If you’ve been around for a while, you know that from all things blogging, there’s one topic I know a lot about and which I often discuss - blog sponsorships.
It’s been the main way I earn money online since I can remember, and there’s so much going on behind the scenes.
And while I share it ALL inside my course The Blog Sponsorship Boss, I also want to write about it here. In fact, it’s what led to starting this newsletter and naming it The 2-Hour Blogger.
Sponsored blogging is the business model that allowed me to work 2 hours a day, and I’m so passionate about sharing it with anyone who’s willing to listen.
It’s important that you know a few things.
First, it’s absolutely possible for you to work with brands and get paid to post content (or just links) on your blog.
There are bad clients out there, but there are also amazing ones (think: regular orders, being paid in advance, quality content, etc.)
You’re in charge so you decide on the conditions.
You can always charge more or increase your existing rates.
You can earn a full-time income as a blogger solely from blog sponsorships.
And, it’s totally legal to do it. It’s just another promotional technique brands use, just like affiliate marketing, influencer marketing, paid ads, and so on.
And last but not least, you can monetize your Substack this way too.
One of the many things beginner bloggers (or advanced bloggers who haven’t earned from sponsorships just yet) wonder is where and how to find sponsors, especially for the first time.
So let’s talk about that.
How to Find Blog Sponsors
1. Sponsored networks
One of the ways is to add your blog to sponsored networks. These are marketplaces that connect advertisers/brands with publishers (you, the blogger).
There’s many of them but it’s not always that easy to find them.
I listed 44 of them in this guide (also a bonus for students of The Blog Sponsorship Boss). And I’ll share new sponsorship networks I come across and join, inside my paid newsletter.
I’ve earned through many of them (once, a couple times, or get orders from with them regularly), but on others, I’ve just listed my sites and haven’t received any opportunities yet. This is totally normal.
I’ve also added my second blog to many of them. On some, it’s not approved as it’s still a small one. That depends on the criteria of the network.
Basically, all you can do is add your site to platforms like that and keep growing your blog. If there’s a paid opportunity available, you’ll be notified about it.
2. Guest Posting Agencies
Another little-known option to earn from sponsored blogging but which can turn out to be quite profitable is to contact agencies.
They act as the third party and can find you clients. Usually, you pitch them via email and they don’t really have a platform for you to sign up on (although some might offer that).
The good thing here is that once you form that relationship and your site is in their database, you can get regular orders, be paid quickly and on time, and build trust.
They do the marketing for you and usually already have a big client base, so then it’s a matter of finding a match for your site.
You often negotiate the rates and conditions in the beginning, and then the same ones are applied for every next order.
I mostly get paid in advance, but for the agencies I work with, I get paid according to their conditions. That’s because they usually have a different department handling this and things are just organized more professionally. They aren’t an individual client but a company handling many orders (maybe even thousands monthly), so you can’t really ask them to change their payment policies and pay you early.
But because they are so trustworthy, this doesn’t really make any difference for the blogger.
Now, I can’t just write the names of the agencies here because these are relationships I’ve been forming for years and I really cherish them.
But I did include a list of them, together with many sponsored networks, in this guide.
Here’s what’s inside:
23 sponsored post networks with screenshots, pricing examples, and sign-up links;
21 guest posting agencies with direct contact links (super hard to find info!);
A bonus Sponsored Network Tracker — keep tabs on which platforms you’ve applied to, your approval status, and next step;
Personal notes, insider tips, and real examples from my own sponsorship experience.
It’s also available as a bonus inside The Blog Sponsorship Boss.
3. Pitching Brands Directly
Another way to find sponsors for your blog is by directly pitching brands.
Find brands you’re already loving and whose products you’re using, or just those that fit your niche.
Write a short, clear email that shares who you are + what your blog is about, who your audience is, what kind of collaboration you’re offering (e.g., sponsored post, product feature, link insertion) and a link to your media kit.
Make sure you personalize every pitch. For example, you can mention something about their brand or product that you genuinely like.
4. Get on Their Radar
Brands often find bloggers through Google searches, hashtags, and mentions.
One way to get on their radar is to optimize your site for terms like “work with me,” “collaboration,” or “sponsored post.”
On social, use hashtags like #bloggercollab #brandcollaboration #sponsoredblogpost.
Do your own research, of course, these are just suggestions.
Keep doing this consistently as posting just a couple times might not be enough.
Another way to get on their radar is to mention brands inside your blog posts. A fun little strategy I discovered over the years is this: email them after naturally mentioning them in your article, and suggest a paid link placement.
Even if they never respond, that still puts you on their and other brands’ radar. Especially now when brand mentions (even without links) are crucial for AI search.
AI tools trust brands that were mentioned on as many platforms as possible, and not by the brand itself. Bloggers can leverage this.
Bonus Tip: Track everything.
Track every pitch, platform, and response so you know what’s working - this helps you scale faster. In my PDF guide with sponsored networks and guest posting agencies, you’ll also find a tracker at the end where you can note which brands you’ve contacted already and whether or not you’re approved for a network.
So these are the tips I have for you today on how to find sponsors for your blog. Most of this can apply to your Substack too if you want to monetize with brand partnerships.
Let me know what you think.
If you want the deeper layer of this, I share my exact frameworks, email templates, behind-the-scenes of brand deals, income breakdowns, and outreach systems inside the paid newsletter.
Thank you!
Nice info