Sponsored posts

[purplemom]

Hi , after some advice from the wonderful seasoned bloggers I've met here. Today I was approached by an insurance company asking about whether I would be interested in doing a sponsored post about life insurance for families.
Now one of the reasons I started my blog was in the hope that in one way or another it might lead to some form of paid writing work. So I'm not adverse to doing paid or advertising work on my blog.
However I also want my blog to be good. For it to have integrity and offer readers lots of laughs. I'm just not sure a post about life insurance fits that bill?
So my questions are I suppose , do I sell my soul ? If so for how much ?
Ella

[butterflyexperience]

Go for it just make sure you give a true review and not sure what they offer

[purplemom]

Thanks however it's not a review. I'm working on a few review posts right now, though I want to make sure I only ever do things which I would use anyway. This is a post about family life cover and how to save money on it. The post would link to the insurance company

[purplemom]

Ok so I've given it some thought and decided sponsored insurance company posts are not really where I am at!
Perhaps my blog will never make me money with this attitude but screw that. I don't want to be dull. So I vow now , having learned a lesson recently about products on my blog that just are not me (any guesses), I will only put things on my blog that I am happy with.
Ella

[Typecast]

My own rule of thumb is "if in doubt, don't do it".

I have run the type of posts you're on about in the past but mark them as "advertorial" and publish them at weekend. It works for me but I'm also very selective with the subject matter, I don't copy/rehash press releases and will compare the subject with an experience of my own.

[PetiteRaleuse]

Purplemom I was contacted by them too, and was going to post here to ask the same question... are we going through some kind of interview process without being told about it??

I said yes and then they didn't contact me again so I guess I failed some test!

[purplemom]

Thanks typecast I think your right. I'm not adverse to doing advertising posts but I think it has to be something I actually know something about. I know nothing about insurance !
Petit glad to hear I want the only one considering it! Also glad to hear it might not have happened anyway lol

[MmeLindor.]

Hmpf. I have never been contacted by anyone for advertising or reviewing a product.

So can only say, as a reader, I don't mind sponsored posts if they are clearly marked as such, and if they fit into the blog.

So if MmeG were to write a sponsored post about travel to Paris, for instance, then that would be a good fit.

And I think that you have to hit a happy medium, and not have to many reviews and sponsored posts.

[PetiteRaleuse]

I agree it should fit in and should be clear that it is sponsored. Otherwise it would a little like cheating. I was v chuffed til I realised I was not alone...

[MmeGuillotine]

MmeL - I very very rarely get contacted by PR sorts either and 99% of the time, when they DO contact me it is with stuff (usually baby equipment etc) that is of absolutely no relevance to my blog.

I haven't been asked to do one, but I wouldn't do a sponsored post unless, as MmeL says, it would actually fit in with my blog.

[MmeLindor.]

MmeG
That is interesting, as your blog is extremely popular. Perhaps they target the more typical "mummyblogger" (not meant in a derogatory way)

[PetiteRaleuse]

I'm wondering how many they did contact.

[breadfortheboys]

I would definitely do something like that if someone wanted to send me to try out a cookery school or similar. A bit different I know...but just saying

[MmeGuillotine]

It is a bit odd as I have such a big readership but nonetheless PR people just aren't interested in me at all. Actually, amusingly, when the Fairy Blogmother thing was doing the rounds I noted that blogs who get a nth of my readers were being lavished with goodies, while I got offered either a bottle of gin or a £30 Amazon voucher... ;)

I don't mind really - I've pretty much given up reading most 'mummy blogs' because of all the advertising and promo that goes on so wouldn't like to find myself going down the same path. It's all so samey and there seems to be an increasing dearth of original and interesting content, which is a pity as there's some fine writers going to waste among them.

[PetiteRaleuse]

Call me blind or stupid (or probably both :) ) but I haven't noticed much advertising or product reviews anywhere. Maybe I don't read enough blogs - I tend to stick to the ones which participate here to be honest.

Intrigued by the idea of the Fairy Blogmother though. Like the idea of Amazon vouchers - would be far more useful to be than just about any baby product they could throw at me.

[MmeLindor.]

Oh, Petite, I have seen blogs that are one review after the other.

Hmm, MmeGuillotine - Sponsored by Gordons has quite a ring to it. Should we email Gordons and suggest it?

[MmeGuillotine]

Petite, the Fairy Blogmother will probably do the rounds again, I'm sure! It's an electrics company who give freebies to bloggers in exchange for a mention on their blog. I didn't mean to sound ungrateful for the vouchers (which were spent on some gorgeous fashion books which spawned a few blog posts!) but was just intrigued by how I seemed to 'rank' in their view. Um, not that I wanted a washing machine, just, well, it was interesting. :)

Mme L - I DESPERATELY want Hendricks gin to sponsor me but they don't even know that I exist. :(

I find that I'm loving the blogs posted here - there's a really refreshing, interesting and idiosyncratic mix on here. Long may it continue!

[PetiteRaleuse]

I have had a few hits from Ikea as I mentioned them once. It's quite regular but they have never contacted me. If they do want to replace all my furniture with Ikea stuff and come and put it all together themselves in exchange for a mention and, if they give me a few new pans to, a picture, then they only have to send me a little email

I don't subscribe to the clever company that analysed my hits for me anymore though as they wanted le to start paying, so I'm not sure if they have popped by recently since I put my new shiny email address on there

Ugh would hate to see a blog which was just reviews. I notice that Milly has set up a separate page on her blog for reviews, which looks lke a good idea if you get too bombarded with freebies

[MmeGuillotine]

Petite, I'll keep an eye out and next time I see one of their posts, I'll let you know so you can leave a comment (they pick out commenters and email them to offer them stuff). ;)

[PetiteRaleuse]

Nice... thanks!



Ooh that was the first time I used the flowery thing.

[MmeGuillotine]

Cor, flowers! Thanks!

WHY is there no GIN bottle option?!

[PetiteRaleuse]

no idea. Should be the full alcoholic range!

[PetiteRaleuse]

Back to the point of this thread. The insurance company got back to me in the end and we reached a deal. I would write a post, link to them and get paid. Well, I said yes. Why not? So I will be blogging it this afternoon. Although it is a sponsored post I mean every word I have put in the post.

[ElinorMumsnetBloggers]

Hi there - this is an interesting thread. Here's a bit of context on the network's position, in case it's useful as you think through what's right for your blog. We want to build a network that focuses on great writing for its own sake. So we're open to blogs that carry the odd product review or paid link from elsewhere, within the general mix of an honest, transparent and entertaining blog. We just draw the line at blogs that focus on reviews because that's not what our network's about.

[PetiteRaleuse]

Thanks for clarifying Elinor. Feeling less guilty about the post I just did now;

[purplemom]

ok then, you make me reconsider. A sponsored post would definatley go some way towards paying for the ipad I bought for blogging purposes. So I emailed back and said I would do it.