I want to talk about money. Yes, cash. You may have heard of it. It is used for paying bills, buying groceries and paying the mortgage. It’s good stuff. What I do not see is money being offered frequently enough when bloggers are asked to promote a product or service.
I just spoke on a panel about this recently, Mom Bloggers: How to Get Paid Cash, Not Swag at Blog World Expo. During that panel, I had a real moment of clarity. We keep talking about money and bloggers in black and white terms. In reality, the issue is that the companies and firms doing outreach to bloggers in many cases are AVOIDING money. It is a last resort, when it should be the default. First and foremost, cash should be on the table. Alternatives to that should be just that, alternatives and not the status quo.
Of course, there are occasions when it makes sense for a blogger to promote a company as part of a trade (maybe they need the services, and offer an advertisement paid for in-kind). Maybe it is at some point worthwhile to do it for a link (perhaps you are a new blogger and it would be a big benefit to get exposure and an SEO boost through a link on an established company’s site, although a link from a company’s new microsite probably has little value). Perhaps you really need a product (say your stove just died, you’re broke, you need to feed the family, and a company just offered you a shiny new stove in exchange for a badge on your blog).
There are also situations where it makes no sense for money to change hands. For example, getting paid by the company representing the product to do a review of said product is not ethical. Money should not change hands there.
In most other cases, money is what should be offered as a standard practice: for promotions, for badges (a euphemism for advertising) or any other banner advertisements, for being a brand spokesperson or evangelist, for consulting and offering advice, and so on. Promoting a company should be a paid position.
I know I am not the first to write about this (shoot, this isn’t the first I have written about it), and I sure won’t be the last. I hear this message repeated again and again during conference sessions. And yet, the message doesn’t seem to be getting through.
Paying money for a blogger’s promotion should be standard. Sure, a newer blogger with less of a following should get paid less than a savvy, influential and experienced blogger. But there should be pay involved.
Some will argue that it is earned media. I would beg to differ. A review is earned media. Beyond that, there is very little reason for many bloggers to simply write about a company for the sake of writing about a company. Sure, there are exceptions. This really isn’t terribly different than traditional media. You don’t see article after article in newspapers about companies and products. You see news. Oh, and ads, of course.
It also isn’t for lack of money. The money is there, but it isn’t filtering to the bloggers in many cases. What I see trickling down a lot is a possible chance at a prize, or payment in small-denomination gift cards, or a link in exchange for a blogger doing quite a bit or promotion and work.
Bloggers: when these opportunities come along, don’t be afraid to politely share your rates and explain why you charge for your time and hard work. We should keep pushing that message.
Of course, there are times when money doesn’t need to be on the table. What troubles me is that money is so rarely on the table. It is the huge elephant in the room that everyone pretends isn’t there.
The last I checked, we are not on a barter system. Sure, in everyday life, you might be able to convince a business to do something for free, for trade or for exposure. Odds are pretty good that will be a rarity. What is typical is to pay money for services, products, advertising, promotion and consulting. In cash.
Photo copyright Kriss Szkurlatowski
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Kelby Carr
Kelby Carr is the founder and publisher of Type-A Parent. She also is the organizer of the Type-A Parent Conference. She is the author of the soon-to-be-published Pinterest For Dummies, Portable Edition. You can follow her on Twitter at @typeamom and circle her on Google+.
34 Responses to On Paying Bloggers – It's Not Black and White, It's Green
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Yes, yes and again, yes.
Thanks, Kelby for keeping the conversation going. As you said, we keep talking about receiving payment, however, though some are slowly going that route, it still remains the norm to be approached without compensation involved. It's good to keep bringing up this subject so that it stays fresh in the minds of bloggers.
Love this girl! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and tips!
This “blog for a chance to win a $25 gift card” stuff is getting out of control. Would anyone get dressed, show up at work, punch the time clock and work 8 hours then go home and cross their fingers that they will be chosen as one of 1,000 to get paid for that day's work? No way. It just bugs me.
I've never understood those either. I'd rather do it for free or to get paid, but to write something for a chance at a small prize? Not appealing to me.
Love, love, love this post. Well said and I totally agree with you.
I think the key is to be able to articulate WHY they should pay you, and that it is appropriate. I have said things like, “My fee for creating an original recipe with your product is___.” Also, to specify that you are “creating content” for the brand and what makes it worthwhile to them. Give them numbers of followers, traffic, reach, anecdotes, and specific terms for what you will do for them.
I think this approach makes it more likely that a company would consider shelling out some of that elusive green stuff! Great post, Kelby!
That is so key. It's also an example of where a blogger's “tribe” comes in handy. I know what to charge for the types of work I am often asked to do- providing content, freelance writing or consulting services. But video work? I'm clueless. Twitter parties? Never hosted one myself. But my trusted friends will shed some light on it and give me the inside scoop.
Couldn't agree more. It's a slow process getting so many companies to understand it, though, when they can often move to the next blogger on their list to do it for free.
Slogging on…
I love every single, solitary word you've written here. A-freaking-men!
Ahhh yes, cash. I agree with almost all of your comments except one, unless I misunderstood. The one about Company A paying Blogger to promote a product from Company A. More on this in a sec.
I have almost defaulted to telling companys, websites, marketing firms, the cost is x if you want me to review your xyz. I do this because I don't have time to spend on all the requests I get and this weeds out the ones that are probably scamming. I have added a lot of income to help cover the hosting/blogging costs and time investment.
I have a very strict agreement in writing that if Company A wants me to review product A for them, then the money they pay if from my post and time, not a glowing review. Period. Not gray area whatsoever. It's the only way to keep the integrity intact.
great post!
The only way to keep integrity intact is to not take money for a review. A paid review is an ad, no matter how you want to spin things. I believe that paid reviews make us all look a bit shady and companies that will pay for a review are more of a scam than those that won't.
I recently wrote on this exact topic after returning from BlogWorld. The public conversation was civil but I was very take aback by those who emailed me directly with a very negative take on my post. Evidently there is some hierarchy and because 'established' bloggers had to blog for barter then every new blogger must therefore do the same. It appears that only at some time in the unknown future can a blogger ask to be paid in cash.
I fully understand that a brand is not willing to pay cash and not get something in return. If the numbers are not there, the brand will not pay. But that's typical of the traditional media form — which is why it costs almost $3MM to advertise on the Super Bowl and only a few thousand to advertise on 'Insert low rated TV Show here'. Nonetheless, there is pay. The low rated TV show does not receive compensation in the form of barter, why should a blogger?
If 'big blogger' gets X dollars then where is it written that 'little blogger' can't get paid Y dollars? Unfortunately, I feel that many established bloggers feel that only they are entitled (yes, I use that word!) to payment and that if you are not 'a big blogger' then you must pay your dues and only blog for stuff. I disagree with this proposition though.
Thank for for this post and your thoughtful insight. I appreciate that you did not differentiate between arbitrarily set metrics/size such as 'big/new/established'. There are a lot more elements than one or two numbers to determine one's worth to a brand.
Amen. When I left Type-A Mom Conference, I created this price list: http://www.mommycosm.com/reviews/
I don't charge for basic reviews or giveaways, but there IS a cost associated with extra social media services. I give companies the option up front of upgrading. If they choose not to, I do not provide links to their social media networks (ie. twitter or facebook)… just to my own;)
I have found that companies respect me more now… and I don't feel at all guilty saying, UM, no thanks for your chance to win $25 in exchange for my time.
Part of the problem, of course, is the shear volume of bloggers out there that will blog for peanuts (or a gift card with which one may purchase said peanuts). It's a bad bet on the part of the promotional firms representing these companies to think that the aforementioned volume will make up for the lack of quality, but there it is. Get 100,000 “mommy bloggers” to promote your clients' products for free or for swag on the surface seems like a good deal. How do they track the success of these programs. Many don't seem to have any sort of “code” associated with them to allow some measurement of success/return. Anyway, as a humble daddy blogger, I'm pleased to learn from pro's like you. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts, and for your attempt at changing things. My wife is a much less humble Blogger than I and owner/co-owner of a couple sites. I'd like to see her lot (and thus my family's) improve. So again, thanks.
Best wishes,
Michael (aka: http://adaddyblog.com)
I would like to add a few words from not really other side of the fence but from a company, which provides marketing services to companies, which are the subject in this post.
It's truth that many of them have a tight marketing budget but it should never be an excuse for trying to get a free ride on promotion on Mommy Bloggers sites.
Monetization is part and parcel of a blog you make for living with, it's always a good idea to have a clear statement about what services you can provide to companies, which of these are paid and which are free.
As a fairly new blogger (6 months this month! Yay!), I think it's important for this message to constantly be reiterated. I actually love doing reviews of (some) products that I think will help make life better for my readers, but that's a personal choice, and I am also not inundated with offers all of the time! I don't blog for opportunities to win gift certificates, but I do enter fellow blogger giveaways. Anyway, I say all of that to say I do have my personal limits of what I will or will not blog for, and posts like this are what encouraged me to ask for (and receive!) payment for an offer to guest post for a large company's site. Thanks for encouraging us newbies!
Great post (again), Kelby!
I've seen some moms going back to brands in a flippant tone with their not-so-attractive pitches. As much as I'd like to do that too, I'd just suggest they reconsider their words in the emails. Sure,” XYZ product” can't feed my kids for the work that is being requested, but you never know when an opportunity to partner will come available to them that WILL be worth it and fall in line with your goals. Maybe the brand will remember your response, or maybe not. Either way, keep it professional folks, I don't want to be stereotyped as the “entitled blogger” based on how others are responding.
Beautiful post Kelby. I feel like you have read my mind. I am no longer working with bloggers on behalf of brands (I retired from Agency life) but when I was, I truly felt what you are saying here. If it wasn't a product review effort, then the blogger should be paid. During my time I worked with bloggers tied to conferences (paid 'em), brought in bloggers to consult with clients (paid 'em for time & travel), etc. It's just the right thing to do.
Thanks for always being such a sane voice in this noisy world we call our blogging home.
xoxoxo
Shannan
Yes! Thank you for talking about this. It's a never ending conversation I think we'll see until things change, and unfortunately I don't see change happening as quickly as I would like.
One of the questions I get, and I'm sure you do as well, is how much to start with. I created an anonymous survey that will hopefully shed some light on how much moms are earning based on their experience. I'm compiling the data soon, and hope it will be a good resource for beginning bloggers, or those wanting to know if they are charging enough.
It's in my menu bar if you are interested in checking it out.
I look forward to reading this!
There are a number of factors as to why this problem exists.
There is a low barrier to entry and a misunderstanding about the time/effort that is required to be successful. It has resulted in a sort of “gold rush” in which people have staked a claim without any understanding about how to do this professionally and appropriately.
Laziness on the part of some businesses and brands have also contributed to the problem. Instead of doing some work to determine what blogs would be most appropriate for their product/service they use the sling mood at the wall to see what sticks approach.
And since many bloggers don't have any understanding of what metrics are used to measure the success of the campaigns they have more limited resources/ability to demonstrate the value of their blog versus others.
I now respond (politely) with my ad rates when asked to post a non-review or (and this one really gets me) a widget.
But I am pleased that the number of paid opportunities is increasing.
[...] The important takeaway, no matter how you feel about Crouch’s post is this: What is your role as a blogger? How will you make a living off of this (if you want to)? Where are you headed? “To What End?“ The reality check here is the thing that sent many over the edge, but it is the harsh reality: There are simply not that many people who have successfully made the leap from beer blogger into a primary industry player. There are also very, very few that make money from blogging. (See Asheville’s Kelby Carr of Type A Mom Conference, who posted just yesterday about bloggers getting paid for endorsements.) [...]
I am about ready to say I will start charging for reviews because working for a product that is worth way less than I make an hour as a freelance writer and publicist isn't worth the time and effort it takes to write, or shoot video and then promote.
Thank you for moving forward the conversation about blogger compensation.
As always, well said.
[...] Thе important takeaway, no matter how уου feel іn thіѕ area Crouch’s post is thіѕ: what is уουr role аѕ a blogger? how will уου mаkе a living οff οf thіѕ (іf уου want tο)? Whеrе are уου headed? “Tο what End?“ Thе reality check here is thе thing that sent many over thе edge, bυt it is thе harsh reality: Thеrе are simply not that many people who hаνе successfully mаdе thе leap from beer blogger іntο a primary industry player. Thеrе are also very, very few that mаkе money from blogging. (See Asheville’s Kelby Carr οf Type a Mom Conference, who posted јυѕt yesterday іn thіѕ area bloggers getting paid fοr endorsements.) [...]
been saying this for a while now. thanks for saying so once again.
I think this post is just a smidgen of what can be said on this topic and the dialogue you have here is very insightful. As a business owner I have a guideline for sponsoring bloggers to conferences and for placing our advertisement on their sites, Tweets, Facebook mentions etc. First and foremost that they like our services. If they aren't already using our services AND enjoying them, we won't ask for their time. But for those who do, their time is valuable and we understand that. I wouldn't want to pay a blogger to talk about our service if they aren't really using it themselves. Not only would it be dishonest to their readers on their part, but on ours as well. Then as a blogger, I totally appreciate this post and the comments, because I have been approached to review products that require quite a bit of time for no pay at all and the product to keep is not even at retail value of what my time would be.
One thing that concerns me about these kind of conversations is the possibility of a price scale that could make it harder for bloggers to keep up with. I think the relationships we have as bloggers and as companies with bloggers needs to be fair and balanced and still flexible. If we create a difficult standard to keep up with, it could hurt some of the newer bloggers opportunities to have newbie level work.
Ethics are great, relationships are key, and I think we can be respectful to all the variances in between newbie bloggers and advanced bloggers and how they all communicate with companies for products, services and advertising.
Maybe if a company's PR people actually ran a blog they would understand the time it takes, especially as a mom, who runs a family and household while running a blog. Then again, try being your company's PR person, creator, CEO, and a mom blogger all at once.
Thank you for the article.
I personally don't have a clue how to get them to pay me. I am frustrated by the lack of paid opps, though, and have begun writing and reviewing less. I'm a single mom and I work full time. There's not much time left over after that to blog. If I was paid I would be more apt to write and review, and all kinds of stuff. I might not be a big blogger, but hell, I've got over 4000 followers on Twitter in 2 years. I have over 2000 friends on Facebook. I think I have some type of reach, but apparently not.
Find your post very interesting. So great informations. Thanks a lot!
[...] you Kelby for creating Type-A Mom conference and for inspiring me to host my own social media conference in [...]
I'm a blogger and have started doing more PR, so I have been on both sides. My blog is more business focused but I've never been paid for a post. If I like it, I'll blog about it. If they offer a swap (informally or through swamp.grosocial.com) and there's a good fit, I'm more likely to make the time.
There is so much variation. Some bloggers don't take money on principle, others insist on being paid.
From a PR side it's really difficult. You're being paid for your time and the client wants posts. Even though I'm savvy (I target my pitches) the work it takes to identify the blogger for the niche and then figure out pay and stay within budget is challenging.
I work with smaller businesses who don't have large budgets. I typically pay $50 for a post for bigger names who are a good fit. So far no complaints.
Like @ComboApp says, it really helps if you put your policy on your blog. I wish there was a directory of mom and dad bloggers/social media parents. It would say what they typically blog about, traffic or reach (include Twitter, Facebook), if they charge and how much along with contact info and how they want to be contacted. Each method I use only gives me a part of the info. We really have to hunt. I'm thankful when it's spelled out.
Blog On,
Janet
Well Janet,
Kelby recently launched http://typeaparent.com, which is a digital hub for bloggers, social media parents (I love this term and how quickly it emerges:-) )
[...] for money for my services. Is it okay to ask for payment for every single thing you do?….. Or does it depend on the situation? I just can’t get that through my head or heart that’s it’s okay for me to ask people [...]