Almost everyday, I receive at least one email from someone – PR agent, brand rep, etc – asking that we collaborate on a project. I love getting these emails because apart from the fun of collaborating with a respected brand, I also do love the financial perks. Who wouldn’t, right? However, every week, I also receive a couple emails from brands who want me to work for them. For free. Not only do they want me to work for free, but they also want me to jump through hoops while doing it.
Dear Vera,
First of all, we adore your blog! We are working on a fun campaign that we think you would love. Blah … blah … blah. Then they tell me what they would love for me to do. We would like for you to blog about our latest toothbrush! We will be sending you one toothbrush for you and your family. We would like you to put up a post showcasing you and your family using the toothbrush. It should be at least 1000 words long, have five high quality, highly pinnable images, and 10 minutes of video of the toothbrush being used.
In the video, while using the toothbrush, please perform cartwheels, backflips, and magic tricks. We would also need for you to swallow a fiery sword and stay under water for 5 minutes. Finally, we need you to cross-promote across all your social media channels: ten times on Facebook; 15 times on Instagram, and 20 times on Twitter. In return, we will be sharing some of our best posts, and yours might just be one of them! How does that sound, Vera?
I have to do all this work for your fun campaign? Okay, well, how much does your fun campaign pay? Oh, at this time, we don’t have a financial budget, but if we pick your post as a favorite, we will be sharing it with our fans on social media. Also, you will get to keep the toothbrush as a gift from us! Are you in?
So, all this work for a free toothbrush? Is that what I came to do in America – to be brushing my teeth? The thing is, there are so many brands out there that want to work with bloggers, and there are even more bloggers who want to work with brands. What we need is a bridge, a bridge that we all know of and can contact.
I’ll be honest, when I started monetizing Verastic three years ago, I did it for little to no charge, but that was to build a portfolio. The brands that want bloggers to work for free are ruining it for the other brands that have good intentions, and the bloggers who go ahead to work for free are also ruining it for the rest of us.
Bloggers may choose to work free for whatever reason they have, but if anyone has any free work to pitch me, please let them not contact me.
Aaaaah, they did not even offer toothpaste and water?
Loooooooooooooooooooooool. Patricia, I just can’t deal with you right now. Lol!!!
I so love this post because it is also my weekly experience running my CEO blog at http://www.JennyChisom.com…in Nigeria it is not a lot different. I kinda think, these brands think, they are doing bloggers a favour or that bloggers don’t incur costs running their cost. I stopped accepting such! When there are unique brands that will pay you for just showing up in their product launches and pay you heavily to ‘talking’ about them on your blog. These free giver bloggers should stop biko…so we can prosper. That’s the reason I even started the LOGiN Bloggers Network to show bloggers avenues we can collectively make money. Pardon the long comment! This post choked me in the right place….lol
Jenny, the thing tire me oh!!! Like, they think that sitting in front of the computer for hours everyday is something I’m doing because I have nothing else to do with my time. What rubbish. Never heard of the LOGIN Bloggers Network, but I love the idea already.
Is that what I came to America to do? that line killed it totally. Haha.
I intend to start a blog later in the year, I just hope that won’t be my experience.
Chizzy, go girl with the blog! Trust me, when you start, you will definitely be receiving those emails. They have no chill.
I so love this post.
Thank you, Vongani! 😀
There is this currency called EXPOSURE that brands seem to believe in. Blog for us, and we will give you EXPOSURE. It will do you good, they say, because you’ll become more known. So pray, when I go to the supermarket to buy diapers for my son, I assume that the cashier will accept EXPOSURE as cash for the diapers?
The irony of wanting to pay in esposure is that the blogger is already exposed; that’s the reason why the brand found the blogger and reached out to the blogger. So why would the brand think that exposure is what the blogger wants? *HISS*
GBAM!
This post is so funny but yet true. What gets to me the most is the part of them sharing on their social media pages and claim to giving you more reach. If you had that type of reach to give out why don’t you just use it to spread awareness for your product/services? I won’t even get into the hurdles and miracles some Nigerian brands expect one to perform.
http://nappyhaired.com
I tried to follow you on bloglovin but it says the blog isn’t available 🙁
Love this blog!
http://www.cassiedaves.com
Whattttt!!!! Here’s the link to my blog on BlogLovin https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/verastically-livin-3762848
And thank you so much, Cassie 🙂