After reading this post from Helene last week, it got me thinking a lot about sponsorship and how I view it. Just like Helene, I believe in blog sponsorship and support it 110%. It's not only a way for the people/blogs I'm sponsoring to share my content with the intentions of growing this blog, but it's also a fabulous opportunity to support the blogs I read daily and absolutely adore. It's something so much more than just paying to have my button up on a sidebar.



I didn't see the point in sponsorship when I first started blogging. At all. I thought the idea of "paying someone/some people to follow me" was totally lame. Eventually, though, as I became more educated about blogging and more aware of my passions, I realized what a blessing sponsorship actually was. I ended up taking the plunge by buying a sidebar ad from my friend Shannon and a few months later, a sidebar ad from my friend Mandy.

If you read either one of those ladies blogs, you'll know that they're based on mommyhood, DIY, fashion, kids, etc. I didn't blog about anything related to those topics at that time, but I still saw a large increase in my pageviews. Why? Because two blog friends were sharing me with their readers.

For instance, Mandy wrote a post here that brought me to tears. Last fall during my sponsorship, I was raising money for a missions organization called Speed The Light. Mandy shared the things about me that encouraged her. People read. People clicked. People donated. That post alone helped me raise over $100 towards my goal AND reach people that I never would have reached otherwise. Mandy used content she believed in to promote me.

Note what I said there: Mandy used content she believed in to promote me.

In order for her to promote me, I needed to write something that struck a chord with her. I'm not saying that you should write posts tailored to the interests, passions, and expectations of the blogs you're sponsoring, but I am saying that your content matters more than anything else when it comes to making your sponsorship worthwhile.

Shannon and I shared a love for honest, sarcastic posts.
Mandy and I shared a love for Jesus, faith, and prayer.

Even though our blogs were from completely different niches, I found it successful because I had things in common with these women. Our blogs did not have to be the same in order for me to see growth.The content of my posts was so much more important that that.

This past January, I decided to start offering opportunities for sponsorship on my own blog. Things started off slowly, but I now have 8 lovely ladies that have entrusted me to promote them + their blogs... And because I had such a good experience with the women I first chose to sponsor, I feel like I'm able to offer exposure and that same wonderful experience to my own sponsors.

I've worked with bloggers/shops from a variety of niches in this online world. From Etsy shops, to fashionistas, to online boutiques, to fitness junkies, to mommy bloggers. I've worked with lifestyle bloggers, college students, and nannies... The list goes on. Each and every one of those opportunities has served as a blessing to me in some way.

However, there have been times that it was hard for me to promote and keep up with sponsorship. The biggest reason for that is CONTENT. Very, very simply.

The shout-outs that I offer with my monthly sponsorship package take place on Twitter. I try to tweet at least 2 posts of yours a week. Those tweets tend to look something like this: