I have to get this off my chest. Because, well, I’m exceptionally annoyed.
You see, I get pitched…all the time…by PR companies. They “enjoy my blog” and think that my “readers will benefit” from whatever product they are wanting to promote. Or, I get asked to advertise events, via my blog and other social media outlets that I use. They let me know that I should feel free to contact the chairperson for said event or publisher or whomever is higher than the PR person, should I want an interview.
This is great. I would love to promote, advertise, interview…WHATEVER.
But, you see, those PR people are getting paid to contact us to do that heavy lifting for them, because that’s exactly what it ends up being with all the work we do writing, tweeting, facebooking and etc. And, with all their contacts, they probably get a bunch of us bloggers doing all that work. Which reaches gazillions of people. Quite possibly far more than those couple of PR people who are reaching out to us little bloggers could touch.
Yet…they aren’t offering any compensation. Of any kind.
Why not?
Here’s my say…
I’ve been blogging for four years and active in social media for three. I’ve learned as much about all this wonderful internet stuff as any college graduate minus the fancy degrees and loans to pay back. All I have is a LLC after my name, a page rank of 3, a reach of 54,000 and a Klout of 65. It’s not amazing but it’s mine.
I’ve worked really freaking hard to build and nurture my community. Close friendships have been made and more are growing all the time. My garden is blooming and bursting. And those flowers are freaking fabulous.
You want me to reach out to my friends, my readers? You want me to spend time writing posts, writing tweets, updating my facebook, figuring out Quora so that I can help promote your event, your product, your ebook?
You like me? You like my blog? You’d like me to do something for you?
You’d never go to a store and expect to not pay for the product you are purchasing. Would you?
You can’t expect to take my words and my time and not give anything in return.
You want?
You give.
I don’t think that you would EVER promote my blog on your website, your twitter, your facebook for free, now would you?
P.S. I have a lot of PR friends in the area. I love them dearly. This isn’t personal. This is business and yes, blogging is a business.
UPDATE: I COMPLETELY forgot to mention this, and I haven’t been home all day because I was in the hospital with my mother. But…
What I wanted to add to this is, when I say something for nothing, I mean absolutely nothing. I’m not talking about the times I’ve received tickets to events as incentive because I don’t consider that to be nothing. I’ve been able to take my whole family to the circus and Disney on Ice due to some wonderful relationships with PR friends. And to Tweet/Whrrl/Facebook to be able to take my family out for the evening? It’s my pleasure. And THAT I completely appreciate!
This? Is awesome.
Laura (@chambanalaura)´s last blog post ..Chambanamoms Talk Keeping the Family Active in Winter on WCFN
A-to-the-MEN. I am simply FLOORED at how many PR emails I have in my inbox RIGHT NOW that are exactly as you describe. What the heck is in it for ME?
Colleen – Mommy Always Wins´s last blog post ..Mmmmmciiiiderrrrrr
I totally agree. Its all been said and couldn’t be said enough. It is kind of sad because few listen. Loved the post
Elizabeth Norton´s last blog post ..Speaking about Sex- Lies- and Social Crazy
I love this post! I think you said it very well. I’ve come to the conclusion that the promoting and posting, writing and testing I’m doing really IS a lot of work for me, and I should be getting something for the traffic and advertising and feedback. 🙂 (Wow, that was a long sentence!)
Lolli @ Better in Bulk´s last blog post ..25 Ways to Annoy Your Mom
Word. Love it. Every bit.
Sky´s last blog post ..Wordless Wednesday – Feeding the Geese
Yay you! The thing is that I think of it in reverse. They are asking for advertising right? If they contacted an advertising firm would they expect it for free? Why is my time or yours worth less?
Candice @ Fashionably Organized´s last blog post ..The Affordable Make-up Report
Fabulous info for new up and coming bloggers here! Thank you for sharing!
Amen!!!
Shelly´s last blog post ..Why Marry a Millionaire- Just be One
I have to chime in.
I’ve found that actually responding to the more “thoughtful” PR pitches, in the end, builds relationships that bring really great opportunity (ex: getting paid upwards of hundreds of dollars to write just one post). I typically delete 90% of pitches but when a person mentions a post I wrote in the intro – I stop. And read. I take the time to read their email because they read my post. Then I take the time to think about if their product would be something that would excite me an my readers.
I have really great relationships with the PR peeps I work with. All carefully chosen. I was shocked to get holiday cards in the mail this year saying “thanks for working with us here’s a little something…” and my KLOUT score is no where near yours.
It’s a business. And relationships are a big factor.
OHmommy´s last blog post ..She got crabs in Costa Rica
Amen.
lceel´s last blog post ..Wordy Wednesday – Capn Jack
Whew you can tell that was building up, and I’m starting to see a lot these days through SMMs the real value of our craft. Good for you momma!!
MommyB Knows Best´s last blog post ..LeapFrog Tag Reading System Winner
There are two fundamental problems.
1) Far too many bloggers give the farm away for free. They think that it is an effective way to build a relationship and it simply isn’t. Not to be crude, but if people put out for anyone who asks they’ll find it far more difficult to cultivate a real relationship.
2) Many of the PR people who are doing the scut work of searching out and contacting bloggers are kids who are new to the workforce. They make rookie mistakes.
The combination is rife with problems. But if both sides work at it there is a happy medium to be found. Relationships are key.
Jack´s last blog post ..The Problem With Blogging
It’s tricky because if they do pay you.. it’s pretty much in gray zone in terms of ethical business practices. But that said, I agree most of these PR people expect you to practically promote their product for free. Even a free sample isn’t enough for a write-up.
Henway´s last blog post ..Medifast Wiki – Dec 2010
I completely know where you’re coming from and I understand your frustration. I work in PR and I have my own fashion and pop culture blog. When it comes to blogs, it seems to be a very thin line between PR and advertising. I’m not saying it’s right, but it’s considered unethical for a PR firm to pay you. In a sense, PR is a form a free advertising. If they pay you, it’s considered an advertisement. PR people are not even allowed to pay journalists at big-time newspapers. My best advice is to be selective in what you put on your site or contact the PR companies to have you removed from their media list.
My biggest problem with PR companies is sending me targeted pitches. No one hardly does any research. I wish PR companies would send me pitches that are geared towards my site and readers.
Public relations and advertising are two completely different things. PR is about creating coverage and buzz, often without the utilization of paid placement. Thus, PR people will of course pitch you because you have put yourself out there as a writer; part of this newly evolving media. You want to be taken seriously as a writer yet you want PR people to compensate you for talking about their product? That’s not how it works, hon. For reporters, it is actually unethical to be paid for promoting a subject. PR professionals are going to treat you as they would any writer/reporter. In addition, bloggers demanding pay for mentions need to remember that your readers will lose trust if you are only reviewing products for which you are paid.
If you don’t want your blog to be part of the new media machine, and you are blogging just to make friends and such, then a simple solution is to reply to pitches with “No Thank You.”
Bloggers have an inherent interest in providing content to their readers. Building audience, growing page views and search results are your compensation. Of course, you’re free to put advertising or any other number of monetizing solutions on your page. And writing those good, quality posts – whether aided by a company or not – is a means to get eyeballs to your page. The $ is on you. You’re correct when you say your audience and readers are a very personal, trusted resource of yours. So, why would you immediately shoot your credibility when a company pays you to write? How can that post really, truly be free of that bought influence?
Newspaper, magazine writers don’t get compensated for reviewing products/events. Why should bloggers?
Yes, I’m sure you work very hard at maintaining a top-tier, high-quality blog. This post kind of sounds like you are complaining about … being a blogger. Blogging is a biz – and your “Sponsored Ads” at the top of this page signal that. Sounds like you want your cake and eat it too.
Hi Melissa,
I want to play off what OHMommy said…
You know me, and you know I work in PR. While I’ve never compensated a blogger for writing about my client with money, I have in other ways – free tickets to check out a family-friendly event and review it, free products/services to experience them and if they’re so inclined, share their experiences with readers. I know this isn’t money, but these are benefits of blogging, right?
Like OHMommy mentions, what I’ve found most valuable about working with bloggers is the friendships/relationships I’ve built with them through my PR work. I know we’re in the same area, but I may never have had the chance to meet you if I didn’t make an initiative to email you and see if you were interested in checking out something for one of my clients.
I understand where you’re coming from. I blog, too. I know how much blood, sweat and tears goes into writing and sharing posts. But you have to know that when you write a well-read blog, the PR pros are gonna come knocking. It’s our job to seek out bloggers who write to an audience that would be interested in the clients/companies we represent.
There is a right and wrong way to work with bloggers, and yes some PR people don’t know what the heck they are doing. But I hope you see the value in working with PR pros and companies who value your work and show appreciation for you sharing information with your readers – whether that appreciation is in the form of a free product/service in exchange for a review, or a simple and meaningful thank you.
I won’t dive too deep into this, but the FCC guidelines have made the whole “pay me and I’ll post about you” deal very real. Everything needs to be disclosed now. It looks much less shady to say “I received this product from X company free of charge, but opinions in this post are my own” as opposed to “X company paid me X amount of money to write this post about them.”
And maybe this is different because we are friends, but I would absolutely (and do) promote your blog, even more so if you specifically asked.
Sorry for the novel. 🙂
Nikki Stephan´s last blog post ..Homeless Man With the Golden Voice Story Shows the Power of Helping Others
I think the distinction that some of the commenters have missed is that Melissa isn’t specifically asking for monetary compensation. She realizes the value of promotion and the work that goes into it and is simply feeling angst that it seems a one-way street.
I understand and agree with this post, completely, and think it can be as simple as PR reps offering a) samples/comped services, if it’s for review purposes, b) promotion of the post/blog/brand of the blogger, and/or c) relationship cultivation, past the ‘we really enjoy your blog, Ms. RockDrool’ type of carbon email.
It’s not too grand, or an ethical dalliance to except some form of quid pro quo for the PR work that bloggers do. PS. Y’all know that review products and comped tickets, etc. are considered taxable equivalents to income, right?
Zoeyjane´s last blog post ..The waking up part of the story
JANET: “For reporters, it is actually unethical to be paid for promoting a subject. PR professionals are going to treat you as they would any writer/reporter. In addition, bloggers demanding pay for mentions need to remember that your readers will lose trust if you are only reviewing products for which you are paid.”
I call BS. Reporters are paid to write from a specific angle. Newspapers have PAID staff. Companies PAY the newspaper to be on their reviews list in the form of large advertising contracts. pay does not equal bias nor does it offend readers if you have an established, authentic voice. Readers can tell a blogger who is trying to kiss ass to a company by speaking only positively about the product from a serious review who tells it how they see it.
The FTC has stated multiple times in the past year that it is NOT against the law to pay for product reviews. Proper DISCLOSURE is the requirement. Bloggers are contract media. Coming directly to a blogger is a cheap method of subverting the system. A company VP can easily shave an pretty $25,000-50,000 off an ad campaign by handing over product samples to the PR team and sending them on the blog roll.
I know what the outgoing links from my site to their product is worth. I know how much time I put in to creating a quality review and what type of traffic I get in return. I’ve done the math.
There comes a point in every bloggers life when she/he has to choose to charge for content. Sending out those first few replies with your fees is scary. It pays off. I waive the fee for companies that I like working with. The fee weeds out the crap
mamikaze´s last blog post ..2010 book list
Hmmm….
If you want a review, send me a product.
If you want an endorsement, send me a check.
If you want chatter, send me a PR pitch telling me about how awesome your client is.
I might do a review.
I might do an endorsement.
I probably won’t chatter about your client unless your client is amazing. Anything too enthusiastic out of my mouth and I’ll feel like I ought to have done an in-depth review to justify my enthusiasm, or been paid to endorse the product without reviewing it.
Backpacking Dad´s last blog post ..Family Photo
Awesome post!! I’ve started getting requests too, and feel the same way
Jeanette Verster´s last blog post ..359-365 – some kids- a park and graffiti
I do think it’s a mistake to accept PR offers with no compensation, but I think that as long as the blogger knows what he/she wants and acts in her own interest, then PR/blogger dynamic can be a really good relationship.
Megan (Best of Fates)´s last blog post ..This Is A Cat In A Bowl
I hear you loud and clear and 2011 will be the year for me to nurture relationships with publicists who share a belief in my blog and can work with me to promote the kinds of things I believe in. I get sent dozens of press releases a day, with no offer of compensation or effort to build a relationship with me. In the beginning, that was okay but now that I know the lay of the land, I really need to figure this piece out. I have a following, I have a presence. Now I need to gain the courage to not be taken of advantage for it.
Holly´s last blog post ..Blogging with Purpose- A Viral Fundraiser for the Mothers of Haiti
I’ve been hearing from a lot of bloggers who are feeling taken advantage of these days and who are experiencing a lot of frustration as they try to figure out how to make their blogs financially viable (or at least self-supporting).
I worked as a business reporter for several local newspapers for many years, and find the attitude of some of the folks I dealt with then very similar to some of the attitudes I encounter now as a blogger/writer/publisher. I saw a lot of blind press releases that had no relation to what I covered at the newspapers…and some folks that wanted me to pay for an event ticket out of my own pocket in order to attend and do the work of observing, interviewing, taking photos, and get the story written and published (not gonna happen on a reporter’s low pay).
You wanted your football game covered? You let the sports writers/photographers in for free. You want your book reviewed? You sent out review copies for reviewers to read. You wanted your car reviewed? You arranged for the automotive reporters to test drive your vehicle or admitted them to your auto show gratis. You wanted your movie reviewed? You invited reviewers to an advance screening or sent them screeners to review at home in advance of the movie’s opening. How is working with any media outlet any different?
I see a lot of attitude about bloggers supposedly trying to “milk the system” for freebies without considering what type of exposure and legitimate attention they may bring to an issue, event, product, etc.
Admitting the working press gratis to an event wasn’t at all unusual. It was a matter of granting access to the press so that they could do their job. As print outlets have dried up, many organizations are slowly realizing that they need to cultivate online outlets as they’ve always cultivated the working print press in order to get the coverage their events need in order to be successful.
One organization I’ve covered in the past put me on their press list, offered me press passes to events, and press pass access for photography and interviews with the name principals…tools which made it much easier to do the job of covering their events. I like to think I generated some interest in their programs…much as an article in the newspaper might have done in the past…with the additional benefit of my work continuing to draw attention to their big annual event throughout the year – if I’m reading my Google Analytic figures correctly 🙂
So, I really don’t consider tickets, product samples, etc. as “benefits” of blogging–they’re the tools orgs have offered the press for many years to make it easier and practical for media outlets to cover their events.
PR folks can help the situation by helping their clients and clients’ advertising staffs understand the importance of bloggers and the publicity they can generate for events as old media options become more limited. It also would be nice if blogs became a viable vehicle for advertising (much as newspapers have in the past). It would be nice if the PR pros and their clients saw bloggers as viable media outlets for their stories.
Meanwhile, we all search for ways to make the new media paradigm work for all of us-those seeking publicity, and those who provide a platform for information that brings eyeballs to the information companies, organizations, and PR pros need to promote.
Dominique´s last blog post ..Tiny Zehnders one-dollar bridge and a one-room school in Frankenmuth- Michigan
I do get several offers in my e-mail box, and I ignore a lot of them because I don’t want to jump through the hoops that the companies want you to jump through. If I really love something, I will talk about it on my blog, if something pisses me off, its going there too.
I am doing a give-away on my blog now, but its only because I really love the product.
However, if I was trying to make money from my blog, I would be very frustrated about how challenging it is to do so.
Another Suburban Mom´s last blog post ..Friday Foodie- Its A Giveaway!
Dominique hits the nail on the head completely. Well written.
I think the confusion was due to the initial use of the words “paid” and “compensation.”
Reporters are NOT, I repeat, NOT compensated monetarily by the clients being represented by the PR firms for their mentions of events, news, or releases of products/services in their areas.
YES they are compensated by the publication they work for and that revenue comes from paid advertising which is run by a completely separate management team in a completely separate part of the building than where the newsroom is located.
In all my years of reporting (I was a reporter for 11 years and I have been with my current PR firm for 8.5 years) I was never influenced to write a news story based on who our advertisers were. When a local car dealership (which was a major advertiser) was investigated for participating in fraudulent lending practices, we didn’t play lightly with that coverage just because they were an advertiser. Thus, mamikaze’s above comment is incorrect and indicative of someone who now finds herself in the periphery of an industry she does not yet understand.
Yes, bloggers are new media. As such, it is important for bloggers to learn how media, PR firms, and ad agencies work just as it is also important for PR firms to understand that they need to treat bloggers as they would traditional media reporters.
You should not expect MONETARY compensation from PR firms. But yes, if a PR professional is worth their salt, they would never, ever ask you to review a product or attend an event without providing you with access– no cost to you– of that product or service. That’s not really known as “compensation”– again, probably why there was some confusion following your post.
So basically, based on your blog update, you, me and the PR professionals replying here are on the same page in reality. It was your initial use of the word “compensation” that threw us in the PR world off a bit.
Thanks for the discussion!