Do you want mom bloggers to work for free so they are not “lying” or do you want them to get paid for their worth?
Cause I can barely keep up with the drama, drama, drama that encompasses the blogosphere every 3 feet and its easier for you to just tell me what the new “rule” is so I don’t break it.
Or do the opposite of it just to be a b*tch.
*cough*
I can tell you a few things about how I feel however.
1) I do NOT like to be taken advantage of. I build a site, I bring the people, I keep it going by advertising, making friends, and spending my days trying to capture an audience that I will never meet. I am the one in the system, required to use facebook and twitter and forums and chat rooms. I am the one that takes the pictures, builds the site, and begs friends to fix up the graphics. It’s exhausting to be me. And if you are reading this, it’s probably exhausting to be you too!
2) Sometimes I work for free, sometimes I work for fee. Do you really think I sit here all day with my thumb up my ass hoping to make a 50cent CPM so I can buy a cup of coffee? Uh. No.
Blah, blah, I love my blog and I do it for friendship and fun. I really do. But I wouldn’t dedicate as much time as I do to this place unless it was worth it me.
My worth is based on the value of the opportunity that is being presented to me. Is it something I love? Something I want to share with my readers? Something that isn’t some big fat spam on my bloggy walls? And yes, I should be receiving something in return for it because massaging my shoulders for my time only works for my husband.
For the record, just because we are all ‘mom bloggers’ doesn’t make me feel like I owe my visitors some explanation of my online paychecks. Would you trust my opinion less if I was paid? If so, then stop coming here.
(But before you go can you please refresh the screen a few times?)
I consider myself a contractor. I don’t go by a pre-printed media kit. I go by what are you offering me and how much is my space worth to you.
Isn’t capitalism great.
3) Mom Bloggers used to be this organic way to spread word of mouth and gain product loyalty and branding.
STOP LYING TO YOURSELF.
That’s like old la la land.
Do they still spread word of mouth and branding. Sure they do! But is it organic? That’s a tad more rare. Mom blogging has turned into a business.
If it wasn’t, do you really think we would be in the main stream media limelight? If it wasn’t, would anyone even want their products on our pages? Would Team Mom and Mom Select and Mom Central be working with huge companies to get their products distributed amongst us? That’s a big fat no.
Make it a HELL no.
Mom bloggers are creating review networks, hosting classes, running webshows and talk shows and radio shows. Mom bloggers are the public relations voices of today.
We have become so savvy with the consumer and transfer of information that companies are stuck sending us product or buying our time in order to get on our sites.
Moms are brilliant. Case closed.
4) Do I think its OK mom bloggers work for free?
Well. Yes.
Yes, if THEY want to. And I used the word “work” cause its WORK to run a website. And far it be for me to dictate if someone takes a box of Mac n Cheese in exchange for a blog advertisement. They may be in love with Mac n Cheese. Mac n Cheese may give them an orgasm and it was the best day of their life when the Mac N Cheese company offered a box.
Do I think its OK to be paid or receive kick backs for a blog advertorial?
Well. Yes again.
Do companies really really think a blogger should put up a product on their site just…well…because? Try that crap with ABC and see how far you get.
“Uh, I was calling today to see if you can put my can of ju-ju juce right between Greys Anatomy and So You Think You Can dance…huh? Its NOT free? SCAMMERS!!!!!!LIARS!!!”
If a company truly wanted my opinion on something, they could send it to me and ill email them back my opinion. It’s called a “test panel”. The 90′s were full of them. They don’t want that. They don’t want my opinion, they want my site.
My link juice.
My attentive audience.
My creative spin that they don’t have to pay a 6 figure salary and stick me in a cubicle to get.
You know I am right. I am right so often it’s starting to hurt.
What bloggers need to start realizing is we have moved from editorials to advertorials. Let’s stop defending the organic happy go lucky posts and embrace it for what it is. Companies may not be buying our opinion, but they sure as hell are buying our time.
I am OK with that.
It’s the consumer that has to decide if they are willing to put up with it. And if their audience is turning away, will the bloggers still find worth in working with the companies. Be it with a product, a coupon, a free trip, or a good old paper paycheck, no one is sitting on their thumb and spinning for joy over a fruit cup.
Unless, again, it’s giving you an orgasm.
Here is a thought:
How about we all just take a vow to stop the bickering on who is getting paid what and how and where and we all collectively demand Ads to be purchased.
Not reviews. Ads.
Wait, I’ve got it!
Ill dedicate this spot here to advertorials. You send me a press release and $50 and Ill leave it right there all week long.
This sounds like a brilliant plan.
That way there are no ifs, ands, or buts about how everyone “feels” or who has a review or who has been “bought” or who is honest. Ill label the category “My Fun Money” and you can put whatever you want into it for the low, low price of an economical $50.
And I think if I hear the acronym “FTC” one more time I’ll poke out my eyeballs.
~Trisha
I’ve been really wanting to start doing reviews & giveaways on my site… (but have yet to get any offers…) but I think your post has CERTAINLY changed my mind on that! Thank you SOOOOO much for this insight! (And – that being said – time to snoop and find out how much some moms really ARE making off their sites!)
OMG!! My sides hurt!!
Mac n Cheese may give them an orgasm and it was the best day of their life when the Mac N Cheese company offered a box.
That’s the funniest thing I’ve read all day! Seriously!
I’m a ‘baby’ blogger. I’ve only been actively blogging for less than two months. I’ve already been in a ‘used’ situation simply because I really didn’t know how much pure WORK goes into putting together a review, then a giveaway … blah blah blah
I don’t care if people get paid. If that’s how they want to run their blog, it’s all gravy. I will never never ever do another huge review and/or giveaway for free. NEVER. Even if the compensation is just product. I will determine if the product being offered is worth the time it will take me write up the review. I will then dedicate the amount of time the product is worth .. period… and that’s all, folks.
For me, book reviews are slightly different, because I have to take the time to read the book (which is something I do anyway), then post my review. But I just got a book for free – read it – then spent 20-30 minutes putting together the review and reposting it on Good Reads or some other site. For me, it’s worth it. I get a well-stocked library, free reading material, and sometimes I’ll get to give away a good book or two or three to my readers.
I look at all of the work that bigger bloggers do and it’s totally freaky .. I’m like, “OMG; how the heck do they do it? Do they even get to spend time with their fam or even get some good sleep in?” I think you guys are superwomen or something! It’s crazy; time is worth money, especially time that could be spent playing a board game or something with the bebes or snuggling on the couch with the hubster.
Doing product reviews is WORK – and people don’t work for free. My PR policy right now states that I won’t take monetary compensation for a review .. but that’s subject to change. If I start getting like a gazillion page views a day (or maybe even 500) – it might change.
I still won’t take monetary compensation and write a positive review on something I have absolutely no interest in or on something that I think sucks. If you pay me to do a review, and I try it and hate it, I’ll let you know in advance that the review is going to say “I hated it”. You can choose to let it post .. or not … you won’t get your compensation back though.
Bloggers are expected to write their honest opinion. If we don’t, then we lose any credibility we may have with our readers.
So I day, “good for you!” If you can get paid for doing all of this work, wtg, sister! You’re worth it!
I don’t have a blog, but I read many of the mommy blogs. I enjoy most of them. That’s why I come, to read, enjoy, enter the giveaways I’m interested in. Leave comments at times, not always though. I think the mommy bloggers do invest a great deal of time. I mean it even takes time out of ones day to visit blogs, so I can just imagine how much more time the mom blogger/reviewers have invested. Yes, I think if you can work out a way to be paid for your time you should do it. I know you’ll also be investing time in keeping your record books for taxes on the earned income. That takes time. Investing in new equipment such as camera’s, programs, computers or computer repairs, etc.. The money it costs for babysitters to watch your children when you need to go for pr interaction to blogging seminars or for company tours of companies you are working with. There is money and time invested in all of that and why should someone think you can just do it for free.
I really think mom bloggers should not only get an item to review for free, but at least $50 to review it, as well as additional advertising fees if you keep a link or promotion of a company up for more than a week on your site. That’s just my opinion as a non-blogger. Just because you get paid, doesn’t mean you’ll lie about a products worth or if you liked it. I read one mom’s review about a vacuum and at first it was great, but a few months down the road she wrote an addition to her original post because the vacuum had already broken down and she was having problems with the repair also breaking down. She was honest, at first it was great, but then when it was no longer so, she updated us. I’m glad she did that, I’m sure it helped others in their decision making process if they were considering purchasing that brand and make.
Keep up the good work and do it your way no matter what others have to say. You have to be happy, or otherwise you’ll burn out and may decide to drop your blogging, which I’ll miss.
Amen.
I’ve gotten paid for some things. Not a lot, mind you, but the things I did excited me a bit. And when companies ask if I want to review something I always think, “Me? Little old me?” I’m always flattered.
I need to get more serious about making money off mine cause it seems that this is the only way I’m going to be able to bring in any kind of cash.
I love that you post these kinds of things Trisha because I agree that it shouldn’t matter if they get paid or not … unless they are changing their view of the product because they are being paid.
I could careless if anyone’s paid on their blog/site or not. I want to be paid for my time and effort running my site but like you said it can come in many forms. I would prefer cold hard cash but I know the free products have helped us when we’ve really needed it…especially the food products. I love the food products!
If it’s not someone I read, know and trust then whether they get paid for it or they bought the stuff out of their own pocket, it’s not going to matter to me!
If one more person asks me to hold a Twitter Party for them for free or teach them how to hold Twitter parties, including the best way to get paid sponsors, I’m going to need a box of Mac ‘N Cheese. You know. The good kind you just mentioned… (pass me a fork…)
You know I love you, Trisha. And this is reason #492 why.
Great Post! I was just wondering about all this mess the other day!! Well said!
I need a serious time out. I think the only way to get one is to go on vacation and change my name.
Amen Sista
Wow, I am late to finding your Blog and really regret it! I so wish I had seen your Blog first thing. I know this post is somewhat old but I have read many at this point and have to stop and post-
I love your Blog, I found you threw someone I follow mentioning a great experience they had with you. I am looking to start a Blog and it sounded as though you would have helpful information I could learn from.
This is a great post as well as others you have (I am still reading old ones)
This is great on two aspects. For your Blogging readers and non-blogging readers but also to any companies that follow your Blog. I recently resigned from a corporate job after much time and as a Business Manager I would have immediately set our advertising budget to gladly pay you a fair fee after reading this. You are so right as to what the blogging world has to give to companies. Most importantly, and what many Bloggers need to come to grips with is that, Yes, some companies may offer payment for a review or advertising spot but it will be based heavily on your writing ability as well as your traffic flow. There are a lot of Blogs I enjoy. Not all of them are well written, well designed, nor do some have much traffic… yet.
Not everyone is a writer. Some writers are not reviewers. But if a reviewer can not write descriptively, eloquently, grammatically correct, and speak on the actual product rather than cut and paste from the companies own site… They are not likely to pay you even if they do pay someone else.
Again, lovin your blog, trying to keep myself from commenting on some of the older posts, but I am going to continue to read up.
well said. like the fiesty tone. was wondering what to do with all those press releases. good idea1
As somebody who read blogs and doesn’t write one – I DON’T CARE about how you’re paid, not paid, or the drama that goes along with it as long as your blog is funny, well written, or has a good point and your opinion is your own. You don’t care where my money comes from, why should I care about where you get your paycheck from? Just sayin’