Firstly, I want to start off by saying I’m different. I’m not like many other bloggers.
In part, that’s probably because I’m not massively successful at it. When it comes to writing my own blog, I’m not updating it by far enough or dedicating sufficient time towards it.
And that is because I have a job. And that job is writing for other websites and helping to market them. So the thought of coming home after eight hours of doing that, to do it again, I’ll be honest, isn’t the most appealing.
The people who are most successful at blogging are those that dedicate their time solely to it. And for it, I’m a little jealous of them. And for my revenge, I will expose the truth about bloggers… Mwha ha ha…
But on the other hand, I’m also glad that I’m small-fry.
Safety First
A part of my job involves contacting other people. Luckily, I mostly do that through email, which means I only have to virtually engage with people.
Without going into detail (because hey, it’s not really any of your business), it involves telling people about blogs I write which are full of safety tips. In a way, they are helping to save lives. *Smug look*
I’m not pushing products (however, let’s be honest, the hope is that some people will buy something, but there really is no selling tactics involved). It’s free advice. And to get it in front of people who will benefit from the advice, I ask relevant people/brands if they would be interested in sharing it.
It’s simple enough. A retweet or a link to it on their website is all I’m asking for.
Private Property
A majority of people ask for money to do this. And although we’re not looking to spend money, they’re completely entitled to ask that, and we part ways quickly.
However, there’s something in the way people say no.
These are the wannabe bloggers.
They so desperately want to stay at home and get paid for taking pictures on Instagram. Yet, despite the fact they still have a .blogspot.com domain, they want to charge £200 to even read your email.
At the end of the day, for a domain, server and WordPress, I’m not even paying £25 per year. So why have they not even made a simple and cheap commitment? It’ll make them look far more professional.
Who knows? I certainly don’t. All I know is that pound signs pop up in their eyes, and their greed means they lose out.
One email I received simply said:
“Unless you have a budget, don’t bother contacting me.”
Another said:
“Well, that won’t pay my bills.”
I get where they’re coming from, I really do. But in all honesty, I don’t feel by asking them to spend 30 seconds writing a tweet, if they truly think it might help someone, is taking food out of their child’s mouth.
Of course, if I was asking them to promote us, saying how great we are, that would actually take a few hours work and that would be completely different.
On The Other Hand
The more respected/popular the blogger, the more forthcoming I’ve noticed they are with the request.
I’ve had a guest post on a top parenting blog for example, despite my lack of children. And the No.1 parenting blog put a link on their site because they felt parents would really benefit.
And if these more popular bloggers don’t want to do it, they’re also better at saying no.
One response I had said:
“Sadly I’m not in a position to offer free link sharing but I wish you well with placing elsewhere.”
The difference is, if I were able to give these bloggers remuneration, I would be far more likely to return to her.
But the one’s I quoted a little earlier? Well, with their manner, I certainly wouldn’t want to work with them.
Professionalism is everything, and I respect that a lot more.
</Rant>
Anyway, that’s off my chest now.
The point of this blog post is to just question the true intentions of some bloggers. It’s impossible to know just how easily they’re brought.
Some people mention money before I’ve even pitched them with who we are and what we do. So would they literally just say yes to anything if someone were willing to pay them?
Just think about it next time your favourite blogger retweets something they ‘like’, or fail to ever give any product a negative review.
After all, what do you want from your bloggers? Someone who stays true to their identity, beliefs, and integrity, or one who can afford a snazzy camera to shoot a vlog with?
And I know that these bloggers probably get dozens of requests a week. And what I would say to them is that I’m not being negative to you in any way. But also remember that a very small favour, like I ones I ask for, can be just as helpful to you.
Incidentally, to my readers, I have a job I like and make sufficient money from that. So you can be sure that I truly love, and hate, the things I talk about…
… For now.
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