Sponsored posts? Have you noticed a few more than usual lately?

I spoke about this topic before, but thought it was worth revisiting since lately it appears I’ve been writing quite a few sponsored posts.

You may be wondering why I randomly talk about a store or product. When I blog about a product or company, sometimes it’s my genuine opinion about products I use frequently or stores I love. Other times it’s a sponsored post and you’ll see something like this at the bottom or top…

If you’re a blogger, you likely know what a sponsored post is.

If you aren’t a blogger, I thought I would lay out some details so there is full transparency in here. I don’t want my readers to think I  post about products in an effort to make money off of you just for swinging by to see what i’m posting about that day. That’s totally not the case.

I view sponsored posts as a “commercial break” from a typical organization blog post I share. However, as you’ll read below, I am very picky about the sponsored posts I share on the blog. Every blogger has to have a way to earn money. Personally, and this should come as no surprise, I don’t like to see sidebars all cluttered up with sponsor ads. I like a clean, organized sidebar. May there come a day when I have regular sponsors over there? Sure. But if I can instead occasionally write a sponsored post that brings in $200 cash, I’m on it! And I have to think you too as a reader may appreciate the lack of eye-clutter.

So, let’s talk about a sponsored post. In a nutshell, a sponsored post is…

1. A means for blogger’s to earn a little money.

2. A great way for a blogger to try a new product.

3. A great way for us to introduce our readers to a new product.

There is a variety of ways in which a blogger can locate sponsored posts. In my case, they typically come from an ad network I’m connected with or when a company contacts me directly.

Here’s the way it works (at least in my case – every blogger may have a different experience)…

** I receive an e-mail from a company sharing their product details and some photos / links. They ask if I would be interested in writing a 250 word (or more) post about their product. They offer a cash payment which is typically $75 –  $200 to write that post. Not bad – Especially when a blogger needs income to create and share fun projects for their readers. The downside is that most times the payout doesn’t come for 30-45 days.

** I am VERY selective with the products or companies I share here on simply organized. On an average week I receive about 15 sponsored post offers. Sadly, most of the time I have to politely say no because the company or product has absolutely nothing to do with home or organization. My goal is to keep everything 100% related to organization and/or home topics.

It’s so hard to turn away that income, but my #1 goal with a sponsored post is to be genuine about what I’m saying and sharing. I care very much about this blog and my readers. I wouldn’t do anything that could potentially turn you away or make me appear “product pushy” just to make a buck. To give an example of an offer I would turn away, last week I received an email from a woman asking me to promote her peace, love and jazz music. ?? Clearly that wasn’t going to mesh with my blog niche…Although I did enjoy checking out her Facebook page.

** Sometimes instead of paying me cash, a company will offer a free product for me to review and write about. Again, I keep this to products closely related to organization or home. When I receive an email like that, I kindly ask if the company would also be interested in offering a giveaway for my readers. If you’re here to read my post about a random product, Id like to make it worth your time! 🙂 As you can see by many of the giveaways I’ve hosted, the companies are usually more than happy to offer additional product for my readers.

** If you click through any links on a sponsored post, I don’t make money from your clicks. If I share something that does have the potential to earn money, I always make that clear with some sort of disclosure at the bottom of the post. That type of post only earns pennies if someone clicks through. Nothing to write home about, trust me!

** Sponsored posts are sporadic – thus the reason I’ve shared many in the last few weeks. Prior to that, it was a long stretch with nothing coming down the pipeline. So when they come my way, and they are a match for the blog, I can’t pass them up. In the last several weeks I’ve earned about $700, but I won’t be paid out for a while. That income will get me through the next few organization projects I share in here…If I’m that lucky to stretch out the money.

** Finally, when I do receive a sponsored post, I try my best to go above and beyond with my writing. I don’t just hit that 250 word requirement and hit the publish button. I treat sponsored posts the same as I would if it was a general organization post i was sharing. this serves 2 purposes – 1. the company will see my care to detail and potentially offer to work with me again and 2. This is my blog. I want to remain genuine. So I truly do either have an interest in the product or think it’s something you would like. Therefore, I write in detail about it and add a lot of photos. You guys love photos!

Wrapping up, I thought I would touch on this topic for those with questions. Whether you’re a reader and wondered what was up with all the product talk or a fellow blogger with questions about sponsored posts, I hope I answered some of your questions. My goal is to never turn anyone away from simply organized. The truth is, at some point, a blogger has to make a little income – and it’s very very hard to get any income at all out here in the blog world. Seems to be only getting harder these days.

Bloggers do what they do day in and day out because they are passionate about their niche. Not because they are earning loads of money.

If you have any additional questions, I’m always happy to answer them! Thanks for hearing me out! 😉