Regardless of your business model selling advertising space is a great way to add profits to your business. Before you can sell ad space however a website must meet several basic standards. It must have good search engine rankings, it must have high visitor traffic and it must appeal to a niche industry. Once your website meets those goals you can begin to search for paying advertisers.

One of the best ways to sell advertising space is through a direct appeal. This can be accomplished by researching relevant websites and approaching them either via telephone, by email or snail mail. A relevant website is a site which compliments your own business website. For example if you provide an information website on writing software then a relevant website or business may be someone who sells books on writing skills or coaches would be writers.

Another opportunity to connect with potential advertisers is when someone contacts you about your website. Perhaps they have a question about your products or services or perhaps they're interested in trading or partnering. This situation provides an excellent opportunity to promote advertising on your website.

Regardless of whether you approach a potential advertiser directly or in response to an email you've received you'll need an "Advertise with me" letter.

To be effective this letter will contain:

- Your website/business description

- A description of your target audience

- Statistics and data about your website search engine ranking

- Statistics and data about your website traffic volume

- If possible any case studies or examples of how other advertisers have improved their profits by advertising with you.

Be sure to include either a link to your advertising rates or a rate card. Also be sure to include a link to your website. You'd be surprised how many people forget this!

Like any business letter it's important to be professional, to the point, and to follow up. Give the recipient a date upon which you will follow up and tell them how you will contact them. For example, "I will follow up with you via email in two weeks. Feel free to contact me at___________" if you have any questions or would like to get started today.

Not everyone will say yes and jump at the opportunity to advertise with you however by approaching them you will get a few yes responses and the passive income will start coming in. Keep track of your no thank you responses and approach them again in a year when you can show them how your website traffic has increased or how other businesses have profited by advertising with you.