Today I am launching a project I am very excited about. It's called The Syndicate and it's the first and most influential blog sponsorship network.
This has all come together over the past month, and gives companies the opportunity to sponsor some amazing technology, design, and development sites each week. The network includes some of my personal favorites: Marco Arment, Khoi Vinh, Asymco, Shawn Blanc, The Brooks Review, TightWind, 512pixels, Tools and Toys, and yours truly. Together these sites reach over 92,000 daily subscribers with over 1.3 million monthly page views.
I have always believed the key to great advertising is for it to be interesting and relevant. It should add value to the site, not do what most online advertising does today, as John Gruber put it:
Most sites that draw revenue from advertising attempt to cram as many ads as possible on each page, in as big and garish a format as possible. Yet I feel strongly that our policies make for a superior experience both for you, the reader, who is neither distracted by animation nor insulted by “punch the monkey” nonsense, and for the sponsors, who do not have to compete for attention from other advertisers on the same page.
The goal of The Syndicate is to respect readers' time and attention by only promoting products that are interesting and relevant. We've already got some great sponsors to share through the end of 2011.
Sponsorships start October 31, and there is one week still available in 2011 before the rate goes up in 2012. If you're interested, visit The Syndicate for more information.