The Ugly Side of Money Blogging

For the longest time, I’ve wanted to write on ways to monetise your blog and how you could turn your blog into a business. Obviously for so many bloggers including myself, my blog started off as a hobby then blossomed into a passion. I didn’t really think I could work with brands, let alone earn money from opportunities.

I know some bloggers think that once you start to monetise your blog, it won’t feel like a hobby anymore or that your audience will think that you have become money-oriented which used to be my biggest concern as well. But the truth is, it’s the complete opposite. As long as you are honest, your audience will know who you are especially if they have been reading you for a very long time.

In addition, when it comes to not feeling it as a hobby anymore – I would say it’s completely false and I’m pretty sure other bloggers who monetise their blogs or are full-time bloggers would agree with me. You feel more passionate about your blog than before! You get to write your usual articles but you get paid – how cool is that?!

With that said, it’s not as easy as it may look like and there are definitely some things you need to look out for. I didn’t think it was fair for me to start writing articles related to money blogging when you should know a number of things beforehand, that way you will be more careful and definitely more prepared when you do decide to monetise your blog. So without further a do, let’s jump into the post!

Related: 5 Ways To Increase Your Income

 

THE SCAMMERS

The first thing you need to look out for are scammers. You might be pretty excited when a paid opportunity lands in your inbox but if that opportunity is too good to be true, you should definitely do your research before.

A paid opportunity – usually referred as a sponsored post or paid collaboration – doesn’t require you to pay for anything. Those scammers will usually ask you to pay a certain amount of money in order for you “to collaborate” with them which is a big scam. Obviously, this is only a small example.

Scammers are getting very creative right now. There are so many types of scammers and if you would like to know other examples of scamming in the blogging industry, let me know in the comments and I will do a separate post on that subject.

Related: 5 Ways To Connect With PR Agencies As A Blogger

 

NOT GETTING PAID ON TIME

I think this one is very common in the blogging industry and if you are a freelancer, you are very familiar with it as well and that is your invoices not getting paid on time by brands. Very rarely a brand/PR will pay you on time and when I mean on time it is within a week or two, or most times within 30 days.

Many bloggers don’t know about this and expect to be paid instantly which doesn’t happen that often. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that brands or PRs don’t pay on time, some do but you might encounter some that don’t and you literally need to be prepared to chase them around.

Obviously, you will get paid because otherwise you have the right to sue them and that will bring them even more problems. But when you will get paid is the big question. It might be after a month or two, I’ve heard some bloggers get paid after 5 months which as you can imagine is pretty bad.

Related: How To Pitch To Brands As A Blogger + Template

 

OFFERING RIDICULOUS RATES

This is another topic that is quite controversial, personally I don’t care how much another blogger charges for their content and it’s not my business either. Obviously, there is an amount that you can charge based on your stats, DA and social media but the truth is that the majority of the brands/companies don’t have that much budget to pay you.

Also, I don’t think a blogger charging a certain amount of money for a sponsored post will effect other bloggers in the industry. Yes, it does have an impact but at the same time it really doesn’t make a massive difference either in the grand scheme of things. With that said, I think money is subjective. What I find inexpensive might be super expensive to another blogger and vice versa.

I will never judge another blogger on the amount they charge, it doesn’t matter how high or low it is because at the end of the day, you don’t know their situation and what they are going through. What if they need that money to put food on the table and to feed their children? Even if it’s not that case, I just think it should be none of other people’s business.

Now you might be wondering why I’m been saying all this (lol) but all that to say there are certain rates you shouldn’t accept because not only you are undervaluing your work but the brand/PR in question is taking full advantage of your work and you as a blogger. Some brands will offer ridiculous rates compared to the work they are asking in return.

Once again, you know what’s best for you but I wouldn’t recommend charging or working with a brand that offers less than £10-£20. I have worked with brands that have offered me those rates and that is why I’m not recommending you to do that.

Related: How To Find Work As A Freelancer

 

NOT PAYING YOU

Last but not least, we have the lovely people who don’t end up paying you and change everything they have said in the first place. I find it astonishing and shocking that there are people who still do that. Not only do they not have any morals but they can end up having huge repercussions as well.

There are so many red flags you can spot with those people therefore you can easily notice and get out of that situation quickly. Another misconception is that those people usually seem “dodgy” in the sense they might not look professional but the truth is they might pay you on time, very big brands & companies are probably the ones you should be very careful with. Once again, I’m only generalising – there is good and bad in everything.

Related: My Weird & Creepy Blogging Experiences

 

I hope this doesn’t put you off monetising your blog. When you do decide to accept paid opportunities, I really want you to be prepared and know what you are doing. I’m planning on writing many articles about money blogging since I find there are so much that bloggers and even people don’t know about. That’s why I wanted to give you a heads-up and get the ugly part out of the way first.

 

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING!

xo N

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