Should Bloggers Be Compensated for Reviews? Why Don’t Others Accept Fees?

Disclaimer: The views and opinions presented in this article, do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the entire Negrense Bloggers, Inc.

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Bloggers would always be thinking of this big question, to charge or not to charge?

This issue has even caused debates and disapproval from others – calling it unethical.

Other bloggers would never accept any payment (or whatever you call it) for their reviews, while there are also others who do take charges. Well, let’s find out the reasons behind this.

Reasons why bloggers should get paid

1.Time Requirement

Writing for a specific topic takes time! At times it would take a day to produce one blog post. A blogger would not only get his/her laptop and begin writing about it. He/she will have to think thoroughly of the content by doing some research about the product, take good photos which he/she can use, photo editing, on page SEO, and promoting the article on various social media platforms. Thus, working on a blog post is equivalent to spending hours and hours of work.

When I started blogging in 2011, I never realized the required work needed to succeed in blogging. I thought It was just like posting some articles online without even thinking of the length of the material, and what to consider for this article to rank on Google.

However, all these changed after two years when I saw that nothing was happening. Then, I started to dedicate more hours for my blog; I began to improve on my graphics; edit and update my old articles; studying SEO, and at the same time continuously posting fresh stories on my site.

Asking me how many hours I am spending on my blog daily? I am working on my blogs for at least 8-12 hours a day. Don’t I need to be compensated?

My point is, If a blogger’s work which includes attending events, product reviews, sponsored post, and even posting on various social media platforms make a brand enhance its visibility and achieved its marketing objectives, then the blogger deserves to be compensated. Many companies are investing in their advertising experts and pay them according to the value they give to the brand. On the same manner, full-time Bloggers who spend a lot of time and energy in building their followers and creating high-quality content—deserve the same consideration for the hard work they are doing on behalf of brands.

2. Brand’s Specification

As a blogger, I have experienced several times that some brands would send me gifts in forms of their products without telling me that I should write a review about it. Well fine, thank you for the giveaway! However, what if the brand would ask a blogger to include specific instructions like promotional messages or a backlink from their site? Now, this act becomes a promotional or advertising strategy, and of course advertising costs money.

3.Sustainability

Economically speaking, bloggers would need to earn to make his/her blogging endeavor sustainable. To put it simply, bloggers can’t pay their bills with the grocery items they received or hotel stays or a treat for a buffet lunch, however enjoyable they may be. That’s why they opt for the paid one because they get to spend too through working.
Not only that, in my case whose niche is travel, I invest heavily in my gadgets to make each of my post interesting for my audience. This is over and above the necessary annual fees for the domain name, hosting and many applications and software they pay needed for blogging.

Now, let’s talk about why some blogger would NOT CHARGE for their reviews.

1. Credibility Issue

Some bloggers believe that if their readers would notice that they are receiving products in exchange for promoting the product, their readers will right away think that they are being paid to do it. So, they are avoiding the tendency that their readers will doubt the sincerity of their post because of the “compensation” factor.

2. Product/Services in Lieu of Cash

Many brands are not paying in cash, but they give some giveaways or free sessions. Thus, making it still advantageous for the blogger. Money may not be involved, but the benefit that the blogger gets out of it even matters. Being a travel blogger, I was sponsored several times for an all expense trip, and no actual cash was given.

3. Passion

This is the common reason for some bloggers who are not accepting payments. They are writing because they like it, not because they would want to earn (oh well, most of these bloggers I know who blog just for fun doesn’t also care whether their blog post would show up in the search engine or not). Also, there are bloggers I know who are not putting advertorials on their blog pages – they just wanted to write and share.

I am sure that there are still more reasons why some bloggers don’t want to get paid. Whatever it is, I always respect everyone’s opinions and beliefs.

So, fellow Bloggers, you are now left with the idea of charging or not in writing for brands. It is entirely up to you, but always remember that no matter your decision may be, there would still be effects and consequences that you will have to work on. Good luck!