Obligations
Apr 22, 2010 Blogging
I wrote a long-ass email today to a blogging listserv I’m a member of, in response to a discussion about accepting free stuff in exchange for being a member of the “media.” Reading over my email I think maybe I didn’t really answer the question that was asked, but there must have been some interesting stuff in there anyway because Kim Moldofsky said I should turn it into a post for Behind the Screen. Clearly Kim needs to run my life because that hadn’t occurred to me. I’m the very definition of “Work harder, not smarter.”
So, with that email as the jumping off point I’m going to explore the idea of obligations to brands (and by that I mean products, companies, shows, venues – basically any group that has something to offer a blogger for free).
My own rules
As a blogger I’ve developed my own rules over the past couple of years – I had to, there’s no handbook – and they keep changing as I encounter new situations. I started out writing about anything that was sent to me. I felt that if a brand had taken the time and money to send me something, that obligated me to write about the product. And while just about all of the products I was sent were good, most of them just weren’t interesting to write about. But I was still finding my footing as a blogger, so in the beginning I ended up with some posts about products that didn’t interest me. It was like pulling my own teeth to put out those posts, on what was supposed to be a blog about whatever I was interested in writing about.
It doesn’t mean that the product was bad, in fact often it was a product that I loved and already used. But great products aren’t always interesting to talk about it, unless you’ve got a blog that specializes in a certain kind of product and an audience that expects those posts. I did my best, and stand behind everything I wrote. But if that had been today I would have simply asked for money in exchange for writing about the product. Back then I didn’t realize that was an option. And I was writing about plenty of things that did interest me, so it wasn’t a huge deal.
At some point though my feelings changed about this. It wasn’t a switch going off and it wasn’t black and white. It was just a gradually emerging feeling that I was being used, something I touched on in my last post. So I’ve developed some rules for myself about when I write for free, when I write for products or perks, and when I write for cold hard cash.
Basically, if someone offers me something with no obligation – they send me an email asking if I want to try something or go somewhere, or a product just shows up at my door unannounced – then I may or may not write about it. I’d estimate that I’ve only written about 25% of the products that have come my way in the past two years. What I choose to write about isn’t really based on what’s best or worst, but on what I’m interested in at a given time. And sometimes I don’t know if I’ll be interested in writing about something until I try it. So, I say I’m happy to try the product but I make no promises. Sometimes that’s fine with the brand, sometimes they pass.
If the brand wants me to guarantee that I’ll write about something, there has to be something in it for me. Either the product itself has to be something I would have spent my own money on anyway, or there has to be cash compensation, or some other opportunity that I wouldn’t have had otherwise (put me in a room with George Clooney and this vegetarian will write a ten-part series about your pork product). Either way, if there’s a formal agreement, I make sure it’s clear how many posts I will owe and when I will be paid. I also make it abundantly clear that unless the brand actually wants to do a sponsored post, then the opinion will be my own whether I like the product or not. Their payment is simply a guarantee that I will write something. This may seem risky on their part, but honestly in my experience most of the companies sending out products have products they stand behind, and are willing to listen to criticism as long as it’s made in a constructive way.
The deals that involve money usually start that way, though, at least for me. If a PR firm approaches me to write about something and I ask them for money, they almost always come back with “no.” But that’s OK too, because it’s a quick way to get rid of PR people who just want to take take take and not give anything.
I don’t return products (well, hardly ever)
Sometimes the brand says that I can “borrow” the product for a week or so to write about it. Sometimes I’m told that I can only keep the product if I write about it.
The reason I usually get for this is that the PR firm simply wasn’t given enough units. In that case the brand needs to stop screwing around and fully commit to working with bloggers and provide more products. I mean, there may be things going on that I have no idea about, but it seems like if a company wants to promote their product they should have access to their product. If I can go down to Target and buy one, it sounds silly to hear that there aren’t any available.
These are games I simply don’t play (with extremely rare exceptions), for several reasons:
- If the product isn’t “mine” I simply won’t be using it the way a regular consumer would. I’m not going to risk damaging a borrowed product, so I won’t get to see how it holds up under normal use.
- I hate packaging things and going to the post office. I’m talking hate and I avoid it at all costs. I usually can’t draw a straight line from a review that I write to money that I make, so any extra effort on my part is just not worth it. The two times I did return products, they were picked up from me, at my house, at my convenience.
- Sometimes my opinion about a product changes the more I use it. Or sometimes, my original opinion is reinforced. All of that is valuable info, and I wouldn’t have it if I used a product for two weeks and sent it back.
- Often the most important thing I discover is whether or not the product will be used long term. This is especially true with kids’ items. If a toy sits in my living room for two months gathering dust then it doesn’t matter to me what my kids said about the product. Even if they said they loved it on day one, the cobwebs speak volumes (not only about the product, but about my housekeeping habits).
- This is the one some people don’t want to hear and most people don’t want to admit, but sometimes I just want to keep the product, for myself, because I like it and I don’t make enough money from blogging for it to be truly worth it. I’ve had other jobs that didn’t pay enough but had great perks. This is no different. After two years of literally hundreds of free products, I’m over the thrill of it, but there are still some items I get and keep using – and recommending – long after any kind of obligation to the brand is finished. That works well for both me and the brand.
But what if I approach them?
On those rare occasions where I approach a brand for something, I make sure to be extra extra clear about what they will get in exchange. Me approaching the brand is totally different than them approaching me. When brands approach bloggers they know what they’re getting in to and the risks they’re taking (and if they don’t it’s their fault). But when I approach a brand I feel a responsibility to publicize the product that I don’t normally feel, and I try very hard these days not to get into situations where I’m forced to write about something that doesn’t move me in some way, either because I love the product (or hate the product), or want to share something, or want to help somebody.
An opportunity, not an obligation
Most companies still don’t know what to do with bloggers. Some consider us media, some treat us as a special category. We’re playing a part in shaping how we’re treated long-term, and I think our best bet is to be as open and honest and straightforward with companies as we can. Some people look at free stuff as a perk, some look at it as a right, some look at it as necessary to keep review blogs afloat. There are plenty of people who refuse to take anything for free because they see that as compromising their integrity as reviewers. I think ultimately it’s up to your audience to decide if they trust you, and everybody’s situation is different. But I do know this: being a blogger who is given something for free does not obligate you to write about it.
It’s relatively cheap for a company to blanket the blogosphere with products and sit back and watch the publicity roll in. It’s much cheaper than putting up billboards and shooting commercials, and yet in many ways it’s worth so much more, because we’re often trusted voices in our own communities. But the only obligations you should feel are ones that you’ve willingly, knowingly entered into. A product arriving on your doorstep is an opportunity, not an obligation.
Originally posted on Behind the Screen, a part of SelfishMom.com. All opinions expressed on this website come straight from Amy unless otherwise noted. Please visit Amy’s Full Disclosure page for more information. Amy also blogs at Filming In Brooklyn and the NYC Moms Blog.
Tags: reviews
