Warning, Blogger rant ahead. I’m taking off my DIY educator hat today and stepping up on my soapbox (tutorial on how to build a soapbox coming soon.)
I’ve shared these thoughts with several of my blogger friends and colleagues. But, I think it’s high time to pick up my megaphone to share it with the masses.
Sponsored posts are the bread and butter for many full-time bloggers. Although I chose to write several sponsored posts a year…
…Here are the 3 Things I Will NEVER Do for a Sponsored Post:
1. I WILL NEVERwrite about every brand that waves cash or free product in my face, UNLESS I absolutely love the product/service/etc. Sponsored posts can provide significant income to a full-time blogger. But, it’s important not to become a sponsored post whore. If you take every sponsored post that comes through your email, it can weaken your own brand. I have tried to remain true to my word that I’ll only share the products that I love with my readers. Have there been tools that I loved at first but then found a better one later? Yes, but I will take the time to go back and update the post letting you know that I have new feedback ( like here or here .) Ultimately, I won’t share anything that I wouldn’t give a positive review to. I won’t mention any product that I wouldn’t refer to my closest friend or my own mother. Why? Because in my opinion, a blogger is only as good as their word. If you tout any product that appears before you, your readers will eventually stop believing you.
2. I will NEVERwrite a sponsored post or product review without disclosing it to my readers. This is a particularly sore spot because I see countless bloggers and celebrities who will gladly accept free goodies and mention them on social media (or their blogs) without a single note that they were paid or that they received the products for free. WTF! Why wouldn’t you mention it? After all, it is required by the FTC . Do you really think that your followers are stupid enough to not realize that the product you’ve just linked to ten times wasn’t handed to you in a neat little bow wrapped package? I’ve seen bloggers who have been touting without disclosure for years. They promote companies, tools and the like without one single mention that they got it for free or, worse yet, they were paid to mention the product. I urge you to stand up and make some noise. Let celebrities and bloggers know that you demand full disclosures. Don’t be fooled, demand to know.
3. I will NEVERsign a WORK-FOR-HIREor other type contracts. This is a huge no-no for any artist, writer, or content creator. Why? Because a “work-for-hire” type contract says that anything you create (photos, text, slides, graphics, products, etc.) is the sole property of the company that is paying you to create. You may think it’s not a big deal, but it is. Say, for example, you took some photos for a sponsored post of a chair. One of the photos is a wider shot of the chair in your living room. Two years later, Better Homes and Gardens wants to use that image on their website and will give you credit. Guess what! Legally you don’t own that image. The brand that had you sign the work-for-hire contract does. And worse yet, they could legally ask you to remove that entire post and all the photos from your blog because they own the copyrights (although this is a doubtful scenario, it could happen.) The brand can do whatever they want with your photos because they own them! They can sell them to a magazine; use them in their own marketing; make t-shirts with your image and sell them; etc. etc. etc. Work-for-hire contracts are the worst for a creator. It basically states that you are an employee of the company for the time you are creating for them. In return, you don’t receive any benefits like health insurance, life insurance, and other benefits.
Next time you see those three little words (work-for-hire) in a contract, run the other way. Refuse to sign it. Hopefully if we all speak up, these contracts will cease to exist.
What can you do if you really want to work with the brand that sent you a work-for-hire type contract? Explain to them why you can’t sign it. Ask them to change the wording. Offer to sign contracts that give them “exclusive rights to use the images for the specific campaign”. But, make sure the new contract states that you retain the copyrights.
Okay, stepping down now. Let’s get back to the DIY tutorials!
Disclosure:I am not a lawyer, nor do I play one on TV. If you have more questions about work-for-hire contracts, consult a copyright attorney.
In reply to brenda .
Most likely what happens when one recieves a notice from a Pinterst pin that has to be removed is that somebody copied the image and posted it on Pinterest without verifying that it was acceptable to copy and share in the first place.
Most people don’t seem to understand copyright and image sharing in the first place. Just because an image appears on the internet doesn’t mean that it’s alright to copy it and use it elsewhere. That image is someone’s property. Often times, it’s someone’s artwork and quite a bit of time and effort went into the planning and execution of the image. Not to mention the editing, publication and branding of the image.
People wouldn’t take objects they find elsewhere in their lives and start showing it off without it being considered stealing. But because they see others doing it online and it is so easy to do they don’t even think twice about copying and posting images, memes, jokes, quotes and all sorts of things without first getting permission from the originator, and if necessary paying for the work. Everyone else gets paid for the work they do.
“Sponsored post whore” – snicker. I know some, sadly. And yes! It’s so frustrating to see big bloggers who don’t disclose that they’re being paid!! Thanks for standing up for bloggers and reminding us to stay true and honest. It’s hard to pass up sponsored post offers when bills need to be paid, but it’s so important to stay true to your brand and only recommend things that you love. I’ve done a couple that weren’t a great fit for my brand and wish I hadn’t. Sticking to my guns these days and it’s so much better. And thanks for the info about the work for hire. Now, where’s that soap box tutorial?
What a great post brittany. Although i totally get it, i have become a bit disheartened and turned off with blogs i use to read that are pimping out stuff left and right.
Thank you for the great info. I’ve yet to do but only a few sponsored posts, would like to do more and this will be a very helpful reference.
Honesty, honesty, honesty. Great standards for blogging
Yes! Thank you for a great post. I have pretty much stayed away from sponsored posts because I want to stay authentic. I did have a not so great experience on a sponsored blogger trip one time and was able to write truthfully about the issues with the airline by approaching the post with “a few things to think about before you use this small airline service” and it worked really well. It was honest but did not bash if that makes sense. Definitely sharing your post. Thanks!
I have to admit to giggling like a little kid when I read “whore” and “WTF”. Great post. I’ve signed away my rights on a few projects to a big name brand. I knew what I was doing but I had wanted to work with this company for years. Turns out I wish I hadn’t. They were hard to work with and after all the hours of work I ended up making peanuts. But putting the compensation factor aside the whole process left a bad taste in my mouth and I no longer love the product and the company. Thanks for the great information Brittany.
Best post of the week! I’m as guilty as the next blogger on most of these, but not as bad as I could be. Mainly I’m just way too lazy to blog about every pitch that comes through my inbox. 😀
Thanks for the info! You’re pretty handy, girl! <<– see what I did there? XOXO
In reply to Tracy Shudo .
Tracy, yes, I just sat down one day and started blogging. I learned a lot from reading and Google. Plus, I followed some inspirational bloggers and saw how they ran their blog. I’d recommend two things. Start on WordPress (one mistake I made) and buy a SLR camera and take some good photography classes. I like ShootFlyShoot’s online videos (affiliate link)