Sponsored Posts & Reviews
As your blog grows, it’s exciting to be contacted by potential sponsors and to be offered free stuff for you or your readers. I used to eagerly agree to almost all opportunities, and now...practically none. Here are some things that I've since learned to consider:
1. Suitability
- Would I buy the product (or patronize the company) with my own money?
- Is the product or service relevant to my blog?
- Will a post bring any value for readers? Has the company already been posted about by many others?
Question 1 is something that I’ve been called out on personally after doing reviews. Okay great, so you said nice things about the stuff…but would you actually buy it yourself? That leads to Question 2. If I wouldn’t buy something myself, I probably shouldn’t review it unless it’s highly relevant to my blog.
2. Sponsorship Terms
- Communicate your policies clearly (ie. return of merchandise sent for review, photo rights)
- Understand what the sponsor is asking for in return (a link, visitor traffic, embedded keywords)
- Define the scope of the exposure (a mention, an entire post, a sidebar advertisement)
Companies have come to realize that blog sponsorships and giveaways are a cheap way to increase brand awareness and search engine optimization (typically frowned upon by search engines). It’s up to the blogger to determine whether he/she is comfortable with what the sponsor is asking for, as well as their marketing practices.
3. Review Transparency
- Can I write a 100% honest and unbiased review?
If not, the review probably shouldn't happen. It's significantly harder to write an honest and unbiased review when the merchandise is provided for free by a sponsor, as opposed to something you bought with your own money and can return. I’ve finally learned to send merchandise back if I don't love it, versus writing a lukewarm review and possibly influencing a reader to buy something mediocre.
Giveaways
Giveaways often go hand-in-hand with sponsored reviews, but let's distinguish between the sponsored and non-sponsored giveaway. I think a sponsored giveaway is a great way to get freebies for your readers, while cross-promoting with the sponsoring company. For giveaways, I look at many of the same factors listed above. Be wary of what the company is asking for in exchange for a giveaway prize...all too often I've seen companies take advantage of oblivious bloggers.
As for non-sponsored giveaways...maybe these started out as a way for bloggers to give back to loyal readers, but these days they sure resemble self-marketing campaigns. Share my giveaway, tweet my giveaway, post my giveaway button...etc. Put bluntly, these are an efficient way to “purchase” new followers. I too jumped on the bandwagon and realized that the aggressively-marketed giveaway is good for pumping follower stats, but through a superficial manner. I also realized it takes away from other blogs that try to grow organically by delivering unique and interesting content.
With the above being said, I feel the best way to find sponsors that meet your own criteria is probably to reach out to companies yourself. It's not worth it to host sponsorships and giveaways that compromise the integrity of your blog. Determine what you are interested in and what your blog is about, establish media policies, and get yourself out there!
Fellow bloggers & readers - please share any thoughts or lessons learned!
Thank you for sharing this info! :) It's really helpful. Your blog is so inspiring. <3
ReplyDeleteThis couldn't come at a better time for me! I'm doing a sponsored giveaway tomorrow on my blog...the very first one. I've been solicited by many companies before, but never was really interested. I don't ever want to compromise myself for anything or anyone else. I think giveaways are fun, but sometimes bloggers do too many and I wonder if it's just to gain more readers or to get free products for themselves. Thank you for your sound advice!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, and you've summed up everything extremely well!
ReplyDeleteMy only advice is that it's okay to be choosy- I remember that when I first started blogging, I would get offers from companies that I had never heard of and weren't a good fit for my blog. It's okay to say no to these companies! Blog readers always appreciate honesty and integrity much more than a weird free giveaway from something that doesn't fit with the blog.
I totally agree with you Jean! Thx for sharing ur advice and thoughts! I find it funny how some people only follow us bloggers to win a giveaway and then they unfollow when they don't win...
ReplyDeleteI've been much more selective on my sponsors compared to last year :)
Great things to consider when delving into sponsorships and giveaways, Jean! I'm becoming increasingly jaded about sponsorships (as you've seen, I don't do many sponsored posts on AN these days), and part of it is I'm trying to think of new ways to approach the whole thing. I'm just not very happy with the weight of the benefits between sponsor and blogger, and am looking for a happy medium.
ReplyDeletegreat post! i used to jump in and "follow" blogs when they advertise a competition. i mean who doesn't want to win a prize, but now i'll just skip over these giveaways and read the content if it interests me. i'm a bit over following three blogs, liking it on facebook and tweeting it to one and all just to win a prize, however big. isn't it enough that i have you in my rss feed because i enjoy your posts?
ReplyDeleteps. i bought a pair of ann taylor pumps over the weekend (recommended by you) and they are freakin' fantastic, soooo comfortable and so classy looking.
I don't do contests or giveaways, because I personally find them annoying and a lot people use them as shortcuts to readership or more hits. If I thought I had a good way to do it, I probably would, but I don't think it's worth my time.
ReplyDeleteAs far as being sent things, invitations, merch, or swag, I tread carefully and try to disclose things through my writing. I don't write anything, I wouldn't want to or wouldn't do for free. I tell people if my friends are involved and just try to be as transparent as possible. If someone doesn't like my writing in response to their product or whatever and don't want to work with me, that's fine as long as I'm honest and professional.
If I do something promotional or similar, I make sure it fits my audience and simply relay facts.
It's very difficulty to manage these thing and conflicts. I am extra careful, because I have media and journalism credentials I don't want to betray.
I don't want to be accused of trying to buy readers but hopefully reward them. Set strong principles and don't betray them.
Good luck.
While I don't get too much for Shorty Stories, I get tons of offers for DelectablyChic!, often from companies that don't quite fit the site. At one point, I would actually respond to those emails, but now, I'm more careful. Honestly, I don't quite get why some PR companies would bother sending emails to blogs without doing full research on the site. I've actually received book reviews from writers with a religious focus. Any look at DelectablyChic! (or even its predecessor, Prospere Magazine) can tell a publicist that we don't talk about that kind of thing!
ReplyDeleteWell...I'm one of the people that constantly seeks your advice so I probably don't have too much to add! But obviously I agree with everything you have said. I still consider myself a new blogger in the sense that I haven't been blogging for too long compared to some and I'm still finding my way and structure about what I want to write about. However, I remember when I had just started blogging I LOVED giveaways! heck, I still do! And sometimes it's through giveaways that I discover new bloggers that I might not have stumbled upon due to someone retweeting on twitter or posting on their blog. I think it's a good way to try and get new readers but if you don't connect with them they will eventually unfollow. As an avid blog reader I generally don't follow a blog just because of a giveaway but if I do like what I see then I will follow and hopefully keep reading.
ReplyDeleteAs you know I do get suspicious when a company approaches me - why? Well because I'm not that popular LOL! I mean if I were a company I'd probably promote myself to one or two very popular or influencial bloggers as opposed to 10 kind of popular bloggers all at the same time. Sometimes you can tell that a company has contacted all the bloggers of one community since all the same typs of giveaways are happening at the same time.
I always thought having your own giveaway was a superficial way to get more exposure. It is quite like buying readers if you offer a designer purse or high tech skincare device- things like that will surely grant bloggers hundreds of readers and it will be mostly readers in it for the free stuff. That is why I have never done a blog giveaway on my beauty blog where it is required to be a follower to win. I've only had secret giveaways to award my true readers. I wanted to see what audience I could gain from just plain blogging before I do a typical giveaway that requires "following." i feel proud to know I don't have any superficial followers of my beauty blog. I'm to hit my 2 yr mark soon and I do want to have a giveaway to celebrate not to gain followers but share with those who have stuck around. I think giveaways should be at most 2wks so there is less chance of superficial entries and perhaps keeping it to a week would be enough time for true readers to enter.
ReplyDeleteI just read this post by Janine Falcon recently that I thought might be relevant:
ReplyDeletehttp://imabeautygeek.com/2010/11/19/f-is-for-finances-are-we-shooting-ourselves-in-the-blogging-bank-account/
Ahhh, very well put, Jean! As a new blogger, I'm trying to grow my readership because it's so much more exciting to write to an audience and have feedback on your contents. I think we all feel that way; we want to share our trials and errors and we're much more motivated when we hear response from others.
ReplyDeleteWith that said, I think attempting to gain more readers through giveaways is somewhat superficial, like you've mentioned. As I clean out my closet, I come across many items that are brand new...some I'm listing on ebay, but some I've thought about sharing with the petite community. (Although I just started blogging, I have followed you all for a long time and I feel like I somewhat "know" you hehehe). So I'm still trying to figure out a way to share these goods without looking like I'm jumping on the bandwagon. :P
There are soooo many blogs out there and I must admit I'm feeling a bit intimidated. I never thought about being successful with my blog or anything, but I would like to have more readers where I can share my experiences with so I don't feel like such a loner lol. If you can share some tips on this, I would truly appreciate it. :)
Ok this is my longest comment to date hehe. What I really like about you & your blog is that you are very genuine. Keep it that way. :)
Thank you for the tips! Some of them SHOULD be obvious for some, but it can be very easy to get sucked into the world of fighting for followers, visits, sponsors, and attention in general (to one's blog, I mean).
ReplyDeleteI was reading a couple of comments above.. I totally agree on how annoying it is when people PURPOSELY follow to enter giveaways..and then UNfollow when it's over. I've seen a few blogs out there made just to post "giveaway buttons" for extra entries. Irritating..but what can you do?
The giveaway marketing (tweet, button, etc.) is a way of gaining followers, TRUE. but it is also a way to generate attention to your blog for those who ARE genuinely interested in your content! I've discovered quite a few great blogs through others tweeting about their giveaways! I guess there's two sides to it all. You can gain both "greedy followers" as well as ones that will be your loyal readers for years to come!
@Stephanie
ReplyDeleteSome bloggers hold giveaways to give back to their readers, but I see where you're coming from. There was a blogger giving away a "vintage Chanel purse" recently and gathered HUNDREDS of new followers in under a month. She didn't even know if the purse was authentic!
I totally agree with you on all points. I'm hosting a giveaway now (my first), but I debated over it for a long time. But I didn't really expect a sudden mass following. And I haven't. I have only a few new followers (and we'll see if they stay that way after the giveaway is done).
ReplyDeleteFor a blog to gain popularity, it's essential to network, but at the same time, I don't want to artificially increase my "readership" with people who don't actually like my blog. I see a lot of "I'll follow you if you follow me!" in a lot of comments, and I swore I would never be one of those people. I want people to follow me because they truly enjoy what I have to share. I try not to worry about the #s so much, even though it is nice to get some indirect feedback to see if I am really connecting with people.
Great post! :)
There is fine line that we dance with when it comes to working with brands and other companies. As long as you are genuine and authentic and know that your content is valuable, then brands will come around and we can find a mutually beneficial solution.
ReplyDeleteI don't have high blog numbers, but I do try to "discover" smaller brands and companies. Though they may not be able to pay outright, I mean, how do they know what I'll deliver right? But I think having a trial period/test post, etc. can give you some leverage. It's really up to you how you want to run your blog and everyone has their own reasons. LOL. But thanks for this post and sharing your experiences! =)
Great post!
ReplyDeleteIn my 2+ years of blogging, I've seen how sponsorships/freebies and giveaways have changed. One point that I've seen really change is the whole mandatory "follow" my blog to win my giveaway. I don't require the following of my blog because I want increased traffic or followers. I actually care more about other stats like my Alexa ranking, Klout score and google analytics - stuff that "fake" followers can't affect. (which I want to point out that if you want "big name" sponsors, the ones that actually pay big money - those are the stats they care about too. Nobody asks about Google Friend Followers) But the reason why I include "follow my blog" or "Like my facebook" etc... is because back in the day before the whole follower thing became - in my opinion - a superficial way to show popularity, us bloggers would get SO many randoms that would enter giveaways JUST to win prizes but they were never true readers. Their blog profiles often even said "my giveaway profile" or something like that. Of course the whole follower thing is the same way now, where people follow and then unfollow but at least it takes some effort and some accountability of following someone whereas back in the just commenting days, all they needed to write was "pick me!!" The whole thing I think started out that way to ensure that true readers were winning the giveaways and then it turned into a gigantic crazy "FOLLOW ME!" mess.
ReplyDeleteI don't do "review" posts per se. If I like it, I integrate it into an outfit. If I don't like it, I send it back to the company or let them know that I won't be featuring it. Don't ever feel pressured that just because you got sent something that you need to dedicate a FULL post to it, especially if you are not comfortable with that. Most companies have been happy with just seeing it show up in a lookbook/make up post and linked to it correctly. I rarely dedicate a post to something and if I do, it's because I truly love it and want to give it the love it deserves.
I could write a whole blog post on this (and maybe I will - thanks for the inspiration!) but I do get a lot of emails from newbie bloggers that have the same questions so will happily send them over to this post as I think you did a great job answering it!
Interesting topic, Jean! I've wanted to start my own blog for some time now but time does not permit, so I can only comment from the reader's POV. Giveaways are fun but I dislike the "Liking on FB" or "Following on Google" aspects. While some of my FB friends might actually benefit from the blogs I read, I don't necessarily want to announce to all my classmates, coworkers, etc. what I read in my spare time. The Google Friend Connect idea is somewhat lost on me as a reader, I don't see what the benefit is for the reader to follow anyone (other than to simply support a blogger I suppose). At least with FB you can get updates through the newsfeed. I follow my fav blogs through Google Reader and through Twitter and I think those two mediums work really well.
ReplyDeleteI think the best way for a new blogger to get the word out about their blog is to join in things like Kileen's Color Brigade or the Petite Fashion Challenge. The Linky Tools is quite genius. I really enjoy seeing all the entries for whatever topic and have discovered so many new blogs that way. And tweeting with other bloggers is another way I've learned about blogs.
As a reader I really appreciate bloggers who follow #1-3 that you listed. I like reading honest opinions and experiences from people who consumers just like me who don't have ulterior motives such as commission, etc.
I really do not know how sponsored posts are since I'm not a blogger - just a reader. I only started reading blogs in the past few months and must say that I have noticed sponsored giveaways. I think its great to be able to offer new things for readers to try but I wouldn't want the bloggers to sacrifice what they believe in. As a reader, I do not like to favorite the blog/company on fb...if that's the case for the giveaway, I just don't enter. I have found new blogs through giveaways on the sidebars of the blogs I read.
ReplyDeleteGood advice! I'd love to get a sponsor but I have no idea how :O(
ReplyDeletewww.thegirlieblog.com
What a thought provoking post, Jean. (Since this is a serious topic, no funny comments today) You touched on sponsors/giveaways nicely, so I just want to make a general comment about gaining more readers. I think this is something all bloggers think about as they watch their blog evolve over time. I dare anyone to say they never wished for more readers when they first started blogging. When it comes down to it, in most people's eyes, more readers + more comments = more popular blog. And the fastest way to achieve that is through giveaways/sponsors/leaving one-liner comments on other popular blogs, etc. I liken it to the first day of high school -- you don't know where you fit in, so you make as many "friends" as possible, but eventually you find your true friends. Blogging is a learning experience. I try not to judge at others' tactics, as most of us have been there, done that. I just hope that newbies will learn to be patient because eventually they will find their niche and group of bloggers/followers who are genuinely interested.
ReplyDeletehi jean, thanks for this informative post. i've actually just been approached by a company who emailed me on behalf of an online store and after reading your advice, i turned down the offer. in an update email they did want a draft post and did not offer to send any products for review either, so how should i know what their stuff actually looks like? thanks for the wisdom!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with what you said, definitely don't under sell yourself if it has nothing to do with you're telling your readers.
ReplyDeleteI <3 your blog and continuously look forward to your posts! Love you Jean!
This is a great idea for a series! I'm new to blogging and this is really helpful.
ReplyDeletehttp://shortsisterstyle.blogspot.com
This is a very interesting topic! For the past 10 months of blogging, I have never hosted a non-sponsored giveaway. I might do one when I reach my one-year mark. I appreciate my readers so much but like you said, the non-sponsored giveaway gives me a feeling of “purchasing” new followers. It’s very true that some people leave after the giveaway ended. They are not interested in reading; they’re just interested in the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, the most effective way to measure the popularity of a blog is how many comments blogger gets for each post. Those comments are coming readers who truly are interested in your blog. Unfortunately, sponsors do not read every single post. The only number they based on is the # of followers.
Recently, I started to reach out some of the smaller online businesses. Although, I might not want to purchase everything on their site but if they do carry a brand that I like, I still want to introduce them to my readers. I’ve worked hard to gain new followers. Sometimes, it’s unfair to giving away stuff to gain a huge amount of followers in such a short period of time. Regardless, bloggers can do whatever they want with their blogs. At the end, it’s still a personal blog.
I really like your honesty in this post. I've unsubscribed to many blogs because of their involvement in marketing and gaining followers superficially while their content is just okay. Growing your blog w/interesting content is the best way to do it. I think you are a leader in the petite blogger world. You have such enticing content and so inspiring at the same time.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your honesty. I think that you've really paved the way for a lot of petite bloggers to start their own blog, and the growing petite blog community definitely draws the attention of petite clothing lines, etc. We all appreciate you taking the time to sort through these brands for us, so that we are exposed to the best!
ReplyDeleteReally nice post Jean - and I agree on most points. I have never really looked at one of my blogs as a business, but if I decided to go that way and wanted to make money or attract sponsors for giveaways or reviews, how do I go about getting good readers and followers? It's not very easy to get people to follow and comment, and who's going to sponsor a blog that doesn't have anyone reading it? I'm still trying to find the answer on that one!
ReplyDeleteI felt like I was the only one reaching out to bloggers who were successful! Thanks for this post; it's candid and honest. I just ran across your blog today for the first time and I'm hooked. Stylistically, some of your photographs are gorgeous - amazing camera...and model of course!
ReplyDeleteI just started blogging recently, but I'm not looking forward to much. It seems like so much fun so I wanted to give it a try. But man, I get so lazy to take pictures and post. Maybe I'm just not meant for blogging. LOL
ReplyDelete