After blogging for many years, I realise that a kind of taboo is being created when it comes to charging publication fees to brands, PR agencies representing the brands or content marketing agencies. I am not sure when it started, but I know that one country is doing it differently. Does culture determine it? A technique to reduce the expenses? Alternatively, are we being conned? In this post, I will share eight reasons why bloggers should charge a fee for publication.
Maybe this is one of the advantages of writing my blog in English. Because of this, I received a lot of collaboration requests from different countries, and from there, I know that brands and PR agencies from some countries are willing to pay me the needed and proper publication fees. Moreover, working directly with brands is easier than through representatives. Don’t get me wrong; I love all the PR agencies in my network. They always treat me very well.
I decided a couple of years ago not to accept the standard lines that used to reject my publication fees. Do we need to take the standard line, “We have (so-called) no budget for this marketing campaign?” Of course Not. Brands always have a budget for their marketing campaigns. Of course, additional free publicity will not hurt anyone. However, it can hurt you. Jump to number four to see how this can hurt you.
So, why should you charge publication fees as a blogger?
1. Blogging is hard work.
The first reason bloggers should charge a fee for publications is that blogging is hard work! Bloggers saying otherwise is either delusional or denial. If you are doing it right, blogging is hard work. It is time-consuming and quite intensive. Imagine how many hours you spent writing those kick-ass SEO-optimized articles. Not to forget the process from searching a location, planning the photo shoot, doing it and editing it before you can use it for your story or social media? Do you want to work in an office for 8 hours without being paid? Well, this is almost similar to that.
2. It is not free publicity.
We have come to the second reason bloggers should charge a publication fee. A common thing called gifts is not the same as free publicities.
Let’s be honest: When brands provide gifts and expect you to publish them on a social media platform using specific hashtags, it also determines the looks and feels. Nothing is free in this case. Don’t we already so kindly tag brands on publications when we buy fabulous stuff from their collections? There you are, free publicity? Done! Don’t get me wrong; I still receive gifts from brands and PR agencies. I just clarified that gifts mean no obligation for me to do a publication.
3. You want to grow your blog.
This is the primary reason why bloggers should charge a publication fee. When you start your blog, you dream of growing and doing nothing else than what you love: creating and blogging. Good brands also want to grow with you and your blog. I invest it straight into my blog using the publication and advertising fees I received over the years. For example, I moved my blog to WordPress.org, used dedicated hosting, paid for a domain name, used SEO tools to jump-start the articles, and promoted the articles on my social media accounts, such as Facebook, for greater reach. These fees are going right back to the brands to get more exposure. It is easier for you to explain to brands why they have to pay you for their advantage.
4. Do not kill your dream.
This is a crucial reason why bloggers should charge for publication. I also call this the second primary reason. Respect yourself, your time and your audiences. When you are not charging the proper advertising fee, from time to time, you will get frustrated and unsatisfied and finally think that it is not worth it to chase your dream. Respect your vision enough to say No to proposals that aren’t a good deal for all the work involved. Gifts or gift cards are great, but they will not pay the bills.
5. It is (almost) always a product-focused publication.
The fifth reason bloggers should charge a fee for publications is that brands know that making payment to the blogger is appropriate and rational, especially when the publication or editorial content is product—or brand-specific focused.
6. The power is equal.
Many bloggers think that brands hold the power. However, the truth is that both sides have authority. I am talking here about positive power that involves the willingness to grow together. When the power is in balance, it is not about who wins the negotiation battle; it is about finding out what is best for both brands and your growth.
7. The pricing.
I am going to dedicate this to a more extensive blog post. I have my publication/advertisement fee on a list. Moreover, building this list is not easy at all. However, don’t worry I will write about how I manage to create my advertisement’s pricing menu.
In the real world, negotiating is inevitable, especially if you work with different brands and small brands. Small brands are great to work with, too. Point six is about finding out what works for you and what is reasonable for the brands. So why bloggers should charge a fee for publications is that charging a fee doesn’t mean saying this is my fee, yes or no. But it is more about negotiating and finding the best for you and the brands. Offering a publication package and options is better than saying no directly.
8. You will have more time to create.
The last reason, but not the least, why bloggers should charge a fee for publications is that “Your time is precious.” When you start to charge fees, you will have more time to blog. The reason is that you can work more for yourself from home. Say goodbye to typing articles in the evening after work or at the weekend. You will also have fewer tasks because you will only say yes to the right collaborations, which means more time to create an impressive post.
As I said, it is always about finding the balance and looking for what’s fair for you and the brands. I can imagine that keeping relationships with brand representatives, such as PR agencies, is also important.
For example, when a company's PR agency contacts me with an offer for free products, I clearly explain that there is a fee to be paid by the brands or the agencies to have the publication they requested done. However, they are free to provide me with free stuff, and when the products are used in a publication, the brand will be mentioned. So here you are explaining that even if you do not promise to advertise the gifts, you are letting them know they are in the right hands.
So it is up to them to decide whether to provide you with the gifts.
I hope that the eight reasons why you should charge publication fees I mentioned above and the example of how I handle free gift offers from brands will help you guys game up your blogging career and get you focused on delivering excellent work.
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