The Not So Dirty Truth About Sponsored Posts
Joining the ranks of politics and pooping, there’s a new hush hush topic on the scene: Sponsored Posts. It’s almost impossible to go on Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat or a blog without seeing the dreaded #SP, #AD or #SPONSORED hashtag. Whether it’s your favorite celeb promoting a private jet or an up and coming influencer pushing teeth whitening kits, it’s everywhere. Welcome to 2017, marketing and advertising is now dependent upon influencers & bloggers.
IMO, it’s only just begun. I will 110% admit to posting sponsored Instagram & blog posts. Ain’t no shame in my hustle game.
The post you’re currently reading?
Not sponsored. But I did get gifted clothing from Revolve, Rebecca Minkoff, Public Desire and a bunch of other brands.
But THIS Instagram Post? You guessed it… SPONSORED!
What does that mean exactly? Well… let’s dive into a little breakdown of how this whole racket works.
If you’re new to the whole “paid promotion” game, sponsored posts are basically private advertisements. Not all of these sponsored posts are paid. A lot of times, influencers will trade product or “gifts” in exchange for a post. Often times, bloggers & influencers who are trying to build up their “repertoire” of collaborations will take free stuff in exchange for posts, just to make it look like they’re getting paid. For real, IG is all about creating a visual story. There’s no reason you couldn’t technically post a photo and ad the #ad — just to make it look like you’re promoting something. Weird, right?
I’d also like to point out:
Most of the “cool stuff” aka fancy clothing and vacations you see are just gifts. Not that it isn’t totally awesome to get free stuff. But even when you see influencers and bloggers with hundreds of thousands of followers promoting free clothing from their favorite brands — 8/10 times they’re just giving a shout out as a thank you, not because they’re making any extra cash.
Anyways, the mystical paid post can take on many forms. Photo, link, blog post, Instagram story, shout out, graphic or all of the above. The goal is to have someone post about something & have other people see it. Gaining exposure for a brand, product, idea, location, etc.
Reality is…
TONS of people are doing it. Influencer/Bloggers and Micro Influencers/Micro Bloggers (micro meaning accounts with smaller followings but still significant engagement) are creating mass amounts of content for other people. Not all of it is good, some is cheesy and over the top. Some is less than genuine — “Buy this super awesome workout elixir I totally use all the time” or “I absolutely love shopping at this shitty site, use my discount code for 10 cents off”.
Other bloggers and influencers make an effort to promote products they actually back and use, things they like, places they actually want to go to… creating what I call “genuine content”. I will note though, that most bloggers/influencers are guilty (myself included) for posting the occasional collaboration that is a little “off” or not 100% real. That’s the way the cookie crumbles. In all truth – I do enjoy a good “skinny tea” from time to time and love me some Oreos, but there are a few collaborations I look back on (particularly when I was first collaborating) that make me cringe.
So…why exactly should brands be charged for posts?
Loaded question. In my opinion, it’s about the time value of money. Yes, taking the number of followers and readers you have into consideration is important. But think of it this way… When I am collaborating with a brand, I don’t just snap a picture and post. It takes weeks, even months to plan out. I have to figure out what the post will look like, what the content will include, brainstorm for a photoshoot, schedule a photoshoot, pay for a photoshoot, make sure photos are edited, continue brainstorming for a blog post (or caption), draft the content, revise a few times, schedule a post, post on all of my networks, etc. And that’s a brief version of what goes into it. It takes a lot of time & energy. Time is money. I’m not going to spend hours and hours creating something that will profit a company without being compensated – just like any job.
You can look at the early stages of blogging or social networking as an internship phase.
You have to work for little to no money. But, if you put your time in and establish your business, you can and should be able to charge for your work. I don’t think there is anything “dirty” about it. Blogging & Social Influencers are business owners. Anyone who thinks it’s shitty for them to do sponsored content is either jealous or just doesn’t understand the industry.
There are downsides though, 100%.
In today’s Instaworld, lines are beginning to blue. Who has real followers and real engagement? Who’s over using “comment pods”? Who is paying for their fame? When you work hard to build your networks organically, it can be a major bummer seeing other people taking short cuts. There are tons of people buying hundreds of thousands of followers, using auto bots to auto like and comment on their photos, all just to create an image of “celebrity” so that they can increasingly monetize themselves. It’s not all about the money. It’s about creating a genuine community around content.
Now, time for a few tips…
Do you have a few followers or a blog and want to try monetizing them? Check out some of these influencer marketing sites:
*I recommend starting with FameBit if you’re just getting started, it’s an easy way to browse and see what types of brands will pay you for content.
Not ready to jump into paid posts, but looking to make a little extra cash online. Here are a few fun sites you can still make money on!
Let me know if you want me to do a more detailed post on making money online! Either using social media or other cool ways you can make cash doing what you love!
Like this post? Check out my blog post on Being a Grown Up and The Lessons I’ve Learned Blogging!
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