I'm mapili with brands I work with. The brand must be something I use or believe in, for starters. I'm okay with posting announcements and press releases and doing event coverage for free as long as the brand is aligned with my blogs and who I am (and if I have no kwento haha kasi ngayon na nasa bahay na ako palagi, it's not like my life is SO EXCITING!).
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| Helping promote Pampers sound sleep campaign |
But if hindi ko type ang tono ng email, I say no. If the email starts with "Dear blogger/mom blogger/webmaster" and "To whom it may concern," I say no. If demanding si brand/PR ("Tell your readers to like/follow us, use all these hashtags and keywords, we want X number of posts plus social media campaign") at ang daming pinapagawa tapos "Thanks!" lang ang kapalit, I say no. I write well and I do spend time and effort, plus blogging time means time away from my kids so I do expect to be compensated. But that doesn't mean mukhang pera ako. For example, I can't resist small businesses, especially if they're run by mommies of small kids. Kahit walang bayad ang Ni-QUA and Elin sa akin, because natuwa ako sa mommy at sa business nila, game ako. Yes, even if I don't even use the product just as long as I believe in it, I support mompreneurs! Well, not ALL mompreneurs but basta bottom line pa rin is if I don't use/like/believe in the brand, it's really a no.
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| Being makulit with fellow Sangobion brand ambassador Cheska Garcia-Kramer |
You know, I wish I could say yes to every proposal sent my way. If I did, mayaman na siguro ako. Kung pera lang ang criterion talaga, go lang nang go! But sa lagay, hindi pa rin ganon kalaki ang kita ko from blogging dahil feel na feel ko yang integrity ko!
I've heard that my being mapili has been misconstrued. You know, I'd rather be called a snob than be accused of compromising my integrity. Kasi in the end, my blogs reflect who I am and if it comes out na snob ako, well, kung ganyan kayo mag-isip eh di ganyan kayo mag-isip. Okay lang, kasi may pagka-maarte naman talaga ako minsan haha. Pero hindi ako fake at hindi ako sinungaling. Itaga niyo sa bato yan.
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| A video I did for NIVEA Baby's CSR efforts to help Fabella Hospital |
Blogs are so tricky. Nung nasa magazines ako, tanggap lang nang tanggap kasi pera yun para sa company. So kahit na hindi bagay ang toilet cleaner and fungus medication sa glamorous Hollywood magazine, okay lang, i-feature asap! But blogs are an extension of the blogger. I seriously believe no amount of money should buy a blogger's integrity.
But I also won't judge bloggers who do it for the money. Hindi ko ever ma-gets yung mga blogger diyan na kung maka-judge ng mga bloggers who earn from their blogs, akala mo they poop gold dahil hindi raw for sale ang opinions nila. Well, good for you. Some of us need to make money, you know. We have bills to pay, mouths to feed. My opinion is never for sale, either. Nakahanap lang ako ng paraan para kumita ng pera in a clean and decent way. So to each his own. I live and let live and enjoy blogging!
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Word to this: I'd rather be called a snob than be accused of compromising my integrity. I used to "pitch in" to brands and mompreneurs for products (for giveaways) in exchange of blog posts. That was my way of driving traffic eh. Grabeng tumaas naman talaga ang traffic ng aking humble cyber kingdom. Pero ha, nakakapagod... nakakalungkot. Kasi at the end of the day, talo pa din pala ako. Readers only came to me to join. Brands only believed in me kasi I will let my readers follow them. Sayang yung time na sana mas pinahalagahan ko yung content ng blog ko. One year. Grabe. Now, I learned naman na. But I still want sponsorships and collaborations for my blog para mas magtagal pa siya! Hehe.
ReplyDeleteLove this post, Frances. Title's in Filipino pa. *fist bump*
First, I think it's okay to pitch to brands you like so don't beat yourself up over it. I keep asking Bench (Mothercare, ELC, etc) to partner with my blogs because I buy so much stuff from them but wala talaga haha. Ayaw nila sa akin!
DeleteSecond, yeah, ayoko na rin mag-giveaway. Nakakapagod grabe and you attract the wrong crowd. Si Tricia Gosiengtian ang nagsabi niyan. I do giveaways lang if it's sponsored. Or, recently, I did giveaways on my Facebook but the prizes were all my stuff, hindi from brands, kasi I needed to clear my clutter hehe. I just need to improve on my mechanics so that the winners will be REAL readers and not just professional contest joiners.
Last, think of all these experiences as lessons. Don't feel na sayang yung time. Even the giveaways ot you traffic. Maybe twenty of those hundred contest joiners will read your blog! Or maybe the brands you worked with before will want to work with you again or recommend you to other brands so kahit papaano, you got connections. It's okay! Nothing is sayang =)
You're right about connections! I have previous partners who reco'd me to their friends, and friends of friends. :) Btw, I got that 'different kind of giveaway mechanics' from you and Martine. It may not be my original but it's something good; better, actually! :)
DeleteOMG, I like Bench, too. And SM Department Store! And National Bookstore haha. :)
There ya go. Nothing is wasted =D
DeleteHands down on this post! I have been following several blogs since early 2000's and, sadly, I have stopped reading some (at least regularly) because it's full of sponsored posts already. Of course, as a reader, you can't really do anything about it. It's their blog and they can post whatever they want. And, yeah - bloggers need to earn (we all do!) and sustain their blogs, too.
ReplyDeleteI admire you and your blog for evolving with the times so effectively - right amount of content and right amount of sponsorships. And the fact that you make sure that the sponsored posts are still relevant to you and the readers. I guess it's just kinda sad for me to see the posts of bloggers I look up to evolve from sincere and heartfelt to just pure advertisements.
I can't speak for other bloggers but I do want to share this email I wrote to another reader, Grech:
Delete"Actually, lately hindi na ako masyado open sa family life ko. I was bullied last year by some mom bloggers. I was devastated. I wanted to give up blogging! Buti na lang I had contracts with blog partners that I had to honor, so I kept blogging. I know some of my readers complain na puros sponsored posts na on the blog but if it weren't for those posts, I'd have shut down Topaz Mommy. I like to think that the sponsored posts are still honest and 'me,' though!"
That was my case, and also it was starting to get freaky when people know so much about me and my family. Like, I'd be out doing the grocery and a stranger will roll up her shopping cart to me and ask personal stuff. All my walls suddenly go up, you know? But who's to blame for that? Me! Because I reveal so much on my blogs! So I find relief in sponsored posts kasi the blogs still continue to churn out content but I'm not so out there =)
Oh wow, it must be really difficult. Blogging has actually grown to a different level na rin kasi. Remember before it's defined as an "online journal." But of course iba na nga if you have thousands reading it. I realized nga na it must feel weird for bloggers na a lot of people know about your personal lives. And it does feel weird to us readers, too! Well, it comes to a point. Hehe. You realize na bakit ang dami mong alam. So I guess writing nga sponsored posts here and there gives it the right mix :)
DeleteIt's exciting for me because I'm a writer on one hand and I used to be a magazine editor, too. So I love creating content and yet I also have experience in publishing and advertising. This is right up my alley! My main concern really is not even keeping my integrity intact (it's easy!), it's respecting my family's privacy. It's getting harder and harder every day. Where do I draw the line?
DeleteAm a regular reader of your blogs and yun din yun naging concern ko..that you were revealing to much of your family life and your kids are too exposed...there's the risk that strangers might pry or give unsolicited advice..uso pa naman sa culture natin pakialamera...
Deletei still find integrity in your posts because they still relate to you personally.. other blogs i USED to read kasi panay libreng invites na lang sa resto or hotels ang habol and their posts seem so..... uhm, paid..may pagka patay gutom ang dating nakasuya
The unsolicited advice, yes, oh yes, I get a lot of that haha But the kids are actually safe. If you notice, I never post about their whereabouts, where we are, where they go, if they go to school or not, their schedules. I don't even talk about their health (allergies, milk they drink, etc) or too personal details (like what the kids watch on TV, favorite games and characters, pet peeves, not any of their favorites or dislikes, etc). So apart from what my kids look like and how much we love them, no one really knows much about them =)
DeleteSo I guess I am aware pala of that line. For now, I think it's okay to share my kids because they're still babies and they will change pa. Even their looks so as soon as they go to school, no more photos of them (or their faces at least) on the blogs and public social media.
My one regret is revealing their names. It's happened too many times that we're out and strangers will call the kids by their names and the kids get confused because the people are obviously strangers but since they know my kids' names, they must be okay.
As for me and Vince, I don't publish anything he doesn't approve. He's fine with me talking about our marriage and even our sex life basta the ones on marriage is instructional and inspirational, while the ones on sex is happy-happy but no details (like when we do it, if we did it, favorite positions, haha). But again, I hardly talk about the stuff we do every day, our schedules, where we go, if we fought, what we fought about. Kaya nga people think our marriage is so perfect haha
Yay! Thank you so much for supporting and believing in Elin. :) We really appreciate it and I personally appreciate it even more knowing that so many other brands who offer you money are turned down while we can only offer you so little heehee. Your support has meant so much to us and has helped us in many ways. :) Hint hint to Bench! Thank you again and more power to your blogs! We love reading both of them. :) - Martina
ReplyDeleteMartina! Thank you also for the wonderful Mother's Day gift! I loved the Elin breastfeeding dress!!! Can't wait to use it =) Thanks so much for your support, too =)
DeleteBeautifully written as always, Frances. My friends often ask me why I don't just make a living by being a blogger. I tell them, with my training in journalism, I still can't marry the idea of writing sponsored posts. But I also tell them, I don't blame those who do, or respect them any less. Because they're their own publisher, and the brands go directly to them instead of placing ads or advertorials in newspapers and magazines. I just hope more bloggers are like you who still have the integrity to stand by what they write about. Hindi yung tanggap lang ng tanggap ng assignment. At yung iba, sila pa ang nagdedemand. And they don't even have the credentials to do so! Plus I really love how your personality shows in your posts, which adds to your credibility. Kudos and more power! :)
ReplyDeleteI didn't earn from my blog before either and I would always tell people, "I am not a blogger. I am a writer with an online presence." Hehe. Then I became a magazine editor and, you know, a writer is different from a magazine editor haha, because the bottom line for an editor-in-chief is always "ARE WE MAKING MONEY???" Hahahaha, so that helped me decide to earn from my blogs =)
DeleteHi Frances.
ReplyDeleteI like reading your blog because it's well-written. I even read your mommy blog (and I'm not a mom).
As long as you remain honest with your readers, they will keep on coming back for more.
From a long-time reader who only took time to comment now.
Thank you so much for reading my blogs and for your nice words and for finally leaving a comment =D
DeleteLOL! I remember receiving a compensated post proposal for a hospital. A hospital is the last place I wanna be in because it's a depressing place for me, but I had to think twice about it kasi malaki ang offer! LOL! But I went back to the reason why people visit my blog and it's because of my integrity-that's one thing that has no price tag. So I said no! Besides, I couldn't even come up with a nice title for the sponsored post-that meant I didn't feel like doing it!
ReplyDeleteI do agree on your last statement regarding bloggers and readers judging bloggers who do sponsored posts. Maybe in their heads, sponsored equals money, but tigil- tigilan ako. When you receive a free product, that's sponsored already! He who does not sin cast the first stone! For the bloggers, when they start getting massive traffic and advertisers start coming their way, let's see if they won't be able to resist the offers.
But that's beside the point. Bloggers like us don't only have bills to pay and in your case, mouths to feed, but also transportation fees to spend on because we travel to events just because we want to inform our readers on what's the latest out there, not to mention the clothes that we have to spend on so we'll look decent in events and food pag walang food sa venue sometimes haha!
Well there goes my mouth. Good post, Frances. :)
Anong hospital yan? Maka-pitch nga! LOL To be honest, I tried (and will try again!) getting St. Luke's Global to work with my mommy blog. My OBG kasi there says she gets so many new patients from my blog, so I was, like, I have to make this relationship symbiotic! But, sigh, they don't even know what a blog is.
DeleteAnyway, yes, the travel and clothing expenses for attending events! You know, brands don't appreciate that. Journalists and editors kasi have a salary, bloggers don't. So ako, I only attend sponsored events or events of brands I really like or I'm curious about =)
Is this Dr. Becky Singson?:) I read about her in one of your posts and now she's my OB na din. haha:D All thanks to your recommendation (plus she is really good and friendly!). - a long time reader
DeleteLOL! Some hospital na bago daw facilities.
DeleteTrue that. I only attend events within makati and bgc na lang. Mahal taxi and effort mag-dress up lol. :)
K.Gonzales, yes, Dra. Becky! I'm glad you found her and that I helped =) She's the best!
DeleteVery insightful post. I do hope you get that partnership with Mothercare though because I have read your write ups about them.
ReplyDeleteI hope so, too! But Mothercare is nice to me. They send me and my kids really nice gifts on Christmas and Mother's Day =) So everyone's happy!
DeleteThis is true about blogging with integrity. I know of a blog which I had to remove from my blog roll because the blogger mom seemed so desperate. I couldn't stand seeing her posts day after day after day. Natawa ako sa comment above "may pagka-patay gutom" Haha Para talagang sya yun. She seemed so desperate. Ayayay...
ReplyDeleteI admire the quality of your blog content, Frances, you're an honest blogger and a 'picky' one. So, what? Snob na kung snob. :) At least your blog is classy, hindi mukhang PG. Hehe
Aww thanks! Napansin ko lang kasi sunod-sunod yung sponsored posts ko so medyo nahiya naman ako sa mga readers ko. I don't want you to think I blog for the money lang. But I really am grateful for the sponsored content. Kasi I'm so tired and pregnant now, so feeling ko na kung walang pipilit sa akin (a.k.a. client), hindi na talaga ako muna haharap sa computer. But because I'm forced to write the sponsored post, madalas, since nakaupo na rin lang ako, I blog about my life and thoughts na rin! So thank goodness!!! =D
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