Why do we have adverts on the blog? We are sometimes asked why we have sponsored articles on the blog. Sometimes we are also asked why we choose the advertising we choose, why we design it the way we do and so on. Relevant questions! We're answering them today, and at the same time offering some "inside information" from behind the scenes.
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Why do we have adverts on the blog?
There are blogs that are completely ad-free, so why isn't our blog ad-free too? This question is actually quite simple to answer. If you run your blog as a hobby (and thus have your full income from other sources) then you can freely choose to run the blog without income. If, like us, you only work part-time alongside your blog and are dependent on blog income to cover your monthly expenses, then you have to make sure you make money somehow.
If you run your blog as a hobby, you might not choose to spend so much money on it. We invest a lot in our blog, in terms of time but also in terms of money. This year we've been paying a web developer every month to rebuild various features on the blog and on the website. web shops. Other costs include web hosting, technical equipment, software, various contracts related to the webshop, etc. etc. We have to raise money from somewhere to cover the expenses.
Can't we raise revenue in other ways?
As far as we know, newspapers are monetised either by advertising or by subscription/paywall. Since we not If you want to charge your readers, we think it's advertising we have to go for. Some newspapers also combine with some kind of sales. We are also trying this now that we have a web shop. So far it has cost very more than it has generated (that's what happens when you start a new business), but it is an opportunity for the future.
Another possibility, of course, is that we both start working full-time at other jobs and run the blog as a hobby. But that would be something completely Other. We would no longer be able to travel or write as we do today. And honestly, I think we would lose the spark. This is our passion!
Why don't we just advertise relevant things, like travel?
Well, why don't we just take in adverts and sponsored partnerships that are about motorhomes, travel, outdoors and other things that are relevant and fit the blog? Great question! That is of course how we wish that it should be, and that's the kind of collaboration we're always looking for. But it's not that simple!
One collaboration request out of 50 is about something really relevant and exciting, while the other 49 are much more boring. "We email back and forth, and many collaborations fall through for some reason in the end. Perhaps they don't agree with us labelling it an "advert collaboration", or they don't want to pay what we ask for.
Maybe we should be more "on" ourselves and look for good advertisers and partners, but that's another task that takes time. Every day, our email inbox is full of around 10 new enquiries, and we usually don't have time to do more than reply...
But, isn't it still reprehensible to advertise certain companies?
It is common knowledge in the blogging world that gaming companies and loan companies are the most "on" for ordering sponsored posts. The approach is different. When we occasionally do collaborations, we don't really see it as advertising. for companies, but more like they are sponsoring an article we want to write. For the most part, we can write about something we find interesting and exciting, while giving the company visibility in the form of a link.
If we write the article ourselves, we always mention the gambling or loan companies in a very neutral way. If they write the article (in which case it says at the top that it is a guest article!) the wording is left to the advertiser. We have now added extra wording at the bottom to clarify this further: This post is a guest post. Please note that any opinions expressed in the article are those of the author.
By the way, we have two different price lists, one for games/loans and one for more relevant companies. This way we keep the number of posts sponsored by game or loan companies down, while at the same time thinking that the ones we bring in are worth the payment.
We sometimes think about the irony that radio shows, TV programmes, newspapers and even football matches are sponsored by or advertise gambling and loans without anyone reacting. Sometimes it feels like bloggers are under more scrutiny, like we have to be "a little better" to be good enough?
Why don't we just have "banners" instead of sponsored posts?
Some people wonder why we don't have traditional adverts (banners) instead of sponsored posts. The answer is that we are happy to include traditional banners. We currently have two on the home page, but the demand is not nearly as high. Out of 300 requests we receive, one is for banners and 299 are for sponsored articles.
Ok, but what if you as a reader don't like advertising?
We respect that there are readers who dislike advertising and we can certainly understand that position. Unfortunately, we are not able to remove all advertising. The sponsored posts allow us to afford and write the following all those other unsponsored the posts.
To make it easy for you to quickly and easily see which posts are sponsored, there is always a purple line at the bottom of the top photo of sponsored articles. On the left side of the line is "Advert collaboration" (which means we have been paid for the post) and on the right side is the name of the company that has paid. OM the post is written by someone other than us (not very often, but it happens), it is also listed at the top of the title:
Today we present a guest post by xxx
Many of the sponsored posts are posts that we have worked hard on and are proud of. Sometimes we work with tourist offices, for example, and then we get help with tips and information, which really makes the posts stand out. even better. We also work hard on many other sponsored articles to ensure that the results are exciting and informative.
MenOf course, you can decide for yourself which posts you want to read and which you don't. However, we hope that we make it easy for you to quickly assess the article and decide what to read and what not to read.
Thank you to all the wonderful readers
Finally, we want to thank all of you wonderful readers who comment, question and help us develop! Whilst we understand that we can't live on air, we would also like to encourage you to keep thinking, asking, questioning and commenting. That's what makes blogging so much fun!
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Daniel on FlyingDryden says:
Wise reasoning and good review! We think more or less the same and I have the same lack of understanding about what is "accepted advertising" and what is not, seen from the perspective of others than my own. Spot on there, thanks! 🙂
21 October 2020 - 8:01
Helena says:
Thank you for your comment Daniel! It always feels like a balancing act, but we believe in being transparent in the af.
21 October 2020 - 17:26
Anna / boihusbil.se says:
I think your labelling is great! It makes it easy for me to avoid the adverts. It is up to each blogger to find their way with or without advertising, for us, freedom is the driving force 🙂.
21 October 2020 - 9:00
Helena says:
Thank you for your comment Anna! Yes, that's probably true, that everyone has to find their way. And yes, by being clear, we think readers can choose, just like that.
21 October 2020 - 17:29
Peter says:
Hello!
Good description of the reality in which you operate. Many of us who only have a blog or something else as a hobby get ads from google (or whatever provider we choose to use) which in practice pays for the web hosting etc.
Personally, I'm very rarely bothered by adverts unless they are very "flashy" and I'm happy to take the small disturbance to continue reading good blog posts.
/Peter
21 October 2020 - 9:10
Helena says:
Yes, that's right, advertising is often present in some form. I agree with you, I don't want it to be too flashy either. And I want it to be clear what is sponsored and what is not.
21 October 2020 - 17:31
Lena in Wales and Spain says:
Why should you not include adverts in your posts? The main thing is that you don't do surreptitious advertising.
If you want to make a living from blogging, you have to have an income from it, of course.
I listen to a lot of podcasts and today there are more and more that you have to pay to listen to, which I understand.
I get a lot of requests for collaborations, but if it's not related to my blog, I won't accept it.
Good luck!
21 October 2020 - 10:50
Helena says:
Interesting that podcasts are starting to charge, I didn't realise that. Newspapers are also doing it more and more (along with advertising). I agree that the most important thing is not to be sneaky.
21 October 2020 - 17:35
Annar Aas says:
I am super sensitive to advertising that destroys a film or story, I think you manage that balance nicely, of course I understand that you have to make money, everyone has had to devote themselves to not wanting to burden others. I have read your blog as gone as every day for 5-6 years, it must be seen as a good grade to your way of blogging. Keep it up.
21 October 2020 - 12:18
Helena says:
Thank you, what a nice comment! It really warms to hear! Thank you so much!
21 October 2020 - 17:36
4000mil says:
And of course, while you can't make any money, you have to be extremely well read and have all the facts in place at least at the level of a paid journalist.
Otherwise it is soooo bad and you should not be allowed to publish at all. 🙂
21 October 2020 - 15:30
Helena says:
Yes, that's how it is. We try to be careful with the facts, and yet sometimes we get things wrong. I am actually grateful if someone points it out, because I want to correct it quickly if something is wrong. But it often happens that the tone is aggressive, even if the error is minimal. So no, it's not always easy 😉.
21 October 2020 - 17:38
BP says:
It almost feels like I have inspired you to write this post;-) Completely agree with the previous "speaker" that you are very careful to indicate that it is sponsored posts.
The content of your personal posts is always good, otherwise I would not have followed you for so many years. Those who have commented do not seem to be bothered by advertising. So then it's just to continue as usual;-)
21 October 2020 - 18:16
Helena says:
Yes, it was probably you who inspired me, so thank you for that! 😉 However, we've been asked by different people at different times, so I thought this might be a good topic to write about 🙂 ).
21 October 2020 - 20:01
Madeleine Krans - First Morning says:
Of course you should have sponsorship and advertising. You do it so nicely too. Clear and transparent. It takes time to write a blog and edit photos and film. You cannot live on air and perform at the level you do at the same time. There are many examples of advertising and adverts ruining the reading experience. But absolutely not with you!
24 October 2020 - 7:49
Ditte says:
You can decide for yourself whether you want to read the sponsored posts or not. You label very clearly what is a collaboration, guest post or similar, so I don't think it's a problem.
However, I am more wary of advertising or guest articles about games. But even there I can choose whether I want to read or not. I know they pay well and I get a lot of different suggestions from them every week. But I do not live on the blog and in principle do not want "advertising". However, I can link to something I think is good, or to facts and other things.
(What bothers me sometimes about some blogs with advertising, often free blogs, is that the advert appears in the middle of a paragraph and the blog owner can't really remove it. Sometimes it is also distasteful).
21 October 2020 - 19:13
Helena says:
Thank you for your comments Ditte! I would also be more restrictive if we didn't live on the blog. Then again, some collaborations can be fun anyway and add something. I recognise what you write about at the end. When you blog on a free site, you can usually not control the advertising. I have also experienced that there is quite distasteful advertising sometimes.
21 October 2020 - 20:03
Ditte says:
You need the income and that makes a big difference. So being too restrictive can be tricky. But you are always clear and that is important. Good luck and I'll keep up with you and have done so for many years.
21 October 2020 - 20:39
Solan says:
"In co-operation with" works very well, as you are working for your livelihood.
However, I have the most fun with everything that has to do with the motorhome/boat.
I think you are superb in both text and images. Flow in the text and sting in the pictures.???
21 October 2020 - 23:06
Annar Aas says:
Totally agree with Solan, couldn't have said it better myself.
22 October 2020 - 12:58
Lena - good for the soul says:
Of course, you must be paid for the work you do. It is an extremely high quality blog you run. You make it very clear so it would be easy to scroll on if you are bothered. In addition, you weave in the sponsor in a very good way so it does not become artificial in any way.
People still seem to be very unused to influencers being paid for their work. They don't seem to think along the lines you mention about newspapers. I can imagine that people are sticking to the old frivolous way that bloggers used to do. Praising a company in a post even though they didn't stand for it. Raising money without taxation, etc. I can understand why people are bothered by this type of behaviour. Unfortunately, I think there are a few years left before people have understood the thing about the seriousness of most influencers today.
Hug Lena
26 October 2020 - 8:56