COMPANY INFO 

When was ByBlacks formed?

Founded in 2013, ByBlacks writers have been covering topics ranging from new Black Canadian entrepreneurs, Black Canadian business profiles, Black Canadian history, and profiles on Black Canadian artists. 

Is ByBlacks.com funded by the government of Canada? 

The Canadian Government provides grants to media houses across the country, and ByBlacks.com receives funding from The Canadian Periodical Fund and Ontario Creates. We have used this funding to improve our SEO, branding, and new user/team functionalities. Our business remains dependent on revenue from our promotional services to be sustainable.

Are sales taxes charged on international transactions? 

ByBlacks.com Inc. does not charge sales taxes on transactions with foreign companies not registered in Canada.

How do I reset my password? 

Select the to go to the USER LOGIN page, and click on the "Forgot your password?" link.

What is ByBlacks.com Data Deletion Policy? 

Our Customer Success Team will provide the performance metrics on Sponsored Articles at the expiry of the one-year campaign period, within five business days following the end of the campaign.

Below are our guidelines on the different types of data that we delete:

• Banner ad campaigns - ad campaign info is retained on our system for a maximum period of 1 year after the end of the campaign. Clients are able to log in to the advertising admin console and view their ad performance for impressions, clicks and click-through rates. 
• Newsletters - we delete newsletter campaigns after 3 months. Clients requiring stats on the open rates can request that info from our sales team one business day following the last e-blast.
• Directory Listings - We only delete business listings where the business has closed, website/social media accounts are no longer valid, or we determine that the business is not Black Canadian-owned. 

If you have any questions about our Data Deletion Policy, please click here to log a ticket.

Does ByBlacks.com offer link-building services? 

We do not add links to our articles published for a fee on ByBlacks.com.

We provide a Sponsored Article service only; the details are available on our Media Kit.

What is Black History 365?

Black History 365 is a social media campaign first launched in 2016, highlighting Black Canadian historical figures, places, and stories, every day of the year rather than just in February (Black History Month).  

 

DIGITAL BANNERS ADS 

How do I advertise my business on Byblacks.com? 

Click here to review our media kit to get information on our reader demographics/stats, website performance, social media numbers, and promotional services. Options include:

• Digital Banner ads 
• Featured directory listings
• Job posting packages
• Newsletters
• Social media marketing
• Sponsored articles 

If you still have questions click here to submit a ticket to our Customer Success Team with your questions or to receive a quotation.

What does CPM mean? 

CPM stands for ‘cost per thousand’ where M denotes ‘Mille.’ ByBlacks.com charges advertisers a rate card price (for example, $10 CPM) according to the number of ads (impressions) shown to site visitors. 

Each time your banner loads on a page, it realizes an impression. In other words, if you were to visit the ByBlacks.com home page and your banner appeared in one of the ad placements, that would be one impression. If you visited the home page 10,000 times and the banner appeared every time, that would add up to 10,000 impressions.

How many times is my digital banner displayed on ByBlacks.com? 

The frequency in which your banner is displayed depends on several things, including the length of your campaign, how many CPM units you have purchased and whether you’re targeting a specific section(s) of the site. Bearing in mind most advertisers’ banners appear in rotation with other advertisers.  

Likewise, your ad on ByBlacks.com will likely not appear every time you visit the site. But we will always deliver the impressions you pay for.

How can advertisers see their banner ad performance on ByBlacks.com? 

Our Customer Success Team will provide the performance metrics on Sponsored Articles at the expiry of the one-year campaign period within five business days following the end of the campaign. 

Does ByBlacks.com offer geo-targeting? 

Clients can have their banner ads displayed based on geographic locations such as country, province, region, and city.

Please indicate your preference when ordering your campaign.

Can ByBlacks.com ads be displayed based on keywords? 

Keyword Targeting is available for clients looking to target specific search criteria.

Our platform allows advertisers to display ads based on their keywords.

Does your current ad platform accept Integral Ad Science (IAS) tags?

We use Google Ad Manager to serve ads on our website, and the system accepts IAS tags. 

How to add a digital banner ad on ByBlacks.com? 

We offer several banner types; Billboard, Half page, Leaderboard, and Medium rectangle. Contact our Customer Success Team with an order and we will generate an invoice for payment.  Click here to view the How section on our media kit. 

 

DIRECTORY LISTINGS 

To get your artist/book/business/film listing added to the ByBlacks.com Directory, please send the following info to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. :

• Name
• Category
• Mailing Address - City and Province is mandatory
• Email address
• Contact name - will not be visible in the front end
• Phone Number
• Website
• Social media links for at least one of the following; Facebook, Instagram or X (Twitter)
• Image - 1080x1080px image of Artists headshot/ Book Cover/ Brand Logo/ or Film Poster. 

Once the listing has been added we will send the link to the email address provided.

EDITORIAL  

How do I report an error in an article? 

To report an error in a ByBlacks article, please submit a ticket detailing which article the error is in and what the error is.  

How can I get my press release on ByBlacks.com? 

ByBlacks.com does not post press releases.

We publish original content only written by paid freelance writers. However, press releases are very useful when pitching a story to our editorial team. Our writers often use information from press releases in their articles.

How can I become a writer on ByBlacks.com?

We're always looking for new voices, we'd love to hear what new story ideas you have! We accept story pitches from Canadian writers who self-identify as Black. Please click here to submit your story idea. Include a suggested headline, the synopsis of the article idea, and who you intend to interview for the article (if applicable).

What is our sponsored article service? 

From business profiles to product reviews, our team can craft original and inspiring content that conveys your message and distribute that message to our educated, informed, and engaged readers.

Your article is written by one of our experienced writers and posted on the Sponsored Profiles page for one year.

One social media post promoting your article across six of our key social media platforms and a dedicated newsletter promoting the article to our subscribers. 

Total Value: $10,000 | Marketing Investment payable per article: $5,000, plus HST.

ByBlacks.com Event Review Rating 

Our review ratings are as follows:

BBBBB  Outstanding         

BBBB    Extremely Good   

BBB      Good 

BB        Challenged 

B           Don't bother seeing

 

How do I pitch a story to be covered on ByBlacks.com? 

We're always looking for new Black Canadian businesses, entrepreneurs, artists, personalities, and stories to feature on the site.

We'd love to hear from you, but first,  read these guidelines on how to pitch a story. 

Submit a ticket including all the details about your story.

Due to the high volume of pitches we receive, only the stories being covered will receive a response.

What is the process for getting a sponsored article? 

If you're interested in our Sponsored Article service, our process is as follows:

• Click here to submit your purchase order (I/O) and we will issue the invoice for the Sponsored Post
• Once payment is received from your finance department, we schedule a meeting with the writer to interview your spokesperson/s
• Once the first draft is complete, your team reviews and provides our writer with any changes required
• Your team provides the image that will be used in the article:
  • The image should be copyright-free, depicting the content of the article
  • The image must be larger than 2000px wide by 600px high so that we can crop it for placement on the article
  • Our team resizes your image and adds the required image description and keywords to optimize it
• Once the final draft is complete, we do the following within two business days of receiving the final approval:
  • Post the article online for one year
  • Promote the article on all of our active social media accounts
  • Send out a newsletter promoting the article

 

JOB POSTINGS 

What does the job posting service entail? 

The package includes:

• Clients' jobs posted on a dedicated web page for one week
• An exclusive e-blast of the job info sent to our newsletter subscribers
• Marketing investment $350 plus HST. 

How to add a job posting on ByBlacks.com? 

Click here to contact our customer success team.  

 

Volume Discounts

Does ByBlacks offer discounts?

Discounts are offered to clients purchasing static banner campaigns as follows:

• 10% off - 4 weeks
• 20% off - 5 to 25 weeks
• 40% off - 26 to 51 weeks
• 50% off - 52 weeks or more

Client payments must be received in advance to be eligible for the discount.

Does ByBlacks offer discounts for non-profits?

A 25% off discount is offered to Black-owned non-profits and applies to all advertising services offered by ByBlacks. 

 

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARDS 

What is the ByBlacks.com People’s Choice Awards overview? 

The ByBlacks People's Choice Awards is an annual online award celebration recognizing Black Canadian artists, books, businesses, professionals, and personalities in over eighty categories.

Winners are determined entirely by the public's votes.

Who is eligible to participate in the ByBlacks.com People’s Choice Awards? 

To be eligible for nomination for the ByBlacks.com People's Choice Awards, an artist,  business, professional, or personality must:

• Self-identify as Black Canadian
• Be majority Black Canadian owned
• Have a listing on the ByBlacks.com Directory to qualify for nomination.

When does the ByBlacks.com People's Choice Awards happen? 

ByBlacks.com People's Choice Awards Timelines from 2022 are:

• Nominations can be submitted in October.
• Voting is facilitated during the month of December.
• Winners are announced on February 1 of the following year
• Complimentary photoshoot (pandemic permitting) with the award during February 

 

RESTAURANT WEEK 

What is ByBlacks Restaurant Week? 

A chance to experience Canada's Black-owned dining establishments. The ByBlacks Restaurant Week series is an opportunity for people to show support to Canada's Black-owned restaurants, caterers, and food trucks. 

How can I participate in ByBlacks Restaurant Week? 

To participate in ByBlacks Restaurant Week, you must: 

• Have a valid restaurant, catering, or food truck business directory listing. 
• Complete the online registration form. 
• Select the restaurant package desired, and submit payment.