Creating a Blog Media Kit: Part One
When I decided to start blogging seriously, I was looking for a creative outlet that helped me feel productive and challenged me in ways that I enjoyed. From photography to trying out new products and clothes and bringing reviews to the internet, I totally fell in love with how blogging pushed me outside my comfort zone, forced me to learn HTML coding and brought me into the most amazing community of bloggers. I didn’t realize that there could be money made off of blogging until I started reading other blogs and seeing the FTC disclosure about different companies sponsoring posts or sending free product. I decided that I would only pursue making money off my blog as long as I could stay true to my beliefs and only accept opportunities as long as I thought them to be valuable and worth talking about. That being said, I really did want to pursue monetizing my blog so that I could at least continue to afford the hosting and other services I use to run this thing . Plus, I love being able to try new products out there!
After a few months of blogging consistently, I’ve had a few companies reach out to me organically through email and offer collaborations. I’ve said yes to a few and no to more because the products simply didn’t align with my standards or were even things that I felt my audience would care about. After quitting my job to work on my blog full time, I decided that it was time for me to put my big girl panties on and start reaching out to companies myself who have products that I love and would want to share. Why wait for them to come to me?
In order to do this, I knew it was time to sit down and create a blog Media Kit. And after spending a few hours putting it together, I couldn’t believe I waited this long to make one. There are just so many reasons to have one and a lot of things you can do after creating one, so today I’m writing part one of creating a blog media kit: a series. If you’re serious about working with other brands and companies, today I’m going to tell you why you should make one and what it should include.
A Media Kit is basically like a digitalized resume for your blog. It gives a company an idea of what your all about as a blogger and what you can offer them on your site.
As someone who was in charge of hiring during my five years as a student lead at my on campus job, I have learned a lot about resumes and what major turn offs are. Don’t make your media kit too long! Two pages max; but one page is better. You don’t want to turn off a potential collab offer because they had to scroll through several pages of graphics to find what they were looking for. There are several important points of information your media kit should include:
About You and About Your Blog: When it comes to what you should include in your media kit, think about what you want others to know about you and your blog. Introduce yourself and your blog and state what your overall purpose as a blogger is.
Questions to think about when writing this portion: What is my overall purpose as a blogger? What is my blog’s mission? What would help a company understand why they should work with me?
Social Media Numbers: Social Media has become EVERYTHING these days and the more exposure a brand can get, the better. They are going to want to know how far a post they sponsor is going to reach, so it’s best to include your best social media followings (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest). If you have a social media channel that you are still growing (like 20 subscribers on youtube) don’t put it on there just yet. Show your strengths, not your weaknesses.
Site Stats: Just like social media, companies will want to know how much traffic their post will see on your actual site. Include important stats like monthly page views, unique visitors and your demographics. You can find all of that info on your google analytics page.
Services Offered: Be sure to include a list of services that you can provide on your blog, such as sponsored posts or social media promotions. I wouldn’t encourage listing your prices for those services; as every case is different and should be worked out personally through email or phone. If you list a general price, you may be low balling yourself for a complicated post or turn off a company if they feel that your price is too high for an idea they had in mind.
Testimonials and Other Brands: If you have worked with other brands, include their logos! This is like your “work history” on a resume; you want companies to see what who you’ve worked with in the past. It’s even better if you can include a testimonial from a company that you worked with as an example of how well you work with others!
Even if you are just starting out and your social media following is small and your page views are low, I still would recommend creating a media kit within a few months of starting to blog. A lot of companies I have worked with like spreading out their sponsored posts between a variety of small and large bloggers, so it’s important to put your best professional foot forward and let everyone know you are open to business.
Stay tuned for part two, which will include the how’s (how to create and how to use it)
Do you have a blog media kit? What information do you include on it? Has it helped you work with brands? What other questions do you have about them?
