Are You a Professional Blogger?

While many of the people who read my blog know me mainly as someone who writes about Disney, parenting, or whatever is on my mind when I sit down to type, another huge aspect of what I do involves working on blog campaigns that involve anything from public service blog posts to reviews/giveaways to sponsored content.  Did your ears just perk up on the last one? That’s right, sponsored content.  As often as possible, I like to find bloggers to work on paid campaigns that involve the exchange of content for cash.  When everything goes well, these campaigns are incredibly rewarding because the entire reason I began working in this capacity at the start of 2009 was to put more opportunities in the hands of my fellow bloggers. However, it is also at times very, very frustrating.  When bloggers do not follow through on commitments, it makes what I do nearly impossible, and it also turns future clients away from wanting to work with bloggers.  In fact, I once had a well-liked, well-known marketing guy say to me privately:

Amy, with Facebook ad rates so low, the results so high, and bloggers so unreliable and high maintenance, how am I supposed to convince my clients to hire bloggers to do anything?

I think that at the time I probably hemmed and hawed and may have even yelled at him a little bit, but the fact is that sometimes it is difficult to be on the hiring side of this equation.  That amazing feeling I get moving money into other mom’s Paypal accounts for the work they’ve done from home has not gone away, but I really believe the opportunities could if the atmosphere doesn’t change…and soon.

So to all of those bloggers out there who email and ask me, “How can I be taken seriously by companies,” here is just the tip of the advice iceberg:

1. Learn to Say No: This is a lesson I am just beginning to perfect, and it has taken me an incredibly long time to do so.  There are so many opportunities daily from local events to blogger trips to information to share with your readers.  The bottom line is that there simply is not enough time in your day or on your editorial calendar to participate in everything that is available to you.  I recently turned down a chance to visit California for the first time and learn more about a brand that I already love, but the short time period coupled with the distance from the east coast to the west simply made it impossible in relationship to the other obligations on my calendar.  It was difficult, but I had to say no thank you.  I had a similar case with a sponsored post campaign where it was not as good a fit as I would feel comfortable including on my blog.  Again, I liked the brand and the compensation was more than fair, but saying no allowed me to take use that space on my blog to write about the things more important to me, and also freed up my time for other opportunities.  Worried that if you say no, people will stop asking?  Take note: Saying yes and dropping the ball means they’ll stop asking, too. Choose wisely!

2. Read Your Emails: I recently received an email from a blogger who was very upset about something contained in a product she requested to receive, which does happen from time to time.  We’ve all had to write a negative review, right?  In fact, that’s why they’re called reviews and not recommendations, and writing fair and honest reviews maintains your credibility as a writer.  However, the aspect of the product that upset her was specifically mentioned in the opportunity outreach. In fact, it was in the opening sentences!  If you receive an email that details the fine points such as deadlines, compensation, or posting requirements, be  sure to read it…every word. There is nothing worse than finally getting the opportunity that you’ve always wanted and then letting the little things keep you from being asked to participate again in the future.  Show the company that you take what you do seriously!

3. Work for Free: I have long been preaching the virtues of writing for free, and even as I continue to encourage companies to hire bloggers and pay them for their time, I still continue to encourage bloggers to write for free.  Taking the pitches that you receive and finding those little jewels of great content inspiration for your blog not only provides you with just that – great content – but it is also a way to practice transforming a static pitch into a living, breathing blog post.  And don’t forget to share your post with the company that sent you the idea.  You never know when they will be returning again…with a paid opportunity for those reliable and fabulous writers.

4. Be Responsible: We all have roadblocks and speedbumps in our lives that can turn a normal week into a complete nightmare.  My husband has been out of town for some time, and during his time away our basement flooded, our furnace broke, a troop of ants marched into our kitchen (welcome spring!), and the roof began to leak.  I could have taken any or all of those things and given up on deadlines and work responsibilities.  But making excuses – even when they’re real! – is a bad habit to fall into. Try your best to simply apologize for missed deadlines or mistakes and then right the wrong as soon as you are able.  I will never forget my father’s advice to value the power of the words, “I’m sorry,” and taking responsibility shows that you are….responsible!

There is so much more that I have to say about this topic that is so important to all of us working in this space, so if you’re headed to the BlogHer Conference this year, I hope you’ll consider voting for my Room of Your Own Panel topic on this subject. Feel free to also add your own advice and experiences in the comments.  I’m still optimistic that even as the social media landscape changes, bloggers can continue to have a highly influential impact on the space and in a positive way.

Leave a Reply

14 Comments

  • Thanks for this post!

    What a great list of reminders all bloggers can learn from.

  • I think one of the biggest complaints I see among “professional” bloggers is that they see the same moms working on paid campaigns and ambassador programs more often than not. Based on what I’ve seen/heard and read here and now, I understand why. That particular group of moms has proven to be reliable and trustworthy. It doesn’t surprise me that brands and marketers want to continually work with them.

    • Amy

      Cat, you hit the nail on the head. It doesn’t mean that there aren’t fantastic bloggers that need to be discovered and noticed so they can begin their journey, because there absolutely are. But yes, the ones that keep getting invited back are so because they are reliable, easy to work with, and provide great results.

      • I definitely agree. There are so many wonderful writers blogging that have a dedicated following that deserve a chance .. but sometimes you have to take a few free gigs to be considered for the paying ones.

  • I love this post Amy! Thank you for your honesty. Blogging CAN be a profession if you want it to be. But you have to be a professional to make it happen. And you most definitely are 😉

  • Such a great post!Thanks so much for sharing all this great wisdom.

  • I can’t believe facebook ads get results. I don’t even look at them very often. And when I do happen to look at them I usually respond with negative feedback.

    • Amy

      Hannah, the numbers don’t lie, and they absolutely get tons of traffic. My issue is that they don’t always bring the “right” traffic, and for this I think that nothing beats the engagement of bloggers and social media. For example, I just watched a public policy campaign aimed at mothers skyrocket to five figure fan stats, but rather than talking about public policy, they were talking about potty training – probably not at all what the client wanted. 😉

  • Great points for any blogger to learn from no matter our level of blogging. Thanks for posting

  • I am really struggling with all the emails I get each day from marketing companies. There are so many, I can’t get through them. I have just been ignoring them-which isn’t good either. How often do you do give-a-ways and reviews?

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  • Thanks for posting this………..I’m fairly new to this blogging and product review, and your posts made me feel better about what I’m doing!

    Nicky

  • It is kind of refreshing to see someone point out that writing for free isn’t a bad thing. All of these are good points, but that one is the one that made me come over and actually comment.

  • Since I started working with companies, it has been my goal to give 110%, no matter if I’m doing a small campaign or large.
    I have always worked SUPER hard to write a great post, promote the company and go above and beyond what they expected.
    I think if bloggers work hard, stay consistent and be patient…great things will come! 🙂
    ~Liz