What Do You Think About Sponsored Reviews? Yay or Nay?
Then the same journalist wrote another post accusing mom bloggers of pay for play after recently writing sponsored posts about a new Theraflu app. From what I could tell, moms were simply getting the word out about the app and some also added an editorial slant to theirs. I’m not going to link to the post because it’s fairly easy to find and I’m now convinced that this particular writer has something against bloggers who publish sponsored content. That said, I do believe there is room for discussion about sponsored reviews in the mom blogging community.
In yesterday’s post, Why the Accusatory Attitude Toward Mom Bloggers?, the issue of sponsored reviews came up notably by Candance Lindemann of Naturally Educational and Liz Gumbinner of Mom 101. Their point is that sponsored reviews breed mistrust with readers. I agree with them. In fact, last year I created an infographic in How to Get Paid as a Mom Blogger When Working With PR to help mom bloggers discern what is paid and unpaid work. Some agreed with me and others didn’t, but this is how I approach all of my blogs and the work I do when connecting moms with brands at the Mom Bloggers Club.
Here’s the infographic again for those who missed it.
Here’s the thing, though: As long as any material connection is disclosed when writing any type of sponsored content then bloggers are absolved from any wrongdoing. In other words sponsored content from reviews, to giveaways, to simply spreading the word about a promotion all comes down to a blogger’s personal preference.
What’s yours?
Also, do you the think the prevalence of sponsored reviews in the mom blogging community weakens and cheapens our collective influence or is it simply a part of the evolving landscape of brand and blogger partnerships?
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Great post, Jennifer!
As a consumer, I shy away from products that feel as if the reviewer has been paid in some way – whether in money goods or services of some sort. If you want readers to trust a reviewer’s opinion, it needs to be clear that the reviewer is completely independent of the product and the company.
I write books, and book reviewers do get a copy of the book to review. However, they have to spend quite some time reading the book and then writing the review. Many give the books to charity, local libraries or schools. A paid review would automatically be suspect.
My opinion is that a fair and honest review can not involve payment or goods in kind.
Margot Finke – Books for Kids
http://www.margotfinke.com
I do product reviews free of charge and disclose that in the posts. I never post more than one a week and it always goes in line with my blog and my philosophy. I focus mostly on editorial content and feel that my readers appreciate that balance. I do not particularly like blogs that do nothing but reviews/giveaways, but I enter them sometimes :) I do understand why they do it, it’s nice to get free stuff! :)
I decided to no longer to sponsored/paid reviews. The reason for this is becuase I felt that for me, it wasn’t the right direction to go. I have been concentrating on other things and not on my blog lately, so it doesn’t look the best it can right now.
However, after spending an entire summer doing a LOT of sponsored/paid posts, I ended up feeling sullied. Even if I liked the product, I didn’t feel right doing it.
I feel like, if I’m impressed with someone’s product to such an extent that I want to write about it, I will, but I’m not going to make a habit out of it.
Personally, I tend to shy away from momblogs that do nothing but reviews.
Okay so if I’m to understand. If I accept a post to do a review for a product which I get to keep and I get a 20 dollar g/c along with that after I post. I’m a bad blogger?
Why?
Why is my credibility judged? Maybe I am okay with a 20 dollar g/c. Maybe I love the product. Maybe I think it’s a good fit for my blog. Maybe I want others to know about this product. Maybe I want my readers to win a copy or sample of the product.
Why am I linked in with other bloggers who claim they are more credible for not accepting paid posts? That somehow their writing is better than mine. Their blog is better than mine.
I love what I do and you can do sponsored posts and be credible. I think it all comes down to how you set up your review policies, giveaway policies and disclosure policy for your site.
For example: Many bloggers talk about how bad paid sponsored posts are because the blogger is only doing it for the rewards or a g/c. But what if the post you are doing is for a small local business that doesn’t have the funds to give you $500 to write a straight article about them with some links?
Research the companies you want to work with. Ask yourself what your readers can benefit from learning the information you can provide. Be honest in your writing. Disclose if you get paid. And even if you are getting paid (like I do at times) my disclosure policy clearly states all my opinions are mine and honest and they are. I give the company the choice of not posting if they feel my post is negative against them – payment or not. Being honest is a must.
That being said though. I love what I do. I don’t care if I get $100 or $2 for it. If it’s a good fit for my site, my readers and I can feel passionate in my writing and want to share it. I’m going to.
If that makes me less credible with this world of blogging.
Oh well… then I’ll be the only one reading my blog and I’m okay with that.
Product placement in television and movies is rarely questioned (unless it is so obvious that it is glaring). These are not always disclosed.
The same with magazines, which mix sponsored content with editorial (i.e., fashion magazines rarely disclose that the reason they are highlighting a new beauty product is that the manufacturer is a major advertiser, etc.).
Why should our blogs be any different? I think the key is both disclosure and finding the right balance. A blog that is more sponsored content than original opinion isn’t very interesting. But if the sponsored content is just a small fraction of what is being published, I don’t think it’s a big deal.
Great post, again, Jennifer.
My test for all requests I get to review a product/service:
1. Is this a product I would use anyway or already use?
2. Will my readers benefit from me reviewing it?
3. Does this product work with what my blog is about?
4. Is the product worth enough/do I like it enough to sit and write a review for it for free and take time away from my paid work and my family — I don’t charge for reviews because I don’t want my readers to question my review in any way.
If I can say yes to every one of those points, then I’ll do the review, which is very infrequent. I see that as an added benefit for brands who work with me that I don’t just write about everything I get approached with.
If I get approached by a brand to be part of their campaign, I ask myself the same questions. If I in good conscience can say that this product/brands fits for my blog, I would do a paid review/sponsored post. I am a professional writer and my time is valuable and I work hard on reviews and will give the company a professional review that takes me about an hour to write, and I expect to be compensated for it. I don’t work for free anymore — I paid my dues and do a professional job.
I’m turned off by campaigns that tell me to insert this three times and link to that. You are welcome to advertise on my blog if my post looks just like an ad in the end anyway.
Two articles I have written about this:
http://dagmarbleasdale.com/2010/11/new-york-times-about-monetizing-motherhood-and-blogging/
http://dagmarbleasdale.com/2011/02/mommy-bloggers-review-similac-app-that-sabotages-breastfeeding/
I personally don’t read blogs that are full reviews, I’m not interested in them. They seem to just be blogs full of ads. I’m interested in people’s stories/lives. When people talk about mommybloggers, I think they lump in those review blogs that often don’t even have much personal content on them in with my kind of blog, which is all about my personal life. I wish they wouldn’t.
I see that as a big problem, that there is such a difference in quality overall of “mommyblogs” and that we all get bunched together.
I wish people would differentiate between review blogs where some (only some!) bloggers, let’s be real, will review just about anything for a gift card and blogs that are about a moms/dads life written by a blogger who want to distinguish herself with the quality of her writing and get opportunities because of that skill.
My blog is my professional resume, and I treat it as such. If it doesn’t look good or add to my blog, it doesn’t go on it. The problem is that we all have different goals and ambitions for our blogs. What do you think, Jennifer, will there be a clear differentiation of review blogs and personal blogs in the future? I’d like that.
Dagmar
Dagmar’s momsense
We are no different then a Nascar driver slapping stickers on his car whether he wins or not. The Nascar driver when he wins is thanking his sponsors drinking Coke or Gatorade. Product placement. The Nascar driver gains recognition for his efforts and starts doing commercials. He gets paid. Does this make him a less legitimate Nascar driver? I don’t thinks so. In fact it means that he or she is very successful and their fans NEVER begrudge them of their success.
If you want to be a journalist stick by a journalist’s ethics. If you want to be just a personal blogger…..then do it. However if some of us decide to be like a Nascar driver…then we have that right as well. This is why comparing journalist’s to sponsored bloggers is like comparing apples to oranges.
I’m a food/review/mommy blogger. I never serve reviews without content. I’m completely transparent about what I do or how I get a product. I just make sure that I am careful of who I work with. i need to make sure my “core” respects the products as much as I do.
For example. I was sent a Kitchen Machine from Bosch. They knew I already had bought a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer with my own money..I made sure they knew that. In fact they knew I loved my Kitchen Aid. I did the research…I tested the product….and I wound up loving it more than another product I had bought. There was so much buzz that Kitchen Aid wound up contacting me asking what they could do to improve their product. It was pretty funny actually. Bosch let me keep the product. I disclosed this. Now I am the most linked to when it comes to Bosch Vs. Kitchen Aid. So many people email me how they loved my review and it opened their eyes to Bosch and how much they hated their Kitchen Aid. Others wrote they still loved Kitchen Aid. It created dialog where there otherwise wouldn’t have been. I consider myself compensated by having a great product. That’s the way I feel if its $10 or $1000. If I love something I love it…and it translates in my writing. I also (even if I am given free product) do negative reviews. I am currently a brand ambassador to Foodily. So far no one has begrudge my success of being paid.
So in summation. Who cares what other people’s opinions are? If they don’t like what I do…they don’t have to read it.
Wonderful said… that’s my view, too… and that’s how I work my blog as well, I will review/ giveaway what I feel fit my blog, and if I accept a paid post, I’m also picking things that go along with my bpost, I’m a mom blogger and blog about kids and families, craft ideas and so on, but I would never accept a paid post about a casino in Vegas, I think it ll works and if you don’t wanna read the paid post, then don’t…
Every industry has professional standards. In journalism, one of the standards is that professional journalists are never paid for content. Never.
Hence bloggers of any sort who run sponsored content simply do not have the same credibility.
But the journalists are paid a salary for their content, bloggers don’t…
So to go with your logic, I would be considered a journalist with more credibility because I don’t do paid reviews on my blog and someone who gets paid for a review has less credibility?
I don’t think it’s that black and white. I’m not a fan of someone reviewing just about anything for a $20 gift card, but I think the credibility comes from how professional a blogger and his or her content is, paid or not paid. I’d argue that one can write a very credible, professional paid review.
Paid reviews are ads. A review should be a service to the reader, not the company. While it’s certainly a matter of personal preference to write a “paid review,” I still hold that it isn’t an ethically sound practice. Sponsored posts are one thing, and being paid to be a reviewer is another. As for whether it cheapens us, I have absolutely no doubt that it does. I generally have little faith in the reviews of other bloggers unless I personally know and respect them. Too many of us are afraid of losing status for being honest and accepting pay only exacerbates the situation.
I wrote an entire post on this…”Despite the vilification of mom bloggers building a business in a few business magazines, the Sponsored Post is alive and well in the blogosphere. Rather than rage against the unfair treatment we received by bnet.com, we’re going to set the record straight about how to execute a fair and honest sponsored post and discuss the value of these posts on your blog. Some may view sponsored posts as selling out. We don’t. We think well-executed posts have a place in our community.”
What is a sponsored post?
First, let’s start with what it IS NOT. It is not (or ethically shouldn’t be) a paid review. A sponsored post is when a blogger imparts a brand’s message directly to the reader. A sponsored post can’t fairly compare and contrast products. The best sponsored posts are written in a blogger’s normal language and are relevant to the blog’s community. Here’s an example. Last year Olay hired Momtrends to write a four-part series mentioning a new beauty product. We talked to the brand and came up with a concept: What is Beauty? We interviewed four of our favorite mom bloggers and asked them about beauty and how the concept of beauty changes after becoming a mom.
I’m deeply proud of that series and think Olay got a great deal in the process. At the end of each post we featured the product and a few lines of information about the product.
Here are a few more examples of sponsored posts we’ve written:
Old Navy Sale
OXO Tot Feeding Your Baby
Lansinoh Breastfeeding
In many cases these sponsored posts contained content that is as compelling—if not more compelling—than our regular features. But enough about our standards.
Should you write sponsored posts?
Yes. And no. If your site is commercial and a brand approaches you that is a good match, than by all means seek out an opportunity to increase your revenue with sponsored content. Never, and I repeat never sell yourself short. Our policy is that we will not write sponsored posts for free product (I equate that to stealing land from the Native Americans for shiny beads—outrageous). You deserve cold, hard cash for this advertorial. So here are the top three reasons you should not write sponsored posts:
1. It doesn’t fit your theme. I couldn’t pull off a sponsored post about shopping for guns or Twinkies. Know what fits for you and what doesn’t.
2. The price is too low. A $20 Amazon gift certificate (or worse a “chance to win” a $20 Amazon gift certificate) simply isn’t worth your time and effort.
3. You don’t like criticism. Blogging for a living requires thick skin.
Read the whole post here:
http://www.momtrends.com/2011/02/sponsored-posts/
I love it! Last year I agreed to review a year supply of vitamins without being paid. I wasn’t fond of the vitamins and openly shared that but included the pros as well. I was stuck with 11 unopened bottles of vitamins that I didn’t want. Not only that but I had to pay taxes on those suckers because that was my “compensation” for the review. I was outraged when I realized how much those things cost and how much I had to PAY out of my pocket to review something I didn’t like. If this was a paid review I could have still made money or at least broken even for my efforts.
Yeah… I stand by my word. I disclose when I’m NOT being paid and I share something awesome I find. I’ve spent years and YEARS endorsing products in radio and television..you hear & see it all the time. THEY ARE PAID. Many… BIG BUCKS compared to $20 reviews. Granted, my situation is a bit different since I’ve been doing this with my career the entire time. But I think as long as you have some kind of disclosure anywhere on your site stating that some of your reviews, giveaways, videos, etc may be sponsored in order to help in your kids college fund-then I’m all for it.
Unless it benefits me & my family or if it’s simple-I don’t promise it unless it’s paid. I’m so swamped with 3 jobs AND being a parent, wife, dog owner, kitchen cleaner….I found that I was stressing out bad to get freebie stuff up that it just wasn’t worth it to me anymore. (That’s me…. I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to get tons of tickets, products, movie passes, etc for years with my usual job. So a box of candy is great….but unless it’s paid or awesome packaging…I just don’t stress about the post anymore.)
I hope that doesn’t come off too narcissistic…but I love it when I see/hear other bloggers ‘making’ something of themselves and their time & family! Good for them!
I think there’s a world of difference between a paid review and sponsored content. I don’t charge for reviews, because I don’t want to give my readers the impression I have been paid to review a product. That’s my choice.
I don’t however, see why a blogger can’t be paid to feature a product at her site. It takes time to draft the article and promote it. That time is worth something. You don’t get TV, magazine or newspaper ads for free, why would you get ad space on a blog for free?
So well said, Cheryl.
Dagmar
Dagmar’s momsense
I think as long as you have unique and original content in the posts you are being paid for, it’s perfectly acceptable to be paid for them. I work for a “insert a link in each post” type company and made over $700 last year posting for them. It’s an easy way to make a few bucks and do something I enjoy.
I also do reviews for CSNStores. They contacted me after reading content on my blog and asked me if I would like to do reviews and/or giveaways for them. I have been working with them since mid-year last year. They give me a certain amount to spend (by way of a code put in at checkout) and I pick a product I would like to use and review or use to have a giveaway on my blog.
They are both great and I enjoy doing them immensely!! I don’t understand why anyone would have a problem with this…some people just HAVEto have something to complain about.
For me, personally, a sponsored post is a full-page ad that a customer has paid for. They supply the content/information and any graphics. I will present all of that in my own words and style. It DOES NOT include my review of a product or personal pictures of me using a product, nor does it necessarily include ANY kind of endorsement, positive or negative, by me. Sponsored posts at Busy-at-Home simply dispense information about a product or company. They do not include a review. It would be disclosed as a paid sponsor post, at the end of the article. Sponsored posts that are for products unrelated to my blog wouldn’t even be considered, nor would ones for companies that I personally know I don’t care for their products.
If I review a product, that’s a whole different kind of post. First of all, it’s related to my site content and/or my family. I already have a reasonable expectation that I will like the product. When I test a product I receive for review, I take pictures of the product and of my family using it. I present all the information I collect as I test the product, good or bad, along with tech/spec/nutrition info supplied by the company. I don’t accept monetary compensation for reviews, as I don’t want any questions about my bias or integrity, with my readers. The post contains a standard disclosure at the end, letting readers know I received a free product in order to test it and write a review, and that no monetary compensation was received.
If it is a company or product that I love, and can personally endorse, I would gladly do both sponsored posts and reviews for them. They would be separate posts, however, and have the appropriate disclosures attached to each.
My one sheet, does offer two options for giveaways, the first one priced at $0. It’s a straight-up review, nothing else.
The second option is the same straight-up review, but I charge $25 to invest time into pr and promotion of the post. I specify exactly what social media it will be promoted on and how many times. The charge is for pr and advertising of the post, NOT the review.
When I entered the mom blogging community, I did what a lot of my peers were doing at the time. I reviewed products, but never got paid to review them. I have done a total of three sponsored posts, where I the topic was personal such as a family experience and no product mention or placement involved in post, and a clear disclosure that the post was sponsored by so and so. I did another by a reputable travel site where I again share personal travel experiences and linked hotels to site where readers could read further reviews on them. This too was disclosed clearly. That one I enjoyed and would probably do something like that again if given the opportunity. But I don’t do many and turn down a lot more.
I eventually lost interest in product reviews and rarely do those as well. If I do, I don’t charge for them. But that’s a personal preference, not a norm all should follow.
As a travel blogger, I have access to travel opportunities, along with other bloggers as well as traditional journalists (I was just on a press junket with NY1), where I paid little to no money. I pay for extras that aren’t considered necessary to do the job – such as a mojito, which honestly, I think does help sometimes to do the job better, but I digress.
The expectation in part already is there that I would write a positive review because I was “given” a nice “vacation” -um, they are not “vacations” they are “work”, and I pay taxes on these trips “given” to me. So, I work very hard to write a real and balance review, just like any traditional journalist would. And though I am often surrounded by many of them during my travels, the perception remains that I am there having vacation with my family or solo while they are working, even if they are lounging by the pool alongside me. I write my reviews as I experienced them. A lot of these trips are expensive for a traveling family, and I do feel I owe my readers as well as the company who sponsored the trip my honest feedback. When it’s good it’s a great job to have, when it’s not it’s not so fun.
As far as making money? I make my money in other ways. My free writing on my blog is my calling card to paid jobs and, as Jennifer’s graph clearly shows, all other opportunities that follow.
Many people, men and women, whom I’ve met that run review sites are professional, smart, career-oriented people. Honest, with more integrity than most journalists I have met, and who strive to provide honest, unbiased information to their community and readers. Some are looking to get rich or have a nice trip.
It’s a tough balance. Many walk around like they owe the company a good word. Especially if it’s a company they love, a product they love, a PR rep they love, or an opportunity they would love to have grow further. What I have seen in blogging, both as a travel blogger and in review sites, whether sponsored or not, is that the reputation of the blogger as a whole really affects the reader’s ability to look past the sponsored post and at what the blogger is saying.
I think this is the biggest challenge for some. If you take the money, can you still write uninfluenced by it and by the future promises of more? Some do this very well, but for others it’s easier when their income isn’t dependent on the sponsored reviews.
Bottom line it’s all about overall integrity.
I receive no compensation for promoting any products, services or businesses. I only post product which I myself would be delighted to purchase for my family.
As a mom trying to earn a living from home and be there for my children, I take what I can get as far as sponsored posts go. I just do not understand the uproar about mom bloggers now that we have to disclose everything. Jennifer, I think that is probably a key point right there, traditional journalists are finding it hard to swallow the opportunities we are receiving. Just like many doctors are against midwives because they do not have the years of schooling and degrees,yet most midwives are well trained and often more experienced in “natural” childbirth. Or teachers unions etc. being against homeschooling because parents do not have to have a teaching degree in many states, but yet the research shows no difference between children of parents with degrees and those without and homeschooled consistently test above their grade level. My point is mom bloggers are making money and there is a sector that does not like that fact. After all we are just moms, but are we “just moms” after all since companies have seen the value in what we do?
My two cents worth.
Put me under Ambivalent.
If a company is willing to pay a blogger for a review, then rock on! Good for the blogger. We all have the right to take a job and be paid for our work. I tend to ignore product reviews and product review sites. I find them to be a bit disingenuous.
I do agree with Erica’s journalist perspective, which is why I don’t read these posts / blogs. It’s like watching television for the commercials. My beef is that there are some “Mommy Bloggers” with a highly-inflated sense of self-worth.
I have to agree with Bonnie. Although I will take more notice if it’s a blogger who usually has content other than reviews and occasionally sticks in a review that’s relevant to products they and their family use, or they think their audience might genuinely like. As a general rule I don’t read blogs that are solely reviews and giveaways. I don’t begrudge them, they’re just not my thing. The same way I don’t read certain types of books or watch certain types of movies.
I agree with sponsored posts because 1) it’s nice to know that your hobby (for many bloggers anyway) is making you a little cash to help pay for the rest of life, 2) it’s also nice to know that someone out there realizes your time is valuable, and 3) (and this is for the journalists) many newspapers ARE allowing advertisers space for an article – as a perk – if they buy a certain amount of ads. Writing up a sponsored post is not that different. You are the freelance writer writing a thoughtful piece for the company.
Blogging for pay is not that different than any other entrepreneurial industry where a door has opened for a lot of people to make money- like gardening, woodworking, crafts. There’s quality. There’s crap. There’s always someone trying to regulate to get their piece of the pie. And, then there are the organizers who can bring people together and get a better deal for everyone. And, of course, there are the big industry people who have spent their life getting sued over quality issues and they have a problem with people who don’t follow the rules. The journalist you mention probably IS mad because the newspapers aren’t making money any more.
As a columnist for the local paper, I give my content for free which has made another columnist mad at me but for $25/column, I would rather own my content. I make more in ads by posting the column on my own blog DIYFrugal.com. They can’t pay so I’ve created my own revenue stream from the same writing. Freelance writing books always say to spread your content as far as you can to maximize the research you’ve done. Now, that’s good business.
But, you, as a blogger, have to ask yourself – are you in this for business? What do you need out of life? Recognition? That’s easy these days. Money? It’s as simple as anything else – if you want to be the boss, you get all the jobs – accountant, creative writer, publisher, editor. If you don’t want to be the boss, figure out who’s paying and do what it takes to create quality workmanship someone will pay for.
I do agree that the lines are become blurring and a new world is being created but when does regulation (i.e. FCC Internet Regulation) that starts with the presumably well-intentioned grandiose plan of controlling quality make that nasty leap to controlling our voices, our lives? But, those are bigger issues for another day.
Let the evolution continue!
Personally, I could never feel comfortable receiving compensation for a review but like the comment above, that could because of my background (in PR). For me, being paid for a review is “pay for play” which can make it harder to give an honest review because if you do include any negative aspects of a product you’ve been paid to review- the company is probably less likely to come back to you and pay again- which I would imagine could sway some reviews.
I am sure there are bloggers who will disagree and say that they still give an honest review and list pros AND cons even with compensation, and maybe they do- but I just could never feel comfortable with it- even if it payment is disclosed.
Yes, traditional journalists receive payment for their work- but they are being paid salary by the publication that is funded primarily by Ads not reviews. I sometimes think there is confusion about that in the blogosphere.
That being said, I do believe bloggers should/could be compensated for things like conducting and managing a giveaway, ambassadorships, contributing content to a company’s blog, Ads, consultations etc.
In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with offering the company you are doing a review/giveaway for, an ad spot on your site that you charge them for. You do need to disclose this, however, to your readers.I am not a sell out. My readers trust me. I truly give my opinion based on my experience as a mom. Mom’s want to learn from each other.That is our nature. And rather or not the company bought an ad spot does not determine how I feel about their product.
In regard to a sponsored post. On my site a sponsored post is defined as a post where a company contacts me, there is not a product review but they have links and keyword placement they want. There is a fee for that. And it does not have to be blatantly promoting their ‘product’. For example, one company wanted me to run a link on my site for hot air balloon rides. They were not even located in my state. Does that matter? No. They just want link placement. Riding in a hot air balloon is on my bucket list. So, I included the link in the appropriate text on my bucket list. My readers could have cared less. Nothing was said about Hey, hot air balloon ride with this awesome company… just text placement with a link.
Jennifer, I loved your Why the Accusatory Attitude Toward Mom Bloggers? article. I read it last week. Personally, I think the guy has issues with mom bloggers period. His article left me feeling like he does not see us as real journalists.
We really have so much to offer. And we are real writers.
Right on! Love your hot air balloon example. That, in my book, is what a sponsored post should be. Jennifer, I am totally with you on this!
I just want to point out that Crystal disclosed on this post… I agree this is a good way to balance content with profit.
I recently had a company ask me to do the sane but wanted no disclosure. I explained that paid links (even without an endorsement of the company) require disclosure as per federal guidelines (and my own code of ethics).
Also, bloggers should understand Google may ding them for selling links without a “nofollow” tag. This may or may not matter to people…but just something to know…
I’d like to refer to item #7 Sponsored Content in from ‘Blog to Business’ written by Esther Crawford and Jennifer James. (Great e-book Jennifer!) These seven items are listed under the heading Monetizing Your Blog. All seven items are a big Yay for me. Do my readers want to “read” about my kid playing basketball or how to win truly great products that I’ve personally had the chance to review and in some cases research? (Hopefully both, but I’m not kidding myself.)Giveaway marketing is big business and I may not be Consumer Reports, but if I want to do this and do it honestly (I include pros and cons) then why shouldn’t I get paid for sponsored reviews?
When I first started blogging in 2008, I wrote for my own pleasure, a blog is like a diary to me, only difference is blogging is like a “public” diary instead of a personal one… as time goes by, I learn a lot, new friends and they taught me how to make some money and at the same time, doing what I love to do, WRITE….
Well, about the Yay or Nay, I sure will say Yay… blogging is for our own pleasure and leisure… and getting some pocket money at the same time, how nice it can be! No stress, no mess…
Great piece and good question. I write, as a paid reviewer on coolmompicks.com, but have never done a sponsored review or giveaway on my own site. I’ve been a little dismayed to see compensation (even in the form of a gift card) trump content as the years go on. I have stopped reading many blogs when they’ve gone down that road and I always check someone’s Twitter profile to see if it’s full of “Check out this amazing giveaway…” before I follow them (or not). I agree bloggers should get paid to do reviews, I just don’t think that it should become their reason for blogging.
“I agree bloggers should get paid to do reviews, I just don’t think that it should become their reason for blogging.” – Agree! :)
You say you do not do paid reviews on your own site–is that a matter of policy or just how it has happened?
Correct me if I am misunderstanding…
With CMP, you are being paid by CMP, the publisher, not the company whose product you are reviewing. And CMP pays you out of revenue from advertisements, etc. I don’t think anyone would say writers shouldn’t be paid by publishers. The trickier question is when the publishers are the same people as the editors and writers…
It’s a YAY for the sponsored reviews even though I seldom get the opportunity to post any sponsored contents in my blog. And when time that I do, I may disclose that it is a paid post.
No one ever dispute about am I really honest with my posts or not. For me the fundamental is simple. Bloggers especially moms are just being part of the social networks. And if they write any paid posts, that is their right to do so. I would choose the fact which you were saying that “is it simply a part of the evolving landscape of brand and blogger partnerships”
First, thanks for the shout-out.
I’m not personally on a crusade to rid the blogosphere of paid reviews. On Mamanista, we do not do paid reviews and have turned down several very lucrative ones to maintain this policy. However, we do so not because we think that paid reviews are necessarily tainted but rather because that is the general perception. We reserve the right to revisit this policy but that’s where we are right now.
I also will not run advertorials (which I define as content written by the company but minimally revised by me in my publication’s voice) and generally do not like them but I think these are ethical as long as there is clear disclosure. The New Yorker magazine has advertorials.
I do believe strongly that bloggers should be paid (in some manner) for just about everything else they do for companies. The lines blur very easily, however. When I serve as a brand ambassador but review the products, even if it isn’t explicitly part of the contract, I need to disclose that and consider if I am crossing that “paid review” line. I blog professionally on LeapFrog’s Community blog…but I also sometimes review their products. I will write sponsored content on my sites–on a relevant topic chosen by the sponsor–as long as the rest of the piece beyond its theme is 100% my own.
By wearing all hats we bring an immediacy and an intimacy to our writing that has made blogging so influential–but with that we lose the protection of having separate people handle the business and the editorial elements of writing.
Another element here is what companies will pay for–and what they want in return. Some bloggers are big enough or have qualifications that make them desirable in endorsing or writing on corporate sites. A lot of campaigns are going for mentions, links, etc.
As professional bloggers we need to show companies that we have more value to our readers and to the companies if we retain our voice and integrity.
And that’s the thing that puzzles me–I notice when I go to a blog and essentially see the press release someone also sent to me. I notice when the “content” is just ad after ad for any and every company. I know the companies are getting the mentions and the links–but is this really an effective marketing tool? Is anyone paying attention or getting a favorable impression from these sites?
I agree that every blogger needs to draw his or her own lines. My only hope is that the bloggers in our community do have a line somewhere and can articulate where their boundaries are.
You say, “Here’s the thing, though: As long as any material connection is disclosed when writing any type of sponsored content then bloggers are absolved from any wrongdoing.”
While disclosure satisfies transparency requirements and meets federal guidelines (which I suspect is what you mean), it doesn’t necessarily absolve us from our responsibilities to ourselves and other readers.
I think we have a responsibility when writing paid content to independently verify any claims outside our own experience (and to describe how we did so). I think we have a responsibility (ethically and, possibly legally) to refuse to make claims that we know to be or discover to be dubious or false.
If we want to build quality communities, hone our own voices, and build our own value, we have to be very careful and strategic about these partnerships.
And we need to put ourselves in the positions where we dictate the terms of what we do with our voices and our space.
I may be wandering off-topic here but I am becoming very concerned about the top, down evolution of the blogosphere. I see hierarchical lists of moms, created by big companies or publications. I see bloggers admired for how much they make or which companies “work with” and/or pay them.
I remember when Erika used to publish her weekly list of must-reads. I’m sure curating it was a pain but it was a labor of love. It didn’t matter how large your audience was or who you knew in the publishing business–it was just a list of posts that struck the fancy of one smart, funny blogger. Wasn’t that a lovely way to discover new bloggers?
Journalists do receive compensation for their pieces – it’s called a salary (or for freelancers, a freelancers fee or payment).
Now that the economy is bad and newspapers are tanking, the line between “journalistic integrity” and “accept a free ticket to the conference because we can’t afford to pay you to go to CES” is becoming thinner and thinner, too. Magazines have closets filled with freebies. Writers go to press junkets all the time and fill up on the free booze and food and take goodie bags home with them. TV and radio people get loads of freebies, too, and no one points fingers at them. Yet mom bloggers are attacked as being just in it for a free box of spaghetti.
I would love to see a journalist like the guy from BNET disclose that he got paid to write his post and that his editor encourages him to write sensationalistic and link baiting pieces against his two favorite subjects – big pharma and mom bloggers – for the increase in web traffic.
Because isn’t that the reality of the situation? The more traffic means more MONEY for the media outlet and ultimately a paycheck for the writer.
I don’t personally charge for reviews, and I have done a lot of them. I have however been paid to do a couple of reviews that have come through sites like Collective Bias and Clever Girls, etc. In either case, all of my reviews include both pros and cons. And that is the way that it should be. Mom Bloggers Club does sponsored campaigns with bloggers and we are required to put in the disclosure that is it paid.
As for sponsored posts, it’s an advertisement or a commercial and should be labeled as paid in the disclosure. As someone said in yesterday’s comments, TV stations get paid for commercials, newspapers and magazines get paid for ads. Why should a blog be any different? Everyone seems to have something against us “Mommy Bloggers” getting paid. It’s ridiculous. BTW, I am not a Mommy Blogger. Am I am mom? Yes. Do I have a blog? Yes. Do I blog about being a Mommy? No, hardly ever.
Personally? I think all the newspaper folks bothering to write about this same thing over and over are haters. Blogging has allowed normal people to become writers. Brands see this as a way to reach out and get their product out there, a lot of times cheaper than in traditional media. And the traditional media just seems to be upset that they are not making the money.
I certainly am not going to stop what I am doing because some guy from BNet.com or NYT or anywhere else has a problem with it. This is what is nice about the net. If someone does not like it, you can move on to the next one.
“…and the traditional media just seems to be upset that they are not making the money.” I agree and think that may be one of the main issues.
I, personally, don’t believe in paid posts, but that could be because of my background as a journalist. In defense of the journalist with the issue (have no idea who that is), if a journalist would accept compensation for their articles they would lose all credibility and it would be deemed highly unethical. The mom blogging world is different in that way. I don’t think that there is anything wrong with paid posts because it is clearly understood in blogging culture and is usually clearly stated in the post.
All writers, bloggers, social media mavens come from different backgrounds. Some of us are just too old school to ever cross over to the ‘paid post’ aisle – doesn’t mean we can’t embrace being both journalists and ‘bloggers’. I, personally, cherish my experience as both.
Thanks for a great post, Jennifer!
Yes…completely agree! Traditional journalists could never receive compensation for posts and oftentimes when they see it happening in the blogosphere it’s a hard pill to swallow.
Thanks so much for your comment!