YugaTech | Philippines, Tech Reviews Blog

The most common response to my earlier discussion on “How to Compute Effective Page CPM” was how to increase the cost per mil (CPM). Let me clarify that with a simple math.

Continue Reading

I started getting direct advertisers on this blog about two years ago. The other blogs just followed suit. It was an exciting prospect because the growing interest in blog advertising was something that popped out of nowhere. One of the best ways to prepare yourself for direct advertisers is to come up with an ad rate card.

About 13 months ago, I shared a sample of my rate card here. You can still download a copy of the file here. It’s an old one and I’ve actually updated that one into a new PDF file (which needs another round of updates because of the redesign). Essentially, there are 3 basic parts that you should include in your rate card and we’ll tackle each one of them.

Continue Reading

Quite a number of people have been asking me for some time now how I get direct advertisers on my several of the blogs and sites I run. First, let me clarify that it’s not an easy feat to attract advertisers. In fact, in the last year alone, only about 2 out of 5 inquiries end up as a sealed deal.

From experience, here are some tips and suggestions I’d like to share with everyone about dealing with direct advertisers:

• First, you’ll have to publicly advertise that you accept advertising. The simplest way to do that is to put an Advertise link somewhere conspicuous in your blog or website.
• Your Advertise page should show an overview of what your blog is all about and the target market or readers. See my advertise page here for a sample. It’s also good to mention how much media coverage or features your blog had in the past. This gives a good impression of credibility and reach.
• Show at least a summary of your stats on your site and provide a detailed one when asked for it. Most people don’t do this because their stats are not high enough. However, you don’t want to end up disappointing a potential advertiser when they realize your actual page impressions. They can always come back later when the numbers are high enough and both of you are spared of the unnecessary email exchanges.
• Have a decent blog design. It’s never a secret why TV & Print advertisers are pairing up their products with attractive models and actors to endorse them.
• If possible, give the advertiser a good deal for the ads they want. Most will ask for above the fold so you may want to create a screen shot of your blog with the ads laid out.
• Don’t splurge on too many ad inventories. I’ve seen blogs where ads have more space than actual content. I’m sure you’ve seen them with 3 Adsense ads for content, 1 Adsense Link Ad unit, a TLA banner, a Google Product Referral Banner, a Performancing banner, a couple Adbrite ads, Kontera InText, Amazon Associates and more. Check which ones are converting nicely for you and let go of the others.
• Take less in exchange for longer periods of advertising time. I always find good deals selling ads at 25% discount and extending the contract 50% longer. Actual direct advertisements get the curiosity of other potential advertisers which might want the same ad spot later.

Again, remember that the growing trend of blog advertising worked under the premise that even though blogs don’t have that too many eyeballs, they’re more focused on the target market. So, unless you’re blog is covering that really nice niche, it’s even harder to attract potential advertisers. Pageviews doesn’t guarantee that nowadays; just look at the billions and billions of eyeballs at Friendster.

Performancing is launching an Ad Network specifically for bloggers. Dubbed Performancing Partners, the main goal of the ad network is to open the floor for bloggers to generate more passive income on top of direct income from their blogs.

The ads will be non-contextual so you can run them alongside your Google AdSense or YPN ads. Two revenue models are being put in place — Direct advertising on a monthly flat fee basis based on recommended CPM for category type, and CPA (cost per aquisition).

Success of such a niche ad network will highly depend on the people behind it and how they can attract advertisers already scattered amongst dozens and dozens of exiting competitors — AdBrite, BlogAds, Chitika, AzoogleAds, etc.

Maybe a higher publisher revenu share? The standard right now is about 50-50%. What I’m more interested is how this new network will be able to help monetize blogs that are only getting less than 500 uniques per day.

This is one ad network to watch out though and we’ll see once they roll it out soon.

We’re not actually done with our problogging interviews yet. I still have a couple more expecting in my Inbox.

I won’t introduce Connie anymore as most of you already know a lot about her. The rest are best kept under the rug.

She recently bagged another blogging gig for Global Voices (or was that an editorial position? Is it official now?).

• How would you define problogging?

  Earling out of blogging but not necessarily getting paid to write specific content.

• When did you start blogging? When did you get into problogging and how did you realize that there’s some money to be had from it?

  Started early 2003. I don’t know if I ever consciously got into problogging. I applied to a couple of programs and one time I received 2 20-dollar checks (shock, shock) in the mail and well I guess that would be a defining moment.

• Which blogs are you writing for and which blog networks are you affiliated with?

  She’s not writing for any blog networks right now but I think Global Voices might be considered a network. – yuga

• Are you problogging part time or full time? Do you see this career as a part time gig or you are looking into going fulltime problogging?

  Let’s put it this way. I write full time now. Part of that is blogging and 3 out of about 5 or 6 blogs just happen to earn their keep.

• How do you monetize your blog? Which ones bring in the most revenues? Adsense, YPN, BlogAds, AdBrite, Text Link Ads, Affiliate, Direct ad sponsors, etc. Which ones bring in the most revenues? How long did it took you to significantly earn from your own blog/s?

  All of the above (at one time or another) except direct advertisers and YPN. Adsense is, so far, the best for me. How long it took… uuumm maybe a year? Or a little less than a year.

• How long before you got significant revenue from your blogs? How consistent are the revenues and what affects it?

  In a year, things were steady. Until my database disaster last December.

• How much time do you spend on problogging?

  Well writing… a few hours. 2 maybe three. It’s the reading that takes allday and sometimes well into the night. But not everything I read becomes blog entries. Most are for you know intellectual consumption… hehehehe

• What other benefits do you get from problogging?

  One is the newspaper column… the others, I can’t divulge yet hehehehe (but, did I just told them about GV? – yuga)

• What’s the most significant event/moment you had in your entire problogging career?

  Getting the food blog published in Gourmet magazine as “everything
  that an amateur blog should be” hehehe ok ba? Gusto mo screenshot? Attach ko.

• What personal tips can you share with bloggers who want to try out problogging?

  Magbasa sila at tigilan ang kaka-intriga. Walang patutunguhan yan. Losers.

Someone asked me a while back what I offer as a blog consultant or how I charge for it. I had a bit of a struggle defining that role but basically I told him that I provide technical assistance to those who want to have their own blog and that includes (but is not limited) to domain registration, hosting, setting up the blog, theming/customization, optimization, and even marketing.

Fees vary from one-time payments to fixed monthly/yearly or on special cases on an hourly basis (especially when my physical presence is required).

With blog monetization however, it’s a little bit different. It’s more like SEO — performance based. When I broker for bloggers in finding direct advertisers for them, I get a cut or a percentage. This is usually in the range of 10 to 30% depending on the blog’s profile/traffic. Hence, I only get paid if they get paid. If I couldn’t find them advertisers, then it’s sorry for the both of us.

The same is true in the area of blog monetization by way of optimizing Adsense on their blogs. Say for example, an existing blog only earns an average of $50 per month. I implement the optimization and a month later, if the revenue shoots up to $100, I get a percentage of the increase (i.e. 30% of $100 – $50). If after the optimization, the blog earns almost the same amount as the previous month, then I don’t get my cut. Sounds simple and fair. It’s actually in the blogger’s advantage as there’s no upfront cost to talk about. (Of course, my percentage ends on either the 6th month or sometime later, depending on the additional services that were delivered. I have asked people around and this seems to be the standard.)

This scheme is not exactly unique as some people in the legal practice also do the same (i.e. they only get legal fees if they win a case). With the performance-based scheme, both parties agree on a fair and equitable arrangement.