When a site is ready to move away from the basic Pay Per Click (PPC) or Pay Per Impression (PPI) ad services that are available on a sign up basics and make direct deals with advertisers it can be a hit or miss proposition. Many sites want to move up but then wait for an advertiser to content them. An interesting theory but few business plans can afford to rely on serendipity in order to become profitable.
If you want your site to get direct sponsorship you are going to have to be a bit more aggressive in your approach. Basically, if a potential advertiser will not ask you, you are just going to have to take the initiative and ask them. One of the best tools that you have right at your fingertips is your sites mailing list. If you have an "Email Me with Updates" form, or a similar subscription service, then you have a list of potential advertisers just waiting for your to give them an ask.
This technique is called cold emailing* (a digital cousin to cold calling) and it can help you find a sponsor, or multiple sponsors for your site. Here is how you do it:
1. Rally impressive facts about your site. Maybe you have 1,000 views average every hour, or a 56% click rating on your existing PPC/PPI ads on your site. The goal here is to make a list of all of your selling points to a potential sponsor.
2. Make a list of target companies. They should be relevant to your readers with a little bit of searching you should be able to get a contact address.
3. Compose your letters focusing on the fit of the companies and at least two at the strengths listed in number one.
4. Mention your rates, either in the body of the email or in an attachment.
5. Send them out and wait for a response. If you sent out 1 a day that would be 5 a week that would be 260 contacts in a calendar year to help you grow your sites revenue. Even if only 2 percent of these people say yes, that is 5 new advertisers for your site.
*Please note while that you can cold email people who have not opted into your mailing list. in some parts of the world, depending on where you live this may be considered illegal. You should always research your local laws before taking any action. Also it is wise to know that a Double Opt In is considered both legal and polite in many nations.
