BLOG TIPS: THE MONEY ISSUE

“Why do bloggers think they can make money simply by making pictures?” “Who does she think she is, asking for money just for an instagram post?” Much heard thoughts, or should I say misunderstandings? In this blog post I will discuss the money issue from my point of view…

If you are either a brand or a blogger, this topic must be of great interest for you, cause I really think that there are too many people who do not really understand the business of blogging. I am not stating that I know everything about it, cause obviously I am not making millions or so, so no… But for this post I am subject to my own thoughts so that’s what I’ll be focusing on.

I got a lot of requests for blog tips about how much money to ask, but before I dig in to that, let’s first get to an understanding of how it works.

Why should a blogger be or not be paid for their work?
As the title of this matter implies, blogging is no longer just a hobby for everyone, for some of us it’s a job, it’s work (and hard work even so!). Too often do I hear people say things like “It’s easy money” or “Should it not just be your hobby?” Brands sometimes ask me to do a lot of work for them and in return state “We don’t have a budget, you should really just like to do it. It’s for your own fun as well”. Of course, when I started blogging it was all fun and games. I loved picking out new items in return for a blogpost and getting to know the brands I was working with. I still do! But my blog and social media are growing, and to keep up with the high demands there was a point at which I had to make the switch to fulltime blogging. So do I ask for a fee simply because I have no job besides blogging and need to pay my rent? No, I ask for a fee because I am dedicated to my j-o-b and aim to really mean something to a brand, which mostly means one of the following things: promotion and a face that people can relate to. And that’s where I’m going here. About 7 years ago people used to only work with magazines for their campaigns. This meant they had to hire a photographer, a model, a stylist, a make up artist ánd a publicist/magazine. 7 years later, it’s us bloggers who are doing all that – the full production – just by ourselves. This means we work 5 times as hard. Do we get paid 5 times as much? Mostly not… But I hope we can agree that we should at least get a fair compensation for what we do.

How do bloggers make money?
Now this is more of a sincere question that I have had from basically everyone around me who doesn’t know much about blogging. My family for example really doesn’t understand what my earnings look like. Well, there are quite some ways to make money with blogging. Examples are: sponsoring, Google Ad Sense, affiliate programs, on- and offline projects, social media campaigns, private ad sales. If you guys want, I can explain all of these ways to earn money in one of my next posts.

Should you always ask for a fee?
As with any freelance job, being a blogger means that you will have to build up a portfolio. And bloggers will, besides that, also need to build an audience. So especially at the beginning of your blog you do not per se have to expect to be paid. However, I think that there should always be a little compensation. For example, you could do a blogpost in exchange for a free item. Or you could do a shout out in exchange for a shout out. I’ve heard from a lot of bloggers who promote giveaways through their blogs without even being able to keep a version of the item they are giving away themselves. I never did this, but I can understand that giving something away on your blog could mean a lot of traffic and goodwill to both the brand and your readers. So it could definitely be worth it in a more indirect way. Then… when you have built your audience and portfolio, should you always ask for a fee? Not necessarily, if you’d ask me. Cause like I pointed out just before, it can really be important to build a relationship with certain brands and with your audience. I think you will always have to weigh these two out. And you gotta remember that some opportunities don’t come with a pay check, but in stead will bring about something way more valuable, like a connection with a brand in a higher segment or a wonderful new experience.

Besides a fee, there are also some other ways to get a compensation for your work. I will give you more tips about how much money and what kind of compensations to ask in my next blog tips article. Will you stay tuned?

Photo via Pinterest.com