Hey lovelies,
I've recently posted a few posts on how to blog, contacting PR's and social networking 101; this time round I debated posting this (you'll see why at the bottom of the post) and I've really been to-ing and fro-ing about it but I've gotten to the post where I feel I really have to.
I've been quite hormonal recently, little things hurt me a lot even though I'm normally tough-skinned. There gets a point however where these little 'hurts' start to cut quite deep and it can get all too much. My point came last week when I started to think about why I was blogging. Speak to any blogger and they too will tell you they've been through it at some point. I actually believed I would never feel that way and after I started reviewing my reasons why I was doing it I realised it was through sheer love - for you guys, for the products I blog about, for the topics I discuss and for the community I've become apart off, I truly love blogging and I really feel I always will. I'm here to stay baby!
While I've gotten over my hump I had to write this post to show you some of the negative situations that can arise. I wished I'd known about these before so I could arm myself when they arose. These situations are all real, they've all happened recently and while there are a few negative people, brands and PR companies there are double the amount of completely awesome ones.
Here's the top ten list:
- Companies contacting you to review a product. After negotiating and finding out about said product you actually get quite excited because it's a product you had on your wishlist, wanted to try, have tried a sample of before or you think your husband, partner, child, sister or cousin will absolutely love helping you test it out as well as your readers will love to read about it and see it in action. After waiting 4 weeks nothing arrives which is OK because let's be honest businesses are super busy especially later on in the year; you send a little email just to say 'hi, remember me' and get no response. You send another a week later - again nothing. You send another to then either be ignored once again or finally get a response saying 'oops' yes we'll get it out in the post. You finally believe it's going to arrive and schedule in time to write about the post in your diary only to find nothing ever arrives and no-one ever responds to you again.
- You're told you're going to be sent an awesome product which never arrives, after chasing it up you're then told 'oh products are limited and your blog not good enough, here's some hi-res images can you still promote the products and send us the links'
- You're asked to review products that don't fit in with your blog, interests, readers interest or price range. After politely declining and referring them onto possible blogs that they would suit better you get emails back three times a day for a week asking you to just make up a slant to fit them in with your theme, to add in a deep link in a normal post, they will double what they were initially going to pay you or can they just write it as a guest post. The last request being for me to review tents! yes really.
- After negotiating with a company, a company that you use regularly and absolutely love you're happily accepting gift cards as a way of payment for blogging about them. You write said blog piece, send them the screen print and the link of course only to find no-one then responds. Realising companies are busy (maybe I'm just too much of a glass is half full kinda gal) you send a chase up email a week later. Three months later you get another email asking you to blog about them and they'll 'enter you into their competition prize draw' It finally takes five months to track down anyone that will honour the original agreement and send the gift cards.
- You're sent press releases from PR companies telling you about products that will fit your upcoming feature, it tells you to email to request a sample so you do so. Sending off your upcoming feature proposals and what you intend to do with the sample along with your updated stats and stat screen prints you're subsequently told you're blog's not good enough only to find other blogs with fewer stats and fewer features and posts have been given said products.
- You're sending a lovely email from a reader who follows your blog. The reader tells you about their interests in beauty or fashion and how they want to get into writing and guest blogging. You do a bit of a Google search and find nothing un-towards. Asking them to send over an outline you agree that yes it fits in with the blog theme and reader interests. Finally receiving your finalised piece you find they've deep-linked the hell out of it. Another scammer in the mists and time wasted communicating with them.
- You receive emails telling you how ugly you are.
- You spent lots of time planning, researching, photographing, snapping, phoning and collating information, facts, and photo's for your features over the next 4-12 weeks. It takes up most of your day, sometimes all day and all night. You write your finalised piece and you feel proud of it. You then find older blogs, larger blogs or more popular blogs have copied your whole idea and concept, passing it off as a fluke you put it behind you. Starting to write more exciting posts and relevant posts you find it's happening all of the time - too regular to be a fluke and there's nothing you can do about it other than sitting back and watch said blog/s take all of the praise for their fantastic features and topics.
- You comment on other bloggers posts, blogs, FB or Twitter posts and they answer everyone EXCEPT you on more than one occasion. How rude! and once again it happens all the time too much to be a fluke.
- You post about a topic actually deciding to throw caution to the wind and show your true self - politely off course (just like this post actually) rather than just being cheery all the time and your followers drop drastically. Does no-one like to read anything controversial or true anymore?
While everyone will handle their own situations differently what I've learned from these is to stick to the rule of three. I will send three chase up emails maximum, if the company, brand or PR company do not respond then I will no longer waste my time helping to promote the products or brands. It's not worth the wasted time and effort especially when there's always something to be doing when you're a blogger. The rule of three also applies to socialising in my case. I will attempt to comment, post or socialise on three separate occasions with bloggers, brands and peeps and if I'm blatantly ignored, deleted, or disrespected I won't bother anymore. Socialising and communicating with other bloggers is important. I regularly do shout outs to my fave peeps as well as promote them via posts (for free of course not because they've asked me too) by them ignoring me and other bloggers they've ultimately ruined any chance for some exposure. Play nice peeps.
With the guest blogging I now rarely accept any. I will happily accept request from other bloggers - in fact I urge other bloggers to email me with their guest post proposals or requests. When anyone I'm not 100% sure about emails me I specifically ask if there are any deep links and if so what are they. If you're a blogger links to your blog, your favourite places and wishlists are fine, deep links to jewellery companies, pearl sellers and china manufacturers are not and will not be posted on my blog ever. When it comes to sponsored posts and promotional posts I rarely accept them simply because they don't fit in with me, my style, my blog style or what you guys want to see on here. It's not worth the time and effort even going there so they are kindly turned down or sent in the direction of other blogs I feel would benefit.
I think more people need to realise that there's a living breathing human behind every blog. Small comments hurt and while truthful comments may hurt I fully accept ones that are beneficial, will help me grown and will ultimately help the blog to grow.
What do you think about the negatives of blogging and have you had anything not listed happen to you? I'd love to hear your stories.
Elyse
Statement: Nothing to Disclose
Fab post, it's about time someone spoke out about these issues. I relate to a lot of them...and for me the abusive comments I get make me wonder why I blog
ReplyDeleteAw sweetie I hate that you get nasty comments. At first it's easy to brush it off isn't it then you start to get more irks than good comments and it gets you down. Hugs, remember I'm here if you ever need anyone to tell you how fab you and your blog are! I'll come kick those nasty commenter's butts for you x
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