Advertise

With a zillion wedding blogs out there, why advertise with APW? The two-word answer: reader response. In other words: Bookings. Actual clients that you love.Most wedding blogs are filled with pretty pictures. When readers visit these sites, they’re looking for wedding inspiration, pinning pictures to their Pinterest boards, and planning craft projects. When readers visit APW, it’s a whole different ballgame. Here, our readers are talking about ideas (100+ comment posts are just the day-to-day over here). Our readers are engaging with the core mission of the site, talking to each other, and investing their time. They genuinely want to support the site, the community surrounding it, and you—our advertisers. Plus, APWers are looking for something specific: vendors that believe in the APW Sanity Pledge. They’re not just here to look at pictures; they’re here to talk to each other and to find vendors they click with.So you can advertise with that blog with all those readers who are not paying very much attention. Or you can advertise with APW, where all those readers are paying lots of attention. We have 250,000+ unique readers a month who really, truly give a shit, and who want to hire you. Word on the street is advertising on APW gives you the best possible return on your hard-earned advertising dollars.

Our primary readership is wildly diverse. They hail from all walks of life, are planning every kind of wedding you can imagine (and then some), and have a vast range of wedding budgets. However, APWers are united in one thing: being genuinely amazing clients. They are primarily located in urban centers like New York, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Chicago, and London. In fact, we run a variety of content focused both on the US and the UK. We were even named a top UK wedding blog by Channel 4 last year. We also have tons of readers in rural areas who are drastically underserved by wedding vendors they love.

It’s not just that APW readers are unique and engaged. The way we run our advertising program is different too.

• We’re not in this to make as much money as possible. (I know. Seriously.) We only take advertisers that we think are a fit for the site (we won’t waste your money otherwise). Plus, our front-page ad numbers are capped by geography, meaning that you’ll never be the twentieth photographer in a city with three-hundred readers.
• At the heart of our site is a vendor community that is committed to supporting each other. Our advertisers refer clients to one another, help each other out of tight spots, and offer each other advice freely, all in the name of making our community awesome.
• Our readers make the best clients. Period. APW readers have a reputation for being the most down-to-earth, laid-back, artist-supporting couples in the world. In addition to being awesome, they’ve made a commitment to treating wedding vendors like people (and most of the time, like friends).

But don’t take our word for it, ask our advertisers. Since everyone’s mileage varies (and life carries no guarantees), we polled a diverse range of advertisers for their thoughts.

“The APW reader is looking for more than just pretty pictures to scroll through. They’re taking their time to read the blog, looking for guidance, stories, and advice. Actual content. In return, when APW stands behind a vendor in a sponsored post, it carries far more weight to the reader than the wallpaper of your average pretty picture wedding blog. I ran a single sponsored post which brought in over $15,000 worth of bookings for the year. It was one of the best decisions I’ve made for my business so far.” —Jonas Seaman Photography

“APW sends me the most consistent flow of inquiries, month-in, month-out, and not just when I run sponsored posts. In 2011, APW was the source of 25% of my inquiries, and 40% of my bookings; APW couples are more than twice as likely to follow through with orders. As I’ve gotten more involved in the community, this has only increased: In 2012, APW has been my #1 source of inquiries and bookings. And APW clients are always fun to work with!” —A La Carte Albums

“Advertising with APW took my business from part time to far-more-than-full time. Less than a year after I started advertising here I’d dropped all of my other freelance work and had to hire an employee to keep up with the volume. What I really love about the clients who come to me through APW is that while their weddings vary wildly—everything from food-truck catered picnics to weekend-long wine country affairs—the vast majority of them are the kind of people I consider to be ‘my people.’ When given the option, most of them pick dive bars over coffee shops for meetings, which is obviously a win.” —Lowe House Events

APW didn’t help me get my wedding photography business off the ground, it actually got it off the ground. Advertising with Meg and her team is a dream, and the quality of the clients is remarkable. Not every business client relationship is the right fit, so APW helps make the process easier for both parties by recognizing exactly the kind of business you are and want to be, and helping the right clients find their way to you.—calin+bisous

“Becoming an APW wedding elf advertiser was one of the best business decisions I ever made. Period. All that stuff they tell you about this being a partnership—yeah, it’s really true. Exposure to incredible APW couples (who are beyond awesome to work with), insightful feedback and business advice from Meg and her team, fun and inspiring interactions with other wedding vendors in our private forum… it’s a dream toolkit for any business owner that takes ROI to a whole different level.“—Taryn Westberg, Glö, Paperless Wedding Inviations & Wedding Web Sites

At APW we offer a variety of advertising options for different independent businesses. Our Vendor Directory is designed for businesses just getting started, located in smaller markets, or that have lower price points. Our front-page advertising is a comprehensive hands-on program, designed to get you the maximum amount of traction with readers.

Front-page advertising includes, among other things, an ad on the front page of the site, the ability to buy sponsored posts, membership to APW’s vendor forum, and a free listing in the Vendor Directory. Rates start at $750 for a discounted introductory package of a sponsored post, three months of advertising, and a directory listing. After that, rates start at $100/month. Please be advised, front-page advertising is sometimes waitlist only.

A listing in the vendor directory is our lower-cost advertising option. The cost is $425-500 for a one-year listing. You can read more about the directory here, and apply for a spot here.

Here are some details about our various advertising options. Because yes, you really do get a whole ton when you advertise with us. (Click on the image twice if you’d like a large version. Or heck, just email us.)

For more information on advertising, along with a full listing of our rates and stats, please get in touch with our Advertising Manager, Emily, using our contact form. If we think you’re a fit for the site, we’ll get started right away. We can’t wait to work with you.

NOTE: Emily is only in the office Tuesdays and Thursdays, so she’ll get back to you on her next business day.