My Advertisement Policy (and why I won't accept that pest control offer) ~ Diane's Vintage Zest!

My Advertisement Policy (and why I won't accept that pest control offer)

So, this is a post that I am really happy to write (and is long past due) but may not be particularly interesting for you to read.  :)  Then again, if you are interested in some of the behind-the-scenes of blogging or are a newbie blogger yourself, maybe this will give you a bit of insight to my experience so far with advertising and why my readers will always come first!




Lately, you might have noticed a bunch of sponsored posts.  While some of them are completely awesome recipes that you may have enjoyed or deals that you would totally appreciate knowing about, they are still sponsored.  What does that mean?  Here's the gist:


The first form of advertising I ever tried out was Adsense ads on my sidebar and header.  I did not feel like they were too overwhelming and I can always remove content that is offensive or out of the scope of my blog.  Also, the tiny bit of money I began to receive was just enough for me to buy the new domain name after a couple months!  Yes it took a couple of months because I really did mean tiny bit.  :)

The next thing I did was to offer advertising on my sidebar, which so far only a couple of Etsy shops and sewing companies have done.  I figured that it was a couple extra bucks that would cover fabric costs for my challenges!  Not lucrative at all, but that's fine by me.  :)


This skirt was brought to you by a sidebar ad.  Thanks!


Then, I noticed that other bloggers I followed had sponsored posts from lots of different companies.  I looked into it a bit, but since I am not a full-time blogger with huge traffic I did not qualify for many of the memberships or campaigns.

However, I was accepted to Social Fabric and with the holidays around the corner, there were many more opportunities.  So basically, that's why there have been weeks with multiple sponsored posts.  I would apply for a handful of campaigns, not knowing which would be accepted.  And holy smokes, all of a sudden I had a bunch of opportunities with overlapping dates.  Eek!  So yes, there have been a handful of sponsored ads on my blog lately.  They are always clearly marked, so you know which ones they are.


Yummy cookies for a campaign!


However, with any of the campaigns that I have applied to, there have been many, many more that I decided would not be appropriate for the blog.  This includes offers for depression medication, pest control companies, and "intimate" products.  Yes, these are probably great products, but they're not what my blog is about.

I always want my readers to come first!  Really, what is the point of having paid blog posts if they drive my bloggy friends away?  So, I decided if there is a food product that I love or a deal that is too fabulous to keep to myself, why not share it?  I already share recipes and things that I love, so those type of sponsored posts weren't too different from my normal posts.


These little guys were super popular, and fun to come up with!


Now that you know my history with advertising, here are my promises to you and why I chose to publicly state them.


  • I will only apply for campaigns of products that I would purchase for myself or someone I love.
  • I will always share my honest ideas and opinions about any products that I try or review.
  • I will turn down any offers that may not be legitimate or 100% trustworthy (which I have already done several times).


So why make this public?  I want you to know that I am aware of the fact that my blog is a place to share the recipes, fun DIY projects, and everything else in my life!  I don't want you to think that this will become a highly monetized blog with no original content.  In fact, the opposite may actually be true!  I had two campaigns recently that dealt with baking, and it was almost like a challenge for me to come up with two completely different recipes.  Mission accomplished!




Now, with my "25 Days of Handmade Gifts" series and the "Shop Small Saturday Showcase" coming up, it may seem like I am getting paid to do a bunch of advertisements for local shops.  If you contact each and every one of these artists, I have not received a penny.  It is truly my way of promoting the handmade movement and all of the unique, interesting ideas out there!  Also, I love supporting local artists and this is a great way to do so!


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Whew!  That was a lot to share!

Since blogging with sponsored posts is a new venture for me, I have not had any complaints so far, but I wanted to address any concerns that may come up beforehand.  I want to be as transparent as possible, so you know that all of my content is honest and completely from me and me alone.

Also, you might want to know that so far all of the money I have earned has gone back into the blog with the business cards, domain name, blogger meet-upscraft show admissions, and soon...

I can finally upgrade this computer of mine!


My current computer is not super old, but Photoshop needs power that my microwave can't handle, hence the cartoon above!  At first, I thought that I should spend it on this holiday's presents, but everyone in my family thinks that I deserve to upgrade with all of the hard work that I have put into this blog.  No complaints from me!


For my other blogger friends out there, how do you handle sponsored posts or review requests?  I'd like to know!




2 comments:

  1. Thanks so much! I just had to put it out there so you would know. :) There are a bunch of websites out there like BlogHer, Clever Girls, Glam Media, Social Fabric, SocialSpark, and Sverve that you could apply to. I haven't had much luck with most of them, but I also haven't tried particularly hard either... Good luck!

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