Here’s the deal
I found a business that also sets bloggers up to write reviews and their model is very similar to the one I’m working on. Big huge difference — they pay bloggers for each review. The pay for post model is obviously really controversial and I don’t think every blogger is willing to basically write ads on their site. BUT the site doesn’t demand positive reviews and does say each paid for post needs to say something like, “This is a sponsored post.”
Now as a blogger in the free world, I think having options for bloggers (and marketers) is a good thing. There are bloggers (like me) who will take ads but wouldn’t write a sponsored post but would be willing to review a product if approached to do so. There are other bloggers who will take ads and write sponsored posts but wouldn’t review a product “for free.” It takes all kinds. (And I also think a sizeable chunk of bloggers would be willing to sign up for both services.)
But here’s the problem: This guy has way way way way more money than I do. He’s got venture capital funding, a staff, a salary, a graphic designer, a programmer, and an advertising budget. I have me, my laptop, a hacked shopping cart program, and the $3.20 I have left over from my blogads in my paypal account. (I spent the rest on the domain name and another hack to make loading blogs easier.) Can I compete? Should I bother to try?
I’m trying to be all bright side about this. Like I’m proud that I obviously nailed this idea and it’s a good one or else this other company wouldn’t have such deep pockets. I feel like I went really far for a mom working around her busy toddler’s schedule. That’s pretty darn great. Here let me pat myself on the back for a minute (pat pat pat).
I do think there’s room for both because, like I said, I don’t think every blogger willing to write reviews is willing to get paid because it would be outside of their ethics. Also I know PR people would like this service because I’m not charging NEARLY as much (right now I’m not charging anything) and because not every company is going to WANT paid-for reviews.
On the other hand, the blog world is changing in weird and wonderful ways. I think a pay for review model is going to help push blogging into something else — what I’m not sure. Technorati is having trouble weeding out the Sblogs; more and more people are willing to accept ads in sidebars, headers and now content; corporations are paying people to write what look like “grassroots” blogging — I don’t know what’s going to happen to the blog-world. It could be that a pay-for-review site will water down blog opinion-makers enough to make my review-and-keep-the-sample-but-don’t-get-paid site obsolete.
I’ve spent a lot of time on this and I feel like I can give it three months before I can really know for sure if it’s worth it BUT I also have no money coming in for the first time in … a long time. (Can’t remember the last time there was no work on the horizon.) I’m feeling absolutely muddled about what in the heck to do with my life/career. I’m hoping the conference helps and all the good thoughts/prayers I’m sending out into the universe. But I thought for awhile that Get Them Blogging might be it. I thought I could have fun working with bloggers and PR people (because I really do think marketing is fun) and make a part-time salary doing it. And now I’m thinking maybe (probably?) not. So what next?
Write the cultural infertility book.
(Just a thought)
I am not too swift in the blogging arena, so my comment’s the last one to listen to. But have you exhausting every means of promoting Get Them Blogging? Because unless the pay is significant, or could become regular and significant, I’m not sure that’s such a draw. At least not for bloggers who are doing this because they’re interested in writing and their particular subject, not to try to make a living off of it.
Narrow your focus to the Columbus market. Contact local PR companies directly. You’ve got the site set up, you’ve got business cards, you’ve got experience — you have way more than an idea. Let’s do some emergency planning.
I absolutely think there is a market for it. The goal is to hook up PR people with items with bloggers who would want that item, right?? Because if I am approached to write a review for money or write a review and get to keep what I reviewed..they are the same to me. I know some people don’t think that way but I see no difference.
Also..the other site says “products” but a lot of what I see being reviewed so far is websites. Websites selling a product maybe..but you don’t actually get a product to review most of the time. Your business model actually puts the product in the hand of the consumer to try..which makes the reviews much more accurate and legitimate.
Oh and the offer still stands if you want a free blogad.
As I see it, you’re kind of looking at occupying the space between this other guy and BzzAgent (http://www.bzzagent.com), which doesn’t pay for “bzz” generated by their agents but generally does provide a sample of some kind along with reward points, and which does not deliver bloggers exclusively. So the question to me is, is the space viable? I think it is (or could be - e-mail me if you want more info why I think this, but I do *think* that you can likely deliver some sought after demographics/psychographics).
Hi Dawn,
I come upon this all the time in the work I do online. Email me and I’ll tell you how you can beat those with the big, deep pockets. In fact, I’m facing this right now because a HUGE corporation is about to launch a site similar to mine. What’s a girl to do? Work like hell!
I don’t think competition is such a bad thing. For one, eventually it was going to happen anyway. Two, this model sounds significantly different enough from yours that I think there’s room for both. Third, people don’t just read one blog…marketing people don’t just seek out one source for ad placement…I really think that having another company doing something similar means you’re on to something and might even strengthen BOTH your positions. How hard you want to pursue it is up to you, but I wouldn’t let it go at this point–definitely not!