Every few weeks, I get a message from one of my readers. “Why do you share sponsored content on your blog?” “What does it mean when you say something has been sponsored by a company?” “I’m a new blogger– how do I get a sponsor to sponsor content on my blog?” “Why do you keep showing us these ads?! Can’t I just get the recipe without you trying to sell me something?” Here’s the deal… I have some really specific reasons that I write sponsored content, and I’m going to share those reasons with you right now.

What is sponsored content?

You might be asking that, and the answer is simple, for the most part. Sponsored Content is any content that is paid for or somehow funded by what would be called a “sponsor.”  This payment can come in the form of product, money, non-money compensation (like a gift card), or any combination of those things. If I say a post is sponsored, it means that I have either received compensation, free product, or both. Some of this compensation goes towards the supplies and ingredients I use in the post specifically, and some of it is payment for my time and effort.

So why do I publish sponsored content, anyway?

Publishing sponsored content allows me to get paid for the work I’m doing. Each week, I work very hard to bring excellent content to my readers in the form of recipes, craft ideas, DIYs, homeschooling tips, and personal conversations. Sponsored content and the advertising at the top and side of my page helps fund that. (If you aren’t seeing the advertising on the top and side of my page, you may have an ad blocker installed. I would love for you to consider whitelisting my page if you love the site). So what do I do with that sweet, sweet sponsor money?

While some of the money I make on this site goes to do things like, say, pay bills, a lot of the money actually just goes back into this website. Aside from supplies, ingredients, and products that I use in this blog, I also use it for camera equipment, website hosting, my domain (the mamaplusone.com address, basically), and tools I use to create content for this blog digitally. It’s important for me to share sponsored content so I can keep the blog going. It makes it possible for me to keep bringing you the recipes and tutorials that you love.

Don’t assume, however, that sponsored content is just me pushing products.

I only publish content with brands that I personally use and love, unless the product is brand new. If the product is brand new and I’ve never tried it, then I only reach out to work with that brand if it’s something I feel will truly add value to my readers’ lives, and to my family’s life.

Recently, I wrote a post for Quilted Northern. One of my initial ideas what that I’d show the difference between the Quilted Northern Mega Roll featured in the post, and a standard sized roll. Do you know why I didn’t? Because in searching my house, I realized that the only toilet paper my family buys is the Quilted Northern Mega Roll (no, they’re not sponsoring this post, by the way… it’s truly just an example). When I love a brand, it makes me proud to work with them. It also makes it easier for me to tell you about the product.

I also recently featured a brand new product I had never tried, the ScotchBrite Scrubbing Dish Cloths. I’d never used one before in my life– the product had just been released, and in fact, wasn’t even available in every store near me when I wrote the post. I wrote it because ScotchBrite, as a brand, is a company that I do use in my own home.

I would never, ever endorse a product on this blog (and yes, I do think sponsored posts are a form of endorsement) that I don’t personally use. There are many, many times a brand has reached out to me, or I’ve had an opportunity to work with them, but I declined because the content didn’t make sense for my blog or my readers. For example, I had a wine company reach out to me lately, but as a Christian mom blogger who does not personally drink, I didn’t feel that the partnership made sense. How could I promote a brand that I wouldn’t use?

Further, if I post a sponsored piece that features, say, a specific brand of creamed corn, and I tell you why I like this particular brand of creamed corn, you can substitute any brand of creamed corn you prefer– my inclusion of it is simply a suggestion, and me telling you what product I used, based on my own personal use and my sponsorship.

I feel it is important to write all of my sponsored content with integrity. If you see a post on my blog for a brand, you know it is a brand I buy and use in my everyday life with my family.

“Wait, I’m a blogger. How do I get blog sponsors?”

It’s another question I get quite a bit. For me, my first sponsored content came by surprise. A company reached out to me and asked me if I’d like to write a post featuring their product. They even said they’d pay me! This was when my blog was relatively new; I wasn’t even getting 10,000 monthly page views.

After that post, and a few others, my blog started to grow. When I hit 10,000 monthly page views, I was able to apply for a sponsored content network that, at the time, had a threshold of 10,000 monthly page views as a minimum to work with them. Working with them meant that I had the funds to make even better content. As my content improved, my blog grew more, which helped me reach the threshold for networks with a larger minimum.

So how do I suggest you get sponsored content? Write. Write some more. Produce the best content you possibly can. Grow, learn. Heck, reach out to brands you love and ask if they work with bloggers! The more you grow, the more networks will accept you, and for many brands, networks are the primary ways they find their bloggers at the moment.

If you are blogging, some of the networks that I love working with are CollectiveBias/Social Fabric, Clever, Pollinate, and MassiveSway. These networks essentially place sponsors and brands with content producers like bloggers and YouTubers. You find the posts that meet your demographic and audience, and you fill out an application with a pitch. This is where you explain why your blog fits their demographic, and where you describe your idea for using the product. If selected, then the sponsor network usually responds with guidelines, a deadline, and information you need to know about the product. Then, you shop, shoot the post, and write it, just like you would any other.

How does sponsored content vary from my regular content?

Honestly, if I’m doing it well, it doesn’t differ all that much. When I work with a sponsored brand, I make content for my blog like I typically would. That’s true whether it’s a recipe, a DIY tutorial, or a personal opinion type post. Once I’ve done that, I work in images and information about the brand sponsoring it. I try to keep this as relevant as possible to what I’m writing about, and to you, the reader.

I want to be sure that the partnership makes sense, but also that the content I’m sharing makes sense. Most often, you’ll see this in the form of a recipe where I use a featured product as an ingredient. This is what I call “mutually beneficial.” You, the reader, gets a new recipe, DIY project, idea, or information. The brand gets their money’s worth because I put the information about their product in front of their target market. And I, the blogger, get money that helps me continue producing amazing content for you, the reader. 

When you see sponsored content on my blog, just recognize that when I write that content, I write it for brands that I truly believe in. I do it so I can continue giving you, the reader, amazing content.

Do you have a question about sponsored content, what it means, and how it works? Or do you want to know more about how I keep MamaPlusOne running with ads, sponsorships, and affiliate links? Please feel free to let me know in the comments below! If you love MamaPlusOne and love what I’m doing on the site,  follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.