Sponsored Content VS Paid Guest Posts
A few weeks ago I published a blog on ways I’ve made money fast via freelance writing and online sales. Today’s post discusses the specific ways I’ve made a few dollars on the side via guest posts and sponsored content. I’m sure if you ask 10 people, what’s the difference between sponsored content and a paid guest post, you’ll get 10 different answers. Here’s my definition:
- Sponsored content – the client/company provides you with the article to publish on your own blog
- Paid guest post – the client pays you to write about their company/products to publish on your own blog or on a 3rd party site (Huffington Post, Forbes, etc).
Sites I Post Content To
- Sloth Athletica – my hobby blog devoted to health and wellness and anything to do with swim, bike, run, triathlons or standup paddle boarding
- The Creative Cottage – my hobby blog devoted to food and drink, arts and crafts, home and garden, freelance writing and blogging, and marketing and communications
- Thrive Global – Arianna Huffington’s (formerly of the Huffington Post) new site focused on health, wellness and mindfulness
There are a few other sites I may start publishing to in the future – I’ll post an update when I have more details to share.
Just Say No to Sponsored Content
As with any sponsored content, the services I’m using give me the option to accept or reject any projects. So, if a client presents me with content that doesn’t align with my readership, like anything to do with online gambling or e-cigs (vapping) I can decline the opportunity. Also, I carefully check any links included in content I’m going to post to my website.
I don’t want to link to any spammy sites. When including links – make sure they go to informative sites. For example, if I’m posting an article on medication assisted treatment (MAT) I’ll probably include a link to a well-researched article on a similar subject or to an academic study from a government site such as SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration).
You can also include affiliate links to Amazon products in any or all of your posts – but make sure you mention this somewhere on your blog. The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) requires all bloggers/social media influencers to throughly disclose their policies. FYI: I’ve published both a Disclosure Policy and a Privacy Policy on my blog.
Sponsored Content Marketing Services
There are many, many businesses offering bloggers and influencers free products to review, sponsored content opportunities and even brand ambassador partnerships. You can do a Google search for sponsored content or “get paid to blog” and you’ll find many opportunities. Always do your due diligence and thoroughly research any company you plan on working with to make sure they are legit. In the past I’ve worked with Tomoson, Influenster and Blog Meets Brand but there are many more to choose from.
Right now I’m working with:
- Bloggers Connected
- Valued Voice
- Marketplace Promotions
Marketplace Promotions
I probably will only be doing product reviews on my own websites from now on. In the past I’ve worked with companies that I found from answering Craigslist ads looking for product reviewers. The idea is you purchase a product and then leave a review on your Amazon Prime account. Some companies may offer you free product, or a small monetary stipend, once you leave the review.
I’d use caution when working with a product review site. Only work with companies that let you leave an honest review. If they start harassing you to leave a 5-star review, and you really didn’t like the product, I’d stay away from that type of arrangement. I only leave honest reviews for products I genuinely like and use. If the product is a lemon, I’m going to spell out the pros and cons of the product in the review. Amazon is really cracking down on fake review sites and users that are leaving fake 5-star reviews so, I’m not really sure if I’d recommend pursuing product review opportunities anymore.
Bloggers Connected
Up until about a month ago I had never heard of Bloggers Connected. I was contacted by one of their outreach directors who found my blog and emailed to ask if I was interested in joining their community. I checked out their website then asked them to send me a couple of examples of sponsored content they have placed for their clients. It looked legit so I signed up for their service. Bloggers Connected acts as a clearing house to connect their clients with bloggers. They never charge bloggers to use their service rather, they charge their clients a fee for using their service.
Once you’ve signed up with Bloggers Connected, their clients will contact you directly if they are interested in working with you. So far, I’m working with one of their clients to place sponsored content on The Creative Cottage blog. It’s mostly DIY, home improvement content so it’s a perfect fit for my blog. I do a quick scan of each article and have the opportunity to reject any posts I’m not interested in.
Then I run the article through grammar and spell check and do a light editing – I’m a freelance writer and copy editor – so this task is no big deal. Then I download any images (I usually use Pexels or Pixabay) then upload everything to my WordPress site and schedule for publication. Once the post goes live, I email the link to the blog post to the client and am usually paid within the hour via PayPal. You can also do direct deposit or have them mail you a check if you prefer to be paid this way.
As with any sponsored posts, this isn’t like having a regular job, so you can’t set your budget to survive on this type of income. Some weeks it’s fat money for me, while other weeks are lean pickings. In the 4-weeks I’ve worked with Bloggers Connected my earrings have been:
- Week 1: $500
- Week 2: $250
- Week 3: $550
- Week 4: $250
Valued Voice
Valued Voice lets bloggers and social media influencers “live your life, earn from your influence.” I’ve only used Valued Voice for sponsored blog posts. I’m not sure if it’s because my 2 hobby blogs are fairly new, and I don’t have a huge social media following, but I’ve only been offered blog posts so far.
Valued Voice opportunities include:
- Blog posts
- Social media
- YouTube videos
- Affiliate offers
Valued Voice lets you set the amount you want to earn for each opportunity. Again, because I’m just starting out, my rate is currently set at only $50 per post. I’ve been offered 3 sponsored blog posts in the 2 months that I’ve used their service. That’s not a huge amount of $, but any bit helps. Again, I think it takes time to build up a decent amount of traffic to your blog so you’re probably not going to make a lot of money at first. Here comes the cliche – don’t quit your day job!
I’ve been using Valued Voice for about 2 months. I’m currently signed up for their free service which means I can potentially be offered 5 opportunities per month. The free version also includes automatic payout on the 1st and 15th of the month if you have at least a $100 balance, or they charge a $5 fee if you request payment on a different date. They also have paid versions of their service – $3 per month for the premium version or $7 per month for the professional version. Both paid options include the potential for unlimited opportunities and additional payment methods.
In Conclusion
I’m probably never going to be the Kim Kardashian of social media influencing marketing. But, anyone with a popular website or niche hobby blog can get started with these tips to make a few extra dollars on the side. And hey, if it turns out your Wombat Widget Workings blog is ‘da bomb diggity of all blogs, then who knows? Maybe you can quit your day job and become a full-time influencer raking in the big bucks – more power to you!
Do you have any tips or tricks you’d like to share on how you’ve made money as an entrepreneur not tied down to a regular 9-to-5 job? Shoot me an email: info@thecreativecottage.net.
Let’s Keep in Touch
Do you have any tips or tricks you’d like to share? Leave a comment on this post or shoot me an email: info@thecreativecottage.net and I just might feature your story in a future blog post.
Take care,
Lynn Smythe
Founder and Chief Blogger
The Creative Cottage
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