Written on February 19th, 2009 at 12:02 am by Darren Rowse

5 Ways to find Direct Advertisers for your Blog

Advertising, Featured Posts 85 comments

It is the goal of many bloggers to move from monetizing their blogs with ad networks like AdSense into selling ads directly to advertisers. But getting into this game can be difficult – particularly in the early days while you’re still growing traffic.

Below are 5 ways that I secured direct ad deals with sponsors in the early days of my first blogs:

1. Type your blogs topic into Google

What advertisers come up above and to the right of the search listings? These products and services obviously have budget for advertising online and are looking for exposure and could be open to a direct relationship.

2. Visit other blogs, forums and websites in your Niche

Who is advertising on them? These advertisers are targeting sites on a similar topic to you and are more often than not willing to test new sites that have relevance to their industry.

3. Identify Affiliate programs in your niche

Some affiliates will also be interested in an advertising relationship with your blog. This may or may not be in your best interests to pursue depending upon whether your readership converts with affiliate products.

4. Hit the Classifieds

When I first was looking for advertisers I looked at what local photography businesses were advertising in magazines and papers here in Australia and I got on the phone and rang them to see if they’d be interested in placing an ad. Most had never done anything online before and quite a few took the step in buying an ad.

5. Online Stores and New Sites

This is another tactic that I used early on also with some success. It involved googling the keywords associated with my topic and not just looking at who was advertising (as in point #1 above) but looking at what businesses were listed in the search results, particularly those below me in the rankings. I paid special interest in online stores who had a direct revenue from their sites and contacted them to see if they’d be interested in advertising – quite a few did. I also noticed that new sites who were still getting established were also sometimes more willing to buy advertising.

It should be said that when you have a blog with relatively low traffic that none of these methods are going to earn you a fortune. You’ll need to be willing to price your ads relatively cheaply until your traffic grows – but securing these types of ad deals is better than no income for your blog and means that you already have relationships with advertisers to grow as your traffic increases.

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85 Responses to “5 Ways to find Direct Advertisers for your Blog” - Add Yours

  • Jamie Harrop

    February 19th, 2009 12:28 am

    Interesting post, Darren.

    A method I’ve used and found to be very useful in the past is taking advantage of certain areas of forums that often contain an “Offers and Requests” section. In the offers section, you’re allowed to offer your open advertising spots for sale.

    Be careful to ensure what you’re doing is within the rules of the forum, but assuming it is, they’re a great way to attract new prospects.

    Jamie

  • ITrush

    February 19th, 2009 12:48 am

    Thanks for sharing some ways on how to find and attract advertisers.. appreciate it very much.

  • Chris

    February 19th, 2009 12:49 am

    What a timely post for me; I’m trying to sell direct advertising on one of my sites, but haven’t had any luck so far.

    What would be a good price for a site that gets about 20k visits per month? Since I’m just looking to make *any* amount of money, I’m willing to offer low rates to get the advertisers interested.

    Thanks!

  • Vygantas

    February 19th, 2009 12:53 am

    What affiliate programs do you suggest to free software (browsers only) related site?

  • Gini

    February 19th, 2009 12:57 am

    Great tips, I definitely need to work more in hitting the classifieds; I think it could be very beneficial.

  • Rahul Jadhav

    February 19th, 2009 12:58 am

    Nice ideas. I liked the 1st idea the most. I never thought that we can find a advertiser for our blog just by Googling. Thanks for the tips :)

  • Amrit Hallan

    February 19th, 2009 1:07 am

    Another highly useful method is…publish quality content on a regular basis, be visible, and the right advertisers approach you on their own.

  • Sheila Atwood

    February 19th, 2009 1:10 am

    Great guide for looking and finding what is right for your blog.

    I like the using other sites in my niche. We can support each other.

    Sometimes new bloggers do not have the tools or ability to make their banners. I saw a blogger that was soliciting ads and he offered to make their banner for them.

  • Zack

    February 19th, 2009 1:18 am

    Nice one, I am interested in the second one, I may give it a shot.

  • Frugal Dad

    February 19th, 2009 1:23 am

    I have had success in looking at which companies run ads on other blogs in my niche, and then contacting them directly.

    You can usually tell the difference between a private ad and an affilitate ad as most affiliates have a junky redirect URL, or are cloaked with a “go” code or similar. Private ads typically have a referrer ID in the URL or simply link directly to the company’s homepage. Hover over the ad and check the status bar to see where it redirects, and how.

  • Rob

    February 19th, 2009 1:38 am

    Great suggestions, Darren. Do you recall how much traffic you were getting when you started using these tactics?

  • Charles Crawford

    February 19th, 2009 1:40 am

    Thank you for this excellent post. I started my blog, Business Writing Today, in December ‘08 and have been wondering how long I will have to wait before I qualify for direct advertising. Thanks to you, I see a way to be proactive and take a stab at this myself.

  • Guffin Mopes

    February 19th, 2009 1:40 am

    I really like the fourth option there. I mean, I do sales for a living. You think I could turn that around to mean I can sell some adspace for a simple blog.

    All in due time.

  • tim

    February 19th, 2009 1:41 am

    Thanks for the run down! I’ve been meaning to get into direct advertising for my blog.

  • Klodian

    February 19th, 2009 2:10 am

    Good tips, I want to get direct advertisers at my site.

  • eve

    February 19th, 2009 2:42 am

    Great tips, I really like number four! Thanks!

  • Jake

    February 19th, 2009 2:47 am

    Thanks for the info. My blog is slowing becoming more and more popular, it is a long process. I am not at the point yet where I would attract ads but I hope to be there someday soon.

    -Jake

  • Mikes

    February 19th, 2009 3:19 am

    Yes! I want to get companies advertis in my blog. maybe at first for free to build more traffic then later on, i can bill them.

    Visist my blog and give feedback: http://newsblog1st.blogspot.com.

    Thanks!

  • Debt Free Hispanic

    February 19th, 2009 3:29 am

    Very good information. I am going to contact 3-4 companies today that are in my niche, to see what happens. My plan to keep growing my income $100 at a time and the easy money comes with online advertising. I am so pumped, thanks for sharing Darren.

  • Rahul

    February 19th, 2009 3:47 am

    Great tips man.

    One thing that worked for me was finding advertisers through a common chat room regarding advertisement. I guess this could also be very fruitful.

  • Eddie Gear

    February 19th, 2009 4:02 am

    Good Ideas, Thanks. I will surely follow up on these.

    Cheers

  • Cyrus

    February 19th, 2009 5:24 am

    Thank you for the tips. I was wondering how you get the advertisers to advertise on your blog. Thank you again for sharing.

  • Cyrus

    February 19th, 2009 5:25 am

    Thank you for the tips. I was wondering how you get the advertisers to advertise on your blog. Now that I know, will try the tips you provided for my blog. Thank you again.

  • Cyrus

    February 19th, 2009 5:26 am

    I was wondering how you get the advertisers to advertise on your blog. Now that I know, will try the tips you provided for my blog. Thank you again.

  • Cyrus

    February 19th, 2009 5:26 am

    I was wondering how you get the advertisers to advertise on your blog. Now that I know, will try the tips you provided for my blog.

  • Cyrus

    February 19th, 2009 5:29 am

    Finally, I got to know how you get them (advertisers) to your blog. You have shared a lot things and tips with us.

  • Robin

    February 19th, 2009 5:34 am

    Thanks for sharing your secrets with us. I haven’t even made an attempt at selling ad space yet. I just pop in adsense and some affiliate ads. I did pretty well with this on my Holiday site, but it seems slower going with my new one. Perhaps, it’s just the whole starting over thing. I’d best get used to that though, since I have plans boiling in my head for future blogs 8)

  • Dave Freedman

    February 19th, 2009 6:11 am

    If you start with AdSense, which is contextual, why not make note of the advertisers who are served to your blog through AdSense, and contact them?

  • Hair On The Brain

    February 19th, 2009 7:17 am

    tips regarding how much to charge based on traffic would be greatly appreciated!

  • Scott

    February 19th, 2009 8:54 am

    This is a good article on a topic I think most of us are interested in. Your recent articles on this subject are fantastic.

    I agree with the poster above me, do you have a guideline in ad costs for various traffic levels?

  • SEO Tips

    February 19th, 2009 9:39 am

    Great tips, I especially enjoyed tip number one and I shall be putting that to the tests soon.
    Thanks

  • Brad

    February 19th, 2009 9:48 am

    A few months ago, a company in the UK contacted me wanting to buy ad space on my blog. I average 64 visits a day and a little over 3 minutes per visit. I didn’t have any clue as to what I should charge for ad space, since my traffic isn’t exactly high. So we agreed to a link exchange.

  • Dot Com Dud

    February 19th, 2009 10:01 am

    Clever tips, I wouldn’t have thought of contacting AdWords advertisers but it makes a lot of sense.

  • JOE GELB

    February 19th, 2009 11:15 am

    I found a site that connects bloggers and advertisers and I wonder how that would differ from the direct contacting?

  • Michael Aulia

    February 19th, 2009 11:34 am

    I think it’s also important that your blog falls under a particular niche for this one. It’ll make it easier to find advertisers and it’ll be easier for them to advertise on you too

  • Tinh

    February 19th, 2009 12:09 pm

    It is excellent, I will give it a try as I do not have any direct sales now

  • Amanda

    February 19th, 2009 12:42 pm

    Great insight. Esp. for those with low traffic or just starting out. Thx.

  • Rachel

    February 19th, 2009 3:39 pm

    i liked the first method, and if you have an adward account you can know how much money these advertisers are paying for each click and with this information you can give them better offer.
    you can also give them a trail offer only to give them an idea about your blog and what kind of visitors you can send them.

  • diabetes man

    February 19th, 2009 8:19 pm

    get everything you need just type on google search…include advertising for your blog/web……I always do that….you are right daren….

  • Ace - AceSolutions

    February 19th, 2009 8:22 pm

    Great suggestions Darren!

    I think that forums are one of the best resources to find advertisers. I’m sure that there are people looking to advertise, we just need to look for them :)

  • My Life Thinking

    February 19th, 2009 9:04 pm

    I have made a couple of direct advertisements using only my relation ship, I was wondering how to reach others like companies, I find this post very useful for me.

    I also wanted to tell you about a post that I have published on my blog about an error showed on your blog today when I was browsing it Darren!

    would you give an opinion on my blog?

  • Archana

    February 19th, 2009 10:44 pm

    Hi, can you also have a post on the average rates too for a beginner in the advertising media.. Or to how to decide the starting price?

  • Michael Haltman

    February 20th, 2009 12:13 am

    Number 3 is one way that I have monetized my blog by affiliating with another commercial mortgage trainer whose program compliments my DVD program. Good point.

  • alex

    February 20th, 2009 12:15 am

    this is real cool and i hope to explore it if it works.
    I cant wait to get on board.

  • Sharnese LaNier

    February 20th, 2009 12:16 am

    Great post & blog! Easy and simple techniques, works everytime. Thanks for sharing!

  • Agent SEO

    February 20th, 2009 12:19 am

    Great list. I have tried a few different ads on my blog and so far nothing has been right for me. I’ve been forced to revert back to Google Adsense which is okay for now I guess.

    Maybe I can try some of the tactics that you’ve detailed here…

    Thanks for the info.

  • Make Money Online Tips

    February 20th, 2009 12:40 am

    I think one needs a advetise page on the blog which helps in identifying that the blogger does sell adverts. Need to try it out.

  • Lindsay

    February 20th, 2009 1:37 am

    Has anyone use Project Wonderful? Any tips? I have just added it to my blog – http://www.iheartpgh.com
    I was really impresses with the reviews I had heard from small businesses that have advertised on Project Wonderful.

  • Moise Levi

    February 20th, 2009 2:14 am

    Option number 1 did work for me ; typing my theme in Google then contacting those companies.

  • Balbir

    February 20th, 2009 2:33 am

    my website is relatively new and at present iam using google adsense to earn some money from advertising, though the revenue per day that is 10 cents on an average, iam looking for more profitable options so please let me know if anyone of you have any of them

    thanks & regards

    Balbirr

  • Alison Kerr, Earthonaut

    February 20th, 2009 2:43 am

    I love this tip: “…googling the keywords associated with my topic and not just looking at who was advertising (as in point #1 above) but looking at what businesses were listed in the search results, particularly those below me in the rankings.”

    With this tactic I found several sites which I think would appeal to my readers and therefore whom I’d be willing to approach. I’m holding off on finding sponsors for now though until I clean up my template and increase my readership. There’s nothing worse than a slowly loading page. Who wants to come back to that? It’s getting urgent that I work on technical aspects to retain and grow my readership. Sponsors will be next in line after that :-)

  • Tressa

    February 20th, 2009 3:23 am

    Hi Darren, I love your blog. I think joint-venture partnerships are great. I joined commission junction and couldn’t be happier. There are 1000s of products online that you can start promoting.

    Thank you for your tips, I’ll have to see what I find googling.

  • Sticker Boy

    February 20th, 2009 3:35 am

    @ Lindsay – I advertised on PW and got some good quality (i.e. buying!) traffic to my site. Not lots, but the right kind! And it was very cheap.

  • axel g

    February 20th, 2009 4:05 am

    What a burst of inspiration!

    It’s great to get new ideas about how to locate potential advertisers.

    Checking the Adsense ads on your own site is a classic +_+

  • ed

    February 20th, 2009 6:34 am

    Thanks, good tips for the homework file.

  • Trina

    February 20th, 2009 6:41 am

    Good tips. Number one is so simple. I’ve done that for topic research but not for ad research.

    Thanks!

  • Rob Mitchell

    February 20th, 2009 9:39 am

    What kind of plan did you have before looking for direct advertisers? How did you determine how much to charge for the ads you were going to run?

    Great tips by the way.

    Thanks

  • Gennaro

    February 20th, 2009 11:52 am

    Building relationships with advertisers when your blog is still young with relatively little traffic is a smart idea. It will likely give the advertiser a comfort level with you as an individual and the blog’s content over a period of time. Things like consistency and professionalism.

  • Manuel

    February 20th, 2009 1:27 pm

    There are also several webmaster forums (forum.digitalpoint.com, sitepoint.com …) that have Buy / Sell Advertising sections

  • Agent 001

    February 20th, 2009 5:00 pm

    I never did any of the aboves. Looks like I am not going right. I need to follow these tips. Thanks for making me realise.

  • smartvergin

    February 20th, 2009 5:31 pm

    I really like the fourth option there. I mean, I do sales for a living. You think I could turn that around to mean I can sell some adspace for a simple blog.

  • Bariski

    February 20th, 2009 8:57 pm

    Hello.
    First of all thanks for this useful article. I started blogging back in December 2008. Had my exams in that month so I stopped it for some time. Then I came back in Jan 13th this year and since then I have been getting quiet decent traffic from search engines and other sources.

    So can anyone of you please review my blog and tell me if I can now add a advertising section to it. I got a alexa rank around 280,883. Got around 220 rss readers in all these month + few my articles are in top position on Google, like Increase Firefox Speed, Hidden Yahoo Emotions, Etc.

    Any comment or compliment would be highly appreciated.

    http://i333.blogspot.com

  • Bingo

    February 20th, 2009 9:30 pm

    Like the chap above comment says, Digital point is a good place to go. Some good tips in the above article. thanks.

  • amirulcyber

    February 21st, 2009 3:14 am

    thanks for sharing this info.

  • brooke

    February 21st, 2009 4:31 am

    Just started up a frugal blog and found your post interesting. Hadn’t really thought of something like this for myblog but maybe someday I can do it.

  • Ishan

    February 21st, 2009 8:50 pm

    Thanks for sharing this tips. What about using Commision Junction as first step? It also gives you an almost direct relationship with advertisers, and once your traffic grows, you can get connected with advertiser directly, instead of commision junction. That’s what I have done on my blog as well. For each article, I put the ads of related advertisers from commision Junction, and the click through rate of such ads is high (but one thing to remember is that CJ pays only when a sale is completed, and not just on click).

  • Jay

    February 21st, 2009 10:06 pm

    Also, If you know a niche-related company or advertiser that is close by to where you live, it wouldn’t hurt to drop by and inquire in person. Just like a job, you have a better chance if you go straight to the one who makes the big decisions.

  • أطياف مصر

    February 21st, 2009 11:43 pm

    Thank you , Darren .. I still learn and get magical knowledge from your articles ..

  • Free Xbox360

    February 22nd, 2009 3:55 am

    Hmm, this is a very interesting post. I’ve used a method from this list before and it has worked good in the past. The blog topic method has helped greatly.

  • dev

    February 22nd, 2009 3:10 pm

    I like the 2 and 4 method

  • Yogindernath

    February 22nd, 2009 5:21 pm

    The option “Visit other blogs, forums and websites in your Niche” seemed best to me.. I also agree with this.. I think digitalpoint forums is also one of the ways to get direct advertisers…

  • TipsGoda

    February 23rd, 2009 2:01 am

    im looking forward to get advertisers on my new blog.But i guess i have to get the rankings up and traffic flow first.Thanks for this great post!

  • José

    February 23rd, 2009 2:04 am

    Hi,

    The first method is so simple and yet seems so logical that I haven’t thought about that. Shame on me :-)

    Kind regards,

    José

  • Dustin@BeatingtheGrind.net

    February 23rd, 2009 12:42 pm

    I love the consistently intelligent advice on this site.

    Thank you for advice I can immediately apply to my own blog!

  • Ask Ms Recipe

    February 23rd, 2009 6:17 pm

    My first time visit here. You have some excellent information for the blogger. I am going to read more of your blogging info.

    Thank You

  • ican't internet

    February 23rd, 2009 8:14 pm

    These are very good tips on getting advertisers for your website. Since this can be quite a good source of income, next to adsense
    http://www.icantinternet.org/category/adsense/

  • emi

    February 23rd, 2009 9:31 pm

    if you have good relationships with other bloggers you can directly ask them e.g.via an email about advertisers.

  • SB

    February 25th, 2009 8:47 pm

    That was pretty useful information for the beginners. In fact, what you said are the basics which most of us forget while dreaming high.

    Looking forward for more useful articles in this area.

    SB

  • alex

    February 25th, 2009 11:20 pm

    this is real cool.

  • alex

    February 25th, 2009 11:23 pm

    cool.

  • Randy Shamak

    February 27th, 2009 7:50 pm

    The content you have provided is pretty interesting and useful and I will surely take note of the point you have made in the blog.

    While I was browsing the Internet for ways to boost my website exposure, I read about how effective offline media is for getting additional exposure. Since online media advertising has become so competitive, I thought I will complement the online marketing efforts of my products with offline media advertising like newspaper and magazine advertising. This can be the best way to get a wider coverage for a website and draw additional traffic. I think it is a great marketing strategy to use both online and offline advertising to get more customers.

    I thought this information might be useful for anyone looking for solutions to get me-ore traffic to their website.

  • Free DSi

    April 9th, 2009 9:00 am

    I would think tip 3 would be hard to come by in many niches, there are only a few that instantly pop into my mind that you would be able to omplement this. However, on the whole a very good post

  • Free iPhone

    April 23rd, 2009 4:24 am

    I find the biggest hurdle is getting and maintaining the readership to make it worth having adverts. My blog was getting around 800 views a day but has really dropped recently to around 100. I guess I need more unique and timely content..

  • walking canes

    April 26th, 2009 10:21 am

    I really like the third option there. I mean, I do sales for a living. You think I could turn that around to mean I can sell some adspace for a simple blog.

  • sandy

    April 27th, 2009 9:57 pm

    Very useful info. Covers all possible ways that you can look for a sponsor for your blog.


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