How Much Should You Charge For Sponsored Blog Posts?
Because of the increase emphasis on the value of content when it comes to your search engine marketing strategy, bloggers are getting more and more requests for sponsored posts. This puts bloggers who, up until recently, have been writing content out of their own passion and interests, in the position of figuring out how much they should charge for sponsored blog posts.
How Much Should You Charge For Sponsored Blog Posts?
Parenting blog Babble has a great equation for how you should determine your rate for sponsored blog posts.
# of page views + # of twitter followers ÷ page rank # x $ .01 ÷ 2 = your approximate sponsored post rate.
Additionally, WoodenSpoons Kitchen suggests this equation for posts:
(Time Spent x Hourly Rate) + ( (Page Views/1000) x Advertising rate)= $Price per Post
Another common equation recommends changing $25 for ever 1,000 monthly pageview that they receive on their website (which can be found if you have Google Analytics set up on your site). This means that if you blog gets 10,000 pageviews each month, you can command a rate of $250 per post.
In order to find the best sponsored post rate, consider the rates the above equations and estimates generate. Then, take your overall web presence and experience into consideration. If your audience is the EXACT target market of the company that wants to sponsor you, then you can command a higher rate. You can also command a higher rate when you have experience in the industry of the potential sponsor.
For instance, a social media specialist with an internet marketing blog is approached by HootSuite for a sponsored post (this is just an example, I don’t know if HootSuite does sponsored posts). The specialist would most likely be able to command a higher rate than if a company like Staples approached them.
Transparency and Setting Up Guidelines
When agreeing to write a sponsored posts, be sure to set up guidelines with your sponsor. Let them know your word count, what the overall topic of the post will be (if they haven’t assigned it to you), and when it will be published.
Rock ‘N Roll Bride, which has a great get-started guide on sponsored blogging, recommends that you should always be authentic, no matter if the company is paying you or not. For instance, if a company pays for $250 and sends you free product to review in a sponsored post, let them know that you will be giving your honest opinion.
Another component to transparency is following all FTC guidelines when it comes to receiving any type of compensation for work done on your blog or website.
Kelsey Jones runs her own social media and search marketing business, MoxieDot where she helps clients grow their online presence. She was voted one of the top 100 marketers of the year by Invesp in 2009 and has worked for Yelp, Run.com, and Bounty Towels. Check her out at MoxieDot and on Twitter @wonderwall7.
Our website has standard advertising rates based on our website page rank, visitor statistics and click trough rate. The best tip is to use Google Analytics.
It co-relates with the power to influence audience. The more influential a blogger is, the more he can charge for his sponsored posts. For me, babble’s equation is more accurate.
thank you.me think in use Google Analytics very good idea for the blog
Thanks for share, I’m a newbie, I hope admin help me in the future. I’ll update your blog everyday,
Nice post, thank you for sharing those helpful tips.
Hello!
Excellent guide here! I have re-blogged and augmented your work on my WP blog:http://davelucasmobile.wordpress.com/2013/09/09/how-much-should-i-charge-for-a-sponsored-post/
Always enjoy the Blog Herald!
Peace!
Thanks for the tips. Great to know at least what a ball park price should be. A lot of people talk about it but dont give a figure.
Hi Ross, I agree. I’m glad it helped!
Hello Kelsey,
I just went through the FTC guidelines and they seem favorable to us bloggers…I have been trying to figure out how much to charge in the near future on my new blog (21stblogger.com)…Can I use the same formula to calculate the price for ads on my blog?
Thanks.
Hi,
Thanks !
I was looking for an easy way to calculate how much to charge for sponsored comments. And your post was very helpful :)
The equation doesn’t actually make any sense, since the higher you PR the less you should be paid
That’s what I was thinking. Maybe if they added parenthesis it would make more sense to use that formula.
ie. (# of page views + # of twitter followers) ÷ (page rank # x $ .01) ÷ 2 = your approximate sponsored post rate.
…have to remember order of operations (school days, ughhhh)
Thanks for this guide. I had just received an email asking to purchase a sponsored post to my blog. This is my first ever sponsored post if ever. This is a very nice guide to determine the cost per post.
Hi there!
Thanks for this great post! Does the “# of page views” from the equation refer to monthly page views–or yearly, daily, etc?
Thanks!
Interesting formulas! I love how you calculate, really.
Thanks for sharing.
IMHO – A sponsored article on a professional-looking blog should cost an absolute minimum of $10k+, and a sponsored social media post should cost $15 to $30+ CPM (per thousand followers), depending on what the brand wants and what is involved. For perspective, many social media stars make $50k to $100k per Instagram post alone. And an ad in a print magazine can easily cost a few hundred thousand dollars.
You’ve heard that most people value things based on what they paid for them? I think that’s true in general and especially in the case of brands and advertising.
This is great info, but I have no idea how to find out my page rank..where do I find this info?
Thank you!
Valerie