How to write a media rate card

The purpose of a media rate card is to show potential advertisers what your site can deliver to them in terms of traffic and possible sales. To do this, include some key points:

• A brief description of the site - what it does and for whom.

• Visitor demographics - do you have data on the age of your site visitors, their home region, gender, etc? If so, include it, as it helps build a picture of your audience.

• Site traffic - what are your unique visitor numbers and length of time spent on the site? Include a note or graph if the figures are increasing.

• Costings - do you have a cost-per-click (CPC) or cost-per-impression (CPM) rate? If so, include it here, along with the price of other sponsorship options. Offer a menu but leave some flexibility, with 'costed on a project basis' for sponsor features that would benefit from a more tailored proposal.

• Screen shots - showing how and where adverts or sponsored features appear on the site.

• Media activity - note where you've recently been covered in the media, online and off, so that potential sponsors can see how and where you're promoting the site.

• Testimonials - positive comments from existing sponsors give credibility to you and confidence to the next potential sponsor.

• Team details - who are the faces behind the site and what are their credentials? In other words, your background career and activities, etc.

Round this off with your contact details so that anyone interested can get in touch and place an order! Photo credit: YanivG