On the notion of blogging as a career
June 15, 2012I want to do work I'm proud of, and only work I'm proud of. The work I'm proud of is not, by its nature, especially lucrative. That's fine with me; I always knew what I was getting myself into. I've always scraped together income on side jobs while I wrote what I wanted.
I started blogging eight years ago assuming a few of my friends would read it. A lot has happened since then. A lot of it has been amazing; most of that is thanks to the community I've found here. But I've also enjoyed plenty of opportunities thanks to advertising and sponsorships.
Still, I've been uncomfortable with the marriage of blogging and advertising. I'm okay with ads (obviously) as long as they stay in their place. But the advertisers want in. They want to get into your posts. It's not because they're evil. They're smart. They know where people are looking. But once they're paying you to write, you work for them. That's fine if you're a copywriter, but if your "copywriting" lands on your personal blog, that can get awfully weird. If your authenticity is being used to sell products, what does it mean, anymore?
You need to have clear boundaries to manage this terrain. You need to know what you're getting yourself into and what you're in it for. I'm not good at it, but even I've lucked out. I felt good about writing for Chronicle Books, for example. I liked their books. I had creative control over the video. It was a good fit.
I've turned down plenty of sponsorship opportunities that didn't fit. I don't want a pat on the back for those decisions; that's how it should be. But then a while ago I worked on a campaign I categorically did not feel good about. I put content on my blog that I would not have put on here if it were not for the check I was promised.
I'm not trying to be coy about which campaign it was. (You could probably guess, if you're a regular reader.) I don't want to point a finger at them; everyone involved acted in good faith, and it's not like I couldn't have walked away. I just didn't. I apologize. I will make sure it never happens again.
Please know that I'm not saying that professional blogging is dishonest. Plenty of bloggers are far more business-savvy than I am and would not have gotten themselves into such an uncomfortable position. This is not about them, it's about me.
Professional blogging is not where my talents lie. It's not what this blog was meant for. I don't want to worry about my stats. I don't want to think about my Klout score. I don't want to be identified as a mommyblogger or a "power mom" or a mompreneur. I don't want to be an Influencer. I don't want to think about being "relevant," whatever that means. I want to write whatever I want to write, when I want to write it. Whatever dollars I collect from this place are nice, but they are and were always meant to be a few extra bucks, not an income we could live on.
This is not a call to arms, mind you. You do what you like. As I said, I know and respect plenty of people who are making a lot of money blogging. I never have, and never will.
Have you seen Bill Cunningham New York? You need to. I keep thinking about this quote:
"If you don't take money, they can't tell you what to do. That's the key to the whole thing."
Reader Comments (60)
Cheering for you for honesty and following what feels right. You're a remarkable writer and I learn so much from you. Thank you for this, Alice!
There is always room for amazing writers in the world--struggling or otherwise. That's what you are to me. A writer. The blog is just the medium. I hope for you the money comes from the books, the articles, the writing about things you care about.
It's not only a luxury for you; it's a luxury for us, the readers.
This message brought to you by the Bassomatic.M/i>
I blog for fun. It's just a hobby for me. I do it when I want and how I want. I don't have ads or write anywhere for money. I don't care what anyone else does. I really don't. But I do love it when people just blog to blog. :)
Though I don't feel quite as passionate about blogging for writing as you do, I feel you sooooo so much. I'm definitely not in it for the income. If I was, well, I think I'd go crazy trying to manage it all. I've been blogging (and reading you, btw) since 2004 and for me it's entirely about the community and maybe a little about the opportunities. I take paid projects because once you do, people pitch you more and better opportunities come along. I try to only take things I think fit pretty well, that I feel good about. I, too, have turned down many many things that didn't fit. I love blogging but as soon as I sign a contact it becomes a job and a deadline and then I usually end up dreading it and procrastinating, even if the subject seemed great. The same goes for my photography, which is why I don't even market my business anymore. As soon as they pay you, it becomes a job and some of the passion dies. Maybe not all of it, but some of it.
Anyway I love your writing and hearing you speak at various things like Mom 2.0. Props on this post.
I have rarely ever looked at my stats and I feel very free about that and I fear if I ever tried to make money at blogging, those stats would become IMPORTANT. And I like that they're not important. So, yeah. It's not that I don't like it when other people do it, or that I have some inherent problem with it - I just don't want it to change the peace I have about my blog and my audience. I've been doing this for 7 years and I'm completely happy with where I'm at. I fear if I tried to make money doing it, that happiness would fade.
You know why you're love at first sight, right?
It's this, because of this.
The balance of art and commerce has always been tricky, I think. These days I'm especially aware of when the two mesh in ways that make me uncomfortable, and when I won't do whatever made me feel that way again. All I can say to that is at least we are still awake, and that's good.
If there is anyone I know who can feel way better than fine about the quality and character of her body of work, online and off, it is you. And I believe that that will always be.
You are an amazing and honest writer. It's great to know that you are in the position to blog as an art rather than a business. That is what photography is for me. However, I am glad that the opportunity of professional blogging, content creation, or whatever you want to call it exists. A person probably wouldn't blog at all if their financial/health/safety needs weren't already met.
As someone who works in online advertising and SEO (don't worry, I'm getting out soon and going back to school for something much more wonderful....*willing time to move faster*) I can tell you that advertisers not only want control of your content, they also want to make it almost impossible to be seen as, well, advertisers. It's partly for Jafar genie related reasons but also partly because links that don't look like ad links get ranked better with Google. That's a big reason companies like in content links, they're less likely to get marked with a scarlet S.
Bigger companies can get away with being labeled as sponsers, but the ones bloggers should really watch out for is the small companies. They will try every trick in the book to get bloggers to place sketchball links that could potentially damage the blog's credibility with Google. In general, I would advise all bloggers to make advertisers their piece on the side(bar) and keep natural content as their bottom bitch (don't stray from natural content. If you do, make sure everyone in the universe knows it's sponsored). Also, stick to related banner ads.
It's such a painful thing to navigate, which things feel right and which don't. I never begrudge anyone the right to do stuff and regret it later, including plenty of things that I have done and thought, "Wow, I'm a moron." You're a lovely honest person, just keep it that way and everything will be fine.
It took me a while to figure out which paid posts were good topics for me (it really surprised me, for example, that products I loved didn't necessarily translate into interesting posts). But now that I'm better at gauging it, I get paid to write, and write about what I want. It's all navigable, as long as you listen to your gut.
The stats and the rest of it, it's like any other job - there are parts you'd rather not do, but it's really not a big deal overall. I still pinch myself that I get paid to blog, and happily put up with the business part of it in order to make a living doing something that is, frankly, awesome.
Thank you. You have given permission to all of us who write for the love of writing to ignore those whispers saying "You really should be making money with this."
Love you lady.
Word.
Great, thought-provoking post, Alice! I've been writing part-time at local newspapers for ridiculously low (read: insulting) pay. I recently started a blog as the place where I don't have to be all serious and reporter-like.
It's where I can write in my own, let's call it "sarcastic" voice, crack jokes and illustrate by drawing silly pictures on chalkboards...just because I feel like it. It's a creative outlet, the place where I DON'T have someone telling me the subject, the slant, the deadline, how many words, etc. and I want to keep it that way.
Of course, this means the kids probably won't be able to go to college, and we'll end up living in a cardboard box on some city street, but there's something to be said for doing what feels right FOR YOU.
Writing is time-consuming, and we've all probably heard the overused "time is money" phrase too often. Would I love to have a full-time writing career where I'm well compensated? Sure. But while I respect people who choose to go the professional blogging/ads route to do so, it doesn't seem like the right fit for me. Besides, I don't think I'm a good enough artist to draw a box of tampons in chalk anyway.
I don't think you should apologize. I'm a regular reader, but I'm not entirely sure what campaign you're talking about and I really don't care. I'm fine with advertising in the blogs I read as long as the blogger isn't sketchy about it. If you're getting paid to write a blog, say, "this is sponsored by so and so..." if you're not getting paid to write about something you love, you can say, "I love this thing and they're not paying me to say this..."
I work really hard all day long and if needed, on the weekends. For that, they put money in my checking account once a month. If blogging is your job, why shouldn't you get paid for it?
The notion of "selling out" is hilarious to me. If there is value in what you do and someone is willing to pay for it, should you say no because you want to hang onto some ridiculous notion that not being paid for it keeps it more "pure?" I call bullshit. If that's the case, I sell out everyday. And that is why I can afford to eat, and wear clothes, and live in my house, and pay my daughter's tuition, and on and on and on.
We live in a world where we trade money for goods and services. Go on and get paid, girl!
Thanks, Jen. Personally, I haven't liked the effect that some sponsored content has had on my blog and my motivation to blog. But I know plenty of people do it with no problem.
I'm all for getting paid for what I do, but I'd rather get paid for what *I* do (i.e., have advertisers advertise on my blog because of my content) than get paid for what they *want* me to do. That make sense?
Whatever the gene is that some bloggers have that pushes/permits professional, advertising-driven content, I just don't have it. I tried doing it for Savvy Source, years ago, and I tried doing it with Babble this year, but the game, as she is played, is just no fun. It's a privilege to be able to walk away from those jobs; not everyone is in the position to turn down work. But I stopped wanting to write altogether, and that's a hell of a personal price. I was doing the wrong thing for the wrong reasons, and weirdly enough the two wrongs didn't make me write.
I've done a couple of paid campaigns on my own site, but those have felt different, if not in type, then at least in token: I wasn't writing for traffic, and eyeballs on the ads, but linking a story, my own story, up to a product. It's not pure, but it is something that doesn't, for me, stifle the writing.
Blah blah blah. There, I made your post about me. I only do that with the good ones. :}
Oh my goodness. That movie was amazing. Saw it a few weeks ago. I often think about two parts of the movie. 1) when he photographed the guests at the award presentation meant for him and 2) when he began weeping very openly and then never explained why. I wish we were all as fascinating as him.
Awww...thanks for the kind words about Chronicle Books. We love you too! (I've been a daily readers for years and years.)
It doesn't bother me when bloggers do sponsored posts when they call it out clearly--but then, as an online marketer my opinion is probably biased! I see blogging as a business and I'm proud of the success so many people have seen.
It makes perfect sense, Alice. Do what you're comfortable with. But, don't I still don't think you have anything to apologize for.
I have to behave a certain way and dress a certain way and do certain things at work. Obviously, they don't make me do something that I'm morally opposed to (I actually work for what I believe is a very moral and honest company that stakes their reputation and brand on being moral and honest, which is one of the reasons that I like the company I work for), but I wouldn't put together a budget for the next fiscal year of my own free will. I do that quarterly because that's what I'm supposed to do because it's in my job description. I guess you get the luxury of defining your own job description, so you only have to do what you want to do - or what you would do naturally. I'm envious, yet I wouldn't want to work for myself at the same time.
None of this changes that fact that there's a lot of people who think you're awful swell and are going to continue to read what you write because it is amazing.
Don't get me wrong: I do other work for pay that has nothing to do with my identity as a writer, and those guys get to tell me exactly what to do. I don't mind that at all, because it's completely separate. That's what gives me the luxury to turn down stuff for my personal blog!
Alice, re: your "Don't get me wrong..." comment -- I agree 100%, albeit on a smaller scale.
My blog is just a little one (maybe one essay/post a week, and it still has just a small following). I've had several people suggest that I should be writing more frequently, for the sole purpose of raising numbers and attracting advertisers. Like you, I also write freelance (and that's where I make my money), so I've been protective of the blog as a place where I can write and deliver little jewels purely for fun and just to make people laugh. If advertising opportunities came up that were a good fit for the content (and were products/companies I felt good about promoting), I'd be fine with it. But I'm not out looking for advertisers, nor would I feel good about advertising anything that I wouldn't stand behind (junk food, firearms, ugly shoes, etc.). Integrity matters.
I'm saving a link to this post to send as a reply next time someone tells me, "You should be one of those bloggers who reviews things and gets free stuff!" or "You need to be blogging daily, so you can get more clicks!"
Thank you for helping explain me to me. Or at least make me feel validated. Understood.
I'd like to make money, I would. But I can't bring myself to write about things I'd never use or don't care about, or place sketchy text links within my posts. If I'm not feeling it, I can't do it. This, and the nature of what I write about, prevents me from making money in the way others do. I used to be envious of that, but how can I be, really? Does it make sense to be envious of something you've purposely opted out of? For whatever reason, I'm clear about what I value most and I'm trying as much as I can to stay true to it. When I haven't stayed trued to it, and there are times I haven't, I've been miserable.
The difference between being paid for what you do and being paid for doing what someone else tells you to do . . . yep, that's the hard part.