Finding Advertisers for your Blog

You want advertisers, right? I want advertisers for this site too. So let’s get to it! I will be implementing my own advice here and you can do the same on your site. We’re in this together. Read this article and then start to implement. Or if you are ahead of the rest of us, clue us in on your methods too!

First you need to make sure that your layout tells your potential advertisers that you are a serious blog that will bring exposure to their website or product. No one wants to pay to have their ads in a dumpy website.

Strictly speaking, you need visible ad spots above the fold. You also need to have a page laying out your advertising pricing and policies.

If the potential advertiser doesn’t see where their ad will go, they won’t buy the ad from you. Period. Ideally, you have a bunch of high profile, big money advertisers, but even if you don’t have any advertisers yet, you need to have a space reserved with “Advertise here” or “Buy this ad” in it. Then, link that graphic to your advertising page.

And now, you are showing the effectiveness of your ads. The advertiser clicks on your ad and suddenly you are showing them what you can do, complete with rates, sizes, and advertising policies. Not bad, right?

Additionally, now you’ve let everyone that comes to your blog that they can advertise there. They might not have even thought of advertising if they hadn’t of seen your adspace.

The advertising page is also essential if you want to be more than just some kid with a blog. Business people, i.e. those who buy ads, like to know what they are getting into. An advertising page tells them this.

Now we move on to the more serious section of this endeavor. Now it is time to start filling those ad spots. Unfortunately, this is the part that most people have a hard time with. Sales!

Most of us aren’t comfortable asking other people for money. In fact, many people look down on those who are particularly good at it. You know what we call those people? Sales People. That’s it. Even a good panhandler is actually a good salesman too. It’s an art. The art of the sale.

One thing you need to come to terms with is that if you want the money, you have to figure out how to ask for it. If you don’t, you’ll never get it.

So how do you do it? How do you approach someone and get them to give you money in return for promoting their product or service on your site?

The first thing you have to do is convince someone else that your site is good enough to advertise on. That person is you! If you don’t believe it, no one else will. So work on that website, make it so good that you would advertise on it! If it’s not, you better keep working.

Convincing yourself is the hard part. Once you are convinced you become a true believer and that gives you a huge advantage in making the sale.

Now the only obstacle is figuring out who to approach and how to do it.

The truth is that all there is to it, is to do it. Find other blogs or sites in your niche. Find who is advertising on them. Do your homework and then give them a call or drop them an email. Be sure to be polite and don’t waste their time with lots and lots of information. Use bullet points. My site gets x number of visits per day. My primary audience fits this demographic. My site promises solid results on a reasonable investment.

Give the advertiser all the reasons why they should advertise with you. I would suggest avoiding any sort of negative reasons such as “My site is better than the one you are already on”, for all you know that site’s owner is a relative of theirs or even the advertiser themselves. Stick to the positive.

Your goal at this point is not to make the sale. If you can make the sale, fantastic, that’s good news. Your goal though is to get the advertiser to come to your site and see your adspace. You want them to visit your advertising page. The truth is that unless you point your site out to those who want and need to advertise, they probably won’t ever find your web pages. Think about how vast the internet is. What are the chances they will find you among billions?

The chances are much better if you are out there promoting your site and finding the advertisers. Maybe they are looking for you, but you might as well make it easier for them to find you.

Now get to it. I’m going to.