That’s all there is to it. I will not email someone for rates. There is nothing on the internet that cannot be found somewhere else. Ok, let me re-phrase that: almost everything on the internet can be found somewhere else. When it comes to blog advertising space, this is especially true. There are thousands of blogs that have advertising rates shown right on their site. If I’m out shopping for ad space, there is nothing that will get me to leave an advertising page faster than seeing no rates. There are waaaaaay too many bloggers who (rightfully so) are open about their advertising rates. I am not going to waste my time with an email and twirl my thumbs waiting for a response. Wanna know what I am going to do when I see “email me for rates”? I’m going to click the little “X” in that tab and find another blog with rates on their advertising page. Why? Because I can. Because it takes less time to find another blog with similar numbers to yours that I can immediately see the rates for than it does to get a response from you.

What’s so private about your numbers anyway? Are they that terrible? Are you going to charge $500/month for sidebar space or what? What do you have to hide? If you think your rates are competitive, you should display them proudly. If your rates are not competitive, you need new rates.

So, moral of the story? If you’re going to have an advertising page, be open about your rates or you’re losing potential business. That’s the plain and simple truth.