21 reasons why bloggers should stop working for free
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Is your goal to make money with your blog? Then why are you working for free? Is there any benefit to bloggers working for free? Or does all the benefit go to the brand they are working for? Here are 21 reasons why bloggers should stop working for free and start actually charging money!
Blogging is a weird industry.
Most days, I will open up my inbox to find at least one email from a brand or PR asking me to promote their product or service: maybe a review, a recipe post, a giveaway or something else. Do you want to know what they all have in common? None of them mention money. Some of them mention ‘free product’, some of them mention ‘exposure’, some of them mention ‘the opportunity to host a giveaway’, but not one of them actually mentions cold hard cash.
Can you think of a single other industry where that would be the case? If I was or a photographer, or an electrician, or a website designer, or a plumber, or a gardener, or a cleaner? Of course not! I’d be asked for my fees, or a quote!!
I recently came across an article written by a blogger, who was also a photographer, talking about the difference in how she was treated, depending on whether potential clients were interested in her photography skills or her blogging skills. If they wanted to book her for a shoot they asked her for her fees. If they wanted her to write a blog post, they offered her ‘free product’ or ‘exposure’.
Sounds ludicrous when you put it like that.
Yet the weirdest thing of all is that these emails don’t get laughed at and deleted. They don’t get politely replied to with the very pointed question, ‘yes and what’s the budget?’, or replied to with a ‘here’s my standard fees’ email. It is common practice for bloggers up and down the country (and indeed around the world) to reply to these emails with ‘yes of course I’d love to work for free product/exposure/the opportunity to do a giveaway/nothing at all…’
I will admit, for the first year of my blogging career, I did this too.
Are we bloggers bonkers? Yes, I think we just might be!
How do brands and PR companies get away with this? Um…because we let them! Imagine you are a brand owner and want to get some bloggers to review your product. Which would you choose? Contacting bloggers and offering a decent fee for their services? Or contacting bloggers and not mentioning money, hoping that enough of them will come back happy to work for free? When you have a bunch of ‘mugs’ who are willing to work for free, why offer a fee?
So guys, let’s stop doing it!
Still not convinced? Here are 21 reasons why bloggers should stop working for free…
1. Because you are offering a service of real value
Think you are ’just a blogger’, think again. You are not ‘just a blogger’, you are a ‘digital influencer’. You are offering a form of advertising. And a form of advertising which is becoming more and more important and valuable in today’s modern world where people, especially millennials, often don’t trust (or even see) traditional advertising, but are incredibly influenced by ‘digital influencers’ such as bloggers, instagrammers and youtubers.
2. Because you offer something above and beyond traditional advertising
Traditional advertising is the brand saying, ‘look at our lovely product’. You as the consumer are savvy. You know the brand is going to say good things about the brand because they are trying to sell it. A sponsored post with a ‘digital influencer’ goes much deeper. It’s a personal recommendation for a start… to a large group of people who trust you. You are also giving all sorts of added value that is hard to replicate with traditional forms of advertising. You can get across key messages for the brand, dispel myths (such as the brand is poor quality, or only for a certain type of person, or difficult to use), you can explain how the product works, show yourself using it, give consumers ideas about what to do with the product, make the product seem aspirational… and so much more.
3. Because you are worth it
Pure and simple. You are worth it. One of the biggest issues for bloggers is we feel that we are not worth being paid. But as I have clearly explained above – you are offering a valuable service. A service that cannot be achieved by traditional advertising and a service that brands would be willing to pay good money for (if only we didn’t keep doing it for free!).
4. Because your time is valuable
I often hear bloggers saying that they did a certain campaign for free because ‘it only took me a couple of hours’.
Firstly, I doubt that! If you add up everything from nailing down the brief, to taking the photos, editing the photos, writing up, scheduling all the social media, reporting back to the brand, invoicing… The whole project in it’s entirety takes A LOT more than a couple of hours (I’ve had some campaigns where just the back and forth between me and the brand has been more than a couple of hours – or at least it felt like it!!)
And secondly, my question is what else could you have been doing with that ‘couple’ of hours? You could have been working on your SEO and growing your page views and ad income, you could have been creating an opt-in that would grow your email list, you could have been doing some social media to grow your followers and engagement, you could have been working on an online course to sell to your readers, you could have been writing a post that included an affiliate link… all of these things would either directly or indirectly lead to more money, either now or in the future, than doing a free post for a brand.
Which leads me on to…
5. Because there is always an opportunity cost
If you are using your time for one thing (a free sponsored post), you can’t be using it for another (working on SEO to grow your ad revenue, for example). So next time you are tempted to do a free post, ask yourself: ‘What is this going to cost me to do it?’ or ‘What could I do instead that would actually make me money?’
Let’s take an example. Let’s say you are asked to do a review post in return for some free products. And let’s say you decline and instead decide to write a post featuring your top 10 favourite books on the subject of your blog. You then make sure for every book there is an Amazon affiliate link. That post is likely to be a) quicker to write, b) more popular than your review post, and c) waaay more lucrative. And even if it only earns you a few pounds it’s more than a box of free products you didn’t really want in the first place!
6. Because did you even want the free stuff anyway?
Next time you are tempted to say yes to an email offering you freebies in return for your hard work, stop and think: ‘Do I even want these freebies?’. As humans we seem to be naturally inclined to get a little over excited by free stuff… even if it’s neither something we need nor want.
I can more or less see the logic in saying yes to free product if it was something you were going to buy anyway. Especially if it is an item that is worth several hundred pounds. Or if it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity – like a brand is offering you and your family an all-expenses paid holiday in the Caribbean… But if it’s a free blog post in return for a few jars of sauce or packets of crisps… that you wouldn’t have otherwise even bought, it seems a bit mad!
7. Because that ‘free product’ isn’t really free
Of course it isn’t free! They might call it ‘free product’ but actually, it is compensation for your time and effort. In fact, that is also how the tax man views it. And guess what? The tax man definitely won’t accept being paid in ‘free product’ or ‘exposure’.
So just to take an extreme example – let’s say you were never paid for a single blog post but got loads of free product – enough to take you over the tax threshold. The tax man would want to tax you on the value of that product… and the tax man would want to be paid in cold hard cash!!
Think that’s a bit of an unlikely scenario? What if you have a full-time job which already takes you over the tax threshold and you blog on the side… the tax man would like 20% (or 40% or whatever tax bracket you are in) of all the free products you receive… in cold hard cash… Suddenly that ‘free product is very un-free, isn’t it?
(obviously, I am not a tax expert, and this varies from country to country, so you’d need to check the rules and regulations in your country, but it’s likely to be a similar scenario and it’s a sobering thought!)
READ MORE >>> How to keep track of your blogging income and expenses
8. Because often there is a budget
Do you want to know the kicker? There IS often a budget IF YOU ASK! As I mentioned in my opening preamble, I get these emails nearly every day and do you want to know the very first thing I do? I either ask what the budget is or send them my fees. And do you know what? So often there IS a budget, if only you ask for it. And yes, sure, some people come back and say, ‘sorry no budget’ and some just ignore my reply… But some do come back to me with budget and I’ve worked on some very well paid campaigns off the back of an original email that didn’t mention money at all.
9. Because who else would work for ‘exposure’ or ‘free product’?
I’ve got an electrician coming in this week. Imagine if I offered to pay him in exposure or free biscuits? Can you think of any other job where it would be acceptable to pay in ‘free product’ or ‘exposure’, because I can’t! Or to put it another way…
10. Because you wouldn’t work at McDonald’s for free hamburgers would you?
Imagine if you went for a job interview at McDonald’s and they said ‘Congratulations! You got the job… There’s just this one thing… We’ve had a slight change in company policy and we’ve decided that instead of paying our workers a decent wage, we’ve decided to give them free food instead – would that be OK?’
Laughable isn’t it? So why is it that we accept that as OK payment for blogging?
11. Because exposure doesn’t pay the mortgage
I’ve been tempted on more than one occasion to reply with ‘sorry but exposure doesn’t pay the mortgage’ to those emails I get that say ‘sorry the brand doesn’t have any budget for this, but we can make sure your blog is given lots of exposure’. No matter how much ‘exposure’ your blog gets, ‘exposure’ is not going to pay the bills.
12. Because what brand doesn’t have a budget for marketing?
I find this one crackers. If you have a brand, you have a marketing budget. Every legitimate business (even small ones) has a marketing budget. It’s just they realise that they can get away with not paying bloggers, so they use their marketing budget elsewhere.
I once got offered a campaign where there was apparently ‘no money’… That campaign was fronted by a very famous celebrity, who I am perfectly sure was charging a hefty fee for her services. The brand had clearly spent the whole marketing budget on her and were trying to get the bloggers to do their part for free.
13. Because if we all insisted on being paid, brands would find the money
Of course they would! As I mentioned above, getting ‘digital influencers’ to feature your project is becoming an increasingly important way of marketing your product. Brands ask bloggers to work for free because they know they can (it’s us who are the mugs!). If we all just en masse said NO, guess what? Brands would find the money to pay bloggers.
14. Because you are a small local business too
I get this one a lot too. ‘We are just a small business/local business/startup and we don’t have the budget of larger businesses’. Well guess what, you the blogger are a small business too! Before you feel sorry for the small business, ask yourself: ‘can I as a small blogging business afford to give this blog post away for free?’. Also bear in mind that even small businesses ought to have a budget for marketing.
Obviously, there are going to be exceptions to this one. Perhaps if it’s a product that is made by a friend, for example. But recognise that for what it is – you are giving your friend a present. Would you give a complete stranger you’d never met a present just because they asked you for one? A present worth hundreds of pounds? No, I thought not.
15. Because flattery doesn’t pay the bills either
After you have received a ton of pitches from brands you notice they all start off the same way…with a lot of flattery. They are ‘big fans’ of your blog, they read it ‘all the time’, it’s their ‘favourite blog’ with ‘exceptional’ writing/photography etc. It’s amazing how much flattery can make you lose your mind and make you consider working for hours and hours for free! I know I fell for this hook, line and sinker the first few times. I felt special, I felt chosen, I felt like I somehow owed these nice people something.
But of course it’s just a technique. A very clever technique but a technique nonetheless. They know that if they flatter you first you are more likely to work for free. Just bear in mind next time you read one of these opening lines a) they’ve probably written the exact same thing to a whole bunch of bloggers, b) they may never have done more than glance at your blog.
16. Because free doesn’t generally lead to paid
It’s funny how this myth seems to be perpetuated in the blogging world… that if you do enough free posts you’ll eventually get paid. But this isn’t generally how it goes. More likely if you say no to enough requests for free posts, eventually you will get paid. Because if a brand knows you will write good content for free, why would they pay you? On the other hand, if a brand wants their content on your site and knows the only way they’ll get that is if they pay, guess what? They’ll find the cash.
And please don’t be hoodwinked by the PRs who say that the first one is free, but after that it will lead to paid posts… I fell for a few of these when I first started out. Have I ever heard back after that initial freebie? Of course not!!
17. Because exposure is not usually worth that much anyway
In my time blogging I have sent lots of traffic to brands. Have they sent much my way? Nope. Even the ones who promise lots of ‘exposure’. I’ve had maybe a handful of pageviews, if that, from the brands I’ve worked with. Not really worth a free blog post, is it?
18. Because your MUUs may well be higher than the circulation of some big magazines in your niche
I had a little look at the circulation figures for food magazines in the UK. Most had monthly circulation figures LOWER than my monthly unique users for Easy Peasy Foodie. Can you imagine what a major UK food magazine would say if a brand asked them to do a free 2 page advertorial in return for ‘free product’? (I’m imagining some kind of less polite version of ‘on your bike, mate!). For this kind of activity, a print magazine would charge thousands. Yet we as blogger are willing to do it for a few jars of jam…
19. Because your blog is your business not your hobby
If you want your blog to make money, you have to treat it like a business, not like a hobby. And businesses don’t do work for free.
20. Because even if you don’t want the money you are hurting your blogging colleagues
OK I’ve written this piece with the assumption that you do actually want to earn money from blogging. But what if you don’t? What if blogging is actually just a hobby and you are just in it for the freebies and don’t want to make money? Well, look, I’m not going to tell you how to live your life or how altruistic you should be. But do at least bear in mind that by working for free you are potentially hurting the incomes of those bloggers who blog for a living. It’s up to you what you do with that information, but I thought you should at least know.
21. Because everyone else is getting paid
Do you think the PR/Brand manager who contacts you is doing their job for free product/exposure? Do you think their boss is, or anyone else connected to the PR company or brand is? Of course not! So why should you be expected to work for free when no one else is?
I’d love to know your thoughts on this issue? Do you agree? Do you disagree? Do you think working for free is OK in some circumstances? If so, when?
Are you a Brand Manager or PR who sometimes asks bloggers to work for free? I’d love to hear your side of the story too!
Find out more…
Find out more on the topic of making money with your blog from the following posts:
- How to make money on your blog with advertising
- How to make money on your blog with sponsored posts
- How to make money on your blog with products and services
- How to treat your blog like a business (and start actually making money!)
And for a good overview to the subject of making money on your blog do check out this post: How do blogs make money?
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Great article Eb! We learned this lesson long ago with my husband’s Business (he’s a filmmaker)- often he’s asked to work for a low rate or for free due to small budget, usually with the promise of more work, but NEVER has him doing this led to anything paid- this experience helped me to enter blogging with my eyes open and not to feel embarrassed about asking to be paid. The problem is we all need to be on board, one PR once said to me ‘bloggers much bigger than you are doing it for free jelly’! I hope things are starting to move on here, and I hope lots of new bloggers read your fantastic article and take heed!
Really? Gosh, there’s another profession I would never have thought would be asked to work for free! I was fortunate in that I had years of experience of working in business before I moved into blogging – I was used to negotiating with suppliers, and I’ve never been afraid to ask for money as a blogger. I did do a few freebies in the early days (when they replied with the inevitable ‘no budget’ line). But I saw it as building up my portfolio. Now I don’t do anything for free unless it’s a favour for a friend! FREE JELLY???? Hahahaha – that’s the best line EVER!! And also suuuper frustrating. I really hope things start to move in the right direction too. I think they will if more of us speak up about it and say it’s not on! Eb x
Such a good blog post. I have never been paid cash for using/promoting a product. In some ways I guess I’m an exception. I set up my blog because of my health issues. So on good days I create recipes and on bad days I write up, edit, etc. and then post them on my blog. If I could be reliable I would happily register as a small business and start charging. My blog gives me a sense of achievement and I would love to earn from it. Just to clarify I don’t receive any government benefit due to my disabilities. I really hope that in the future I can feel confident about charging.
Thanks Sammie! Just go ahead and start asking for money when brands ask you to do collabs! The worst they can say is no. I am sure that if ever you couldn’t hit a deadline due to your health issues the brand would be understanding. So pleased to hear that blogging has really helped you! Eb x
Thankyou for sharing this Eb, it’s a brilliant post and one that EVERY blogger, PR company & company who is looking at social influencers as a form of advertisement should read. Why should we be paid with peanuts, literally!! It’s a sobering point you make that the ‘free’ items we receive aren’t viewed as such by the tax man, and so there’s the potential we’d have to find the cold hard cash from somewhere to pay the tax man. The way they want to ‘pay’ us seems to me to be akin to the old fashioned bartering system.
I recall last yr I received an email from a PR company who were looking for me to develop a recipe to go on the company’s own website rather than my blog. Thought it soundsed great but there was no mention of money but the word ‘exposure’ was used!! We discussed what they wanted (turned out recipe, a little content & images) and for all that (even though I gave 3 different prices for different ‘packages’ ) they offered me £20!!!!!!! I mean that barely coverd the ingredients! Needless to say it didn’t happen!
I’m off now to read your newsletter of how to ask for payment for a sponsored post!
Angela xx
Haha – yes I like your point about being paid in peanuts…literally! So true and so sad. And 20 quid??? For all that??? Aaaargh! Makes me cross. Though unfortunately many bloggers would take that and that’s why brands/PRs know they can get away with offering such low rates. Hope you enjoyed my tips!! Eb x
Great post. #brillblogposts
Thank you!! 🙂
A great eye opener, and you’re correct in that no other kind of employment would expect you to work for gifts!
Thanks for sharing ?
You are welcome! It’s crazy isn’t it? Not so much that PRs and brands ask (if they think there’s a chance that they can get bloggers to work for free/gifts of course they are going to ask!) but the truly crazy thing is that bloggers accept! Eb 🙂
Thank you so much for this blog!!!! I started a blog 3 years ago and it’s grown exponentially and still, I get these emails from these FREELOADERS as I like to call them about featuring their products etc. in exchange for a sample! I’m like “No way! Here are my rates.” Of course, they disappear. I even charge for shameless plugs. It’s literally getting out of control. The worst part is some of these people are publicists for BRANDS! Which means the brands can afford to pay thousands a month to these publicists only for them to reach out to me and offer me some sad a** product in exchange for promotion on my blog! It’s almost sickening to think this is even normal. I hope we all stand together and tell them no! No money, no promotion. Simple.
Oh I 100% agree with all of this. The worst part is, what we offer as bloggers is really quite valuable… but PRs and brands (even big name brands!) know they can get away with paying peanuts (literally sometimes!) because so many bloggers are willing to work for free or a super low fee. We need to all stand together and say ‘no’ and then they will absolutely find the money!
Interesting points. I am interested in point 20, BECAUSE EVEN IF YOU DON’T WANT THE MONEY YOU ARE HURTING YOUR BLOGGING COLLEAGUES. I’m a retired teacher and would enjoy writing a blog to explain concepts that many students and teachers in my field find difficult. I do not need the income and it would be fun for me to do. But I do not want to hurt younger folks that might write on the same subject, hoping to earn some money. Is there any data to back up your claim? In the US, there are lots of volunteers doing jobs that could be paid-for example, Meals on Wheels delivers reduced cost lunches to seniors and those with disabilities-and all the delivery drivers are volunteers. Paying delivery drivers would raise the cost so that too many can’t afford it. In what ways is this similar to, and different from, blogging for free?
Hi Mark, I’m glad to hear you found my article interesting. The problem is that brands and PRs have a finite marketing budget and they will use that in the most efficient way possible – across all the forms of marketing out there. Sponsored posts are actually quite a valuable marketing channel to brands, because they are not only getting an ‘advertorial’ but they are also getting a personal endorsement and a highly targeted audience who look up to the blogger in question and are highly likely to act on a recommendation. (In fact, an oft quoted statistic is that 84% of millennials don’t trust traditional ads >>> https://www.performancemarketingworld.com/article/1755646/84-millennials-dont-trust-traditional-advertising-%E2%80%93-sam-crocker-impactcom) But PRs and brand marketing departments are smart – they’ve figured out that there are many, many bloggers who will give them that kind of exposure for free, or ‘free product’ or a very low fee… meaning they can spend the majority of their marketing budget on other forms of advertising that it’s not possible to get for free – print ads, TV ads, display ads on websites, events etc. I don’t have any hard data, just a lot of anecdotal evidence from my experiences, the experiences of other bloggers, conversations with PRs etc. – and of course straightforward common sense that if a PR/brand has a finite budget and a choice between spending that on 200 bloggers who’ll work for ‘free product’ or 5 who expect to be paid appropriately, they nearly always go for Option A – even really big name brands. In fact, I’ve been told straight out by PRs representing huge brands that the ‘have no budget for this campaign’ – which of course is nonsense… of course they have a marketing budget, they just know that they can get some bloggers to work for free, so they choose to spend their marketing budget elsewhere! I hope that helps answer your question. Eb