Advertising in Blogging and the Issue of Credibility
Ever since blogging became big business, monetization became very important. Simple AdSense banners would no longer do. New, innovative way to monetize a blog had to be developed. From the traditional banner ads to sponsored posts and RSS feeds, everyone has been caught up in frenzy over finding the most effective ways to monetize a blog.
Yet, what happened was the focus of blogging seemingly shifted from the actual posts and content of the blog to the advertisements which dominated the sidebars, headers, footers, and even the content of the blog itself. In an industry where credibility and unbiased opinions were if chief importance; sponsorships threatened the very foundation on which the blogging community was built.
There have been countless debates over the role of sponsorships in blogging and whether or not they influenced the content of the blogosphere. Debates raged over companies like PayPerPost and ReviewMe which allows bloggers to generate a significant income from blogging about company’s products and services. While traditionally this would not be an issue, the fact that these companies for paying bloggers to write about their products and services threatened the credibility of these posts. Issues over transparency and disclosure emerged as many insisted that sponsored posts should be clearly marked to not mislead any readers. This information is especially relevant in light of recent news that the Federal Trade Commission will be looking into bloggers “for any false claims or failure to disclose any conflict of interest.”
A blogger’s greatest asset is his or her credibility. After all, people don’t want to simply read what just anyone in the crowd has to say about a specific topic, they want to read what the industry leaders, the credible figures, have to say. Despite the ad revenue your blog generates, without your credibility you have nothing. The revenue and traffic will come and go.
Hence, I would strongly urge all bloggers to not put their credibility on the line in order to make a few extra dollars today. In any situation where you feel the content of your blog may represent a conflict of interest, make sure to disclose everything. A look at the most successful blogs in the world from TechCrunch to Shoemoney shows that whenever a post about a sponsor or a company where the blogger has a particular interest (whether it be financial or otherwise) is fully disclosed to the reader.
This allows you to accept sponsorships on your blog repaying you for all the hard work you put in, while at the same time not risking your credibility. A great rule of thumb to follow is that the focus of your blog should at all times be the content you provide. The content is the product that you are “selling” and if you continue to provide quality unbiased content, than revenues will grow in the long-term. Yet, if you risk the credibility of your blog to earn a few extra bucks today, your blog’s long term viability is placed at risk.
