The elephant in the room: How BlogHer is cracking the code on editorial content and paid advertising
by Lisa StoneI had a strong reaction to the Wall Street Journal article published April 23 in which Reporters Miguel Bustillo and Ann Zimmerman cited (but didn't link) an idea originally proposed by BlogHer Contributing Editor Rita Arens on BlogHer.com.
In her March 16 post, Are Mommybloggers Misunderstanding the Marketing Game?, Arens shared insights from Jeremiah Owyang to Marshall Kirkpatrick and concluded her piece with this suggestion:
"I believe in the future the industry will come up with some sort of seal you can put on your blog to indicate you are conforming to journalistic standards, much like the seals e-commerce sites put up to indicate they were protecting your privacy and security. I actually wish such seals existed now -- it would make doing research much easier."
A clear standard you can trust
Bingo, I thought. That's actually how the BlogHer brand is designed to work for users and advertisers: As a clear standard. When you see the BlogHer brand or the BlogHer Reviewer brand and disclosure message, you should know exactly what you're getting. You should know that editorial will be presented as separate from sponsored content. You should know that sponsored content will not show up in spaces where you are used to seeing authentic editorial and organic community content. You should know that if a BlogHer blogger was given something, or was hired to write something, she will tell you.
Methods for sponsoring terrific content on the Internet today are in massive flux -- yet great content creators still deserve to be paid, and sponsors still want to target readers. That's what I want to address in this post: The elephant in the room that is establishing quality publishing standards in the infancy of social media -- in particular on blogs. To clarify: My co-founders Elisa, Jory and I don't believe in a universal publishing standard just as we don't believe in one code of conduct for every site on the internet. How each of us chooses to publish our blogs is up to us.
How users and sponsors can both win big
That said, in light of recent conversations about paid advertising on blogs, I think it's time to revisit and spell out the standards BlogHer has used since 2006 for our entire community -- bloggers and sponsors -- both here on BlogHer.com and on all the sites affiliated in BlogHer's publishing network.
In 2006 we added economic empowerment to our mission and launched BlogHer.com and BlogHer's publisher network with specific community guidelines. We insisted upon civil disagreement and mutual respect (hate the idea, not the person). We asked members of BlogHer.com and publishing affiliates to uphold the highest standards of journalism (accuracy, fair-use, linking, no libel, copyright infringement, plagiarism or invasion of third-party privacy). We also decided that in order to demonstrate respect for our all our readers, advertising should be labeled as advertising, and editorial needed to be separate. I wrote our community editorial guidelines accordingly:
"We define unacceptable content as anything included or linked that...Contains editorial content that has been commissioned and paid for by a third party, (either cash or goods in barter), and/or contains paid advertising links and/or SPAM or 'Stupid Pointless Annoying Messages... " more
Sponsor messages + full disclosure = content for people who like stuff
Almost immediately after launching these guidelines, BlogHer learned we had an opportunity to augment our business model by connecting sponsors who wanted bloggers to try free stuff with bloggers who were dying to try said free stuff. So in addition to syndicating advertising to blogs, we created a Special Offers & Sponsored Content advertising section on BlogHer.com, completely separate from BlogHer's editorial area. Think of it as the Web site equivalent of a special advertising section in a newspaper, or the Home Shopping Network channel of BlogHer's site. Clearly labeled and defined, BlogHer Special Offers is where sponsors and bloggers can meet up, offer products and giveaways, and bloggers can give sponsors feedback, good and bad (hey, we're bloggers). This Special Offers section is now the place on BlogHer to find and link to members discussing the products and services they received from our Sponsors.
At the same time, we created an opportunity for bloggers to test products themselves and get paid to write reviews of the experience and support product giveaways. And in keeping with our guidelines, these paid reviews and giveaways must be separate from a blogger's editorial blog (even though they reflect the true opinion of the blogger). We recommend bloggers start the equivalent of a special offers section on their sites too. What's more, all such paid content must be preceded by the language "This is a compensated review from BlogHer and [sponsor]." We also ask these bloggers to place a badge disclosing that they are a BlogHer Reviewer (here's an example). As of May 1, all advertiser-driven content -- in BlogHer.com Special Offers and on BlogHer Review blogs -- conforms to Google's specification by using the rel="nofollow" attribute on all links pointing to sponsors and to other paid content.
A clean, well-lighted place
This kind of best-practice transparency creates a comfort zone for bloggers who want a clean, well-lighted way to be paid for their work while also taking excellent care of their readers, some of whom may be turned off by finding advertorial in an RSS feed they expected to be editorial. How important do we think it is to tell users exactly what's going on with advertisers? Important enough that in BlogHer's Beauty and Fashion channel, the kind of content where editors receiving freebies for review is a way of life, these posts do not rotate through the editorial areas of BlogHer.com. Instead, fashionistas bookmark the page or follow the RSS feed, where editors always disclose when they receive free or sponsored goods and services.
BlogHer's chief evangelist to sponsors, Co-founder Jory Des Jardins, wrote a commanding piece from the social marketing perspective on BlogHer.com and JackMyers - MediaBizBloggers.com: Context and Disclosure: Keys to Success in Compensating Bloggers.
"It's time to look at the finer distinctions between compensated programs that have emerged as social media enters awkward adolescence. To us, the question is not whether anyone should ever compensate bloggers, it's under what circumstances should you compensate them? And if you do compensate them, what are your obligations, and theirs?"
BlogHer's system isn't for everybody
Amen. We are all learning here -- and, indeed, at the same time that BlogHer's guidelines have been celebrated, they have been and I believe will continue to be rejected by some bloggers who find them too restrictive for their needs and their blogs. Elisa, Jory and I completely respect that -- your blogs are your printing presses after all!
But as part of the team who has been working for more than four years to create opportunities for women who blog to gain respect and credibility, I think it's still valuable to specify what is church (editorial) and what is state (advertising), even as we develop new campaigns and new models. Now that the Federal Trade Commission is reviewing its 30-year-old guidelines for advertising in media, and considering rules for bloggers, I'm extraordinarily glad we've worked this way from BlogHer's infancy.
How to underscore the value of blogs
My opinion is that transparency fosters trust, and that's the bedrock of a rock-solid blog community which our 2009 study demonstrates has a very different value to the user than social networks and Twitter. In an environment of uncertain media business models, crazy economics, and entirely new ways to reach users, we believe BlogHer has cracked the code on a system where both users and sponsors win big. BlogHer is creating innovative, buzzworthy interactive campaigns for sponsors and at the same time we also have high standards designed to protect the blogger and her readers from any confusion about what's paid marketing and what's editorial.
The irony? Many of the millions of women BlogHer reaches each month like to read both editorial and paid marketing content, and don't feel oppressed when we're invited to shop or to participate in a great deal. We just want to know when to bring our purses.
We'd love to know your thoughts.
Lisa Stone
for
Elisa, Jory and Lisa, BlogHer Co-founders
Posted In
BlogHer Conferences
- Home
- About Us
- BlogHer Community
- Conferences
- BlogHer Network
- Special Offers
- Contact Us
Follow us on Twitter:
@blogher @bloghersupport @blogherdeals
Become a Facebook Fan
© Copyright 2009 BlogHer | Terms of Service
Comments
Way to stick to your guns, Lisa.
It's an ongoing conversation, for sure, this discussion of blogger compensation and product reviews. There have been calls for bloggers to return review products and to not accept compensation for reviews because it compromises journalistic integrity. While I agree totally with you (and have always agreed totally -- BlogHer's stance led me to separate my review blog from my personal blog from Day 1, and boy am I glad I did) about transparency, I'd like to build further on what you've said here on behalf of the struggling freelancer/blogger trying to financially (as well as emotionally) justify the time spent on blogging that could have been spent on other forms of compensated writing.
One of the points I've made to both the WSJ (who I had a great, ongoing conversation with on this subject) and the Houston Chronicle (my quotes were cut from that story) is that bloggers don't have mailrooms, we don't have staff, and we're not on a payroll. Asking bloggers to haul everything they get for review back to the post office and return it is utterly ridiculous and would be expensive and a logistical nightmare for both the companies offering the review products and the bloggers. To boot, companies who make product have designated budgets for review products. In the publishing industry, they're called ARCs (advanced review copies) or sometimes galleys (I've gotten picture books this way, not even stapled together yet).
Another point I've made is that bloggers who do fair reviews are offering a service to their readers and to the companies offering review products. Our time is valuable. As I said above, good bloggers do write in other venues for money. There are a million different ways to make $25 or whatever the compensation is for a review (I've seen them from free to around $25 in the form of an Amazon or Wal-Mart gift card along with keeping the product. If someone is getting paid more than that for a review, I'm surprised.) If I'm taking the time to review a product, I'd like compensation for that time. I rarely get it in the form of outright payment. I've done 118 reviews since September 2006, and sometimes I wonder if my writing time wouldn't have been better spent doing something else. However, I enjoy the reviews and think I'm offering a valid service. I do admit I've gotten pickier in the past few years about what I will review, because the time it takes to do them has gotten a little out of control. I also want to throw out there that I've never been compensated for the expense of mailing giveaways to the winner. I just spent $7 yesterday to mail out a giveaway for a review I did in which I received a product that retails at $50 and no other compensation. When you take into consideration the hour I spent on the review, the time it took me to go to the post office and the cost of mailing, doing reviews doesn't look like a profitable game at all.
So, in addition to thinking about transparency, thinking about editorial standards and thinking about your reputation, bloggers (including me) should think hard about the value of their time. This entire conversation has changed the way I think about reviews. I'd gotten so used to doing them I forgot that I could be doing something else, and I've started turning down a lot of new reviews in favor of working with marketers who have proven themselves to be reliable and respectful of my time and my standards.
Thanks for keeping this conversation going. As always, I love to read Lisa Stone bring it.
Rita Arens writes at Surrender Dorothy and BlogHer and is the editor of Sleep is for the Weak.
High Standards Push Big Elephant Away
One of the reasons I chose to become a member of BlogHer was the high standards you uphold here. I love that reviews must be labled when they are compensated. They should be separate from editorial content. I often feel "taken" or "ripped off" on other sites where advertising is not clearly defined.
I have lost count on how many times I've read a story or clicked on a link because of it's title, only to be brought to a page that's advertising a product that I was so not interested in! Clicking back again to discover that the word "advertisement" was so little you couldn't see it with a magnifying glass, and I felt used.
I thank you for recognizing from day one that this site and its members will be different from the others by providing rich content along with the opportunity for advertising dollars that is both legitimate and site appropriate.
Keep up the good work and thanks for setting the high standards for the social media networking communities. You should be proud of the work you've accomplished here!
Thank you!
As a huge fan of blog reviews, which I most definitely seek out when making a purchasing decision, or simply enjoy when clicking through a widget ad of reviews (love those!), I just jumped on to say how thankful I've been to have Blogher to help me navigate these waters, and to teach and encourage me in the creation of a review blog.
It's great to have a level of confidence about the way I'm going about things. I'm picky about what I agree to review, too. As Rita says, because of the time involved! And also because it's always been my personal policy not to do anything on my personal blogs that bores me. :)
Liz Rizzo
I blog at Everyday Goddess.
The BlogHer Policy Is An Excellent Standard
Great post, Lisa!
I remember when I first joined the BlogHer ad network and read the review policy, I thought, "Well, what's this all about? Seems like a lot of trouble to set up a separate page and everything."
Well two years later, I now know why the BlogHer policy is so important. Full disclosure is never a bad thing, unless you're trying to put something over on your readers. If I read a review, I not only want to know about the reviewer and their connections, I also want to know if they've been paid by the sponsor to write that review.
I think about this in relation to reviewing TV shows and movies. I now receive screeners for shows so I can review them before they air. Most readers understand that if I'm reviewing a TV show before it airs, I've seen a copy of the show in advance.
If I see a movie at a free screening, I say so and then give the bottom line in my review, "Would I still have liked the movie if I'd paid $10?"
However, I try to operate the same way print and other TV reviewers operate: I say what I really think about the show or movie and if the screener suppliers or free screening providers don't like that, well so be it.
I haven't been asked to do paid product reviews but I have been asked to do paid link posts and I've refused because credibility is very important to me. I want my readers to know I take their trust very seriously and will do everthing in my power not to betray it.
Megan
BlogHer Contributing Editor, TV/Online Video
Megan's Minute
I have mixed feelings on
I have mixed feelings on this topic because, as a journalist, I know that receiving review items is standard fare. I don't consider it payment. I consider it an opportunity to provide information to my readers. Payment for my work on my blog comes in the form of advertising (and, yes, I am currently woefully underpaid). Payment under my journalist hat comes in the form of a check from my employer who collects money from advertising.
My current feeling on the matter is that we're all focusing on the wrong thing. With so much discussion about whether a blogger has received any form of compensation, we're losing sight of another important question. Is the blogger writing a quality review? Is the review balanced? Does it discuss pros and cons? Does it tell me more than reading the press release from the company? And, honestly, most that I have read do not meet those standards. Obviously, this is far more subjective, but I also believe that it's more important. Journalists have been reviewing products for decades with an assumption that they are being as objective as possible.
I recently started a new blog and am deliberately combining editorial and review content. Why? Because when I talk about quality music for kids, I want to be able to point to real examples. When I encourage parents to seek out open-ended learning opportunities, I want to be able to share products that work for us. Some of the review items will be things we purchased on our own, others will be solicited content (I typically go out and find things that I'm interested in sharing). I guess it's probably hubris that allows me to think that I can succeed where others have failed, but I'm going to give it a shot. Why? Because I don't find most review blogs helpful for anything other than winning giveaways.
Anyway, it's good to see the BlogHer position restated. It will be interesting to see how this plays out over time...
I gotta disagree.
While I agree with wanting quanifying standards for journalistically responsibile bloggers to seperate them from the masses, I find that the possiblity of that to be an insane proposition. For any organizaiton to want to be responsible for all content on blogs carrying a 'badge' of some sort would be an impossiblity. (given the volume and lightning speed at which content is generated)....so essentially it can only be granted on a 'honor system' at best.
Additionally, while BlogHer has held some standards for both their sponsors and bloggers before they allow their advertsing to be shown, it is not checked on a post by post basis (how could it!) so even that becomes somewhat of a mute point.
My latest frustration (and i am being dangerously frank here) is the latest request for us bloggers not to have give aways on our site if we chose to have BlogHer advertisements. This is counter-productive the initial mission of helping bloggers monetize their blogs. I can understand say Kodak being upset if their ad is shown on a blog giving away an HP printer for instance, but this is no different than if they placed an ad in a newspaper. They would have absolutely NO CONTROL (nor should they have the right) to dictate what content is placed next to their ad.
It is for that reason alone I was forced to remove BlogHer ads from my website. I have replaced them with lucrative static ads which again, have no control over my content. NONE. They are paying for space. I do agree to keep my site 'clean' (no cussing or porn or horrible-ness) but other than that? I have the control over my blog. And my blogs valuable 'real-estate' for advertising.
Marcy-
The Glamorous Life Associaition
www.marcywrites.com
There's nothing dangerous about frankness
You're obviously not the only person who feels that way, which we acknowledge in the above post. But I think you can also look at it from our perspective: We don't want to control your content. We want to control where our brand and ads are placed. And we need guidelines and criteria to do that.
Actually, I should add: our BlogHer Publishing Network Team is reviewing blogs on a constant basis, because all the headlines we promote are still picked by hand...that means we need to read your blogs pretty religiously. And I think our headline editors would say that they can't believe they get *paid* to read everyone's great blogs all day :)
Working on this post with Lisa and Jory was a great opportunity for us to revisit our guidelines and criteria, remember why we decided on them and reinforce our commitment to them.
You are a publisher, and so are we. As Lisa says above...how we publish is up to each of us.
Elisa Camahort Page
BlogHer
elisa@blogher.com
My BlogHer profile truly shows you everything I do online...Check it out!!
Ah, transparency
Though if I say 'transparency' one more time people are going to think I have some sort of tic. But it's true and BlogHer is good at upholding those standards for those who write about products and do reviews and those who read the content on a reviewers site. And as you said, the important part is the separation of actual content versus things that are reviewed. Which again, is something that BlogHer has been good at implementing.
Heather B.
No Pasa Nada: www.nopasanada.org
BlogHer: http://www.blogher.com/blog/heatherb
Combining Blogging and Marketing
I love twitter because I saw Elisa's tweet and then quickly came to this post which I am sure I never would have seen without the prompt. Anyway, one of the ways I am trying to make a living is to do marketing for women's films. I do screenings and blogger outreach depending on the clients needs. I am very clear when I am working on a movie and only work on movies that I like and that I can be enthusiastic about. I am debating not reviewing any film I work on but just writing pieces about it.
For me the issue is clear, if I want to continue blogging which I do I must keep doing the marketing. There is no other way to sustain my existence. I need to find a comfort level that makes everything clear but also allows clients to benefit from the role my blog plays in the conversation. To that end I am thinking of adding ads in my weekly newsletter just for clients and sponsors.
This is an important conversation and I think lots of us are struggling with how to make a living and be honest with our blogging which for many of us is our passion. That's why we do it after all. We are passionate and have something to say.
Melissa Silverstein
Women & Hollywood
www.womenandhollywood.com
It's not about the mascara, it's about the
boxes on the right
Another big elephant in the room (it's a parade!) is that most bloggers don't yet have a supportive business model, yet the review and paid content divide really serves advertisers who want above-the-fold primacy more so that it serves readers. It is advantageous to have two channels for that, because two advertisers can be happy at the same time, but we are only talking about "transparency." So bloggers are confused.
They are saying, "Not all reviews are paid." (like Megan mentioned.)
"I tell the truth." (Just like newspaper or magazine reviewers do...)
"I explain everything to my readers and they get it."
But the truth is, even with all of those journalistic standards and high transparency, advertisers want top bill without paying top dollar, and a competing blog and blog ad network is born every minute.
I really think the elephant that will close down the next wave of the Interactive money parade will be towing a model that is more of a mash-up of Indie film and music festival producing and less an attempt to follow newspaper rules, because UGC and other models will outpace traditional advertisisng.
It's exciting to be a part of this early evolution, that's for sure.
Deb
www.debontherocks.com blog
www.3smartgirlz.com consulting
It's like underwear. Kind of.
I love blogher and all the blogher-ad chicks as well but the restrictions were a big reason why I left the ad network. Then again, it was nice to have an ad network that I knew was going to go out and get advertisers for me rather than me having to go make advertising deals myself. I think it's just about finding what works best for each of us and blogherads can be a great choice (or a poor fit) depending on the blogger. Much like underwear. This analogy works in my head. It might not translate well on paper.
Elephants-a-go-go
Hi everyone,
I posted this Thursday, ran right into an all-day video shoot and have just crawled out from under the resulting email deluge. In other words, apologies for my delay in response!
Couple of thoughts:
--> Rita, Windysblog, LizRizzo, I'm glad this system works for you. I am fascinated by your description of a third* currency: TIME. I can only say, good for you. We're learning that both product reviews and original editorial are of interest to readers -- it just depends whether I'm in the market for a new HDTV for a new president. And as a writer, deciding where you put your attention is how you continue to develop your voice and your readers.
(*Revenue being #1 and Reach being #2.)
--> Megan, what about putting paid link text posts in a review blog? Or in your sidebar, separated from your editorial with a guideline, labeled as such and below any rich graphic advertising (that likely pays better)?
--> MorethanMommy, that is definitely another approach. After all (cue broken record) it's your blog! Are you disclosing on each post whether you were paid and what you're getting for free?
--> The Glamorous Life, totally respect and appreciate your frank response. And thanks to Elisa for a great answer.
--> Heather, thank you! But I don't think of it as a tic. Now, if you want to talk about matching tattoos...;)
--> Melissa Silverstein, you're right, there are inherent challenges in being one's own publisher. That's how Elisa, Jory and I ended up sitting down and hammering this out in advance in fact. I think, to Heather's point, transparency, disclosure and context are key. You can do a great job getting newsletters to generate revenue and your users will thank you if you're up front about it. And I love your film reviews -- say, does Fandango have an affiliate program? I always take your advice on flicks.
--> DebontheRocks, you have totally intrigued me. More info on what you see coming?
--> The Bloggess, I am in awe of your ability to turn the sexy-to-moi subject of paid content versus authentic editorial into a sexy-to-everyone subject. Gorgeous. I suppose thong versus briefs is all a matter of perspective...but you tell me! LOL
Lisa Stone
BlogHer Co-founder
Surfette
BlogHer is non-partisan but our bloggers aren't! Follow our coverage of Politics & News.
TechCrunch, ZDNet on the paid advertising
topic
Here are a few more posts in which you might be interested:
http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/05/06/news-flash-paying-for-coverage-is-s...
http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=17730
Lisa Stone
BlogHer Co-founder
Surfette
BlogHer is non-partisan but our bloggers aren't! Follow our coverage of Politics & News.
Waooo
Hi thanks for usefull link.
Thanks from tracey
Location, location, location
It's funny, I ASSUME that if someone is reviewing a product, they have actually used it. I know that when created the JUST Shopping section of JUST CAUSE Magazine, I insisted on trying anything that was consumable, functional or anything other than just "it looks real purty." (Hell, I even told a couple vendors what size I was for the "just real purty" stuff, just in case it got them to send me some!)
I wouldn't read a movie review from someone who hadn't seen the film, or think much of a steak-house review written by a vegan who had never tasted the steak. Nor would I expect the product to be returned any more than that steak would be returned, or movie un-watched. (Unless it's insanely valuable like a car or something.)
It seems to me that the muddier water on community sites is how the promotion of paid content superseded or obfuscates the free content that is created and loved by the community members. I don't know if anyone remembers Judy's Book, but that was a GREAT community review site that dies a quick and embarrassing death shortly after prioritizing paid deals over community reviews. It wasn't because the deals weren't valued, it was because the community felt that they were no longer valued - and they packed up and left.
I know that when Blogher first started having the sponsored contests, I hated it. Not because I had any objection to the contests, but because so many people would comment in order to win a Tommy Hilfiger outfit that i couldn't find the comments on "real" posts,a nd as such had a much harder time finding the conversations that i so loved - that brought me to Blogher in the first place.
But it was just one step, and quickly evolved into a system that does, as you said, make it clear what's what, and make it possible to find what you want.
Revenue models are going to be rapidly evolving - and, frankly, the somewhat tragic death of so many newspapers and magazines is going to be a great opportunity for new and electronic media, so i think we can expect many more interesting models to pop up. And that's good for everyone. (Until, that is, advertisers start tweeting us.)
____________
Alyssa Royse
JUST CAUSE Magazine - It's FINALLY HERE!
Just Cause It: A Web Site To Save The World
Commodity ethics and sacred ethics
Well and as you dearet Lisa know I have been doing what I do for some time and running my site as a business for nearly 10 years..... I believe and see through my own client base transparency and being clear abot what one is offering take diligence and is a fundamental business ethic AND will always create mutual benefit if one is clear about this.. These are essential components to a situation...where one is maintianing high standards and best practice ...This needs constant clarity and boundaries neogiated wth the owners of sites and who how and what one chooses to have on the site
Just as Blogfher has established quite clearly ... I have a combination of sacred ethics and commodity ethics attached to my mission statement for my site www.vitalingus.com
This is truly essential ethical practice and creates mutual benefit if made very clear and transparent to all who follow the best path and play honestly and fairly
Vita
Chinese Wall
I was so glad when you folks decided to let men in. I wanted to be part of this network because I had such respect for fellow food bloggers such as Kalyn, Alanna, Elise, and others who were already part of it. I knew them to be honest and ethical journalists and if they trusted BlogHer, I was willing to do so also. I read your terms carefully before signing on and read each amendment carefully. You guys are doing a great job. And one of these days I'll make enough money to justify a conference - or not, Seriously Good may be irremediably inconoclastic, doomed to be a food blog for the pleasure of serious (or quirky) fooderatis.
One other thing to consider
There's another aspect of this thing I hope you do better than another blog site I read. I would caution you against "bloggers" who post blogs that echo and/or support the content on their own, commercial (paying) websites, or that promote the products or services that pay for advertising on those sites. There is one in particular who dubiously uses professional clout to push a personal/professional agenda and generally makes the blog into an advertisement for him/herself and his/her other site(s). It may or may not be a gray area, but it's worth considering.