Dino Dogan owns Triberr shirts in every color; psst, he also owns Triberr.
Professional bloggers toil day in and day out to develop a brand and solid content people want to read. My blogiversary is this month; we’ve been married four years, this blog and me.
In the life of a blogger, that’s nearly a lifetime. Along that journey, the word monetization pops up and there begins the need to get paid for these smarts.
Thanks to Triberr’s new direction offering bloggers an opportunity to join campaigns, write a few blog posts and get paid, we now have that option.
Bloggers apply, the application is reviewed, a blogger is selected, blog posts are written and published, and a fee is exchanged. Cool, eh?
So, why is there guilt associated with that?
Anyone else feel a twinge?
Dino Dogan said it best to me, “When bloggers rep for a brand, it’s not congruent with self perception.” What he means is we all have worked for free for so long that when the opportunity to get paid comes along there’s some concern about “Am I worthy? What will my community think?
I think he’s right…if I get paid to put up a post and have to add the disclaimer, “hey, this is a sponsored post!” there’s some discomfort about that, like I should feel badly I’ve been hired to write for a brand that needs help.
What I’m here to say and help each of us get over that hump of “am I worthy?” is this:
Bloggers work harder than anyone I know and we’ve done it FREE for years. For we who do it well, there are now opportunities to showcase smarts and do some really neat writing. For those who are feeling upset on the sidelines, jump in! There’s opportunity for all! For bloggers who don’t trust they’re worthy, carpe diem! This is finally where your hard work pays off!
Thanks, Dino and Dan!
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Let the Hallelujah Chorus ring out! I am all for giving tremendous value. I also believe in proving my value before people hire me. But ultimately, until we live in the Star Trek world where no one uses money, we have to get paid.
I came very late to the whole online world, blogging and e-commerce in particular. I was completely perplexed about this whole notion of everything had to be given for free and we couldn’t go out directly and sell. How am I going to pay my employees (not to mention myself), cover my overhead, invest in the best tools, training and development I can so I can deliver the best I can to my clients if I do everything for free?
If a blogger is supporting a brand they believe in, if their values are aligned and the blogger really believes in the help they’re giving this brand, then of course they should get paid. If we exchanged yams for goods and services, then they’d need to get paid in yams. As it is, currency will do.
Jayme, I congratulate you for dealing with this issue and I love what Dino and Dan are doing.
Sharon Gilmour Glover Hi, Sharon! Thank you! It’s a bit of a conundrum at first as there has always been intense loyalty in the communities. When some break away from the pack, sometimes there are conflicting feelings about that.
But, times have changed, and we need to remember it was we who built and toiled that path!
Soulati | Hybrid PR Sharon Gilmour Glover As a Janey-come-lately, I perhaps don’t really have the proper context to respond. I am very sensitive to that but still in the end, we all only have so much time which can devote to “free” activities in our businesses. At some point bloggers must find a way to monetise or we lose their valueable contribution altogether.
Sharon Gilmour Glover Soulati | Hybrid PRExcellent points, Lady Friend!