into a such a lucrative career. The opportunities and possibilities are endless. For today however, I'm going to talk to you guys a bit about sponsored posts.
Lately I've had a few run-ins with companies that want me to do sponsored posts for them, but aren't willing to pay. Now, I am far from being greedy. In fact, when it comes to sponsored posts, my rates are extremely reasonable. For $25, I do one sponsored post (which includes links to their main site and social media pages), two sponsored tweets and two facebook shares. I also advertise the business (at no additional cost) on my sidebar for the entire month. Most of the time I end up doing additional work just because I actually like the company and want to spread the word.
Last month I stumbled upon this post on Babble by CecliyK that is just brimming over with some awesome advice about what bloggers should be charging for sponsored posts based on their PR and number of followers via blog and social media. She even managed to get 25 bloggers who were willing to share their stats and what they charge (which only further solidified my belief that I probably should charge more). Also, apparently I've REALLY been out of the loop because there is a nifty little formula for bloggers to help determine what we SHOULD actually be charging. Check it out:
Pretty neat huh?
My point today is don't get conned. I just want you guys to understand what you could potentially be charging for your services. Public relations practitioners know the value of word of mouth marketing. Believe me, they understand the importance of building strong long-term relationships with their publics. Don't underestimate your opinions or your worth.
So what do you think? Is $25 a reasonable rate? What do you guys charge?
Photo cred) CecilyK
I normally charge $15 but I do like your formula!
ReplyDeleteI would love to take credit for that ingenious formula, but that was all Cecily K. She's got some great tips and trick on her site for how to go about monetizing.
DeleteHey girl! Just so you know...your twitter button goes to your pinterest and your pinterest directs you to your twitter page. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the catch, I finally managed to switch it over :)
DeleteVery interesting! Where do I find my "page rank" number to put it in this formula? Thanks for sharing! Stacie xo
ReplyDeleteHere's one of my favorite sites to use:
Deletehttp://www.prchecker.info/check_page_rank.php
Just plug in your blogs url and it should give you a number ranging from 1-10. The higher you are, the better your ranking. Don't be disappointed if your PR is low, there's a ton of ways to get it higher.
Let me know if you need any other help :)
-Reese
Thanks! I tried it and I'm a 1. LOL! What do I do to attempt to increase it? Thanks again! Stacie xo
DeleteThis article has some great tips.
Deletehttp://weblogs.about.com/od/searchengineoptimization/tp/HowIncreaseGooglePageRank.htm
Especially number 1. Backlinking/commenting on high PR sites are a GREAT way to increase your PR. Just make sure your comments are on sites that pertain to your blog topic. Since you blog about fashion/makeup, find bloggers that blog about similar topics and contribute to the conversation. Just make sure that you're not spamming their site :)
Number 2 also has lots of SEO tips. Meta tags and keyword research. Basically all the things I neglect to do because I've gotten lazy lol.
Use alexa.com to keep track of how many links you have built. It will also show you your traffic rank. The more links you establish, the better your traffic score. Here's the link for that site. http://www.alexa.com/
Good luck to you! Let me know if you need any more help :)
Reese
I normally charge $25. I never knew there was a formula. I just figured $25 "sounded" fair, LOL!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post! I was just approached for the first time + after looking at multiple sites for some advice, your post made the most sense to me!!! I really don't know much about this sponsoring business, but I'd like to learn!
ReplyDeleteGreat article! How can I tell what my page rank # is?
ReplyDelete-Karen
www.yourstylistkaren.com
This was a great post. Thanks for helping me getting properly calibrated. :)
ReplyDeleteThis post seems helpful but it just doesn't make sense to me because technically the bigger your PR on Google the less you'd charge according to the chart because of dividing by that number. Have I done something wrong?
ReplyDeleteI think $25 is way too low. On the daily, I receive offers for $300+. Don't undersell yourself!
ReplyDeleteI agree!!
DeleteHi, Im a newbie on blogging (http://geejaytravellog.blogspot.com/)
ReplyDeleteI would like to ask if the $25 you are talking is a monthly fee for the sponsored post?
meaning, 1 sponsored post = $25 = 1 month of posting? is that correct?
How much should I charge per post? I have a fan page with 382,135 likes · 302,617 talking about this
ReplyDeleteMakes no sense. Why should pages that have higher page ranks (which means they are better) be penalized?
ReplyDeleteI.e. 10 is the best but by dividing by that gets you a lower number than if you are at 1.
I was just about to ask the same question. The higher the page rank, the higher you should charge. But if you divide your traffic & Twitter stats by page rank, then you are effectively charging LESS if you have a high page rank.
DeleteAwesome! Thanks for the tip! Learning more and more every day :)
ReplyDeleteAm I doing something wrong, I used the calculator and got 3,026 per post :/
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the formula and tips! I am looking for new ways to increase blog traffic, increase PR ranking and lower Alexa score... ;) Thanks for sharing your tips and tricks!
ReplyDeleteOlivia
www.thisnthatwitholivia.com
Is that number of page views monthly?
ReplyDeleteYou offer great help. thank you. I'm a 2 out of 10, guess I have a lot of work to do!
ReplyDeleteWhy wouldn't facebook and pinterst be in the formula? There is another issue here. The value of ones social network is getting the "right" eyeballs. I am totally into this subject because I feel it has been way too long that bloggers are cut out of monetization. In my humble opinion, Bloggers, MUST team together and STOP accepting free goods for their thoughtful content. They should be paid with real dollars. Their socail network is MEDIA. Brands need to pay for this. :)
ReplyDeleteI got $133.92 per post, this was based on calculating 25,000 page views per month. There's a better chart I found.
ReplyDeletehttp:///www.lilyseymour.com
The problem is that different stats will matter to different advertisers, so I suppose an algorithm could be conceived where you could sub in different attributes. This is actually a great idea for a whole site - a Javascript sponsored post rate calculator. Everybody would use it! At any rate, I say you find out the rate of someone in your niche who you aspire to be like, but just aren't quite there yet - judge what % of the way to "their level" you are, and charge that. So if I find out So-And-So BBlogger charges $180 and I think I'm 75% of the way to her site quality, I'll charge 180*0.75=135$. Eh?
ReplyDeleteThe formula didn't work well on my blogs, I think this formula only works for blogs with higher page views and twitter followers.
ReplyDeleteSometimes it's quality over quantity. A brand pays me for a combination of my audience, my time and my talent. The question is, what are they trying to get in return? It's not all about numbers. Is the story personal, authentic, touching, mind blowing, etc. I have an idea of what other mom bloggers charge, but I charge what I think I'm worth.
ReplyDeleteYes Ma'am! I wrote this post when I had just started out. Audience, time and talent. And what most people don't realize, is that, if you're doing it right, it can take a LOT of time and even more CREATIVITY and TALENT. I truly didn't know what to charge at that time I wrote this. Now things have changed. My reach has expanded considerably since then. I've learned how to make these posts go over well with my readership without compromising myself or my voice. And personally I feel as though I'm worth more. So I changed how I do things. In fact, I have a part 2 in draft mode ready to go. I'll have to send you the link once it goes live. Thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts on the subject!
Delete$25 is fair but definitely don't be afraid to ask for more if you feel like your work is worth it. I agree these companies know what advertising is worth, but they will try to sell you that we-don't-have-a-budget lie. Clearly, you have money because you're producing and selling product. At the very least they should be open to negotiating.
ReplyDeletelol, I wrote this post a loooonnnnggg time ago. Basically when I had just started. And well before I attended Bloggy Boot Camp. Let's just say my outlook on how much I charge has since changed. In fact I have a part 2 to this post sitting in draft mode and waiting until business as usual returns here. I will send you the link once it goes live though! I think you'll see there's quite a difference in my rates now :)
DeleteGlad to see this comment! My eyes practically bulged out of my head (not in a good way) after I did the math. Would love to see your follow up post. I think you probably agree now that $25 is way too little (or at least i hope you do!).
DeleteYou should add a note to your article stating that this rate was from when you first started years ago, and you don't recommend that bloggers charge so little.
DeleteThis "formula" has no statistical or logical support and has been criticized by many. Sounds like Cecily just threw some numbers in the air and however they fell, they fell. Please don't use it! $25.00 is very low for all that you offer. I would say $250.00 is a good starting point for that much exposure.
ReplyDeleteYes, $25.00 was way to low. I didn't truly understand my worth until I attended Bloggy Boot Camp, and since then there has been a significant change to how much I charge for sponsored posts. I have a part 2 to this post ready in draft mode. I plan to publish it next week and link this post to that one so people can see how my opinion has changed. I hope you'll come back and give it a read!
DeleteAgreed! Most bloggers that are small are charging in the thousands, and blogs that are larger start at $10k per post. Sorry to say, but $25 tells the PR that you don't value your time or blog at all.
DeleteYou’ve heard that most people value things based on what they paid for them? I think that’s true in general and especially in the case of brands and advertising. If bloggers give sponsorships away for free, then it ruins the brand's perception of the value sponsored blog posts have.
This is great information to know thank you for sharing. I am not at a point where I am getting much business but when it comes I feel better prepared.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I normally charge higher than $25 for my PR 2 blog and around $25 for my PR 1. I think my rates are fairly reasonable since I also allow guest posting pro bono once in a while. :)
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post! I haven't started charging yet but will be very soon.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great formula and I'm with you, I'm not charging enough.
ReplyDeleteWay way too low for what you are offering! I appreciate I'm from the UK and our prices are different but that is crazily cheap. It's cheap even for 1 sponsored post without throwing in extras like social media mentions and side bar ads. I would say you could definitely raise it a bit.
ReplyDeletePlease do send me the link too to the second part of this post on how much you currently charge now. acts as an inspiration
ReplyDeleteI like to start at 10 to 15 dollars, but after doing the formula, I should charge a lot less. 6.55
ReplyDeletelol I did the formula and it's exactly what I've been charging. I have a good twitter and facebook following but my page views could be better and I'm a PR3. I took all that stuff into consideration because even though my social media is built up my page views and uniques need some help. I'm able to charge a decent rate for sponsored tweets though
ReplyDeleteYour post leaves off some good info that Cecily mentioned -- like not dividing by 2 if you're especially influential and never selling below $25
ReplyDeleteNice formula buddy liked it................... :)
ReplyDeleteHey that is awesome formula thanks for sharing .............. :)
ReplyDeletethank you this has been so helpful!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for this! Very helpful! Though I am terrible at maths I still agree with others that say formula is a bit out of whack. Still great post!
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of your post, the link to "part II of this post" links back to this same page. It should link to http://www.beingreese.com/2014/02/how-much-to-charge-for-sponsored-posts.html Just a heads up! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much!! This was very helpful!!
ReplyDeletelol I did the formula and it's exactly what I've been charging. I have a good twitter and facebook following but my page views could be better and I'm a PR3. I took all that stuff into consideration because even though my social media is built up my page views and uniques need some help. I'm able to charge a decent rate for sponsored tweets thoughfacebook
ReplyDeleteMy comment is, way too cheap! How long did it take you to build your audience? Why would you give any business access to all your hard earned influence for nothing? And your link has to be "nofollow" to comply with Google TOS -- I mention that because it was not in your post.
ReplyDeleteDo you know what companies pay for print ads in papers and magazines that are glanced at and ignored by thousands? Bloggers have a targeted, loyal audience. That is advertising gold. Don't be bullied into working like a dog for a pittance.
If you don't have one already, you can start a newsletter that's delivered once or twice a month and build your email list this way, offering the newsletter in exchange for their email address (of course, you have to deliver it). Make certain you have a privacy policy in place so people will know that their addresses will not be sold to advertisers. Then deliver entertaining news and tidbits that you know will wow your audience. Then you can offer select ad space there. It is a kind of "proof" that you can convert your readers. Only offer ads that match what your audience expects from you, that fits your topic.
This is a great post. I like that more and more bloggers are being open, honest and helpful when it comes to these types of topics.
ReplyDeleteHello! Thank you for sharing! I did want to ask about where you find your page ranking. For some reason I can't pull anything up for it. Help a sista out! Thank you!
ReplyDelete-TaziaLynne
IMHO - A sponsored article on a professional-looking blog should cost an absolute minimum of $10k+, and a sponsored social media post should cost $15 to $30+ CPM (per thousand followers), depending on what the brand wants and what is involved. For perspective, many social media stars make $50k to $100k per Instagram post alone. And an ad in a print magazine can easily cost a few hundred thousand dollars. These brands are paying for ads elsewhere, so why not in your blog? Don’t you give them value too?
ReplyDelete