In this post, I’ll say things that other bloggers advise against, such as, ‘as a beginner blogger you should not put ads on your blog.’
I say put ads on your blog.
Their reason to not put up ads: When you put up ads too soon on your blog it will be a distraction to your viewers. And as a beginner blogger, you will not make enough money anyway by putting up ads.
My reason to put up ads: We are used to seeing ads on blogs. Our eyes are not distracted by it so much anymore. Keep in mind to put the ads, not in the way of your post. If you put it in the middle of your post, that will distract readers, but if you put it out of their way, they will still have an enjoyable experience.
Second reason: You won’t make a lot of money with the ads you put up. How much? About 2cents. It will teach you to get excited about 2cents and then it will go up to 5cents, 10 cents, and 20cents, and when you hit that $1 you’ll feel like a boss. Also, 2cents is more than nothing. When the $1000, or $2000 starts coming you will appreciate it more because you know where you came from.
Third reason: You need to think for yourself. As I’ve mentioned the majority of people advise only putting ads on your blog after a year or two. Their reasoning behind it is valid and it has worked for them. But will it work for you? Your personality? The way you think and act. You are not them and they are not you. ‘Miracles’ can happen for you that did not happen for them. I received my first paycheck after only 3 months of blogging on WordPress. But then again, if you cannot get excited about your posts getting 2 cents in the beginning, then perhaps you can wait until after a year.
How to get ads on your blog as a small blogger?
Adsense: You create an account with AdSense. It’s free and easy.
When do you get paid? Many people just say when you’ve reached the threshold of $100. I found that that’s true if you are American.
But for other countries, you get different thresholds. Here are some:
Something cool about AdSense: You can monetize (put ads) on your blog and other websites like Youtube. Then your threshold will be reached sooner because you have two places you put up ads instead of one.
How do you get paid? Check or bank account?
In the past, it used to be in a check like this
dwords: When you upgrade your blog to premium, you can use AdWords.
Adwords places ads on your blog and when you’ve reached a threshold of $100 they deposit into your bank account or PayPal account.
Note: You cannot have Adsense and Adwords. You have to choose one.
Promoted content
This is where you start seeing the dollars $$.
When a company approaches you to do a blog post for them advertising their brand on your blog. This can either be a post that you have written or a post they have written. Or advertising space on your blog.
This is an example of a company contacting me to advertise on my blog. This was after only 3 months on WordPress.
How do you go about getting brands to sponsor you?
Finding brands that want to sponsor bloggers is not difficult. They even find you. Brands want to advertise their businesses.
- Make sure that you:
- Have a contact page with your email address, and social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, etc. Preferably the ones that are doing good. No not Beyonce good, but your good.
- There are different types of companies, a lot that’s looking for smaller bloggers because they charge less (not cents, dollars) and often would work harder on a post and advertising.
- Don’t be afraid to turn down offers if it doesn’t fit well with your audience and blog. Other offers will come. Be patient.
- Know how much you will charge for sponsored content. How many hours do you have per day to spend on your post? Will you promote it also on your Facebook? Instagram? Snapchat? Other social media?
What are businesses looking for?
They are looking for a blog with interaction. Why? because if they are going to pay you to promote their content, they have to be sure your audience will check out their business.
That’s why it’s important to build up your audience. Just be sure that when you do accept a sponsor that it is something your audience will benefit from. You have worked hard for a relationship with your audience, don’t lose their trust.
Be honest and upfront. Your audience is human. They understand that you need money to live. So don’t try to fool them. Say straight up ‘I’m doing a sponsored post because I don’t live on comments alone, I’m getting money and I’m bringing something useful to you.’
As always, if you are interested in more beginner blogger tips like these, I wrote a bunch of them here.
Until tomorrow.
Happy living!
Chantal
chantalandshekinah.wordpress.com 