Note: Bloggers Talk. I was chatting to Veronica about some of our frustrations in relation to bloggers undervaluing themselves this week and so she has also written about this topic here. And this note is to let you know we are in kahoots, not copying one another!
The mistake people make about authenticity in blogging is that free equals authentic. Whatever I write is going to be authentic, but my time is going to be compensated.
I have spent a lot of time creating this space. Seriously. ALOT. And I have enjoyed it. That’s why I do it. Because I like it. That’s why I keep doing it. Because I like it, not because I occasionally get free stuff, or go to events or get paid. The vast majority of opportunities I have received are because of my blog, but they occur off my blog. And I’m cool with that. Because to quote someone else, I am a BLOGGER not a blogger. I take it seriously. The space I created. I don’t undermine it by whoring it out to the only bidder.
And seriously why would I promote a brand message in my house, for free? What could possibly possess me to do that? I would have to be freaking delusional. People will tell you that you might do something free to get your foot in the door or to develop a relationship. That’s bullshit. It’s opening a door to doing more stuff for free or it’s developing a relationship with someone’s foot up your ass. It is bullshit.
I’ll grant you that very occasionally there is something so awesome that I would talk about it for free. I think everyone has one or two products like that. Something that came very close to revolutionising their life. Something you want to sing from the rooftops. For me that is Hug-a-Bub. But 99.9% of products are in the love or like category not the ‘I’m so freaking grateful’ category.
So when I was having about 10 bottles of wine* with Shae, Mrs Woog, Nikki, TroppoMum and Imperfect Mum at DPCON I was talking to Woogsworld about just not. Doing stuff for free. And then just watching as the whole environment got flipped on its head.
*10 is a conservative estimate
What would happen if we all just stopped. All just stopped doing anything for free for 3 or 6 months. All of a sudden everything would change. I wouldn’t be getting my least favourite kind of emails:
1. Here’s my press release. Regurgitate it for free.
2. Please link to us for free.
3. Here’s a brand message we think your readers will LOVE
I don’t care how small, how new, how niche or how broad your blog is. There is nothing to be gained by considering yourself as free labour. You are worth more than that. Start taking yourself seriously. Honour the beautiful space you have created.
I don’t know what’s worse – the free labour or the ludicrously cheap labour that’s going around. So I’m going to tell you what I charge in the hope that people will snap out of this epedemic of undervaluing. I receive a relatively small amount of traffic. I usually have about 6,000 page views on my site and about the same on my feed. But really, advertisers are only interested in my site so that’s what rates are based on.
For sidebar advertising of 125 x 125 I charge a rate of $5 per 1,000 page views. So that usually works out at $30 per month. If the size goes up, the price goes up significantly. I’ve also heard someone say that you should multiply your monthly pageviews by 0.003 – for me that would work out at $18. But I’m happy to charge more. Sue me.
Sponsored posts and giveaways are different. Because you are investing a whole lot more time. You should be working out what your minimum per hour you are willing to accept and work from there. My minimum per hour is $50. So sponsored posts are $200 and giveaways have a minimum of about $150 in prizes. And of course that’s my baseline if my site started getting a whole lot more traffic then I would charge a whole lot more.
It’s not just about page views. I embrace that I have a small, engaged blog. I also embrace that my social media presence is more than my blog. Me and twitter? We’re seriously tight.
What I’ve learnt in negotiating with brands? When quoting my prices they never even hesitate, which says to me that I can value myself and my time and still be a good investment for them. Also? Brands have quoted me a price and I’ve asked for double and got it. So don’t be afraid to stick to your guns. And when you are committing yourself to a brand for conference sponsorship you don’t want to commit your blog for much more than a month or so.
And that’s it. My numbers and prices are out there for all to see. I feel naked now.
If you are undervaluing yourself and your blog, then you are helping to undervalue blogging as a whole. And here’s my challenge: stop doing things for free. Just stop. Not one more thing. Set some prices that don’t effectively make you someone’s bitch. And then just wait. And see how one radical act of valuing yourself could change the blogging landscape. I dare you.
Yep, Yes, nodding.
As usual Zoey, you have encapsulated the issues perfectly. And thanks for being so open about what you charge … this is what good bloggers do, share and help each other. I have a friend who is just getting into monetising her blog and I’ll be sending her over to read yours. And Kim’s too of course.And I’m sure you girls couldn’t possibly have drunk 10 bottles of wine. It would have been FAR more than that … )
so many wines….
So, so many . . .
And so many bowls of chips!
Excellent post, Zoey. As you know I am guilty of taking the loaf of bread deal, which by the way cost me a whole lot of time other than just the amount it took to blog. Won’t be doing that anymore. Thanks to you lovelies for helping me to think about it in a different light.
A different perspective from me. I rarely rarely accept advertising because there are so few ethical companies out there that I can support and not be a hypocrite.For example I am anti Nestle for example, but Nestle also have major shares in L’Oreal which then brings in the trickle down affect for me. And to be totally honest I cant be bothered trying to untangle who has what fingers in which pies. So I just don’t do advertising as it is easier.I am also very very tired of the PR pitches that I get each day. Some are good and address me as Kim but others are just demands to regurgitate their press releases and I find those the most exasperating.
A bloggers union would be nice.
A press release emailed to you Kim is usually not a demand for it to be published on your site … this is exactly how they operate with mainstream media … they send out information that will either appeal, or not appeal. There should never be an expectation that you are to use it at all. Exactly the same in newspapers, magazines, TV and radio.
Glad to see that you have been reading my emails Nikki.
Not yours personally of course! My inbox gets about 100 plus press releases a day – half would be deleted straight away – 40% would be a maybe I’ll use the info so get filed away – 10% I’ll actually use but never as a regurgitation.
Good on you for being open about your stats. I think bloggers have tremendous power to educate brands and to influence how this sector gets treated. Keep fighting the good fight!
Thanks for sharing Zoey. It’s great info for those starting out xx
Yes. I agree wholeheartedly.
Yes. Totes.
Woot! well said.
Thank you thank you thank you. Will be sharing!
This is fantastic advise. I’m new and have just started in the blog world and lying in bed late tlast night contemplating this very fact. Thanks I love it!
Cheers, Zoey. And thanks for pointing out about newbies like me. I was done with my media kit and thought I was being unrealistic asking for money when starting out. So I removed the dollars. I better go back and add them back!
Cahoots. I love that you are in cahoots with my daughter. It makes me feel special to know that I am the mother and friend of a pair of cahooters.
But here’s the difference: I have a small audience as well and I’d much rather someone approach me for nothing, then automatically assuming I’ll post something because money will come to me. I don’t want revenue for lack of sincerity. This is purely my opinion and I’m a single girl with no family to support, but I don’t want ‘cash for comment’. I’m not in blogging for that.
I don’t think anyone is suggesting that! The money isn’t for commentary it’s for time and skill. I would certainly never write about something unless I loved it no matter how much money was offered. That’s also how I honour and respect the space I’ve made.
I think it’s obvious when it’s cash for comment. Readers are going to turn off straight away. Like Zoey said, it’s about payment for time and skill. Anyone who writes a positive spin about a product they don’t believe in is whoring their space out in a cash for comment way. Which is devaluing their own integrity.
Great article and really important to stress that just because it is paid for, doesn’t mean it isn’t authentic. I was pondering that magazines and other media outlets work with PR companies to promote products with no money changing hands and should blogging be any different? But even though journalists don’t get paid directly by the brands they do get compensated for their time by the magazine.
There is no middle man with blogs! Either you get paid by brands (through advertising or sponsorship) or not at all. I reject far more offers than I accept in terms of sponsorship. And alot of the time it’s less a matter of money for me and more a matter of value for my readers in terms of a giveaway. But I also think the key difference between a blog and a magazine in terms of PR is that a magazines needs products for content because their topics are geared towards that. Whereas as a personal blog I don’t need it. So it would be extremely rare that I would want to write about a product for the sake of it.
Exactly! To not expect to pay a blogger for review you have specifically asked them to write is like an editor not expecting to pay a journalist for a commissioned piece. Really interested to see how this post will influence the relationship between bloggers and brands going forward and really respect your honesty in putting your figures out there.
A magazine would never do a story on just one product either – they would create a theme and include a number of products in that theme. Magazines are also very commercially considerate, promoting products from the big advertisers in those magazines … because without the big advertisers there is no magazine.
And I think some blogging niches are better suited to that style of storytelling than others. For example if I had a baby stuff blog it would make sense to include all sorts of different products related to an idea in a post. But on my personal blog it’s not authentic and it wouldn’t make any sense.
A great post Zoey and I agree. It’s something I’ve been thinking more and more about. At present I don’t have advertising or do sponsored posts (though I have been approached). I do, do giveaways, so I don’t profit myself but my readers do. I’m currently thinking of writing a post for free that involves a big brand, catch is they are 100% sponsoring a cause that I feel very strongly about. So, I feel OK about singing their praises on my blog.
Question, do you charge for giveaways? Do you ever accept product as paymet?
For me product for giveaways are better than a sponsored post because they reward my readers! But I do have a minimum dollar value for giveaways so that it makes it worth my while too. So I usually let brands know that if they would like me to do a giveaway then they have to provide me with $150 worth of product. And they have to be responsible for delivery so I don’t have to pay for postage. Does that help?
Thanks for sharing your figures & rates. I’ve often wondered what’s the going rate for reviews & giveaways.
A question then. I was going to post a blog about what cars I have had and what I have now and what I love about it. Its not sponsored or anything just a topic that I was going to write about. Would you recommend bloggers to do posts like that.
I would never suggest not writing about what you want to write about. It’s true some posts that you want to write about just naturally include products. And I’m not saying that all of that should be sponsored and paid for by a brand. I’m just saying if a brand approaches you to write something they should pay you for your time and effort in a way that you are happy with.
Excellent post! I’ll be sharing.When I first started out, can you believe I did a whole blog post and giveaway for dog food? I don’t even have a dog!!!!!
Thank you so much for sharing that Zoe. Its honestly hard when it’s people with bigger blogs telling you ‘don’t do things for free’. Because, no offence intended to anyone, but they would say that
Personally I don’t do free – but I do accept goods in exchange for posts if they are something my family wants and the value compensates my time. (I’m never sure if that is included in the ‘free category’). I’m happy doing that.
My blog has a similar number of page views. I think I probably do undervalue it – and can see that now from reading your post. Because people don’t share their stats (unless they’re doing really well) we have no real idea when we should start to value our position. Your sharing this had really made me think. Thanks
It’s so helpful to know more about stats and I decided to post them on the blogs, in the About section usually…. just to be transparent and to encourage others to do the same. There are loads of small-to-medium bloggers… my seanasmith.com one gets 10-11,000 page views, which is lovely, but it doesn’t have an engaged audience, most people get there from Google and are non-bloggers and so very few comments by comparison. All very interesting!
Yup. x
I have officially taken the challenge Zoey! Just sent of my terms and expected fees after receiving a pitch. Thanks for the inspiration x
Oh Zoey, I think I just fell in love with you! I’ve only dabbled in reviews and have only done a few small ones – basically for nothing or very little. But time and effort goes into my reviews…if you have a look at them, they are very balanced. They are not straight forward “i love this product, I recommend this product” blogs. If I’m hesitant about some aspect or unsure about the value of something I will say it, I will research it, I will provide my readers with the facts so they can make up their own minds.
But here’s the thing, I always thought I was too small (in a page view sense) to command anything. By putting your figures out there, you’ve made me realise that maybe engagement IS more important than pageviews. I don’t have as many page views as you, I don’t have as many comments as you but I know a lot of people read my blog and take on board what I say. Some comment on my FB page, some comment to me in person – for whatever reason, people are sometimes hesitant to add comments to actual blog…but yeah…maybe I SHOULD get around to putting together that media kit!
Thanks xx
Good on you Zoey. So generous.
Thank you for sharing Zoey, most of us smaller bloggers have no idea what to charge.
Thanks so much for sharing this. I’ve been thinking about getting my media kit together lately, but I’m trying to work out where to start! (I really need to get my butt to a bloggers conference!). This has given me something else constructive to think about
Love it Zoey … and happily have another 10 or so bottles on a Saturday night with a bunch of very fun bloggers!
I have to admit that I really hate the “here is our press release… for more information or interviews contact blah blah blah” with no idea of whether the product is even relevant to me or my blog. If they can’t take the time to read my about page then I can’t take the time to read their email. And am certainly not regurgitating it for free in my space.
I think you raise some really good points about bloggers valuing their time. Good on you for standing up nekkid!
You just delete it! This is exactly how PRs work with mainstream media. Just because they email you something doesn’t mean they’re expecting you to run something – regardless of whether it suits your blog. My suggestion – if you keep getting irrelevant emails from a PR company and they’re annoying you, then email the PR and asked to be taken off the database.
This post is perfect timing for me. I am literally [attempting!] writing my media kit and saw this post come up. I accept your dare!
You lost me at wine. Love it x
As I begin to think about finally compiling a media kit, may I ask a couple of stupid questions?
Firstly, what source do people use for determining page views? I’ve looked at a few and all seem to be very different. Is there one that is considered to have more clout?
When you are invited to an event in the hope that you will write about it, is the event invitation payment enough? Or in these cases, do you still ask for a fee for writing a review?
Thanks in advance for any help you can offer!
Generally, Google Analytics is the standard in terms of stats so that’s what I’d go with.In terms of events it is pretty standard to be given product to run as an optional giveaway.
Thank-you so much Zoey. I’m only just venturing into this territory, as normally I’m the one sending my products out for reviews/giveaways on other blogs! The last giveaway I did, I was kicking myself because I edned up paying the postage for three sets of prizes. What a sucker.Thank-you for being so open about all your numbers, and reminding us that it’s not only ourselves that we’re undervaluing, but all the other bloggers out there. I’m saving this post to keep coming back to.Oh and I’m so very envious of you all sitting with your wine. What an amazing group of women.
LOVE this post!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE!! – My analogy:
Hey look I know you have no freaking idea who I am, but I live at 87 Lilac road and I would love it if you came and mowed my lawn. And of course I won’t be paying you but I would like it if you followed this instructions….
SOOOOOOO RUDE!! – So bloody rude!
Thanks so much for this Zoey, it’s really honest and wise too. So many new bloggers like me really benefit from the experiences you guys share so freely. I haven’t done giveaways or reviews of products on either of the blogs but plan too… and I plan to be really honest so we’ll see how that goes!! Have just had my first offer that ever appealled… interesting times ahead.
PS Just another wee thought… I do love it when bloggers/writers in general share their own genuine enthusiasms… as Mrs Woog did notably with the condom dress. Great to get genuine top tips on products and to know that no financial inducements were involved.
I’ve already commented on this post but I’ve just read it again, after being a bit challenged by the concept (new to me) of reviews. I’ve been noticing and reading about people doing them for free, or just for product, but really, unless it’s of significant value I couldn’t understand why it shouldn’t be paid and cost the same as a sponsored post. So thanks again for the post that keeps on giving. You’ve helped me feel like I’m not nuts