I went to a blogging event last week, a ‘Bloggers Brunch’ to be more precise. I have been to a couple of similar events this year, where both bloggers and PR or brand reps attend and they always make me go home and think about the whole blogging, ads, brands and money deal.
Lots of people are talking about it, lots of people have talked about it in the past, and I am sure people will talk about it again in the future. It seems to be a recurring hot topic – making money from your blog. More specifically it seems that making money from a ‘mummy blog’ elicits a variety of responses and opinions, good, bad and indifferent. Now I don’t prescribe to the ‘one right way’ philosophy for pretty much anything, especially not blogging, so I’m not going to sit here and tell you what I think you should be doing in regards to monetising (or not) your blog, or how brands should work with blogs… but I am going to blab on a bit about some thoughts that are whirring around me head on this topic and need to a nice comfy place to land.
If you know my blog, you’ll already know that I run private advertising in my side bar, as well us running Nuffnang ads. I also do the odd Nuffnang ‘sponsored post’ which means I get paid to write about a set brand, or item. And I also do the occasional review, or give away, which is usually organised directly between myself and the PR firm working for the brand or company, and I currently don’t charge a fee for those posts but I usually get an item to keep.
When I first shifted my blog from blogger to self hosted wordpress I made the decision to start displaying syndicated ads (from the blogher network at that time). My goal was to make enough money to pay for my hosting costs. I didn’t want my blogging hobby to impact our family budget if I could help it. I made that goal in the first year with a little bit of extra pocket money and I was happy to leave it at that.
Since then my blog has grown and changed and I’ve discovered that I quite enjoy writing and I feel have something of value to share (most of the time!). And it seems blogging in Australia has really taken off, Mummy Blogging especially. Suddenly we are being contacted by Pr companies and brands with this offer or that. The opportunities for bloggers, opportunities for me, have suddenly sky rocketed and I’ve found myself needing to really think about how I work with brands and PR companies and what I am comfortable with.
This has been a very steep learning curve for me. Before I had kids I taught preschool, I was not in the business world, and sometimes I feel like these people speak a totally different language. I am happy to admit that I’ve been overly flattered by the fact that PR people even want to connect with me and in the past this has led me to make some less than fabulous decisions. But I’ve learnt from those mistakes and been able to make better decisions in the future.
Of course, I’m still learning, and attending events such as Kid’s Business Bloggers Brunch is a great way to do that. The event show cased several brands, from the new Mix clothing range and new disposable nappies from the mega multi million dollar Coles, to ecostore with it’s story of small town beginnings and eco friendly commitment.
I was impressed by both companies and what they had to show us, but how would I feel about endorsing those brands on my blog?
I have liked using both the Coles nappies and the ecostore laundry detergent that I was given, but does being given a freebie and liking the product mean I will blog about it? For free? Is that what is expected from these events? Or are they waiting for us to ask to be paid, or to build some deeper partnership?
As I learn to value my blog, my audience and myself more I am learning there is no one right answer for any of those questions.
I am learning that I don’t need to write about anything if I don’t want to. I am learning that I don’t want ‘stuff’ just because it’s free and that I will not blog for a loaf of bread. I am learning that if it feels like a huge effort to find a way to marry my blog to a product then it is not a good match and I should just say no. I am learning that there needs to be more to the company, brand or product, something that resonates with me beyond just ‘free stuff is cool’. I am learning that if blogging is ‘un-fun’ then I’m doing something wrong.
Money is a powerful thing, to be able to earn money is a powerful feeling.
I am lucky to be able to choose to stay at home with my children while they are little, and while I value that role immensely, the possibility to contribute money to the family budget is a very fulfilling thing for me.
Right now I don’t have any goals to make ‘a living’ from my blog. I write my blog because I enjoy it, because it’s fun, and because I learn things while doing it. But being able to make a little money for the extras, and being able to do it while doing something I really enjoy is an opportunity I want to take up, whole heartedly.
What do you think about the way blogs and brands work together?
If you blog, have you made decisions about how your blog will and won’t work with brands?
{ All images are by Mike Licht, NotionsCapitols.com via Flickr }
This is something I have been thinking a little about. I never set out to make money from my blog, but as it is growing, I can see that I am going to have to make some decisions about sponsorship/ads etc. Not sure what I think yet, but will definitely be following this post to learn about others’ experiences!
Sometimes I think it would have been easier if my goal had been to make some money from my blog right from the start. Perhaps then I would have thought things through in the beginning instead of muddling through and making some mistakes… or perhaps I would have made the mistakes regardless! LOL
I think there are perhaps some misconceptions out there about mummy-bloggers. Throw free stuff at us and we will publicise it for you. I’m not particularly happy with the mummy-blogger label to start with, but even aside from that, I find it a bit condescending for anyone to expect me to give away space on my blog for a bottle of body lotion. Not to mention my time and effort.
I’ve started running private ads and would be happy to work with brands I love, but only for real cold hard cash, or really superior life experiences.
If I need a vacuum cleaner and you want to give me one to try, sure, I’ll write about it, because it will save me heaps of money I don’t have. But show me a brochure and give me a spiel about it? Not so much…
I am never sure if the whole ‘here’s a brochure and listen to how wonderful our product is’ is an invitation for me then ask to work with them for some kind of remuneration… or do they really think that I will go home and blog about their product, having either not tried it, or tried and then had to give it back, and get nothing else in return?
I often feel like if I used the secret words, or asked in the right way they’d be happy to make some mutually beneficial deal, but they are not going to come right out and say it because they are also hoping I’ll do something for them for free…
Or is that just me?
No, not at all Kate. I too feel like there is some sort of secret handshake. Two bloggers walked away with vacuum cleaners from the Brunch because they were able to “connect” with the PR due to their “inspiring” stories. Hence, my thoughts about these things being an audition. If you perform right, sell your story right, then the possibilities are endless. That’s not how I want to work with brands. If I even do…
OK, well I’m a little embarrassed I so wanted to come and introduce myself. but I didn’t. Pathetic I know. But next time, I promise. I love your blog.
Oh you so should have come and said hello!
I found the event a little bit overwhelming, especially because I had both my boys with me and it wasn’t all that child friendly a space… and with all those people… and all that heat…
This is something that is often in my mind, especially when it comes to the number of folowers I have on my blog and giveaways.
With one giveaway I linked up to the aussie blogger giveaway and I had so many people enter. Which is great for the product I was reviewing. But I felt that my loyal readers now had less chance of winning the product as I had all these extras come along just to enter the giveaway.
So now I promote my giveaways just through FB and twitter. So my readers who actually read my blog have a greater chance of winning. If that makes sense
Enjoyed your thoughts on this Kate and must say I feel much the same way. I have only just started doing a few reviews but they must be products that are relevant to my blog and can be worked into a post that still offers some other valuable information. We are all very busy and whilst we obviously love writing, keeping a blog takes up a lot of effort and time and so one
should not feel guilty for being compensated for
that. As Dorothy said I am not going to spend an hour writing about a product for a packet of biscuits. :)
I think that is the key for me… a review or paid post must be able to add some value somehow, above and beyond straight boring product information. I don’t enjoy reading straight review posts on other blogs so I assume that my readers won’t enjoy them either. And if you are working to really make the product fit with your blog, and add value, which also adds value for the brand…. then that is worth more than a packet of biscuits.
It is a huge issue and I blog to get a message out. Recently I feel like that message has gotten lost in the PR stuff. So I’ve set a one PR post a week. I need to get back the focus on my message.
I contacted my Rubber Duckie supplier in USA to ask about advertising them on my blog. They have asked me to set up a google affiliates account which I started to do, then stalled because I don’t know if I want to do that. Seems that I have to accept ads for companies I might not endorse. So I’ve contact an Australian company I have purchased from before who sell rubber duckies and that felt right – they are a local business, I have been a happy customer of theirs.
That was a real learning experience for me. I know now that I want to support local business and small business works better for me.
I have come to much the same conclusion, especially with my side bar advertising. Small Australian businesses and WAHMs etc are a better fit for my blog, and more than that… I enjoy working with them, so it is a win win for us both.
I am not anti major brands or corporations, but I am more cautious because I find it less clear who they actually are, what other things they may sell or represent, and that makes it more difficult for me to know whether I can wholeheartedly support them.
Exactly – I need to know I can support the whole business, not just a small part of it.
Good topic!
To be honest, it jacks me off when i start reading what seems like an informal personal post about some every-day type activity that then takes a massive hairpin turn into an advertisement for a product. i understand mums at home are wooed by making some money with their blog, but for the most part it turns me off as a reader that because another mum says ‘i just tried such-an-such a product and it’s so fabulous’ is not going to make me go out and buy that product, in fact i feel it undermines my intelligence.
i use to enjoy reading another blog by a mum that in it’s early days was a more modest read of personal accounts i could relate to which has in recent times quickly morphed into a very popular blog repeatedly pimping products/cars/goods etc and discussing all the nuff nang events and blogger hook ups and i’m sick of it and don’t read it anymore, it’s not a world i remotely relate to. i just like reading about the things i can sympathise with as a mum at home with small children, not dolling up with make up and fashion trends attending blogging parties.
i really like your blog kate and like that you have addressed this topic and admire that you have the confidence to make your own choices about what you feel right about.
I feel like I have got into a bit of a rut with the PR reviews. I think I got it in my head you have to do the smaller less interesting reviews to score the bigger more impressive ones.
Also I do some so DH can see some returns for my blogging, as he seems to think of it as more of me “just playing on the computer”
I think in the new year I will be saying yes less, and try to push MY blog in the direction I want to go.
As honestly I feel like I have sold out a bit and started to follow the sheep.