Employing a Blog Strategy? You Get What You Pay For. - Jory Des Jardins - MediaBizBlogger

Originally published June 13, 2008.

A blogger tells me her story of woe: She had been selected to contribute to a traditional media company's website. Six months into the writing gig, she learns that she is the only writer on-staff who is not being compensated.

She questions her editor, who then tells her that she is, in fact, being compensated by virtue of her association with the site, which gives her work exposure. Of course the real issue here is not the method of compensation itself, but rather why wasn't my blogging friend paid like the other writers for the site--in ducats?

Now, we could all argue that not all writers are created equal, as evidenced by the disparity in pay between those who write a cover story for, say, Vanity Fairversus the local paper. While most tech bloggers can spout off about how the latest version of Firefox is the best browser out there, only Walt Mossberg is paid a rumored mid-six-figure salary to do so. Then there's the prestige factor—there are publishers for whom, theoretically, writers would pay for exposure; publishers that really could compensate lesser-known writers by elevating their profile. For this reason alone I accepted only $250 from The New York Times to write a story, but, in my mid-20s and growing my freelance business, I would have done it for free. But there's another interesting dynamic here that I suspect applies to why my friend wasn't paid: Bloggers are still not perceived as "real" writers.

Sure there are the David Pogues, and George Packers of the world--traditional media writers whose bosses said OK, we need more page views, start blogging! And then there are the Katie Couric's, who need to curry more grassroots favor, and the Top Chef judges, of whom Bravo intelligently required to blog as part of a multi-platform strategy. And then there are the breakout bloggers, such as Mike Arrington at TechCrunch, Kerry Miller of PassiveAggressive Notes and Heather Armstrong of Dooce, whose traffic is so astoundingthat even the most conservative advertisers and traditional media outlets must take notice. Or bloggers like Robert Scoble, whose acclaim in the Blogosphere has led to a book deal and mainstream column with Fast Company. But c'mon, do you all really think of bloggers as REAL writers?

Don't roll your eyes at me; I'm not trying to be dramatic, just realistic. And don't think that I blame only you for dismissing us. In many ways we do it to ourselves, too. After all, my blogging friend never asked for cold, hard cash. And many new bloggers are succumbing to such business models as pay per post, which often monetizes at the expense of credibility. With this model, bloggers receive a nominal fee for including the name and a link to a product on their blog (roughly $5 per mention). While many bloggers can cover their monthly online service fees with this method, I liken it to selling your eggs or sperm for a living--hardly sustainable or self-esteem-inducing. The sponsor doesn't necessarily care what you have to say, just that you've spelled the product name correctly and provided the link for search engine purposes. Bloggers are hired because they have a platform (the blog equivalent of a pulse).

And traditional media writers who could use blogs to boost their offline work typically don't see blogging as a tool. I recall trying to get someone with some acclaim in the business writing world to start a blog to promote her new book. She kept emailing her professional network, to which I belonged, with her updates for the month and a link to her Amazon book page, which I suppose we were meant to click to for the privilege of having her lists of lengthy accomplishments fill our email boxes. I thought if, perhaps, she provided some value to her network by maintaining a blog, or just maintained a bit of a rapport with her readers, she might have fared better. But, she told me in a polite note, she just didn't have the time to write a blog AND focus on her other work.

I think that's fair. If I were being paid to write something that project would likely take precedence. Though I would point out tech entrepreneur Guy Kawasaki and marketing genius Seth Godin as two of the not-so-desperate writers who have successful, traditional media careers, mucho speaking opportunities, and guru status, and who also consider blogging to be a worthwhile endeavor. When I read Godin's blog, I appreciate that he doesn't save the dregs for online. It's all well-written, thought-provoking stuff. And I still buy his books. Guy Kawasaki, gives away the store with meaty posts on how to be a force of nature in business, and has won the hearts of new customers for his categorized headline aggregator, Alltop--namely Mommybloggers--that he never would have met on the geek speaking circuit.

These folks didn't adopt a blogging strategy because they consider blogging cheap, throwaway work, and neither should any publisher or business that's thinking about employing bloggers. I've received calls from companies who are launching blogs and need writers; many of these opportunities are unpaid. If the gig is corporate I will not make an introduction for two reasons: 1) I don't believe that bloggers should write for free unless there is room for professional development or exposure, and 2) I don't know any good, experienced bloggers that would put up with this.

I know, I know, you have to provethe value of the blog before your management will give you more budget. If the blogger proves popular then you will consider monetary compensation. But the Blogosphere works very much like the rest of the non-virtual world: You get what you pay for.