Do you know how to write successful sponsored posts? The most successful sponsored posts generate income for your business and the brand you’re collaborating with. If you’re interested in working with brands, then you’ll be writing sponsored posts. A sponsored post is a form of advertising that promotes a product or service through written or visual content.
Sponsored posts, for many businesses, is a great way to increase and maintain revenue. And it’s the perfect way for brands to pay to feature their content on your website. If you want to get started with sponsored posts as a small business blogger, read the five tips for maintaining authenticity by BehrmanPR.
Find Brands that Are the Right Fit
The first thing you should do is find brands that are the right fit for your small business. This is the biggest step before landing and writing a sponsored post. Only work with brands that match your business’s values. The content from your sponsored posts shouldn’t confuse or shock your community or have them wondering why you shared it in the first place.
It shouldn’t stand out among your original content. Writing about something that you don’t use or doesn’t match your brand could end up alienating your audience. It’s the opposite effect of what you want your sponsored posts to do. It may be hard to turn down a huge budget, but it’s not worth risking your business’s reputation or losing your readers.
Choose Your Best Story Medium
Now that you’ve determined which brand is a good fit for your business and community, determine how that campaign will be shared with your readers. Does that brand has pre-defined terms such as writing an Instagram post? Most brands provide a budget and determine what kind of content you can offer.
Are you a strong writer? Or, do you come off better through video? Would a Facebook Live or Instagram Live post the best way to engage with your community? You’re the one who knows your audience, so if the brand asks for something that’s not going to resonate with them, then offer an alternative that benefits the brand as well as your community.
Stay True to Your Style & Voice
Keep your blog post style and voice in mind. This is the style that your readers have grown to love. If your blog post is about a client project, and then providing the “how-to” information and sharing instructions in the post, then stay with this kind of approach. Don’t change your approach, style, or voice just because you’re writing a sponsored post. If you want to learn how to be more authentic, seek inspiration from influencers who maintain authenticity within their sponsored posts.
Write a Personal Story
Stories are told best when they’re authentic. Create a story from a real-life situation and explain how the brand’s products or service allowed you to reach this solution. The goal of storytelling should be to weave the brand into your personal story. Personal stories are best when told authentically because they provide insight into your opinions, life events, and thoughts.
This allows you to develop the type of content that intimately and emotionally connects with your audience. Stories are told best when you’re passionate about the brand by showing how their product or service improved your life.
Add Value to Your Story
Provide your readers with a value that goes beyond basic information about the brand. Give them a useful factor entertaining idea that demonstrates the brand’s products or services. Some ways to add value to your story include DIY projects, informational guides, how-tos, recipes, tips, and tutorials. This takes a typical sponsored post and turns it into an interactive post that addresses your audience’s needs rather than selling them.
Combining sponsored posts with beneficial content shows that you respect your audience’s time. It also proves that you genuinely care about their experiences through your sponsored content.
Don’t forget to be transparent with your readers if the content is a sponsored post or is part of a partnership with the brand. Crafting the perfect sponsored posts can be a great way to increase revenue for your business. Not comfortable with writing sponsored posts? Nancy at Behrman PR can help you out. Behrman has extensive experience with all forms of advertising, including sponsored posts.
