Thursday, 18 October 2012
Mutually Beneficial, A Bloggers Rant
"Mutually beneficial"
As a blogger I am SICK and TIRED (See, capitals. That's how sick and tired of it I am) of being used as free advertising.
If you blog, you know what I mean, How many of you have had drop into your inbox lately, an "Exciting Opportunity" only to read on to find out it is essentially an advert for the company involved, with no benefit to you whatsoever?
Oh I tell a lie, because the latest way to try to draw bloggers in, is to offer us the CHANCE to win something. Whoop-de-do.
Oh FABULOUS, so while the company involved is getting lots of links and traffic back to their site, the bloggers involved get?
Oh thats right, NOTHING. (Nada, zip, zilch, not a sausage)
How is that mutually beneficial?
And I am seeing this happening more and more lately, if I don't get at least one of these competition style blog post requests in a day, I think my email has broken.
Now I understand that some people find them fun, some people see them as content.
But it isn't for ME. I personally find them insulting. If you want a sponsored post on my blog, ask me my rates, don't wrap it up in a pretty bow and call it a present. (Although, I do like presents)
Because I get nothing out of it, and the company involved gets everything. Now I am not being a diva here (Stop rolling your eyes) but my blog is my baby, I have worked HARD to get it where it is today, and I'm not going to spoil that so that companies can get a free advert on my blog.
If a company gets something out of it, why shouldn't I get something out of it?
Mutually beneficial, are they such nasty words?
Let me know.
Big Fashionista x x x
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I couldn't agree more. Sadly, whilst there are bloggers still out there who WILL do this, the offers will still keep on coming in..........
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. With these types of e-mails I just reply with my sponsored post rates.
ReplyDeleteI've stopped replying to them, especially the competition emails. Want to compete to maybe sample something from our store? No, No I certainly do not.
ReplyDeleteNicely ranted ;) x
It's highly ridiculous and laughable the way they make it sound as if it is SOOO worth it for us.. Ha ha- REALLY NOW?
ReplyDeleteSo let me get this straight..
I spend a few hours writing a piece for you, heck even reviewing one of MY OWN PURCHASED items, send the review to you, as it happens you sell the same item, EVEN THOUGH I DID NOT BUY IT FROM YOU, and then you pop it up on your glossy "blog" bit on your glossy website- and get lots of people buying said item - and what do I get?
NOWT! Except a few hours less of my time.
Jeeheez I can barely contain my excitement at offers like these..
Completely agree with you hun. I got another one of these emails this morning. It started "Hi There, just wanted to check you got my previous email about a link to our site.."
ReplyDeleteDid you not get the fucking message from me not relying to your first email!!
I'm guessing no one else from the undisclosed distribution list replied either.
Pay up or fuck off lol
I got the one as well last night!!! I just nicely clicked the delete buttpm
DeleteGot this one yesterday:
ReplyDelete"My client *** are interested in posting a guest post on your blog. If this would be possible let me know and we will inform them to write one up for you straight away."
(quoted in full - name changed to ptoect the guilty)
PISS OFF. You want to post on my blog? That's an advert, and I charge for ad space.
Oh, and I charge a bloody damn site more for ad space than the utterly fucking insulting £30 you offered me when I pointed out that you posting in your clients name on my blog is an advert.
Companies wouldn't even dream of offering £30 for an advertisementto a magazine with the same readership as mine, so get real.
I'm just like BeautyGeekUK - it has got to the point where I am fed up of explaining why I am saying no, so I send them my rates and direct them to a page on my blog where it clearly says I do not post free posts with links on behalf of companies/'professional article writers' - unsurprisingly,most of them never reply!
ReplyDeleteLol x
I do that too, Bex!
ReplyDeleteI don't blog enough to get any emails like that lol. In fact I keep forgetting I even have a blog.
ReplyDeleteHowever if I was to ask any blogger to review my jewellery they would have at least 3 pieces sent to them to actually do a proper review. You cannot review something without having the product there. Least that's how I look at it. Obviously the blogger would get to keep said products as a thank you from me for reviewing them.
I'd pay as well, but tbh I'm brassic. I am always brassic *sigh*
I'm seriously confused about the whole "revie this for a chance to win it! How can anyone review something if they don't have it?
xo
I agree with you 100%
DeleteThat is only fair!
Otherwise that is just a but cheeky
I cmpletely agree with you.
ReplyDeleteCompanies now want bloggers to do the job of a marketing and creative agency but for free. They want you to study their collection, then go off into the big ol' wide world to take do a shoot based on their collection, spend more time editing and organising the pictures and words on a post, using specific links and phrases that they give your only for you to get a little mention on their company blog or website . . .ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!!
Well said.
ReplyDeleteJ
http://www.lifelovesand.blogspot.ie/
Hear hear! Completely agree. Does my head in!
ReplyDeleteOh God, I ranted about this on my blog's Facebook page today and am planning a post on it. SO TRUE. I've recently received emails from companies that apparently know NOTHING about my blog. Why do I say this? Well, for starters, their email is addressed to "Dear blogger..." I do have a name, you know. Then, they offer me the "exciting opportunity" (duh) to write about a product that doesn't match my blog policy (I run a cruelty-free lifestyle blog, so I won't post about leather shoes or animal-tested cosmetics), which goes to prove that they haven't even read my "About" page.
ReplyDeleteNext up, they try to entice me with the "chance to offer your readers new and exciting content". And that should be MY part of the benefit. Yeah, right.
This makes me so angry! I'm glad you brought it up because apparently companies have no idea how to approach bloggers in the correct way.
I've been considering writing about this too: I'm getting multiple requests like this every day now ,and it's driving me crazy. As you say, it's just plain advertising for them, which they're trying to avoid paying for. I very much doubt they'd contact 100 magazines and ask them all to run a full-page ad for free, on the basis that ONE of them MIGHT get paid for it, but it now seems to be the current favourite way to take advantage of bloggers.
ReplyDeleteI'm not totally opposed to the idea of entering the odd competition if it was something that really appealed to me, but most of the ones I get seem to be "blogger style competitons" where not only would it be really time-consuming to take the necessary photos etc, I also then get to be judged solely on my appearance, normally on Facebook, where people aren't slow to tell you how fat/ugly/badly dressed you are. No thanks!
I get so many now that I just ignore them all. I work f/t at the moment so am happy to just update my blog with my own content when I can fit it in. It's my hobby and I really enjoy just writing my stories down for now - all the other stuff that comes with it is really not for me... at the moment.
ReplyDeleteWhen the day comes that I do change my mind, and it will I am sure, I will most certainly expect some payment! Otherwise, what is the point? Takes time and effort to put a decent post out there.
Ive personally never blogged - but I love reading them.
ReplyDeleteI would cancel subscription to a blogger who I felt was just advertising to me - sooo NOT what its all about.
Im reading personal piece of work (almost diary entry)and I love the personal feel. That is why I read them.
It really bothers me to think some of the entries could be "faked" in order to win a prize
Wow, the comments are just as interesting as the article.
ReplyDeleteAs a start up, I have contacted one blogger and I would happily send her products to view. I don't think it's morally fare to review a product that you haven't seen on behalf of a company.
But I am basic to this, but this would be my approach I would review and check out blogs way before con tong them as not all blogs fit in with your brand ethos, so that is careless on the brands behalf.
Secondly, I'm not sure of this already happens but don't you guys get a commission for any referrals that you have Recived. Now I have worked in sales and it may be easy to do but say you gave your readers a discount code, do you not get a commison off any sales that the company makes. It would be no different to a return or sale basis in a bricks and motor store. In saying that I might try that one out for myself,
No, I have never been offered an affiliate scheme.
DeleteI have seen some people that have, but they really aren't the norm and people usually do disclose them.
The worst thing i'm getting emails from well-known house hold brands, on your bike mate! I just reply 'i'd rather have a press release thanks.'
ReplyDeleteThe worst thing is one big high-street store is pinging out the same email to every single one of y blogger friends inbox, when will they realise it isnt working?
Hmmm...I don't think I've received any emails like this. I don't think a lot of people view me as a blogger so perhaps that's what it is. I had a couple of similar emails on my skiing website offering guest posts - to which I aimed and fired the delete button - I write my skiing content unless it's damned good advice or from a pro and since it gets 25k uniques over winter - it's advertising rates or nothing.
ReplyDeletehope this dies out as it sounds a silly practice. Send the product for review or pay the rates. That's how I see it.
Oh god damned! Spoke too soon - just got one! lol
DeleteI don't mind doing reciprocal links - but they have to put a link to my site with my choice of anchor text. That way we do both benefit - I'm not creating a post for it but happy to put them in a basic links page.
I have just read this blog post out to “mother” who howled with laughter as she enjoys ripping the said idiots apart on email someday’s or getting them twisted in knots and then saying we never volunteer for anything- maybe judging by the remarks we should form a group “no pay no play” and group email all these idiots – we love the social media expert emails where the signature has Social Media Guru/ Wizard etc which is probably shorthand for knobhead …….
ReplyDeleteThe best bit is none of the people emailing do their job for nothing they get a wage in the bank on the dot every month but volunteer us for free ……
I never know how to reply to these sort of emails. Often the things they want me to advertise have absolutely nothing in common with my blog. It really stresses me out as I'm a nervous person and I can't think of how to say 'no' and explain that it's in no way beneficial to me without sounding rude.
ReplyDeleteI reckon there's some sort of rubbish SEO company out there charging brands thousands and 'casting a blogger net' to see who will pick up - bad PR/marketing practice and rip-off to any of those brands paying a fortune for it....more fool them!
ReplyDeleteCouldn't have been a better time to see someone else writing about this, I recently spammed emails from a company who write to me at least once a week asking me to post their sales or promotions, and yet I don't appear to be on their invite list to events or samples. I don't expect something for nothing, but neither should they.
ReplyDeleteThe word 'collaboration' makes me vomit just as much too. I wasted a week of my time organising a 'mutually beneficial' shoot for a contact of mine who wanted a top notch photo shoot for her company advertising for f-all investment.
ReplyDeleteThey went into it with the word 'collaboration' being bandied around for all people involved, and then proceeded to take the piss out of all of us.
To make it worse, they then marketed it all over some well known blogs (which I am sure they didn't pay for) and removed my company credit completely.
Lesson learned the very hard way. To top it off she acted like a miserable bitch all weekend. Rant over. Phew! I SO needed that!x
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Hi,
ReplyDeleteI'm actually one of those guys that send these type of emails out to bloggers, although I will only send out if it is of good value to the blogger. I have to say that you shouldn't blame us, instead you should blame Google. The main benefit of companies writing out guest posts is for higher search engine rankings.
At one point, it was acceptable for company's to offer bloggers the chance to do product reviews but Google have changed the guidelines, but now companies that use product reviews to get links can get penalised on Google as Google sees it as a paid link.
You can find the guidelines here: https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/66356?hl=en
You can see that we aren't allowed to pay for links or articles containing links. We aren't allowed to send a product out for the blogger to write about. It's pretty much the end for product reviews. This is also why we aren't assigned budgets to buy links or articles from our bosses. While the response rates is way lower than product reviews, people still do accept posts.
SEO is a cat and mouse game, it will change from guest posts to something else in a short time.
Tariq