Want to Monetize Your Blog? Create a Media Kit {Part 2 of 2}

November 29, 2010

Image by Rosaura Ochoa

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the first steps you need to take to create your media kit. Now we´re going to focus on what to do with the information you gathered.

Once you have collected your stats, demographics information and data I recommend you use either PowerPoint, Microsoft Publisher or Pages (if a Mac user) and choose a simple template that fits your needs. You could also consider hiring a designer to have her/him create a basic template for you to use. Just make sure you save a copy of the finished media kit as a PDF and that´s the one you distribute.

Include your blog´s logo on the header of every page, and on the footer add your blog´s url and your contact email.

Try to make the information as visual as possible. I use screen grabs of Google Analytics stats and of Quantcast demographics instead of writing out the pageviews and unique visitors. This way, it´s more transparent that the numbers are real.  I use both Little Snapper and Skitch for this. Little Snapper is useful because you the option to snap the whole site, not just an area. I also use Skitch because it allows you to add drawings and to write on the image.

Another great use of screen shots is to take snaps of your site to illustrate the media kit and to show off your best content and the site´s design.

Now that you have information, visuals and a template, start dividing your media kit into these segments:

I suggest you start with information regarding your blog, useful quotes and then go into your metrics and your full contact info on the last page.

If you do have press, blog mentions or affiliations include either a link or a screen grab of the mention. If you have good quotes from readers or past advertisers, include those as well.

Identify what your strong points are, what sets you and your blog aside and make it a perfect fit for the brands you are targeting, and emphasize it.

Create a chart with the ad rate you charge for each size you will use and how many are available per month. It can be a simple grid chart or something more elaborate as having an image of each banner size with the price next to it.

Is there anything else you can sell on your site? RSS footer? Newsletter? Giveaways? A specific category or campaign? Sponsored posts?  For SpanglishBaby, we actually offer the RSS footer for free with an ad buy. To include code on your RSS you will need a plugin such as RSS Footer.

If you would like to be sponsored for a specific conference, go ahead and include that information here, as well. Highlight what your costs are and what the brand will get from you.

The discussion of how much to charge per ad banner is huge and will vary completely depending on your site, its reach and niche. Check out this chart over at Mom Bloggers Club with three scenarios from hypothetical mom blogs with different reach and influence to give you a good starting point.

Next, decide what your payment method is (Paypal is recommended), any restrictions, what ad formats you accept, and if you offer any discounts for bundles on a three month or more buy. Place these as bullet points on the same page as your ad rates chart.

1) Media kit templates/examples:

2) Creating a Media Kit–Blog Conference Guide for the (Un)Experienced

Do you have a media kit? Is there any specific tip that has worked best for you?

Ana Lilian Flores

ToughCookieMom
November 29, 2010 at 11:33 am
RT @lbconnect: [New Post] Want to Monetize Your Blog? Create a Media Kit {Part 2 of 2} – http://www.latinabloggersconnect.com/201…

Reply
Tamara
November 29, 2010 at 5:52 am
Thanks for including my media/advertising post in your resource section! Great post and very informative.

Reply
- Ana Lilian
  November 29, 2010 at 9:55 am
  Thank you, Tamara. You have very useful information and I´m always keeping tabs on it! This will definitely not be the first time I´ll be linking to one of your posts.
  
  Reply
Pingback: Want to Monetize Your Blog? Create a Media Kit {Part 2 of 2 … | Making Money Blogging
Ellie
January 19, 2012 at 11:55 pm
Hi again Ana. I have now read both installments on creating a Media kit. Thank you so much for the helpful information. Hopefully I can be successful in using it to make up my own Media kit.

Ellie
Ellie recently posted..Dealing With Panic Attacks

Reply
Pingback: Want To Monetize Your Blog? Create a Media Kit {Part 1 of 2} : LatinaBloggersConnect

Latina Bloggers Connect