Home blogging Monetization Monetization is in the Eye of the Beholder

Monetization is in the Eye of the Beholder

Posted on June 28, 2011 Written by 10 Comments

I’m fresh back from the Type A Parent conference in Asheville, NC. Though the conference is always one of my favorites to attend each year, with top notch content and speakers relevant to serious bloggers, even those of us who aren’t parent bloggers, I’m going to disagree a bit with the monetization power panel that happened on the very last day.

Forgive the run on sentence.

The speakers for this session were David Binkowski of the PR firm Lippe Taylor, Maria Bailey, author and owner of BSM Media, Holly Hamann, co-founder of BlogFrog, and  Tonja Deegan, of the PR firm Airfoil. And they were talking about, you guessed it, brands.

With all due respect to the speakers and the conference organizers,  I don’t know that brand evangelism is the way to go.

Every time I attend a  super monetization session at a mom or parenting blogger conference, it’s always about brands.

  • How to pitch to a brand
  • How to work with a brand
  • How to please a brand
  • How brands and bloggers can get along

Is it any wonder mom bloggers are synonymous with swag and product pimping? Here’s the reality: Very few bloggers work with brands, and very few bloggers want to work with brands.

Edited to add: To be fair, there was an entire monetization track featuring useful tips for bloggers. Also, the conference organizers asked this panel to talk about the brand/blogging for pay issue.  So, though I still stand by what I posted here,  I still feel a “monetization power session should touch on the different ways to monetize, even if the majority of Type A attendees deal with brands every day.

During the session, we were all asked to brainstorm with the other people at our table and discuss creative ways to work with brands. Because, apparently, brands are sick of having bloggers do only product reviews (and people are sick of reading blogs featuring only reviews, but that’s another story for another time).  For bloggers to get the big bucks or major swag, they have to think creatively and beyond the review. (And I can’t find fault with that part, really).

So our table brainstormed, and you know what we came up with?

  1. No one at our table wanted to work with major  brands.
  2. We weren’t interested in receiving swag or product to evangelize a big name.
  3. We felt going local and having relationships in our local areas, with our local businesses was more meaningful than working with the same few major brands everyone else wanted to work with, but very few would wind up doing.
  4. We wanted to talk about all the other ways to monetize blogs.

Mind you, I don’t have problems with bloggers who work with brands.  I think many of them make a great living and receive some cool perks and good coin in return. However, I don’t like the insinuation that working with brands are the only way bloggers can earn money. If we’re having a “monetization power session” I’m more or less expecting to hear about different aspects of monetization, not just the brand end. Also? Not everyone who works with brands earn money, they earn swag. It’s still taxable, but it doesn’t pay the mortgage, so it’s not quite monetization.

Now, beyond the brand-centric content, the session wasn’t bad at all. One attendee did mention that, despite brand reps and P.R. people telling them otherwise, only the same few top bloggers were able to work with brands and I agreed. Even though we’re told anyone, regardless of blog size, traffic numbers, etc. can work with a brand, I know otherwise. ( If it didn’t matter they wouldn’t ask for traffic numbers right off the bat. And if it didn’t matter they wouldn’t stop answering emails once they learned the size of said traffic.)  However, the panel offered useful information for working with brands – if that’s the route you wish to ride. They were knowledgeable and bloggers who want to work with brands walked away with useful information.

What I’d really like to see are more suggestions for other ways to monetize blogs whether selling products, finding advertisers or sponsors,  creating courses, ebooks and webinars or something even more outside the box.

Though I wasn’t feeling this panel much, it’s only my own personal view and not indicative of the content at Type -A at all. The sessions I attended were all very well put together and the speakers truly gave of themselves.  They were prepared and professional and I walked away from each with the knowledge and resources needed to take blogging to a whole new level. Rick Calvert, CEO and Founder of BlogWorld even said, “we need more sessions like these at BlogWorld.”  I especially enjoyed opening keynoter, author Patti Digh, and I will now count myself among her many fans.

Type A Parent is a great conference, and though the exhibits are definitely geared towards parenting bloggers, the content is sure to appeal to all. I recommend you all give it a consideration for both speaking and attending, once next year rolls around.

 

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Filed Under: Monetization
  • Jenn Fowler (Frugal Upstate)

    Interesting points!  When I think monetization brands do come to mind-they after all are the ones we think of as having money to spend.  But I agree-there are other ways to monetize. 

    I think that there is a lot of untapped potential out there for ebooks (if they are truly good and useful), Printable tutorials (for the crafting/diy types), auxilary speaking, teaching, coaching and consulting type services.  It would be great if some of the excellent content out there were able to be distributed on more of a syndicated model-as actual purchase-able content. . .

    The problem is that there is a learning curve to implementing any of these newer ideas-sponsored posts and reviews are just so ‘easy’ for someone with a blog already in place to implement. 

  • http://typeaparent.com Kelby Carr

    Thanks Deb for all of your thoughts. I definitely agree working with brands is not the only route, but I do think it is the route used by many of the attendees (or if they are not, they are dealing with pitches from companies daily and not sure how best to negotiate for pay instead of product or even to be empowered that it is OK to say no). I know last year, I said in our panel that the review/giveaway model is dead (to gasps from the audience), so in my mind seeing the conversation revolve only around cash pay is a huge level of progress. I did want to also note that the programming did not exclusively revolve around monetization via working with brands. There was an entire monetization track Thursday, with sessions such as writing and selling eBooks (as Jenn mentions here as an option), freelance writing gigs, becoming a social media consultant, ecommerce and, of course, your session on selling blogs. I do think, however, the topic of working with companies for cash pay remains an important one and one that is relevant to many parents who blog. They may choose not to go that route, but many ARE going that route. I told the panel (and props to the panelists for being open to this controversial subject) that the entire conversation would be about working with companies for pay in actual money. And I, too, agreed with the audience member (Jill of  @DiaperDiaeries I believe) that the opportunities often seem to go to the same people over and over again. I think educating a large group can help those who DO want to work with companies position themselves better to break into it and get opportunities that are currently going to a small group of bloggers. So I am rambling, but I hope that gives you a little more insight into my thinking having it set up this way. Thanks Deb, though, as I always welcome your input!

    • http://kommein.com Deb Ng

      I can’t argue with anything you said here, Kelby. Your other monetization sessions did feature lots of useful tips and ideas for moentizing beyond the brands.  Because this was a keynote and the title was “monetization power session” it just seemed to me it should focus on other monetization strategies.

      And, yes, I couldn’t agree with you more when you say that the discussion should revolve around working with brands for pay, rather than swag or glory.

      Thanks, Kelby.

      • Anonymous

        …and I appreciated your simply pointing out that swag is not truly monetization. Thanks for the post and for prompting the very interesting discussion.

  • Kelly Mccausey

    I enjoy your thoughts here Deb.  The closest I come to making money from brands is from an ad network.  I don’t have the traffic that interests big brands – or I assume they’d already be knocking at my door ;)

  • http://www.bellebeanchicagodog.com/ Liz

    I greatly appreciated the chance to hear from a panel of agency reps as I found that to be some of the most “real deal”, practical type of information I’ve heard. But to touch on a point you mentioned…it wasn’t what I expected based on the title of the session. So I really loved the session, but I thought it was going to be more of a varied approached to monetization.

    Loved your How to Sell a Blog session, too, BTW. :)  

    • http://typeaparent.com Kelby Carr

      Hi Liz. Thanks for the kind comments! I am sorry if the title wasn’t clear enough. I don’t know if it helps, but this is the description from the schedule:

      This will be a creative and interactive power session with the goal of providing practical tips and takeaways for bloggers on working with companies. Yes, for money. This won’t just be complaining about the issue, but finding real, tangible solutions. This session will include a panel of PR, ad agency and company representatives to share their biggest challenges when it comes to developing campaigns that pay bloggers. Next, you the attendees will brainstorm in small groups to come up with ideas that overcome those challenges. Finally, we will return to the panel for input and reaction to the brainstorming.

      • http://kommein.com Deb Ng

        And this is where I eat my words, because I don’t remember seeing that description in the directory.  And, when folks complained about the “adult” content at the BlogWorld keynote, I read them the description as well. So shame on me for not reading the description. I only looked at the session title on the schedule at a glance. So there’s my lesson learned.

      • http://www.bellebeanchicagodog.com/ Liz

        Hi Kelby! Thanks for a great conference! It was so organized and informational, yet low key. The ideal atmosphere, IMO.  :-) From my experience and convos I had with many at the tables while at the conference, many didn’t fully decide where they would head until they were at the conference, and people were flipping through the paper program – which just has the titles – in order to make the final call. 

        I know you had the QR codes for the online schedule…I guess we’re just a lazy bunch and stopped at the paper programs. :)

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