Golden shovels, empty holes, and the golden nut
🔥 Golden shovels, empty holes, and the harsh lessons of chasing sponsorship dreams.
Confessions of a Burned-Out Button Clicker
Spilled Coffee, Broken Plugins, and the Shovel I Should've Sold
Ever spent hours setting up sponsorship plugins, tweaking carousels, installing PayPal ... only to watch your site sit there like an abandoned lemonade stand in winter?
Yeah. Same. 🤦♂️
This is a story of spilled coffee, broken dreams, and a few brutally honest lessons from the wild labyrinth of WordPress sponsorships.
Spoiler: It's not about the tools. It's about the strategy you never knew you needed.
🛠️ What I Tried (and Why It Felt Smart at the Time)
I mean, it looked simple enough:
- Logo Carousel plugin? Installed. Customized. Proudly spinning logos on my homepage like a carnival ride.
- Simple Sponsorships? Activated. Created tiers. Gave them names like "Gold Unicorn Partner" because branding matters, right?
- PayPal "Donate" button? Slapped on the sidebar. Waited for the flood of coffee money.
- Buy Me a Coffee widget? Cute button. No coffees. Not even a free espresso.
Every plugin felt like it was one click away from "sponsorship magic." Except... nobody came.
🎈 The Emotional Rollercoaster
Here's how it usually goes:
- Hope: "This plugin will fix everything!"
- Excitement: "Look, the logos spin!" 🌟
- Confusion: "Why are my sponsor emails getting ghosted?"
- Silence: Crickets.
- Rage Uninstall: "I don't even LIKE coffee anymore."
What I didn’t realize at the time: No plugin can save a strategy that doesn’t exist.
🔬 The Hard-Earned Wisdom
Here's the uncomfortable truth:
Sponsorships aren't about YOU. They're about THEM.
- What VALUE do you offer your sponsors?
- Who is your audience, and why would someone pay to reach them?
- What can you offer that's better than just a "logo spin"?
A fancy grid won't convince anyone to hand you money. You need to start where real partnerships begin:
- Audience clarity (who you reach)
- Offer alignment (what sponsors want)
- Clear value delivery (how you make their investment worthwhile)
No plugin. No carousel. No coffee button.
Strategy first. Tools second.
🚧 The Shovel I Should've Sold
Instead of digging endlessly for invisible sponsorships, here's what I should have focused on:
- Selling solutions, not slots.
- Creating guides, services, or insights for my audience.
- Offering real outcomes, not spinning logos.
Translation: Sell the shovel, not the hole.
If you're solving problems, people WILL pay. If you're just showcasing brands and hoping for miracles... prepare for more spilled coffee.
🌟 The New Game Plan
- Start with audience clarity: Who needs access to your readers/users?
- Define an irresistible offer: Why should sponsors care?
- Use tools as support, not salvation: Plugins are great — when you already know where you're going.
You’ve got the map. You’ve got the battle scars. You’ve got the caffeine.
Confessions made. Coffee spilled. Shovel polished. Time to stop digging and start dealing. 🚀🌟
(P.S. If you ever spill coffee on your site again, at least make it into a good story. Those are priceless.)
Here it is! 🪓✨ A digger surrounded by holes, finally spotting that one shiny golden nut — the perfect visual metaphor for trial, error… and the one brilliant opportunity you nearly missed.
🎯
Confessions made...
Tell me, what is your Burn-out like digging spot?
Recent Comments
23
I think the lesson I recently learned is that it’s really the other way around. Rather than creating a billboard on your website and expecting people to find you maybe one needs to reach out directly or have them find you.
Every situation is different. People may see a piece of your website that can help their business that you never thought of.
I read your words and felt something stir Mike..
There's a quiet kind of bravery in finding a small nugget and letting it be enough
when everything in the world shouts for more, bigger, louder.
I know that silence too.
The soil offering a tiny glint when you thought your hands were empty.
Thank you for sharing a piece of your road.
It mattered more than you might guess.
🥲
I appreciate you taking the time to write this up. I am in the middle of this now. I am rethinking my strategy also. This is so true. Very well written. Thanks again for sharing!
Thank you so much for your kind words Neal, they truly mean a lot.
It sounds like we’re walking a similar stretch of the path right now.
Strategy shifts are hard... but they also mean the soil is fertile again.
If you feel like sharing, I'd love to hear what changes you're considering ...
sometimes speaking it out loud helps the seeds take root.
Wishing you clarity, courage, and all the good seeds as you reshape your road ahead.
Grateful our paths crossed at this turning point.
Fleeky
Very good article, these types of mistakes are what most people make in marketing until they learn the lesson that you have learned. Give your audience what it wants not what you think it wants. So many people focus on products instead of people
Knowing your audience is what make successful marketing
Thank you so much for your thoughtful words Barry
Yes !
It's a dance we all seem to learn the hard way: thinking we are building golden towers, only to find the people were gathering at the wells instead.
Products shimmer and fade... but people remember how you made them feel.
I'm still learning to listen deeper. Every market is a living story, after all.
Grateful for your insight and your visit at the crossroads.
Curious ... what was the moment, or lesson, that made this truth real for you?
Fleeky
🙂
Just learned it over time the most successful companies in the world are the one that know what there audience wants and deliver it to them
A quote I read is this
Don't bother will business school just build something people actually want
Well written and entertaining. Although I've not chased sponsorship, I've gone through a lot of soul-searching about success and lack thereof here at WA.
What really hit home for me about what you wrote was/is your reference to it being about "them".
I was about to write a blogpost here on WA when I stumbled onto yours and read it. I still plan to write my post after this comment.
But first:
I've experienced much, if not all the disappointment you describe so articulately in your post. You're absolutely right.
My interpretation is that what the whole online business is about is giving readers what they want, not what we think they want and/or what we think is a brilliant idea.
Conceptually, I understand that and have for a long time. Why is it so hard for me to get out of my own way and simply do what I know I need to do?
I don't have a simple answer to my own question. On the other hand, it is making me an expert about how to earn a PhD from the school of hard knocks.
At the end of the day, it's all about changing me. I can't change or convince anyone if I'm not completely onboard myself.
Thanks for the reminder.
What a deep and thoughtful comment you gave me, Bob.
Thank you so much for sharing such a raw and real reflection.
It’s clear you’ve done some serious inner work ... and honestly, that's the true foundation most people overlook.
You touched on something profound:
success online (and offline) really is about 'them'... the people we serve.
But at the same time, 'them' changes because of us when we show up fully authentic, aligned, and willing to adapt.
You’re right... conceptually, we know it’s about delivering value to others.
But emotionally, creatively, and ego-wise, it's hard
because we’re wired to want to be heard, seen, validated.
Balancing personal passion with audience needs is a skill... and a practice.
I think the real art is not to erase ourselves for 'them',
but to translate our truth in a way they can see themselves inside it.
When we shift from "here’s what I want to say"
to "here’s what you might need to hear, in a way that resonates,"
everything starts to change.
And you nailed it:
it starts by changing ourselves first.
When we become a living example of service, alignment, and humility,
it’s magnetic. No convincing needed.
Thanks again for your comment...
your journey through the 'school of hard knocks' isn’t wasted.
It’s giving you the credibility and wisdom that can’t be faked.
Looking forward to reading your post.
I have a feeling it’s going to come from a very powerful place.
The road hums...
curious what song you’ll bring forth next.
Good luck, Master Shovel Dancer
Fleeky
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I think all lessons are for your benefit, even if they tell you what NOT to do next time. It's just feedback. You start at point A, heading towards point B. If you get to a dead end, you don't give up, you just retrace your steps and go another way! You'll get there Fleeky and I'll buy you a coffee anytime!
Thanks for sharing your insights with us all. Gail
Lol 😏
Learning the HARd way
😅
Maybe... but still learning! :)
You're absolutely right, Gail !
Every 'empty hole' is a clue, not a failure. Sometimes the 'golden shovel' digs up what we shouldn't chase next time. Your image of retracing steps ties beautifully into the journey from point A to B: it's all part of finding those hidden nuggets! Thanks for adding such an encouraging and thoughtful angle to the discussion.
Sometimes the most surprising 'misses' show us where the real gold isn't ... and that's just as valuable! 🔎 Thanks for adding your insight to the journey! 🚀
Fleeky
Ps
Watch the follow up 😏... soon
Yep - you need the 'misses' to work out where the battleships aren't, so you can see where they are!
So true... The next is running... Confessions of a Stress Chicken 😝