Posts Tagged ‘contract’

August 1st, 2011

Nope! I Don’t Work for Free! When PR Pitches Turn Bad…

There is a new epidemic among the blogging community, and that is bloggers that will work for free, or sell their soul to a company for a free $3.99 sippy cup…

Now, before I get started, I am not saying that reviewing products on your website is a bad thing, because it isn’t. But the key to reviews is being honest. If that $3.99 sippy cup leaks, talk about it, don’t sweep it under the rug for fear this company will blacklist you.  Little do you know, other bloggers may blacklist you for your shining review of a shitty product.

Another catch is the constant requests for quest blogging, or helping other companies out. Will you write x,y, or z for our company and we will give you a tag line at the bottom of your post that links to your website… Would you work an entire day at a job just for a shout out?
Didn’t think so!

Bloggers!  Stop selling yourself short!  You are worth something, and you shouldn’t be selling yourselves short.  If you are working for these companies, they damn well better be paying you for your time.   The problem with some bloggers working for free, is these companies not only is showing companies Mom bloggers, and bloggers in general can be bought with simple products that cost them a whole .15 cents to make in China, but that we don’t really value our work, or our time!

Come on Moms… you all know what our days look like, busy, insane, slightly nerve wracking… filled with being a professional taxi cab service, and demands from tyrant toddlers for snacks, so when you sit down to work or blog, or whatever you consider your writing to be… whether it is an out for you, something you enjoy, or something you do for an actual income… you need to put a value on it.

If you are contracted to write a post, put a price on it… start lower, and work your way up. Freelance for some local newspapers or publications to see their going rate is for freelance writers. Some start as low as $10, but some start all the way at $50 depending on the length and content.

Believe it or not, there are some companies out there that will pay you upwards of $200 for a post, or feature. And if blogging is something you wish to do as an actual job, start to value yourself more!

Of course not all bloggers out there are interested in making money, some do it just for fun or as a pass time. That is fine!  As long as you love what you are doing, that is all that should matter right?

Remember… value yourself!   Don’t put a product price tag on your reputation!

As for the growing number of PR firms contacting bloggers to write reviews, or even contacting you after you write about a product you have had a good or bad experience with… if a blogger doesn’t like your product or had a bad experience about it, contacting them and asking them to write something positive isn’t going to work, in fact it probably is just going to piss them off a little more than they already are.

Maybe starting with an apology, or asking them what happened is the place to start… not sending them a three page copy and pasted email about the product that they don’t care for. Or why that company is on their shit list.

And sending the same email 4 times when you don’t get a reply isn’t going to do any justice either.

Bloggers have a large reach, especially Mom Bloggers, so the last person you want to send a bad PR pitch to is them!   Honestly, I think the two groups most critical of these pitches are the Mom Bloggers, and those who actually work in the social media field!

Think before you click send!