Sponsored Posts?
Tuesday 23rd of July 2013 | Category: Opinion | Written by: Iona BurchellI have never experienced a situation such as the ones I've experienced at Tots100 Blog Summit and Britmums Live, where not only did I feel valued, but that what I had to say mattered and was of value to others. I love that there are people from a wide range of ages and backgrounds that have blogging in common. To be honest, I also enjoy the fact that PR's and Brands are interested in little old me. It's a great feeling.
I have to admit, it makes me feel good to be wanted. I've never ever experienced this in work before and it's nice. I have written about how much blogging has come to mean to me here and this has prompted in me some deep thoughts on sponsored posts, advertising and generally being paid to blog as both I and my blogging develop.
I want to remain true to my blog and to keep my integrity. A very lovely fellow blogger and talented writer herself has I believe a similar attitude and approach to blogging. Actually Mummy is also very honest and open about how she approaches her blogging and how she makes money through it and as a consequence of it. I recommend you check out her site if you haven't already. Listening to her speak about it all made me feel confident in my own abilities too.
I started blogging wanting desperately to write-I have so many things running around inside my head I needed somewhere for them to go before I exploded. Years and years of stuff that needed an outlet. I never came to blogging with any contacts or connections whatsoever. In a world where 'it's not what you know but who you know' I knew no one! Sorry Mr Caan, but it has always been so and will ever be the case-it's human nature that who you know is what opens doors. Human beings generally prefer the known to the unknown, certainly in the everyday.
So I realised after the first three months of blogging that I needed to get to know people. Not in a cut throat sense as I just can't operate like that, but I realised that I needed to build a good reputation online otherwise no one was going to take a risk employing or trusting me with projects without a track record. I also wanted to build relationships with people who weren't children as I was missing that a bit in my day to day life.
By going to blogging conferences and linking up with PR's and Brands with whom I already had some sort of relationship with in one way or another, I've started to build up what I hope will be long lasting relationships. I have decided that I'll be unlikely to accept advertising on my blog unless it's for something very special or unique because I want any 'selling' to be done by me and my direct experiences as I value the relationship with my followers and readers too much.
This is why I have decided to write sponsored posts. Ready made paid work is not an easy thing to achieve, despite what some sights might have you believe. You have to work at it, like everything else in life. I have opted to be quite picky about the PR's and Brands I work with from fairly early on because my own blog brand is so important to me. This is where I believe my integrity can remain in tact. I do believe that accepting sponsored posts and maintaining integrity can sit together comfortably as long as you are careful about what you choose and how you decide to approach it.
As I said, without contacts, gaining paid writing work has been a lot of preparation, belief and dedication. There are no instant wins. The hard work won't stop now either. I actually feel after nine months that I've really only just started. I now can't see myself doing anything else, it gives me such a feeling of contentment that I have to find a way to make it all work. But it will be a in a way that remains committed to who I am and what I represent. I also believe it will be the most likely route to success in achieving my aim of making a living from blogging and writing.
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