The debate on advertising and corporate partnerships on blogs is sometimes heated, and recently some bloggers were reported for surreptitious advertising. What is ok and what is not ok? We have come up with two positions.
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Share1. Yes, bloggers can collaborate with companies
Sometimes you hear that bloggers should always do all their work for free and that there should be absolutely no adverts on a blog. We think this is an unfair position; virtually all online magazines and forums are funded by adverts.
Even private bloggers who blog on portals often have adverts on their pages - even though it is the owners of the portals who earn the advertising money. It seems strange that bloggers who have their own pages are the only ones in the entire Internet world who are not "allowed" to have adverts.
Many bloggers put in an enormous amount of time, effort, commitment and money (web hosting, web developer fees, photo equipment, computer software, etc.). Of course, blogging is fun, but if you can earn a small side income (or at least cover some of your expenses), we don't see anything wrong with it.
We love blogging and put in a lot of hours every day. To make it sustainable in the long run, we need financial help and plan for fixed advert slots between blog posts. However, we don't like ads that move or flash, and especially not ads that jump up in front of you and that you have to tick off. We will never have those types of adverts on our blog!
2. bloggers must be clear and honest
Recently, both TV and newspapers have recognised the problem of hidden advertising on social media. Svt Nyheter did a reportage earlier this year and just recently you could read on the Svenska Dagbladet that two well-known bloggers are being investigated for surreptitious advertising. The hidden advertising may involve a blogger writing positively about a product without making it sufficiently clear that he/she has been sponsored (by product or financial compensation), which is obviously not good!
I'm not surprised that this happens, because as a blogger you get a lot of extremely poor co-operation proposals from companies, and of course, it can be easy to be lured by quick and easy (small!) money. Unfortunately, there are quite a few companies on the market that offer bloggers collaborations that are both unethical and in violation of Swedish law.
Should bloggers avoid collaborating with companies? No, you don't necessarily have to. There are of course serious companies and rewarding collaborations that allow bloggers to learn about news or products that are interesting to write about. We have come to the conclusion that we can cooperate with well-chosen and serious companies, and the following will always apply:
- We will always write our own honest opinions and views, even when working with a company. It goes not to buy our opinion.
- We will always clearly label partnerships with companies as follows Consumer Agency guidance on marketing in blogs and other social media sites. We have also signed the Better Bloggers petition #jagsmygerinte, which includes the following:
I intend to follow the Marketing Act and be clear to my readers/followers about what is sponsored content and product placement on my blog and in my social channels.
Most of our blog will, as usual, be totally unsponsored, but when we do collaborate with a company, it will be made clear to all readers, and we have also written a PR Policy (which we present on our website). Cooperation page). Of course, we'd love to hear your thoughts on this! What do you think is ok and not when it comes to adverts and business partnerships on blogs?
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Lanclin-Linnea says:
Of course you should collaborate with companies! It gives us readers the chance to read about news on the market, exciting adventures and other things that you could never have either access to or afford to carry out yourself to then show and tell us. The ads will hopefully be a bit the same for some of your readers (I rarely even look at banner ads but others may do) a bit like your salary for all the hours you spend creating material that we get to read for FREE! That's what I think.
06 May 2016 - 8:21
Cathinka says:
Of course, as a private blogger, you must be able to have both collaborations and adverts on your blog. However, I believe, just as you say, that it is extremely important for credibility that both collaborations and adverts are relevant to the blog.
Interesting post!
06 May 2016 - 8:37
Lisa - life from the bright side says:
I think exactly like you!
I really have to write about it too... And now that I've joined the portal and there are ads, the need to tell/explain is even greater.
Great post!
06 May 2016 - 8:44
Åsa says:
Yes, but it's fun if you can earn money from your work with the blog, even if you do it because you think it's fun. It's just hard to get decent collaborations with decent compensation. Although it is certainly easier if you have a large blog like you.
06 May 2016 - 8:54
Linda, 155cm.se says:
Wise thoughts for a newbie like me!
06 May 2016 - 9:15
Ama de casa says:
Of course you should "take the opportunity" to get some blog money if it's something you can stand for.
However, the advertising on my blog is not optional. It is part of the kit, sort of. I don't see it because it doesn't seem to be visible when I'm logged in?
However, the things I advertise (or diss) in my blog posts are never sponsored. But it would be nice if, for example, McDonald's, which gets advertising because of its free wifi, gave me a little money. A small percentage of the turnover would be enough... Haha!
06 May 2016 - 9:16
admin says:
Lanclin-Linnea, thank you for your comments! The thing about not "seeing" ads is probably becoming more and more common when they are everywhere. I also usually choose not to look at them directly, but maybe the companies still think that you see them indirectly and that there is some kind of "recognition"...?
Cathinka, we agree that credibility is key. That's why it's so important for us to choose partners that we can imagine being paired with, and to always be honest in what we write! Oh yes, how many bad (or simply wrong for us) collaboration proposals we have turned down... 😉.
Lisa, I hadn't actually noticed that you moved to a portal (probably because I read your blog via Bloglovin). I was in and looked now, it looks very nice and professional! But how does it work? Advantages and disadvantages? And just as you say, on such a portal, the ads are sold for the entire portal instead of for each individual blog.
Åsa, yes, it is difficult to get good co-operation! Most of the proposals we get are very bad. We say no to a lot of things... But some of them can be good, and we hope to achieve better co-operation in the future!
Linda, great if we could contribute! 🙂
Ama de casa, I don't know if I've seen any adverts on your blog either actually (can't remember for sure). Not everyone has it, but on some portals there are adverts around the blogs, or sometimes when you click on and open a blog post. And it's as you say, it's not the blogger who chooses but it "follows".
06 May 2016 - 9:41
Snows says:
I think collaboration is fine but it should be clearly stated in the post. I also appreciate when opinions are not for sale 😀.
06 May 2016 - 9:54
OnTrip. dk says:
Super exciting post and in Denmark we have the same discussions. Of course, bloggers should be able to enter into cooperation and make money from advertising as everyone else can as long as you as a reader can see that there is advertising.
An advert or sponsored post can be exciting for the reader and can contribute new information or tips to the blog.
Nice to read your opinion on it?
06 May 2016 - 10:09
FANTASYDINING-A blog about themed restaurants and travel says:
I was thinking about this myself! Recently I've been getting lots of requests for sponsored posts on my blog.
It is very difficult sometimes, I think. For a very long time I have turned down just about everything because I think it feels wrong. Many companies that contact me have to do with non-travel related things. At the same time, you spend a lot of time and money on the blog. My cost per year is quite high due to the size of the blog so I feel that a small income from time to time would really be needed. But I am afraid to black out the blog if I say yes to a company that wants me to link to them in a sponsored post that for example has to do with borrowing money or online games. Sometimes I consider it, but I end up saying no. In the long run, I hope that you benefit from your decisions and are rewarded with better offers. However, you are then left without a cent paid. I still feel that I do not want to contribute to advertising something I do not like or can stand for.
06 May 2016 - 13:25
Annika says:
I also think that co-operation is fine, as long as it is clearly stated.
AND not too often, I think,
It gets so boring to read such posts if it gets too much. Exactly, if you want to be able to make a living from a blog, there must always be collaborations etc.
I also get requests from time to time, but it is never something I felt I wanted to do, something that is far from my sphere of interest, etc. BUT if it is right, and it is good, then you should definitely do it!
06 May 2016 - 14:49
Ditte says:
I completely agree with you! And I think you are very clear about whether it is a co-operation and that is good.
If you can get some money via sponsored / in cooperation with ... posts, I think it's good. You choose who you want to collaborate with and choose them carefully.
I hope to soon have my own portal and avoid all the adverts on blogg.se. It's just sad that I can't move the posts that are there to Word Press. But I take it.
06 May 2016 - 16:39
Elin Nyqvist says:
What a great post! I've been thinking about this too. I definitely think you should collaborate with companies. If I had a bigger blog, I would have done it too. Just as you write, it is a lot of work to have a blog and a carrot can be to get some extra money. Clarity feels very important!
06 May 2016 - 17:23
Anders and Birgitta says:
I'm sorry to say that since your blog has expanded to include a lot more than just motorhome travelling, I have lost interest in it. We are only interested in things that have to do with motorhomes and travelling in connection with this. Now your blog contains a lot of other things and then I lose interest, but this is my personal opinion and I fully agree that there are certainly many people who are interested in travelling in all its forms, so keep doing what you do because you do it well.
06 May 2016 - 18:11
Lennart says:
Lennart's thoughts are completely free of everything!
06 May 2016 - 19:55
admin says:
Znogge, if I wasn't allowed to write my own opinions I would quickly get tired of blogging 😉.
Ontrip.dk, thank you for your comment! Yes, there are a lot of good things to find in co-operation with companies, but also traps to fall into...
FantasyDining, interesting to hear your thoughts! We think just like you, if we are going to do collaborations we want it to be with companies that we believe in and feel we can stand behind. Once while travelling in Europe, we received an offer from a gaming company with more money than usual. We were constantly worried about our finances and accepted. But we won't do that again, it didn't feel right....
Annika, I have also experienced blogs that present sponsored posts in every other post. Worthless! We will be quite hard when we choose, so it will not be very often.
Ditte, we have tried to be clear before, but we will be even clearer! Some companies don't agree to be so clear, but then there is no co-operation, period. We want our readers to be able to trust us 100 %! But are you sure you can't move your posts? I don't know how to do that, but I know a lot of people do!
Elin Nyqvist, glad you like our post! The fact is that we work extremely hard on our blog and also put a lot of money into it, while we have limited income... But if we are to earn some (albeit small) income, it should be done in a good way.
Anders and Birgitta, just as you say, it is never possible to write so that everyone is completely satisfied 😉 We have probably never written only about motorhomes, but always mixed with air travel, food & wine, renovations, the houseboat, etc. It goes a little up and down in our life. Last year we travelled 365 days with the motorhome. In recent months, there hasn't been much motorhome travelling, except for a motorhome fair. However, the plans for the spring include a motorhome trip in Croatia, the Nolia motorhome fair, the Elmia motorhome fair and a motorhome trip in Sweden...
Lennart, we all make our choices 😉.
06 May 2016 - 20:14
BP says:
So the worst thing I know is when a big floppy advert appears first and overlays the header. It is admittedly advertising that the blogger has not chosen himself, but it is annoying. blogg.se is the worst there, I think.
Sponsorship has been around for a number of years - I think it was Blondinbella and Kissie. They had advertising income and freebees for several hundred thousand kronor without paying tax. So it's not a new phenomenon.
I'm actually torn about advertising on a blog. You clearly write that the post is sponsored, but that the opinions are your own. But...
Ok, just imagine this: you are a guest at the Croatian Pen Award and end up in a substandard hotel that you don't have to pay for, but still. Don't think you'd write down the hotel on the blog anyway - or would you?
To be honest (I hope you don't get mad at me now), I think your sponsored posts have a different "tone" than your regular posts. They feel more "careful" and less spontaneous. But maybe it's just me being professionally injured that reacts that way....
06 May 2016 - 21:11
admin says:
BP, thank you so much for your comment! I love that you are honest! What you write is very interesting and important. We have discussed it lots of times and will discuss it even more! Yes, what do we do if what we are offered is not so good...? Seriously, we MUST be honest. Step 1 is that we choose our partners. I.e. the ones we don't believe in we reject (most requests actually). If it's still not good, we still HAVE to be honest. If, as in your example, we had ended up in a less good hotel in Croatia. Then we would have mentioned it, but maybe not written so much about it. When we were in Helsinki, we experienced a lot of interesting things, but the hotel (which we were invited to) was a bit boring (but still central and quite ok). In fact, we didn't write about the hotel at all... However, we take your point and will think EVEN more about it in the future! Feel free to shout if you think we sound bought, haha. When it comes to tax, it is quite obvious for us to tax for income. In cases where we have received money for something, we invoice via our company and our accounting and pay tax like everyone else. Unfortunately, if we can't bring in a single advert revenue, we will find it difficult to continue as it is right now....
06 May 2016 - 21:52
Mr Steve says:
I thought I wrote a comment here already yesterday, but I guess I didn't. I guess I was just thinking. At least this is how the thoughts went:
The blogging world has grown immensely so it's no wonder that market forces are creeping in. With the time and effort you put into your blogging, I see nothing strange in that you also want something more back than just your readers' comments. Good that you have a policy to check against if you ever feel that you are "out and about". If I, as a reader, would think that you are "out of line", I can tell you or stop reading your blog. However, so far I have not had such a thought. Have a nice weekend!
07 May 2016 - 7:03
Matts Torebring says:
If there is advertising on a blog, I turn a blind eye to it, but I don't stop reading the blog unless it goes too far. I want to be completely free from advertising. I reject all advertising offers I receive.
07 May 2016 - 17:31
Robin says:
We all have to feed ourselves in some way, a "hobby" that requires as much time as a full-time job means that you eventually have to start making money from what you do if you want to continue to develop it / yourself in it. Advertising is everywhere and we think differently about it, but if you read aftonbladet or, for example, watch regular TV, you can all live with some minor advertising posts on your blog as well!
07 May 2016 - 23:39
Steel city anna says:
Interesting post and comments. A slightly complicated topic! If the blog is more than a hobby, it is quite natural that there is advertising in the picture, I think. Getting a lot of freebies seems hard, if you do not even want them and then are forced to blog about even though you do not really want to and report income on some thing you would rather not have ... It would feel quite odd to read a post about a company that sponsors but you write your honest negative opinion about?! Why agree to be sponsored then, then you can say something to the company first? Feels like that just doesn't happen. Maybe you never get sponsored anymore either 🙂 I'm a cynical person but as soon as there is money in the picture, I do not trust the content so much anyway, for that matter, it can be a post that is fun to read. I would be suspicious of a negatively sponsored post as well, maybe almost even more so 🙂
08 May 2016 - 2:21
admin says:
Steve, I really hope you and other readers will let us know if you think we're wrong! You can't please everyone, of course, but this is a balancing act where we don't want to go too far wrong...
Matts, we may place adverts but we will try to ensure that they are not disruptive. I understand your attitude. For us, the blog has started to take so much time that we find it hard to have that attitude anymore...
Robin, yes, there are adverts everywhere, on TV and in newspapers... And that's why the blog has started to take up so much time while still being fun! We would like to continue developing it, but it's difficult without any income at all...
Steel City Anna, thank you for your wise comments! The thing is that you say no when you're not interested. We continuously say no to things we're not interested in: teeth whitening, contact lenses and God knows what else. What we say yes to can be things like a city walk, a destination or a travel guide book. Things that are interesting to write about! So far, we haven't experienced anything that has been downright bad, but in a travel destination there can be pluses and minuses. We would never write positively about a detail we don't like!
08 May 2016 - 9:08
Solan says:
As a non-blogger but with long experience in the newspaper world, I think advertising is ok. Why should you work for free? But we had a rule about "bribery trips". There was a lot of that already, BUT if the destination or product was not good, we never wrote about it.
08 May 2016 - 9:25
Thawing says:
I think it's fine as long as there is a balance and relevance. It shouldn't be drowning in adverts and sponsored posts and both should be relevant to the blog. But I also think it should be presented properly so that it adds something to the blog and is not just written for the sake of money.
10 May 2016 - 9:06
Åke says:
First time I look in here, browse a bit and see this question. I hate advertising, and I don't know how many questions I get... They probably have an eye on my number of visitors, so now I've removed the counter... 1500-2000 / day was nothing unusual, if it's true is irrelevant. Right where it is, you suddenly sit and read advertising if you read a funny post ... Now this is for me, everyone can do as they want. You have a nice range of both pictures and fun things, I will look in more 🙂 ...
15 May 2016 - 14:32
admin says:
Solan, thank you very much for your comment and interesting to hear your experiences from the newspaper world! To a certain extent, you can work for free because it's fun, but when blogging takes so much time that we don't have time for our regular jobs, it starts to become difficult 😉.
Tine, thank you for your comment and point of view! We probably think a bit like you. It's not fun if there is advertising everywhere and all the time, and it must be clear if it is sponsored.
Åke, I'm glad you stopped by and thank you for your comment! You are very welcome to check in again! 🙂 I can both understand and respect that you dislike advertising. We have always blogged in our spare time, but today blogging takes so much time that we have difficulty keeping up with work on the side, and it all starts to become unsustainable. And then you ask yourself how you get income... When it comes to visitor statistics, Google Analytics is the industry standard and most reliable. Of course, it's important to know which metric you're measuring: unique visitors, sessions, page views, etc. as these metrics are not comparable. Of course, if you are not interested in collaborations or receive bad proposals, you are right to say no! We say yes sometimes, but with a lot of hard sifting... it's no to most people 😉.
15 May 2016 - 15:11
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23 May 2016 - 13:42