Call to action: Mommy Bloggers of the world Unite.
I have the greatest job in the world. I am a Mommy. On top of that, I am a Mommy Blogger; triple bonus. I adore my life on most days. I can’t even tell you how much I love combining two of my greatest passions in the world. But there is only one problem, financially speaking, being a Mommy blogger is almost as thankless and unpaid a job as mothering. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE doing both (on most days) but thus far it seems there is a lot of assumption that I owe people something.
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I love being a Mommy and parenting. I may not be paid in money but I am certainly compensated in hugs and kisses, “I love you”s, pride and joy. There is something about giving and receiving unconditional love that transcends any monetary value. It is truly priceless. So, really, parenting may be some of the hardest work that I’ve ever done but it is not without its reward. It has changed me in ways that I could not have ever fathomed and it has made me a better person in the world. Truly.
Being a Mommy blogger, I really enjoy meeting new people and connecting via social media. Seriously, these connections have saved my life on many occasions. Being able to share my journey of motherhood through blogging has been a dream come true in many ways. Many of the Mommy Bloggers that I know are quite frankly brilliant. These women know the ins and outs of social media, can light up Twitter like a Christmas tree, get a cause out on Facebook in lightening speed and blog change better than any so-called professional. It’s because we have learned by hands on experience. We are living social media. For so long, moms have needed a connection to the outside world while being home all day with little people. You can’t teach the social media savvy we have. It comes from experience and a place of authentic enthusiasm. We love what we do and we are good at it. We are influential through our connections via our loyal blog communities, our Facebook friends, Twitter followers and all the other social media outlets we allow ourselves to become productive members of on a daily basis.
Mommy Bloggers of the World Unite
My issue is that for some reason, many brands think that we should work for free. It’s insulting! I have been approached to write dissertations in exchange for lip-gloss, spread drug propaganda for FREE and plaster my sidebar with widgets in exchange for dildos. What am I? A whore? Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for supporting a brand that I love. Hell, I’ll shout it from the rooftops. Why wouldn’t I spread it like wildfire if I had the world’s best camera or tried the universe’s best weight loss program? I’m not greedy. I want to share the good news with my friends, family and readers.
But if I take the time and effort to truly experience your product/brand and write an honest product review don’t I deserve to be paid in actual money? Seriously, you are not my children so you can’t pay me in hugs, kisses and ‘I love you’s. You will never compensate me in pride or grandchildren. No thank you on the dildos, lip-gloss and the toilet paper, for that matter. And if one more person asks me to write a post for coupons I may reach through the computer and across the Internet and choke someone out. If I do it for free that’s called a favor and I’m pretty sure that we are not friends, so what would motivate me to write about your product for free? Would you ask your doctor to operate on you, as a favor? Would you ask the waiter to let you have your food gratis, as a favor? Would you ask your dentist to do your root canal, as a favor? No. Hell no, you wouldn’t and you’d feel stupid for even considering asking it. But why is it OK for you to ask me to spend my time, my effort and my skill doing you a favor? Bloggers are people too. We deserve to be paid for our skill, for our marketing capabilities and for our reach. Because remember, we have something just money can’t buy..loyal readers, earned trust and WE CAN BLOG IT with integrity.
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So, fellow Mommy Bloggers please stand united with me and demand that you be compensated for your time, your effort and your skill. Let the world know that we may be cheap but we are not easy and we’re certainly not free. Every moment a Mommy blogger spends writing about your brand is a moment we are sacrificing with our children and that time is precious and should be compensated accordingly. (*Thank you Lauren for reminding me of that important point.)
Mommy Bloggers of the World Unite
Button can be found under the “buttons” tab at the top of page.
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46 comments
Thundering Applause and snatching the button!
Alycia,
IT was just time someone spoke up!LOL
AS for the button, if you look under my buttons tab..the html is there:) This is why I made it!
…wait….it’s not snatchable…we need a snatchable button.
Thank you for writing a post about the reality of what mommy bloggers are expected to do and for standing up for what’s right. I have found that mommy bloggers are some of the most intelligent, creative, witty and talented people on this green earth and to expect these talented women to work for free – or worse for coupons – is outright ridiculous. Thanks for having the fortitude to say so!
Amen! Very eloquently spoken, my friend.
Here here! I agree on all counts. I have not yet accepted any offers to do reviews because, honestly, I’ve been offered nothing. Stupid stuff. I’m worth more than that so no thanks:)
Stand strong and hold your ground Debi!
I don’t think there is anything wrong with working with brands that you support in your real life. I love passing on a great product but if they expect bloggers to do marketing they need to pay for the reach and the skilled writing.
Thank you fir standing up fOr us and saying something. Our time is valuable and we deserve to be compensated for that. Every minute we spend writing about a brand we are taking away from our children and that is worth something!
You are exactly right. For so long, I steered clear of any kind of brand work for this very reason. There are those brands that recognize our worth and do pay well, we just have to be patient and diligent in our standards.Eventually, if we all require payment, they will have to pay or go a less effective route.
Really well put, hon! And I love the button! XO
Thanks mama and thanks for spreading the word on Twitter.Glad you like the button, I made it last year at the request of a fellow Mommy Blogger. I am proud to be a Mommy and a blogger:)
Go Deb!!!!
An organic baby apparel company asked me to review their products – FROM A PRESS RELEASE. What? I didn’t realize my blog was a free magazine. Or product site.
So hell yeah, we deserve to be paid. Thank you for saying it.
Yes,I have had the “here’s a press release write us a review why don’t you” normally, I just ignore those sorts of emails. But it seems they are getting worse and worse.Apparently, because we are mothers and writing from our homes with our children playing around us we should just do a bunch of favors for brands. What a load of bullshit.There has to be compensation for our time, it is extremely valuable as is or connections.
I love hearing from people that don’t look at the world through rosey glasses. Thanks for being one of them. 🙂
Aww, thanks. Yeah, I sometimes wish I could see the world more through rosey glasses but sometimes being honest doesn’t allow for the rosey view. Life’s not always pretty. I promise the truth, even if it’s ugly sometimes.
I am very happy to read this. This is the type of info that needs to be given and not the accidental misinformation that’s at the other blogs. Appreciate your sharing this greatest doc.
I love this post! Mommie Blogger hear me ROAR! 😉
RAWR! I hear ya girl!
Agreed. Agreed. Agreed. I remember spewing venom about this same issue in a post not too long ago. Glad to see you spew too (and by spew I mean make clear, valid points)!
It’s hard enough as a mother to fight feeling unappreciated. Must we get it from brands too?
Jenni,
Exactly and to add insult to injury any time we spend on reviewing and writing that piece is time away from our kids so it actually adds more guilt. At least if we were being financially compensated we could rationalize it as being for financial purposes for the family.
It really just annoys me that they would pay any other marketing avenue to advertise for them but for some reason , since we are moms, they know our opinions are important but they obviously don’t feel that it is worthy of compensation.Boo*HIss*
P.S. Just one more reason I love you because we obviously share a brain!
i guess i’m not there yet – haven’t been asked to do anything for payment, let alone for free!
although in my other life (the working one as opposed to the mum one) i am often asked for free advice. it’s a struggle – i want to help people (I coach small businesses and groups) but yes, my time is precious and and i can ill afford to give away too much of it for nothing.
i now have one ‘gratis’ client a year and that is it.
And I agree, I would be glad to expound the virtues of a product or business I love – but that would be because I love it not because the company asked me to plug it for nothing!
I think doing 1 gratis client a year or being able to write a post that actually helps change the world in a positive way or helps propel a cause close to your heart is admirable,these are all great opportunities. My issue is when someone send me a press release and assumes that I have nothing better to do than write a piece for them for FREE.There are sites that do just reviews and that is there purpose, but mine is not. Mine is based on content and my readers come here not for commercials but for content so running a string of marketing pieces could be detrimental. A few review posts on brands that are fabulous and I can honestly support is more organic. But no matter what kind of blogger you are, even if your site is strictly reviews, you still deserve compensation for your time and effort in writing and reviewing the piece.
Well said, truthful Mommy! I love this post! 🙂
Thank you for reading and for your kind words.
Excellent post! I’ve seen too many companies that try to get moms to blog about their products. A lot of the times, the products don’t serve any one’s interest but their own.
Glad to see there are mommy blogger’s that are willing to stand up against the machine. If they want a review, then they have to pay.
Yes! I’ve been approached multiple times to write for free about processed foods, artificial sweeteners, and other sites that make money off traffic so many times it’s made me sick. And no, I won’t do it, especially in exchange for a free sample. I will do it for cash IF and ONLY IF it is something I truly believe in. For my kids, I promise. Hugs to you!
amen! I think first and foremost it should be something we actually use and believe in because we are putting our name and our reputation behind it.
Amen!!!! Wooooop! *bowing down and kissing your feet* I love ya, girl!
you get a standing “O” from me. Well said, girl!
Amen, sister!
I was approached by the dildo company, too, and it’s like WTF. Have you ever seen me blog, tweet or Facebook about sex? NO.
Bring me something that I’m actually interested in – that my readers would be interested in – and I’ll think about it. I’m also tired of people wanting to “exchange links” and all of that other BS. Exchanging links gives me squat.
LOL! WHat they all really want is something for nothing. THere are some really great companies out there that will work legitimately with bloggers. Apparently, they got the memo that we have value in social media:)
Amen! Great stuff.
Reminds me of Harlan Ellison saying ‘Pay the Writer!’: https://youtu.be/mj5IV23g-fE
LOVE.
I’m going to try and now figure out how to add a button to my blog. =)
Absolute brilliance!
And you are so not a whore! 🙂
Love. Every. Word.
You rock, Mama. You rock.
Perfectly said! Brava and thank you!!!!
Fantastic!!
Standing applause!!! Thanks for saying it and sharing…Button grabbed in support!
CHEERS!
I hear you.
I wish the whole bloggy world heard you.
Offers for guest posts to use my blog FOR FREE.
I can’t believe it…but it happens. All the time.
so well-said, and so true – it’s too bad this is the route blogger/media/brand relations has gone b/c now i feel like any time i request to deviate from the system which is basically “take advantage of the mom blogger” the brand acts like i’m the one being all kinds of crazy.
get paid to work, it’s a crazy idea, isn’t it?
Preposterous..paid to write?Bloggers? Never! LOL Oye, I don’t see why its so hard to understand for some brands:)
Thank a person for publishing this, it was unbelieveably helpful and assisted me a great deal
I agree I agree! I wrote an angrier version of this post about a month ago. Solidarity!
Please sen the link. I like angst…especially for a good cause:)
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