Creating Blog Media Packs

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It is likely that you will have a media pack for your handmade biz or at least know of them in theory and have it on your ridiculously long to-do list. If you are looking to take on advertisers on your sidebar, then it is worth creating a media pack for your blog. It means you can quickly respond to requests for information about advertising on your blog and it’s also more professional which could make the difference between securing a new advertiser or not.

When I first decided to create a media pack I googled it to find out the sort of things I should include and what it entails. And, it wasn’t nearly as daunting or scary as I thought. You can view some Media packs online, like the UK Handmade media pack which can help provide inspiration. Most media packs are available on request, rather than freely available, which I think only adds to the air of mystery they have.

Don’t panic about what you should put in your media pack.

Imagine you are wondering about the benefits of advertising with a blog. If you’re a designer maker or run a blog alongside a small business, put your business owner’s hat on. What would you want to know if you were considering blog advertising?

• How many visitors do you have?
• What are the advertising options?
• How much does it cost?

Basically, your media pack is your opportunity to pitch your blog to a potential advertiser.

In my media pack, I have the following:

An overview of my blog

I provide a summary of what my blog sets out to do – it’s aims and ethos. I also include how I promote my blog. It’s basically a few paragraphs where I get to pitch my blog to potential advertisers. Also included is some information about my audience, taken from a reader’s survey I conducted, so advertisers can see whether my target audience is a match for them.

Stats

I provide stats taken from Google Analytics. I detail figures for each month and then I provide the latest numbers based on the last 30-31 days and the stats so far for the current month.

Rate Card

Currently I only charge for advertising – giveaways, reviews and features are all free, but for blogs with larger followings these can have a fee.

Also included in my blog rates is the size of advert, cost and features of that package are included, so people can clearly see what they will get for their money.

Over time you can develop your media pack – it is an organic document that will grow and change with you and your blog. You may like to include information from any reader surveys you conduct that provide a greater insight into your readership, or perhaps information about the location of your readers (available from google analytics).

Now you’ve realised that a media pack isn’t this mysteriously complicated thing, your next issue will be setting your rates. It’s a hard one, placing a value on your blog. You need to look at your stats and work out where you fit in the line up of blogs offering advertising. Mostly the rate you charge will reflect the number of page views your blog receives, but if your blog fills a smaller niche and is more specialised you may find advertisers in your niche placing a greater value on space on your blog.

Given that the number of requests for information about advertising on your blog is likely to be a lot higher than the number actually taking out advertising, it is really worth taking the time to create a media pack, rather than having to reply to each email individually. It’s a lot quicker to attach your media pack with a short email.

Once you have a media pack, the next hurdle is securing those first few advertisers. Perhaps that might be another blog post!

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Viv Smith is the owner behind gorgeous jewellery brand Poppy Sparkles. She also runs a successful blog featuring independent designers and sellers.