Blog Talk: Why Bloggers Can’t Work for Free
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June 10, 2020
I’m so sad that I even have the need to write this post. If you’re a blogger, you probably have the same frustrations I have: people ask you day in and day out to work for free. And yes, creating a sponsored post in exchange for a dress or a $10 gift card to your store counts as working for free.
I think what people don’t realize is that bloggers put hours and hours into each blog post. We pay photographers to take the photos, we pay social media assistants to help amplify the posts, and we work hard to integrate sponsorships into our usual content in a way that is authentic and natural. Why should I, or any other blogger, do all of that for someone when they refuse to place any value on it and pay for it? There’s absolutely nothing in it for us. In fact, it costs us money…and time. After all, if you’re a brand reaching out to me, there’s a reason for that, right?
And then there comes the big reason we can’t work for free. Not only is it insulting and degrading when someone asks you to work for free, but there’s also the fact that we actually need this money to survive. My blog is my full-time job. Besides my design income, it’s the only way I can pay my bills. Believe me, I wish I could give Comcast a pair of jeans in exchange for a month of internet, but it doesn’t work that way.
As bloggers, we have value not only in our social influence & SEO impact, but also in our creativity. A sponsored post is a service a brand pays for. It’s the time spent on creating the content, a unique voice and perspective, the professional photos that are shared, and the placement on a valuable space on the internet. So if you’re a blogger, be sure to charge what you’re worth; and if you’re a brand, be sure to give bloggers the respect our craft deserves!
Have you experienced this on either side? What are your thoughts on the issue?
Photo by Johnny Cheng.
November 10, 2015 @ 7:26 am
Thank you so much for writing this, Megan! This is not only true of the blogging industry but also development (web/mobile/et cetera).
I used to have trouble saying no to freelance work (with an emphasis on the *free*), especially if a friend of mine wanted me to help with something. Now I’m much better at just saying no and spending my time doing things for myself. 🙂
November 10, 2015 @ 1:15 pm
Yeah, I do web design and people ask for favors all the time! They don’t realize how much time it actually takes for a “quick fix”. I am so good at saying no these days. If I don’t look out for myself, who will? People will always try to take advantage!
November 10, 2015 @ 7:48 am
100% agree with you! We have to make major investments, both with our time and financially, to craft great content. The brand gets fantastic deliverables, exposure and a boost in SEO. It’s worth something, and we deserved to be paid for such!
November 10, 2015 @ 1:17 pm
Yes! Not only that, but like you said: major investments. Bloggers spend so much money on hosting, web design, domain renewals, etc. There are so many costs associated with blogging that we’re already starting out in the hole. If the brand benefits from the partnership, then the blogger should too!
November 10, 2015 @ 9:05 am
Can we send this out to every brand everywhere?? It’s so important. I’m an admittedly small and new blog. However, it’s just as demeaning for a company to reach out to me asking me to write a post for them to advertise (FREE) for their company and then when I ask what their budget is…..NOTHING. There is no other business platform on Earth where a partnership exists that is so uneven.
November 10, 2015 @ 1:23 pm
Right?! It’s just not fair at all. I have shared gifted items in outfit posts in the past, but I would never let the brand send talking points or anything like that for free. It’s so much extra work and the blogger gets nothing out of it!
November 10, 2015 @ 9:19 am
I definitely agree! I have to say though, as a small-time blogger just starting out, I find myself tempted to work for free for a bit, just to get my name out there and build some sponsored post examples. Am I part of the problem?
November 10, 2015 @ 1:26 pm
I wouldn’t suggest doing sponsored posts for free, but of course that’s up to each blogger! When I was first starting, I accepted gifts to incorporate into the blog, but I never made any agreements on what I would say–I had complete creative freedom–which is how it should be, even when you do start getting paid. We all have to start somewhere, but I wouldn’t consider a brand post you don’t get paid for writing as sponsored. You’re just being taken advantage of and misleading your audience, in my opinion!
November 10, 2015 @ 1:38 pm
Amen!
<3
katsfashionfix.blogspot.com
November 10, 2015 @ 4:19 pm
🙂
November 10, 2015 @ 2:50 pm
So. Much. Yes. I hate when a company reaches out to me and wants me to write a post in exchange for the possibility of them sharing it on their social media sites. It’s insulting.
November 10, 2015 @ 4:19 pm
Right?! Like, how is that fair? No thank you!
November 10, 2015 @ 4:40 pm
I feel like this is so tough – much like Katie, I’m just a small-time “hobby” blogger… I’d love to make writing my full time job, but I feel like it’s so undervalued and therefore so difficult to make a living doing it! It’s such a shame that so many companies see bloggers as free advertisement when they do, as you say, put so much of their own personal time, money and effort into their posts!
November 10, 2015 @ 4:48 pm
It’s definitely possible to make a living off of it! You just have to stick to your guns and value yourself and your work as highly as you should! It does take time though. We all have to start somewhere! Good luck to you!! x0
November 10, 2015 @ 5:18 pm
I’m SO glad you brought this issue up. It’s been something that needed to be iterated. I just had to share!
XO,
Grace
http://www.gracefulleemade.com
November 11, 2015 @ 7:03 pm
Thanks for sharing!! I’m glad you can relate, but it sucks that it happens so often!
November 10, 2015 @ 6:29 pm
I cannot give this enough thumbs up in any universe. YES. Everything here is so true. And you make a fabulous point – how nice would it be for us to just give whatever we want to pay for our internet, food, etc.? Nope, not how it works. If the person contacting you doesn’t work for just free clothes or accessories, why can they expect you to do the same?
Coming Up Roses
November 11, 2015 @ 7:06 pm
Exactly!! It makes absolutely no sense and it’s incredibly rude. I’m so glad you feel me on this one – I totally knew you would!! <3
November 10, 2015 @ 9:48 pm
So proud of you, Megan! I know you’ve waited a long time to be where you are. Years of hard work, struggling, and not much pay. You had a goal and you met it! Now you are traveling the world and doing what you love at the same time. You are so correct, though. One should never undervalue herself. Sure, building a business takes time and sacrifice. But if one does it smart, she can reap the rewards. YOU are an amazing writer (and a not-so-shabby photographer too), and I am so proud to be your mom!!
<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
November 11, 2015 @ 7:07 pm
Thank you!! It was hard work–and still is–but I’m able to do what I love and nothing is better than that! Your support means the world to me! Love you!!
November 11, 2015 @ 8:43 am
Thanks for sharing this Megan!
Best,
Candace
http://www.liveloveandREAD.com
November 11, 2015 @ 7:03 pm
Thanks for reading! 🙂
November 11, 2015 @ 1:19 pm
Geat Great example! This is for brands and Marketing people alike. I will be sharing this.
November 11, 2015 @ 7:04 pm
Thanks for sharing!! So glad you enjoyed it!
November 11, 2015 @ 6:13 pm
omg yes! It’s so frustrating to deal with this and what’s more annoying is when a brand tells you they don’t have the budget, but they clearly work for a big brand, rep big clients, etc. I would rather be told that they don’t think my blog is worth investing in, but then why would they be contacting me in the first place if that’s the case, you know? I just had this experience, again, the other day with a company who wanted me to write about them for seemingly no reason. They didn’t even want to send product to me; they actually asked if I’d be willing to send everything back after photographing it which would be one thing if I was being compensated. At the end of that, when they sent the follow-up email, I just declined it altogether. It’s too much if a brand/shop is that difficult to work with. Bloggers shouldn’t have to pull teeth just to be treated fairly, in my opinion, and if they are, then they are not worth working with even if it is a brand I like, you know?
I wrote about this exact topic here, if you’re curious: http://storybookapothecary.com/why-you-shouldnt-work-for-free-as-a-blogger/ and here: http://storybookapothecary.com/just-because-were-bloggers-doesnt-mean-you-own-us/
November 11, 2015 @ 7:11 pm
Definitely going to check out your posts right now! I couldn’t agree with you more. If you found my blog and want to work with me, then why wouldn’t you have a budget to do so? And half of the time even when I am paid, I get paid late. There is so much wrong in this new industry, but hopefully we can change it! And yeah, why in the hell would someone “borrow” an item, post about it, and send it back for free? What could possibly be in it for the blogger? Lol so strange that someone would ever think that’s a good idea and ok to ask someone to do! We’re not writers on staff for a magazine that pays salary; we are our own businesses and businesses need to make money.
November 11, 2015 @ 6:54 pm
As a blogger just starting out, do you recommend not advertising for free to get your name out?
Thanks,
Heidi
Themotherforker.com
November 11, 2015 @ 7:05 pm
I believe there are a lot more fair ways to get your name out than being taken advantage of by a big company! And to be honest, the “exposure” you end up getting from brands is very minimal and totally not worth it in my opinion!
November 11, 2015 @ 8:11 pm
I’m a blogger and I’ve experienced this way too much. I may not have the biggest numbers, but I do have a specific reader that engages with my posts both on my blog and social media. And not only do I have a presence online, but when I really love a product (including products companies have sent me), I rave about it to my friends & family in-person as well.
Just last week I had a company email me asking if I could post THEIR images for free. I know that doesn’t take much work, but still, why would I post their images on my blog where I create and post original content with absolutely no compensation?
Anyways… I appreciated your rant and I hope you appreciate mine! haha 🙂
XO Katie
http://www.allglammedupstyle.com
January 7, 2016 @ 4:40 pm
Exactly!! My friends and family are constantly asking me about products because they know I have experience with lots of them. Just getting a product in a blogger’s hands is great for businesses, even if it’s not trackable! And yesssss about the images. The reason I have a blog is to create unique content – not so I can be a poster board for someone else’s stuff. Ugh! Glad you agree 🙂
November 12, 2015 @ 11:41 am
Such a great post! I agree with you in everything you’ve said! People and brands sometimes take a blogger’s job as her hobby and something that we do for fun. Yes we do it for fun, because we enjoy it and love what we do but that doesn’t mean that we have to work for FREE! We have to survive but not only that, we, with our brand, are delivering value to the world so if a brand wants to work with us we HAVE to be PAID! As in any other job in the world. Thanks for sharing this with us! You do a great job! Keep it up! Lots of love.
Dànae.
http://www.influencerdiaries.com
January 7, 2016 @ 4:41 pm
Glad you agree!! Even those that don’t necessarily need the money should be compensated for their work. Simply because it is exactly that: work!
November 12, 2015 @ 12:28 pm
This is a great post and thank you for writing it! I have recently become a full-time blogger (after almost two years of blogging and working full-time). Working with brands is something I love to do, as is creating engaging content for my readers. But I do pay a professional photographer for the images when a brand approaches me, and like you said, I spend a considerable amount of time weaving the brands image into my content. If only we could pay our bills with beauty products or clothing…. Do you have any advice when it comes to charging what you’re worth?
http://www.livinginsteil.com
January 7, 2016 @ 4:43 pm
Right?! I always make sure to charge what I think is a fair amount so that I am excited about the post. And in turn the end product is better. I have my rate and if a brand can’t afford it, then it’s their loss. It happens, but I’d rather do nothing and get nothing than feel like I’m being taken advantage of or selling out for a few bucks.
November 12, 2015 @ 7:33 pm
This is such a great post! I think every blogger should have a disclaimer on their blog stating this.
xoxo,
Bianca
http://www.ellebstyles.com
January 7, 2016 @ 4:43 pm
Thank you! And I totally agree!
November 12, 2015 @ 8:33 pm
Yes! I experience this problem every day. So many companies want me to promote their products, but they don’t want to pay anything to do it. I mean, having a new curling iron or cell phone case is nice, but it doesn’t pay the bills. Do you have any recommendations on how to politely ask a company for monetary compensation when they ask me to review a product? I would really appreciate your help. 😀
January 7, 2016 @ 4:44 pm
No problem! I say something like, “Thanks so much for reaching out! {insert product here] looks amazing – I’d love to try it out! My rate for a sponsored post is $x. Is this within your budget? Let me know and we can go ahead with the next steps.” I hope that helps! 🙂
November 13, 2015 @ 3:16 am
I completely agree with you. I’ve been slowly writing a post about the subject, too, but haven’t published it yet… I think you picked on every important point here, especially the fact that unless there’s a fee, there will be no money and unless there’s no money, there will be no means of living for a person behind the blog. Besides, the clue is in the wording… When brands reach out to WORK with us, but want to do it for nothing or for some trinket nobody would even need, it’s not WORK, it’s just a joke. x
January 7, 2016 @ 4:45 pm
Omg, yes, exactly!!! I just can’t comprehend how it’s even legal to ask people to work for free! Let me know when you post. I want to read it! 🙂
November 16, 2015 @ 12:50 am
I do blogger outreach myself. I can tell you often time when we deny blogger’s demand , it doesn’t mean we are expecting them to work for free.
We have a figure $ in mind for each blogger based on their following, spcial media interaction, photos, demographics, etc. If the demand is higher than our set $, we would simply deny. We do not put a lower offer on table, making it look like low ballers. And yes so many bloggers ask for a ridiculous $. We are a business too just like bloggers. If it doesn’t make sense for us, we have to move on.
Just my 2 cents. Love you Megan!
My D.
November 16, 2015 @ 11:09 am
Thanks so much for your comment, My! I have definitely experienced what you’re describing here and I have absolutely no problem with that; my problem is when people flat out as bloggers to work for free. And trust me, it happens ALL THE TIME! If my rate is not within a brand’s budget, I totally get that, but when a brand rep says “we don’t have a budget for bloggers, but we’d be happy to send product” it’s incredibly insulting. They clearly see value in bloggers since they are doing the outreach, yet they are only willing to take advantage of the naive ones who will work for free. It’s just wrong in my opinion!
January 7, 2016 @ 1:53 pm
Hmm, I suppose that is true if blogging is your primary source of income. But for some, it is fun and creative (and not necessarily lucrative) project to do! I love this series though – very insightful and offers an interesting perspective. Thanks, Megan!
Lisa
everydayelevated.blogspot.com
January 7, 2016 @ 4:38 pm
Thanks for reading and so glad to hear you like the series! 🙂 I disagree with you here though. Even if it is a hobby, I believe people should be compensated for their work. Working for free hurts others in the business!
March 8, 2016 @ 1:01 pm
Yes! This drives me absolutely batty! And it’s usually these big, multi-billion dollar corporations who would NEVER give their products or services away for free for God’s sake. I flatly refuse to do it. And I also refuse to negotiate my advertising prices with sponsors as well. The prices are listed for the advertising which is available. Take it or leave it.
March 8, 2016 @ 9:48 pm
Right?! It’s unbelievable!! Good for you for not negotiating your rates! Stick to it!
March 9, 2016 @ 7:56 pm
I’ve been at this blogging thing for nearly 10 years. It’s taken me a long time to realize that my blog is valuable and the exposure they are getting from ME is valuable. I have thousands of readers, thousands of subscribers, thousands of Facebook followers, Twitter followers, and a highly engaged readership. If someone wants to use my blog to promote their product or services to my readers, pay up.
I had another big research company contact me yesterday asking for a free blog post and for me to take my time to promote their research project. It’s a HUGE, global, research company. They don’t have money to pay for advertising? Of COURSE they do! Anyway….I was steaming after that encounter and did a little Googling on bloggers shouldn’t work for free and ran across your site.
There are other bloggers out there who feel the same way. So, maybe if we all stick to our guns advertisers and sponsors will get the message.
You have a lovely blog by the way. I’m such a fashion disaster. But, I always admire women who have the flare for it.
Thanks for the response!
June 20, 2016 @ 4:50 pm
Hello, very interesting post. I’d like to offer a brand perspective. I run a young fashion brand and we get asked by bloggers every day for free stuff. I think there’s loads of misconceptions out there about being a blogger. It seems like these days anyone with an Instagram account and only 200 followers calls themselves a blogger.
What new bloggers don’t realise is that it cost brands time and money to produce clothing (or other products). We would never send out a £45 dress to someone with no following, there’s no return on investment. I think if anyone is serious about blogging they really need to focus of producing quality content first and build a solid following. I think people forget there’s more to blogging than talking about products. Remember magazines are both editorial and advertorial. Once that is down, profit will follow eventually.
I would rather pay a decent amount of money to a good blogger with an established following than work with some ‘wannabe blogger’ who thinks they can blag free stuff the second they set up an Instagram. the thing brands look for is how big is your following.
I think when it comes to negotiating your fee, bloggers need to think about how much money is the brand going to make from the post and not how much money they are going to make. If bloggers want their paid for collabs to work, remember the brand is the client and they need to make money if your going to make money, because if brands don’t produce sales from your collab then eventually your not gonna make blogging a profitable business. If you charge £200 for a post, the brand needs to make atleast £400. Is that achievable? If you don’t know, always get feedback from the brand to see how effective it was and use the results for future collabs. If you posted about a product and it then sold out, use that information to sell yourself as a blogger when’s negotiating your collabs. If it didn’t work what can you do differently? If you really believe your posts make brands money demonstrate that with facts. Forget about getting them ‘just’ exposure, they need exposure to generate SALES!!! No business big or small can’t afford to lose money and will always look at the success of the collab from a sales perspective.
I think if bloggers are in that middle range, of generating hits but not really sales for the brand, it’s a difficult spot for the blogger cos the brand might either not bother, or invest the bare minimum.
I once read a blog post about how bloggers can charge £1500 for only 1000 followers lol! This person must have been high or summat because with only 1000 readers you would probably only get 10% clicks which is 100 clicks to website which if your lucky may lead to one sale of about £30, all that for £1500 investment lol. It’s costs around £3 for 1000 views on Facebook. bloggers have they own costs to consider of course and it is hard work, but this industry is so new it’s not been perfected yet. There’s gonna be a lot of trial an error to get it right so it works for everyone.
Sorry if that was a bit long.
I hope this was insightful to bloggers out there and good luck X
June 21, 2016 @ 11:50 am
I very strongly disagree with most of what you have written here. As a blogger, it is not my job to generate sales. If a brand only cares about sales vs marketing & brand recognition/reliability, then that brand shouldn’t work with bloggers. It’s like saying if I’m not going to wear a dress 10 times, then it’s not worth the $100. That’s fine, someone else will buy it, right? Some people think one wear is worth $100 while others would need more bang for their buck. If you can’t afford to pay people for their work, then don’t hire them.
June 22, 2016 @ 7:19 pm
Hi Megan,
Sorry you don’t get what I’m trying to say, my long post was meant to be informative and insightful to help bloggers like you out, by helping to understand the brands objectives and what they are looking for in a blog collab, so bloggers can negotiate fees that work for everyone. This took a long time to write so please appreciate this perspective as I do believe it will be useful to yourself and others. This isn’t just my opinion it’s just how it works from my experience.
I never said I wouldn’t pay a blogger. I would rather pay £1000 for a decent blogger with a solid fan base, than a new blogger with no followers for free. I wrote about how brands calculate their investment.
You say it’s all about exposure which is true, but exposure is really the first layer of a more complex process which I’ll explain.
Brand profit is the the backbone of the blogger industry, so if bloggers want generate income for themselves they need to understand it. And there is a science to it. If a blogger quoted me a fee, I’d start calculating the cost against the potential views. There’s a lot of cpm, cpc calulations to consider. The Internet is a numbers game, so the more followers you have the more you can charge. It’s a different from the way you may see it because you have your own costs and time to consider and calculated the fee from a different perspective but this is just how brands see it from their side. At the end we will calculate a cost per click total. The lower the better.
When you pay a blogger it is classed as advertising and the whole purpose of PR or advertising in any shape or form is to generate income. I used to work in PR and journalism so I know how things work.
Brands have very tight budgets, and need to think about return on investments when working with bloggers so they have to be selective about their campaigns. If I was to pay a blogger a couple of hundred pounds we need to eventually see a profit from that investment. Brands have to see results to their campaigns and bloggers need to understand that, otherwise what’s the point in working with brands. Even if a blog brought in lots of hits, which have yet to transfer to sales, the site visitors are still considered a positive result. I love what I do but business can’t live off fresh air, one large expense could finish me, so saying you think sales isn’t important is literally the worst think a blogger can say to a brand.
when brands launch advertising campaigns they will test a number of ads on a small scale and see what ad produces the best result. It all about results. And with new campaigns it may take a while but eventually a profit has to be seen or the business will lose money. A brand may try out a blogger, and if no positive results it wasn’t effective.
The good thing about the Internet is you can track everything and see where your hits come from so you have detailed results.
It’s beneficial for the blogger to care about sales, because if they are not generating good results for the brand paying them, then they won’t be getting paid by any brand. I was reading a interview with one fashion blogger and she said that she featured a jacket on her blog and it sold hundreds of units from that post. The blogger is using the brands sales success, to sell herself as a powerful blogger.
Today a big UK fashion magazine ( I won’t say which one) was emailing about different advertising opportunities they have. And their media pack was very detailed with statistics, target markets, etc. As a magazine they know how to sell themselves to brands by understanding the brands business needs and what they need to achieve. They even have information about how my target market spends their income and what products they buy the most.
Bloggers need to sell themselves the same way. I would even suggest bloggers produce media packs to give to brands, I know I would be impressed if I received one.
I’m disappointed you disagree with everything I said, like I said it was meant to be helpful and informative and not be dismissed. I am pro blogger, otherwise why would I bother to write a complex detailed posted about it. Problems are meant to be understood and solved after all.
This may be a reality check to some bloggers but it’s really not to be taken in a negative way,
remember this is a brand perspective, and I know what my brands objectives are from a blog collab. The brand is the client and if the blogger doesn’t understand their needs, they will find another one who does.
I would suggest every blogger reads up on advertising and PR and just educate themselves more about this before they start with paid collabs
June 10, 2020 @ 8:28 pm
You’re way off here. My goal is not to make sales. My goal is to create beautiful content and share things, including brands, with my audience. It’s very well known that on average, it takes a person seeing something 7 times before they purchase. Influencer partnerships should be viewed as an advertising outlet as a whole. You cannot depend on one influencer to make sales. It’s absolutely imperative to create a campaign that includes many influencers so you cast a wide net and reach many people. Hopefully some of those people see posts from more than one influencer. Maybe they’re not ready to buy now, but they might be one day.
Your view is outdated and I would suggest reading up on modern marketing techniques. I’ve been blogging full time for seven years and I haven’t had a problem generating a six-figure income every year – all without sales being a priority.