Let’s talk about perspective. There’s a lot of talk these days among bloggers about growth, sponsorships, payment, and things that we *should* be doing for the greater good; funding our blogs. Which I 100% support. However, I have to wonder if we aren’t looking at this all wrong.
New bloggers pop up daily, and our market is getting inundated. In my humble opinion, I think that while we are all hardworking entrepreneurs, we have to remember a few things. I’m not trying to be negative. I’m sure that some people will think that I am, but as much as we think we deserve, and how entitled I see people acting, I just wanted to bring some perspective back to myself and our business again.
First I’ll explain why I decided to write this post. I recently received an email from a brand I had wanted to work with. I went back and forth with them and ultimately ended with us not partnering because they said they have stopped paying for posts. Many bloggers would cheer for this, because as I told the brand, and I do agree, we need to show our value. However now, from my perspective, I didn’t get a product I wanted. And not only will I actually have to purchase it and the brand loses nothing at all. They’ll find someone else to work with in 2 seconds.
Let’s look at blogging like it is a company. We start as interns and work for free to gain experience. We start at the ground floor and work our way up. Sure, some people excel right away, they know someone, get raises, promotions, and impress the bosses, quicker than other. Most of us go along on a smooth path of incremental growth, and some don’t go anywhere at all. For the sake of this post I’m going to focus on the middle group. Why would someone who is in their first year be chosen for a promotion, when someone from the middle tier, with more experience and larger following could produce a larger return? Yes, they cost more, but you’re paying for their experience, and often times a stat that you can’t see, website visitors.
Yes, there is merit to using micro-influencers and mid-tier bloggers, why? They tend to have more engaged followings, but also they’re less expensive. From a brand’s perspective, they can give away thousands of products at minimal cost, but adding thousands of dollars to their marketing budget hits them harder, so they have to choose wisely where to spend it. Influencer marketing may be growing, but budgets are not. If a brand can’t see a direct ROI, they may believe it’s not working. I’m a social media manager, and it is my job on a daily basis to remind my clients that brand awareness is just as important as actually booking a call. However, it’s much harder to measure brand awareness than it is click on an ad. It is the constant struggle of a marketing department in a company is to prove that their efforts are working.
There’s just one thing that isn’t always taken into account when comparing rates and demanding we all be paid: Time. It’s so hard to remember, that major bloggers didn’t just wake up with 100k followers. We live in a world of instant gratification, but what we don’t see from everyone else is how long they’ve been at it, and how hard they have worked to get where they are. It’s easy for someone blogging for years to say that they should be paid for posts, but when they say it to those of us in our first year, we feel entitled to something that is unrealistic. Because the people that are being paid are those with more experience.
I’m not saying I’m happy with it, or even believe that we all need to start accepting product as payment, but I like working with brands that have the same values as I do. I enjoy creating relationships that could become lucrative in the future. Finally, I have fewer than 20k followers. I am not even in the top half of follower counts on Instagram, and have plenty of room to grow before I start demanding money. All that being said, I HAVE worked hard growing my following. I DO think I should be compensated for my influence and time, but maybe not to the degree I’ve been led to believe.
I’d love to hear your thoughts below. I understand this is a controversial topic. It has been stressing me out and I wanted to get this off my chest. Plus, what is my blog if only a place to express my thoughts?
I think this is beautifully said Kasey! And I 100% agree! This has been my personal opinion for a while because as a blogger I want to be confident in the return that I can generate for the company I am partnering with. We all start somewhere and there is nothing wrong with being compensated, in fact I agree we should be, but there are different types of compensation and different levels. It’s a great post and I think it’s a great reminder for us all!
Xo Bryn
http://www.waketonroad.com
Thank you, Bryn! If we keep at it, I don’t see any reason we can’t make a living doing this, it just takes a while!
I completely agree Kasey! Thank you for being so open and sharing your perspective on this! You rock!
Thanks so much Sarah!
LOOOOVE this!!! You are so spot on girl! I’ve been writing for 6 years now (wow- really?), but only started treating my blog as a business in the past couple of years. It takes work, time, love and so much energy! This is such a good reminder to not only remember our worth, but also promote it.
Exactly, it’s all in timing and perspective! Thanks so much for reading, Chloe!
Love this post, Kasey! I agree that everyone is at different stages and that not everyone deserves the same just because it was given to one. There’s something to say for the person that is consistent and doesn’t quit. Props to you for speaking your mind!
– Mary
http://www.MissMaryPowers.com
Thanks so much, Mary!
Great post and I agree! It is such a great reminder. I have only recently began asking for money on a consistent basis. It takes a lot of time to make it work! You are doing a great job! Keep it up!
Thanks Nataly!
Such a great post! I completely agree with you!! E
Thanks Ashley!
HI KASEY! FIRST LET ME JUST SAY THANK YOU FOR WRITING THIS POST. I THINK IT’S WRITTEN BEAUTIFULLY AND I COULDN’T AGREE WITH YOU MORE. WHEN I BEGAN MY BLOGGING JOURNEY, I ACCEPTED PRODUCT FOR COMPENSATION + DO SO A BIT NOW. NOW IF I ACCEPT PRODUCT AS PART OF COMPENSATION I ASK MYSELF, “WOULD I SPEND MY OWN MONEY ON IT?” IF THE ANSWER IS YES, THEN I ACCEPT PRODUCT BUT ALMOST ALWAYS ASK FOR MONETARY COMPENSATION AS WELL. I COULD GO ON AND ON ABOUT THIS…BUT I WON’T! SO JUST THANK YOU FOR WRITING THIS!
Thanks so much for your kind words Amanda!
Great post, yes I totally agree with. It does take lot of time and hard work. Keep doing what you are doing.
Rita | http://www.styleroundtheclock.com
Thanks for your comment, Rita, I am definitely going to!
KASEY! Girl, you killed it with this post and you couldn’t have possibly worded it any better. We gotta remember why we started these blogs in the first place. For our own enjoyment and creativity. I agree with every word you said. So thankful we became friends through this crazy blogging journey we’re on together!
XO,
Brooke
Charmedjerseybelle.com
Yes! It’s hard to remember sometimes, but I’m making a point to keep it more top of mind!
Beautifully said Kasey! Just because the blogging industry is getting so saturated does not mean our worth is becoming less. It takes time, effort and money to run a blog! Great job voicing this.
xo
Katie Ann
Thank you so much for you comment Katie! I completely agree!
I love that you wrote this post! I’m a brand new blogger and I don’t expect monetary compensation because I am barely starting out. I don’t just promote products either because 1) I want to stay true to my following and have honest opinions about these products and 2) it takes so much time to come up with content that it’s not right for brands to just expect you to write something for them and in return get nothing back! Thank you for writing this love!
Much Love,
Stevie
Hey Stevie, thanks so much for reading! You are so right, it takes time and we really need to create a brand for ourselves, not just take anything that will pay!
loved hearing your thoughts! i’ve been question/feeling a lot of the same things lately!
Thanks so much for reading, Jenna!
This is honestly such a well written post. I completely agree with you!! I have been blogging for over four years now and I definitely did not get paid in the first two years of doing this!!! It takes so much energy and time and determination to eventually turn it from a hobby to a business!
Xo Makayla
http://www.fashionablykay.com
Thanks so much Makayla! I think we all forget how long it takes to really become exeperienced!
This is great lady! Thanks for sharing!!
xo Laura Leigh
http://www.louellareese.com
Thanks so much!
Thank you so much for this! I’m completely new to the blogging game, and no where even thinking to ask for anything paid, but this blog post just made me confident that I’m going at a good pace! I really appreciate this! Xoxo
Thank you so much for reading! I am so glad I could help! By all means ASK FOR PAYMENT, but remember, there’s time to make a living later down the road!
I loved this Kasey! Everything you said was so true! Thanks for being transparent i definitely needed it!
Thank you so much Taryn! I rally needed it too, there are way to many expectations!
Amen, sister!
Love this post! There’s so much to be factored into just accepting product as payment and also requesting monetary compensation.
This was an excellently written post, girly. I love how you talked about this more controversial subject, and you gave some really awesome perspective! Thanks for sharing!
Stephanie // SheSawStyle.com
This is so beautiful, well written and true! We all need to remember who we are and what we put into our work. I did a lot of research before I finally launched my blog so I treated it like a growing business early on, I still sometimes accept free product if it is something I have really wanted or a brand I really admire. But I also know how much I pay my photographers, and what It takes for me to write and content create.
Love this post Kasey!! You can say whatever you want it’s your blog! I think you DEFINITELY need to be compensated. Don’t say I don’t even have 20k yet, gf you have 19.8 k which means you are marketing for companies to 19,800 people! You definitely deserve to be paid. Companies don’t realize this is our job and not a hobby and as much as we love it we can’t continue to work for free. And bloggers need to stop taking product as payment. Rant over lol
Thank you so much for your comments Nicole! I totally agree this is a job, absolutely! It’s just at a strange point where brands need to realize they get what they pay for!
Excellently written, girl! There’s a lot of different ways to look at it and I truly don’t think any of them are wrong. It’s up to you and what you feel works best for your blog! But it does take a lot of time and effort, and time goes into SO much of what we do. Great post!!
I totally agree, we work HARD and that should absolutely not be taken for granted!
Love this post! So well written and so many valid points. Thanks for sharing 🙂
xoxo
Meg
Hey Kasey,
I honestly needed to hear this. I just started creating my blog and I did come across yours on IG. I’m stuck in that funk of “oh I want followers now” because I am comparing myself to these much larger bloggers who have been in the game longer. I want to eventually make a little profit from my blog but to start out, I honestly just want to share my love for style and beauty. I know that I will not monetize at first until I’ve been in the water for some bit. I enjoy your posts about blogging because I am looking for REAL, down to Earth people, to look up to as I build my brand and blog.
Thanks for this!
Hi Thuy! Thanks so much for your comments! You’ll be successful as long as you are true to yourself! You’ll definitely get to a point where you can monetize, just keep at it! Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle 🙂