When To Say No To Blogging Opportunities

Every blogger understands the amount of work and time that needs to be invested to run a website. Whether it’s a hobby or a business, blogging is not all about fun and beauty. This is why when your work gets noticed by any brand, it can feel very ecstatic! Sadly, not all offers are fair and reasonable. So to all my blogger friends, here’s a short guideline on When To Say No To Blogging Opportunities so you can avoid wasting time and most especially your hard work!

When To Say No To Blogging Opportunities

Now, I can understand that not every blogger has the intention to monetize their websites and there’s absolutely nothing wrong about that. However, for some, blogging can be their main bread and butter or some aspires to eventually make it as their business.

One way to generate income from your blog is through brand partnerships or collaborations. Although the type of compensation may vary, it still needs to benefit both the brand and the blogger. This type of marketing strategy has been rampant because of the growing popularity of social media and influencers. Nowadays, consumers can easily be tempted to try products mainly because it is being promoted by their favourite influencers.

This trend, however, is being exploited by some brands who disregards the hard work that bloggers invest in their works. Basically, they would ask an influencer to put so much effort and in turn, gain nothing. The sad part is they would usually target start-up bloggers who are more prone to accept their offers.

In my young life as a blogger, I did receive a number of this “exploiting” collaborations as I would want to call it. Throughout my experience, I learned to spot which collaborations to say yes or no to.

I would always stay away in these scenarios:

The only compensation is a shout out or repost in a brand’s social media account

This type of offer is honestly irritating me! They would give you a few conditions on how and when they want to be featured in your website and in turn compensate you with a mere shout out! How is this fair?

Firstly, a single shout out or mention in their website is not going to gain a blogger thousands of new followers on their website or social media accounts. Secondly, a single blog post is worth hours of hard work. So whichever side you try to reason out with this offer, it is absolutely unfair in the blogger’s side. You basically get zero for your hard work!

Brands who will ask for a product review sans the product!

OK! This topic is sensitive in the influencer’s world mainly because of the assumptions that bloggers and vloggers always feel entitled to receive free products or services. This can be in another discussion but I really feel that it’s unfair for any brand to ask for a product review without them providing you with the product to try.

How can an influencer provide an honest review without trying the actual product or service? Do bloggers need to spend their own money to be able to acquire the product and provide an honest review or do these brands want us to lie about our so-called experience with their product? Regardless of the answer, it is just so wrong!

Not only are these brands taking advantage of the blogger but they’re in a way disrespecting the blogger’s audience.

Bogus Influencer Programs

I see this a lot on Instagram. How it works is that brands would either send you a DM or leave a comment in one of your posts. They would ask you to send a message about an interesting collaboration.

Once you do, they will send you a message of their elaborate Influencer program and how you can gain new followers or income by signing up in their program. They will then provide you with a promotional discount. Usually 10% to 15 % off which you can use when you purchase any of their products.

Obviously, this is not a partnership! They are instead making money out of you! What’s worse is that they would ask you to promote that item by posting pictures on your social media account and use a specific hashtag which obviously will help boost their social media presence. You, the blogger, will not gain anything in return after spending your own money and taking your time to promote their product on social media.

Blog Repost Compensation

By this, I mean brands who ask you to promote their website, product or services and in return your work will be featured in their own website! I mean, really? Isn’t this a usual action that responsible brands already do for free when working with influencers?

Reposting or promoting the article a blogger did should never be enough as compensation for a blog collaboration. Instead, it should be done as a way to help the blogger promote the article!

Brands who provides low quality products in exchange for an elaborate article

I am not saying that bloggers should only expect the best of the best products or services. What I am trying to point out are those brands who will provide you with a specific selection of products that are worth $10.00 or less in exchange on an in-depth review of their website and multiple promotional requirements on social media!

This type of offer is simply unacceptable. Brands who are not willing to invest in the blogger should not ask for any type of partnerships at all! It might be better for them to send these items as a part of their PR package (if ever they have one) and let the blogger decide if they will or won’t promote the said brand or product.

Brands who are willing to pay but will under quote you

W also have those brands who are willing to negotiate for a fee but will under quote you. For example, they would require an elaborate article on a specific time period but will only pay you a small amount. Although a blogger also needs to know his/her worth, no brand should underpay a blogger when requiring a tremendous amount of work.

Whenever I get these type of offers, I will immediately refuse the offer and not think about it all.

To end this post, I would highly advise all bloggers out there to be very careful when accepting collaborations. It’s okay to say no! When you feel that it’s not benefitting you, do not do it! It’s better to share an unsponsored post rather than wasting your hard work.

Till next time,