Blogger Media Kit

When you’re consistently blogging, it doesn’t take long to start accumulating unique visitors every day. It’ll happen faster than you think.

– Do you see spikes in your traffic when you blog?
– Are you blogging consistently?
– Are you using Pinterest like a badass? (If not, you’re missing out – check out my Pinterest tips on the blog)
– Is your email list growing or do you need better lead magnets and other deliverables?

If you’re doing all of the above and more, your blog traffic will start to grow. Yes, there will be peaks and valleys, and that’s normal. Not every day is going to be a ‘top day’.

Emails will start rolling in eventually asking for guest post positions, collaborations, partnerships, backlink swaps, and more. This is just part of the process of growing.

I had offers within a year of starting my blog. I turned them all down. But that was my choice, and you can choose to engage an offer or not. Creating a media kit and having a fantastic growing blog does not mean you absolutely have to go down this path of brand collaboration. It’s a choice.

All the while, that’s when a media kit comes into play. You can be ready to share your stats with anyone who wants to know. I know bloggers who have received brand collaboration requests when their blog barely had 100 views a day.

Don’t stall. It’s a rookie mistake. And don’t be shy about creating your media kit. Tiny follower counts and what seems like dead engagement and all. You can’t be a pro at every single social media type unless you have a big team. That’s the honest truth. My forte is Pinterest. I’m on Twitter, Facebook, etc. but I’m not a pro at them nor do I truly like those platforms. I probably feel the same way about social media as you do–sometimes overwhelmed.

Totally ok.

Brands are more concerned about working with smaller blogs as they grow, and when the niche is in alignment. Who knows? Maybe they can’t afford influencer rates of the big blogs. Maybe they want fresh perspectives and new voices. The opportunities are endless.

You and brands both have something to gain. You probably have built a niche audience they want to tap into. A perspective they hadn’t contemplated before. And if you’re new, anything helps, but please be sure to be selective and make sure it’s a good fit for YOU. You’re still establishing your blog reputation, and want to have a positive one. Build your reputation, confidence, influence, thought leadership, and then you’ll see your overall reach expand.

When should you collaborate for free and when should you ask for some form of compensation?

Are you planning on asking for cash or an exchange on products?

It all depends on the situation and what you want out of the collaboration.

If you collaborate now, even with small to little experience, are you setting yourself for a liability in the long-term? Is it too soon? Or is the compensation something that should be time-limited for the collaboration?

Here are my thoughts.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a seasoned blogger, or new. Only work with brands you already use, trust, and believe in. If a brand approaches you without a lot to offer in terms of compensation, think about if you’d be mentioning this company to your audience anyway. Will. they benefit from this company? Will their products be a good fit? If so, you might want to go ahead and work with them anyway.

However, you’ll want to be cautious in what you’re being asked to do. Some brands will try to get a lot out of you. Demanding posts every so often, a certain number of mentions on social media, etc.

I’ve been approached to write product reviews in the past. I’ve been told a brand’s affiliate program was exclusive (it wasn’t). I also had a brand reach out with a proposed schedule of ‘demands’ for posting, scheduling mentions, links, images acceptable, etc. all before even asking me if I was willing to commit (Hah! I’m not a blog mule.)

So bottom line, it all depends on the situation and the level of compensation being discussed.