How one blogger sold more than 50 ads in just three days

“Hey small business owner! Let’s make some magic!”

Earlier this month, fashion and lifestyle blogger, Gala Darling, generated such a big buzz around new Blogads ad units that it tripled her monthly revenue! She did this by taking innovative steps that can work for your site, too.

Her pitch? Offer affordable ad space to small businesses including boutique owners, artisans, and Etsy shop owners. Gala’s site generates more than 1 million pageviews per month. The modestly 125×125 ads reach her loyal fanbase over the profitable days and weeks around the holidays. Gala Darliing priced the ads at $2 a day. That price is easy for any advertiser to understand and opens up a whole new tier of potential buyers.

Her promotion? Making a dedicated blog post featuring a huge pink image, testimonial, and clear instructions about advertising. Gala put to use the knowledge that her readers “LOVE to buy handmade” and are “ALL Etsy addicts!” Her goal wasn’t necessarily to make a killing on the ad sales, but to expose these small business owners to the ease of online advertising and to help them find an interested audience. She even created a “Support Small Businesses” header for these ads, and changed her “Advertise here” link to say “Advertise your independent business here!”

In Gala’s words: “I created a space on my site designed exactly for people like you. You know that promotion is important—but it can be expensive. Allow me to remove that obstacle!”

“My aim was to make it INSANELY affordable, and I think some people are going to think I am nuts for pricing it so low… I don’t care, though! I know how hard it can be to find an audience which matches your own, and I want to make it easy for you to make a mint!”

It’s clear that Gala pulled out all the stops in order to make these advertisers feel encouraged and welcomed to utilize the precious real estate available.

The response? Over the course of three days, readers bought more than 50 ads.

How can this work for your blog?

Your readers are your biggest fans. They know the unique value your blog delivers. Get them to help you get the word out. If you haven’t done so yet, add one of our new ad units to your blog. There are sizes to fit every layout, from small squares to large marquees. Because ad spaces are not “one size fits all,” it is important to offer a range of options attracting a broad spectrum of advertisers to increase your revenue.

Promote your new spaces with a catchy blog post. Use images and testimonials to entice advertisers. Provide simple directions for first-time buyers. In Gala’s words, “remove the obstacle” between business owners with a small advertising budget and their audience.

Know your audience. If your readers love Etsy shops, direct this offer to Etsy shop owners. If you are located in an urban area, this is a great way to get businesses in your city excited. If you write for a food blog, extend an invitation to restaurant owners.

Make the offer too good to pass up. Try reducing your rates for a specified amount of time or provide a discount code. Share a testimonial from a former advertiser who can vouch for the success they achieved by advertising on your site.

Dust off your “Advertise Here” page and add some spice! It might seem like a minor detail, but adding aesthetics such as an attractive header, demographic information, and a snazzy sales pitch for your site could really secure the sale!

Congratulations to Gala Darling on her success! We hope other bloggers can learn from your experience.