Monday, 16 July 2012

Sponsorship Changes

   After August the 5th, sponsorship will have a few changes. All the important information will be added to the sponsor page, so don't worry if you lose this post.
   Small to Large ads will be priced the same, with the same differences, and will appear on the blog in the same places as they usually do - large at the top, medium in the middle, and small at the bottom. Large will likely be seen more than medium, and medium seen more than small. This much won't change.

   What will change are the side orders. There will no longer be sponsor introduction posts, and guest posts and giveaways are no longer exclusively for specific sized ads.

   I have found through personal experience on both sides that sponsor introduction posts are rarely read, and other bloggers are finding the same thing. Despite the requested information on my sponsor page, I still have to chase half of my sponsors up for their introductions, and whether or not they'll be doing a guest post or giveaway or whatever. As a result, there will no longer be sponsor introduction posts.
   That said, guest posts and individual giveaways are no longer exclusively for large ads. Anyone, regardless of ad size, is able to request to do a guest post or a giveaway. Even someone who has purchased a small ad can do a guest post and giveaway, while a large ad could sit out and not contribute at all. I've found it quite difficult to get enough medium ads to host a group giveaway, and not all large ads want to guest post, which leaves my blog a little empty - remember that sponsoring blogs isn't just for you, it's for the blogger too, and not just financially.

   Therefore, the changes are these: Ad sizes, prices and positions will remain the same, but once you purchase an ad, you are free to decide whether you want to guest post or sponsor a giveaway. All ads run for 30 days, therefore if you decide you want to guest post or contribute in some other way, I will require that post from you within 20 days of your ad going live. The sooner you send it, the sooner it's posted.
   I will no longer chase anyone up. If you purchase an ad, I will not email you to remind you that you can guest post. It is entirely up to you if you wish to contribute or not.

   A note about guest posts:
   Most topics are fine, but if you choose to talk about something sensitive or dull, I will reject the post. A sensitive topic would be religion, and a dull topic would be a sale you're having. Feel free to talk about a life lesson you've learned, something exciting - good or bad - that's happened/happening to you, a competition you're running (competition, not giveaway) or a shop you wish to shout out about (but preferrably not your own - if you wish to talk about your shop you're better off sponsoring a giveaway). It's your little space on my blog, so use it well.

   A note about giveaways:
   Something I often find with giveaways is that people don't always give away their best piece - that's fine, and I do understand that giving away your best piece seems counter productive and you might lose a lot of money on it. But by giving away your worst piece or a piece that's just not selling doesn't reflect your shop very well, and you're better off not giving anything away at all. Giveaways are supposed to entice people to visit you shop, and by giving away your saddest little piece won't do much for you. So please think about it before donating an item. You don't want to lose out.



1 comment:

  1. I've been fiddling with the idea of not doing sponsor spotlights either... no one really seems to care. If someone wants to visit a sponsor then they will.

    ReplyDelete

I do read every single comment, and I will try to respond where I can. If you have an important question about my blog or my shop, however, then you might be better off contacting me directly by email. Thanks so much for reading my blog!