After my post last week, Why Do Bloggers Continue to Work for Free?, I came across a few more blog posts on the same, or similar, topic. It seems several bloggers were on the same wavelength within days of each other. Because these posts have sparked a lot of conversation amongst my friends and blogging community, I want to share the other posts with you so you can get various perspectives.
- The post about Predatory PR I’ve been waiting to write
- Because some things are worth more than a box of cereal
- What the Next Year Holds for Mom Bloggers + Brands That Court Them
- Money Talk: Should Mom Bloggers Discuss What They Earn?
- When and What Should a Blogger Charge for Their Services?
I have been thoroughly enjoying reading the responses, reactions, and thoughts of everyone who has added to the conversation in one way or another – whether in the comments of these posts, on twitter, or via private conversations. There’s still a lot to think about and figure out. Both brands and bloggers have good points, but hopefully, we are all working together to carve out some solutions.
Just today, I received the results of a recent survey conducted by Izea, Inc. The 2010 State of Social Media Sponsorships provides some very insightful information and statistics related to sponsored content and blogging for money. In fact, it also takes compensated tweets into account. Some interesting points I found in the report:
- 53.2% of social media publishers have accepted compensation for sponsored content
- 71.3% of respondents have been approached with offers for cash, products, or other compensation for social media promotion
- 57.6% have engaged in direct sponsorship
- 35% of those who indicated they were PR, social media, and marketing professionals stated they have no awareness regarding the FTC disclosure guidelines
I find the last bullet point quite shocking. I’m surprised that there is such a high percentage of people in the industry that have no awareness of the FTC guidelines. However, it’s great to see that 57.6% of respondents have already engaged in direct sponsorship.
Let’s continue the conversation. What do you think of the information in this report? How about the other blog posts and perspectives? Do you find some guidance in reading such information or do you have even more questions?
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