One of the very lovely girlies from my Secret Bloggers’ Business Bootcamp emailed me the other day a little confused about what things she should, or should not be expecting to be paid for.

She didn’t want to seem demanding or bratty by asking for payment when it wasn’t warranted, but she also didn’t want to be seen as a total un-pro push over, and miss out on the chance to earn some dollars when she deserved them.

Hmm… tough one!

And I can see why she would find it such a brain-ache inducing thing! Because as with most things in the land of blogging there is very little that is simply black or white. In fact everything and everyone seems to be making up their own rules and running amok in a rather vast grey area instead.

Plus there seem to be more and more stories of both PRs and Bloggers behaving badly going around the interwebs at the moment, so I just wanted to try and make it all as clear as possible. Or at the very least a little bit less opaque than the mud-level clearness it is right now.

What is the point of a PR anyway?! 

First things first, I think everyone needs a little refresher course on what the role of a PR and the role of a content producer (aka journalist or blogger) are, and how these roles works together.

Content producers are exactly that… we are producers of content. And usually to be able to produce the sheer amount of content we do each day/week/month we need an equally constant flow of information/news/ideas/new products/inspiration etc…

PR reps on the other hand are responsible for obtaining as much FREE (or at the very least a lot less expensive then advertising) coverage for the products and brands they work for as possible.  And how they do this is usually to try and present news/information/interviews/photos/product or any other assets that might be needed in some sort of interesting and relevant way to the content producers to then be included in their day-to-day editorial content.

When this works really well is when PRs can provide useful and relevant information and assets to a content provider, and this then helps make the content providers job of creating constant content easier. It’s a win, win. And no money changes hands.

How this doesn’t work is when PRs send completely irrelevant information to content providers, and/or badger them about including their products or brands (t

his case is a lose, lose… no coverage is given… and again no money changes hands… because you shouldn’t be covering irrelevant products even if you do get paid for them… but that’s a whole other thing!)

So when do you ask for payment?

So you see the problem with relying on trying to get editorial coverage, from a brands point of view, is that it is never guaranteed (and they never know how it’s going to be covered either… their key message might get missed completely).

Whether something is mentioned, and how/when it is mentioned, is completely up to the content producers discretion of what is going to be the best fit for their schedule and audience at that time (aka when a fashion editor calls in swim suits for a fashion shoot, they will probably be sent hundreds, they may only use 5, the PRs who send in the swimsuits have no say over what does or doesn’t get used, or how it’s used, or when).

It’s the very basis of what being a writer or editor is all about. You “edit” out what is going to work best for you point of view from what is provided. 

So it is when a PR or actually any representative of a brand wants to have a guaranteed coverage/mention/inclusion/write up/post/share (what ever you want to call it), or when they start putting any terms or must-dos around it (like please include this hashtag, or please include a link to our website, or please mention we are available in this store not that store), this is when they should be paying for that coverage.

Because this is no longer editorial.. this is no longer an equal trade… this is “advertorial” and in every type of media there is, be it print, broadcast or online, when ever there is a client or brand dictating (even slightly) the details of the coverage, then they need to pay for it.

That’s it!

But what do you do when a PR is clearly asking for advertorial… and you do want to cover it… but they don’t offer to pay for it?

It’s simple, just cut and paste this email response below!

“Hi XXXXX [insert name here],

Thanks so much for sending this through, it sounds very interesting and I might be able to include it in an upcoming post (although I can’t make any promises at this time).

If you are looking for guaranteed coverage, I think [insert product/brand here ] is good fit for my readers, and I would be happy to discuss my paid options with you which include sponsored posts, reviews and banners, and are priced from $XXX [insert minimum price here].

Please let me know if you would like me to send any extra information through or would like to discuss the options further,

Thanks,

[ Your name here] ” 

They are being cheeky and they know it, so don’t feel bad even for a second about standing your ground! 

And if they come back and say they still want you to do it, but they “have no budget” then you simple say…

“Not a problem at all, unfortunately I cannot guarantee this type of coverage unpaid as it wouldn’t be fair to my paying clients, but please keep me in mind for any campaigns in the future, and if a suitable place to include it editorially does come up I will try and squeeze it in.”

See… not so hard was it?

Now over to you! Got any cheeky PR stories you want to share? Or any more tips or advice on What things should bloggers get paid for? Please share it in the comments below!

Image courtesy of dollarphotoclub.com