At least a few times a week, I see a blog post or tweet about bloggers working with brands.

Theses topics are often included in these discussions:

• Should bloggers get paid to work with brands?
• Are brands treating bloggers fairly or respectfully?

Since I’ve been reading so many others’ thoughts on these topics, I decided to share my own in hopes of encouraging you all to think about them and to start a dialogue here. (Note: These are just my opinions; nothing I say here is right or wrong).

Should Bloggers Get Paid When Partnering With Brands?

Many of us would immediately answer “yes” to this question, because after all, who doesn’t enjoy making money? When we see many well-known bloggers bringing in money from their partnerships with brands, it’s only normal for the rest of us to daydream and wonder when we too will profit from all of our hard work online.

But the truth is that not all bloggers will make money. The sea of blogging is a saturated body of water, so sometimes we have to be realistic about whether or not blogging will be profitable.  With that said, in order to start on the path to getting paid for your work, you need to consider a few things first.

• Know Your Worth
  Many of the posts I’ve read recently have emphasized that you need to know your worth and set a precedent. If you don’t want to promote a company for free, then don’t. By doing so, you may only be setting the expectation that you will work for free again in the future. At the same time, just because you can charge doesn’t mean you should. You may not feel comfortable charging brands that want you to review their products even though you do charge for advertising on your blog. That’s alright. You set the rules when it comes to your worth.
  
  
• Set Fees, But Back Up Why You Are Worth It
  Are you able to connect with a large audience online? Do you have a large subscriber rate or great stats? Does your writing captivate, inspire, or inform?

  In many cases, you are providing a service to brands, such as helping to increase their exposure online. If you feel your work is deserving of compensation, have a set of standard fees ready to inform any companies that inquire about working with you. This may include advertising rates, conference sponsorship opportunities, or other services, such as charging for product reviews. If you decide to do this, you’ll need to be prepared to show them what they will be getting in return for their investment, which only makes sense. Wouldn’t you want to know if your money was being put to good use or not?

Do Brands Treat Bloggers Fairly or Respectfully?

This ties into my first discussion point, but many are also talking about whether or not brands are respecting bloggers. You will get a variety of answers to this question depending on who you talk to, but here is my opinion: I think many brands DO get the whole concept of blogging and know how to effectively work with bloggers, but at the same time, many brands DON’T.

I’ve gotten emails from brands inquiring about me doing a product review that have begun with “Dear Blogger” or “Dear Cindy.” Who is Cindy? My name is Tamara! Unfortunately, I think many brands have become desensitized to bloggers since there are so many of us. If we say no, they often just move on to others. Or they’ve sent out a mass pitch to hundreds of us at one time, so we just become a number on a list somewhere. When a potential relationship with a brand begins with that kind of lack of respect, I immediately know it’s not a partnership I want. If brands expect us to craft our pitch so that it’s personalized to them, shouldn’t they be presenting their best foot initially, too?

While brands are still learning how to partner with bloggers in a manner that feels comfortable to us, we have to make sure to help them along with this task. As I stated before, this begins with valuing ourselves, our time, and our efforts. Research appropriate rates, know your stats and influence, and put your best foot forward at all times. We can’t blame all of the disrespect on brands if we aren’t respecting ourselves first.

Remember, we are moms, we are bloggers, and we most certainly can be effective business women!

Curious about what to charge for advertising or how to figure out your worth? Check out these articles by Jennifer James:
How Much Should Mom Bloggers Earn?
Advertising Rates For Mom Blogs: How Much Should I Charge?

Want to read more about the history and predicted future of blogger and brand partnerships? Read these articles by Jennifer James & Ciaran Blumenfeld (respectively):
Where I Believe Mom Blogging Is Headed
Brands Working With Bloggers

Let’s discuss.
What are your thoughts on the topic of working with brands
and knowing your worth?

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