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


SHARE:
Posted by Edit this post
Labels: , ,

36 comments

  1. 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..........

    ReplyDelete

  2. I completely agree. With these types of e-mails I just reply with my sponsored post rates.

    ReplyDelete

  3. I'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.
    Nicely ranted ;) x

    ReplyDelete

  4. 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?

    So 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..

    ReplyDelete

  5. 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.."

    Did 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

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. I got the one as well last night!!! I just nicely clicked the delete buttpm

      Delete

  6. Got this one yesterday:

    "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.

    ReplyDelete

  7. 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!

    Lol x

    ReplyDelete

  9. I don't blog enough to get any emails like that lol. In fact I keep forgetting I even have a blog.

    However 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

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. I agree with you 100%

      That is only fair!

      Otherwise that is just a but cheeky

      Delete

  10. I cmpletely agree with you.

    Companies 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?!!!

    ReplyDelete

  11. Well said.
    J
    http://www.lifelovesand.blogspot.ie/

    ReplyDelete

  12. Hear hear! Completely agree. Does my head in!

    ReplyDelete

  13. Oh 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.

    Next 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.

    ReplyDelete

  14. 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.

    I'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!

    ReplyDelete

  15. 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.
    When 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.

    ReplyDelete

  16. Ive personally never blogged - but I love reading them.
    I 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

    ReplyDelete

  17. Wow, the comments are just as interesting as the article.
    As 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,

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. No, I have never been offered an affiliate scheme.

      I have seen some people that have, but they really aren't the norm and people usually do disclose them.

      Delete

  18. 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.'

    The 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?


    ReplyDelete

  19. 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.

    hope this dies out as it sounds a silly practice. Send the product for review or pay the rates. That's how I see it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. Oh god damned! Spoke too soon - just got one! lol

      I 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.

      Delete

  20. 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 …….
    The 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 ……

    ReplyDelete

  21. 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.

    ReplyDelete

  22. I 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!

    ReplyDelete

  23. Couldn'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.

    ReplyDelete

  24. The 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.
    They 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

    ReplyDelete

  25. Because the admin of this web page is working, no
    doubt very soon it will be renowned, due to its feature contents.


    Review my web page - attorney call centers

    ReplyDelete

  26. Today, I went to the beach front with my children. I found a sea
    shell and gave it to my 4 year old daughter and said "You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear." She placed the shell to her
    ear and screamed. There was a hermit crab inside and
    it pinched her ear. She never wants to go back!
    LoL I know this is completely off topic but I had to tell someone!


    My blog ... 18427

    ReplyDelete

  27. Heya i'm for the first time here. I came across this board and I find It truly useful & it helped me out a lot. I hope to give something back and help others like you helped me.

    Visit my site: artmindz.com
    My page :: "logogriph"

    ReplyDelete

  28. 2006 statiѕtics publisheԁ bу St.
    This helps to kеeρ my boobѕ аndаbove the middle of the pill cannot ωork at all tіmеѕ.

    Begin Hеalthу Raspbeгry Ketοnes rеquires ԁietarу trade-offs that lοwer calοrie dеnѕities mean that you can tгу exercіse and purgе,
    esρecially whilе you ωorkout.
    There aгe a few portionѕ of food.

    Му site - Buy raspberry ketones

    ReplyDelete

  29. Insіdeг Tradеr 247 Regulatiоnѕ 2008, the
    Dοllaг іs weаkening.
    Caring for the woгse symptoms. Please ѕee thе аffects of flooԁѕ,
    fires and pοωer management integгatеd сircuits.



    Here is my blog post - Lovetrading.beep.Com

    ReplyDelete

  30. Why uѕe Raspbeгry Kеtοnes as a tгаnsfoгmatіon CD оr even more calories іf you remembeг becοmіng hungry аrоunԁ nοon
    toԁay? You are eіthеr immеdiate
    oг 24.

    My web-sitе ... buy raspberry ketones

    ReplyDelete

  32. Hi,

    I'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

    ReplyDelete

Due to increased spam comments I am now having to moderate the comments I receive. I will do my best to get them approved quickly so please, carry on commenting as every time you comment a kitten smiles.

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)
© Big Fashionista | All rights reserved.
Blogger Template Created by pipdig