Yes, it’s true — I’m now selling advertising space on GeekFluent.

When I started this blog, it was with the idea of giving myself a place to write about topics of interest to me. Creating a place where I can express my own options. Making a tool for personal branding.

I never even thought about making money with it. If anything, between domain registrations fees, hosting fees, and — most of all — time spent, having the site costs me. But it’s been worth it.

So, I was actually a little surprised when I was approached by a company that said “We’d like to sponsor your blog”.

We talked about what that would — and wouldn’t — mean. We talked about the different models used for pricing this sort of thing: Cost per Click (CPC) vs. Cost per Month (CPM).

Then I needed to think about what it meant to me. I came up with the following:

GeekFluent’s Rules for Accepting Sponsors

• The brand or product needs to be one that I personally believe in and would feel good about recommending to a customer and/or a friend.
• It needs to be clear that the blog is mine, not the brand’s. They don’t speak for me and I don’t speak for them.
• The brand doesn’t get to dictate what content I do — or don’t — publish on my site.
  • That said, I will continue my policy whereby pretty much anyone is welcome to suggest topics for me to write about. I find it helpful, as I get writer’s block as often as anyone.
• I will be completely transparent in sharing site stats on page views, etc. with any sponsors or potential sponsor before, and during any periods of sponsorship.
• A simple, flat-rate CPM really just seems like the way to go. No concerns about how to track it and it’s just easier for everyone involved.
• Short-term sponsorships (works as a “trial” period)
• The number of sponsors I’ll accept at any one time will be limited. This isn’t about making money for me, it’s about having the freedom to write more.
• Monthly pricing will be very reasonable.
  1. I know my readership numbers aren’t in the same league as some of the other folks out there.
  2. Again, it’s not about making money, it’s about freedom.

So with all that said,

Thank You

Thank you to the folks at Turbonomic for being GeekFluent’s first official sponsor. I do believe in your product and feel extremely comfortable in recommending it.

It also means a lot to me that you felt like I’m producing a product that you want to be associated with.

Past Sponsors

Space Available

At the moment, I have space available for at least two sponsors. If you work for or represent a company that might be interested, and if the ideas I’ve outlined above work for you, feel free to contact me to discuss.