Want to make money blogging? Sponsored posts are a great way to increase your blog income. Before you get started with sponsored posts you need a media kit, find out why.
Something I see a lot with bloggers at all levels is a fear of reaching out to brands on their own. Many bloggers only do sponsored posts when they fall in their lap or when they can get them through an influencer network.
This is okay if you want to leave a lot of money on the table but if you want to make more from sponsored posts you need to get brave and start reaching out to brands.
I cover all the details of reaching out to brands yourself in my book Working With Brands and one thing I talk about is the need for a media kit. It’s really essential when it comes to pitching yourself to brands.
What is a Media Kit?
So what is a media kit anyway? It’s a sheet, usually sent in the form of a PDF, that contains your blog stats and other information that brands need to decide if your site is right for their brand.
Some of the things you may include in your media kit are page views, social media following, links to your social media accounts, your rates, brands you’ve worked with, and services you offer.
Often included with a media kit is a separate rate sheet. This page contains the rate you charge for sponsored posts and any other service you are offering.
How Do You Make a Media Kit?
Making a media kit from scratch can be overwhelming. When I was getting started years ago I spent hours looking at any blogger media kits I could find. Everyone had something different and many looked complicated to make and at that time I didn’t know what I was doing.
My first media kit was a very simple document I made into a PDF. It worked but it wasn’t as professional looking as I really wanted. Over the years my graphic skills improved and I figured out what I needed based on feedback.
You can create your own using a program like Canva, which is what I did, or you can sign up below to get my free media kit template. With the template, all you will need to do is add your own info!
Get the Free Media Kit Template
The free template works in Cavna which you can use for free or get their pro plan for even more features. I used the free plan for years and only recently upgraded to a paid plan, both work very well!
Customizing Your Media Kit
You will want to be sure to replace all info in the template with your own. There is a place for your logo if you don’t have one you can just use a nice font with your blog name.
You also have a place for your photo. That is a good way to show the personal side of your blog. Brands want to work with bloggers because of the personal service and because that also means our readers trust us.
In the area for reach, you may want to leave off a social media network if you are just getting started with it and numbers are low. You can edit it later when you’ve grown that reach more.
If you haven’t worked with brands yet you can remove this area and add other information or a picture that fits with your blog. Be sure to add it back once you have worked with some brands.
You don’t want to overwhelm brands with information but you want to give what they need to make a choice. They can always ask more questions but if you have nothing for them they may not even bother.
Related Post: What Brands Wish Bloggers and Influencers Knew
Getting Your Media Kit to Brands
Having a media kit is worthless if you aren’t using it. A good first step is knowing the brands you’d like to work with. Start making your dream list of brands that you love and that fit with your site.
While you are doing that be sure to check out Working With Brands. It will give you all the information you need for pitching and following through. It seems overwhelming before you get started but once you get the hang of it you will find out it’s often easier than getting sponsored posts through a network.
It’s time to get your media kit template and build your very own media kit. After that get to work! Sponsored posts can be a great income stream for your blog and a great way to share your favorite brands with your readers.
Media Kit Summary
Are you a skimmer? This was a long post with a lot of information so here is the TL;DR. Be sure to also save this post to go back and read it when you need a little help with your media kit.
- A media kit is a PDF with information about your blog to help brands decide if you are right for them.
- Making a media kit isn’t hard with a free template, which you can get below.
- Customize your media kit to make sure it represents your blog well.
- Get the Working With Brands book to learn more about sponsored posts.
- Start pitching to brands using your media kit!
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