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BLOGGERS ARE NOT CHARITY. Here is a guide to why & how to pay us on time.

bloggers-are-not-charity-streettrotter

This post is for every blogger who ever went through the anger, frustration and humiliation for not being paid on time for their work. This post is also for all those blogger outreach marketing companies that want to work with us but don’t have the ethics to pay us on time.

Dear Reader, please note: BLOGGERS ARE NOT CHARITY. Here’s why:

  • Gone are the days when bloggers were just a bunch of people who blogged as a simple way to voice out their personal opinions on the side. Sorry to say, we are now professionals who earn a living through our platforms and we strive to deliver on time and stay competent.
  • Gone are also the days when almost all bloggers used a free blogging platform or a free theme to set up their blogs. Today, we invest in buying kickass themes and then we pay more to a coder/developer to customize those themes further. We also pay for a host, and invest in marketing for our own platforms. We don’t do it free anymore – so we don’t expect firms to treat us as free as well.
  • We know there is a universe of bloggers out there and therefore we work even harder to curate good content, check our facts and writing styles. We constantly evolve our platforms to craft a better website and stay ahead in the game.
  • In the past few years – we – the bloggers – have given some serious competition to print media and enormous publications and this is no secret. We have not only invested our time on content but also learnt design, SEO, formulas of reach and every single digital tool that can bring us more traffic and more work – all by our own self.
  • A majority of us still hold a permanent day job to support a stable lifestyle and put in more effort after work on our blog for some extra money. This does not mean we are rich with multiple sources of income and can be trolled for our payments – but in fact it means we work extra number of hours each day for the passion of our blog.
  • We blog to deliver you a service and a product – called CONTENT. We deserve to quote our own prices, haggle for more if we think we deserve it and to be paid on time – just like you buy groceries in a store. Does a store allow you to take the goods with a contract that you can pay later? NO. Neither do we – but we do come with a window of 48 hours or more with pre-decided terms and conditions.
  • Yes, sometimes we do work for free – but that is not for charity. We work for free as guest bloggers, contributors and writers to develop our portfolio and aim for bylines. It’s a cruel world out there that demands clips and published work. We write for each other, for multiple platforms like ours because we all keep each others back. We help each other in link building – so that marketing companies can find us.
  • We deliver on time – because our clients expect us to. And because we are professionals who understand the value of deadlines. We keep our deadlines, so we expect our clients to keep up with theirs too.
  • We are freelancers – so we certainly use PayPal, Square Cash, Venmo, and so on. We expect instant payments and we are setup already to receive them. Therefore, it’s hard for us to understand “delay in payment” – when technology has moved as far as making drones and self-driving cars.
  • If you didn’t set it up with us earlier – No we cannot give you a month to process our payments after we have delivered your product. We stay ahead of our game to work with the biggest of firms. So we expect you to stay ahead of your game too with your payment platforms and ethics. There are many firms out there that pay within 24-48 hours to a week max. Learn from them and evolve. Its all about survival of the fittest.
  • Last but not the least – NO, WE CANNOT WORK FOR YOU FOR FREE. Also, if we quote you $100 per post – you CANNOT bargain for a $10 per post. NO. That is a difference of $90 and WE ARE NOT CHARITY.

If you are a marketing firm, here is your quick guide on how to work with bloggers and stay competitive: 

  • When you approach a blogger for a campaign on email – address it to the blogger directly. Do not send emails without researching the name of the blogger. Please do not mass-mail. The worst kind of emails are the ones that start with “Dear Sir/Madam”, “Hi there”, etc. We all have names.
  • Be clear about your requirements and budget – upfront. If you want us to quote our price first – do not bargain later with an unreasonable amount.
  • Be clear about your payment cycles and insist on setting mutual terms and conditions before you start the project. It serves well to both parties.
  • Use more up-to-date and instant platforms for payments and invoices. Use google docs or ask the bloggers to send you a pdf invoice. No one hand-writes, scans and email invoices anymore. This is 2017 and technology is growing cruelly fast.
  • Use PayPal – at the least. It is fast, convenient and legal.
  • Do not ask us to work for free. Period.
  • Always keep up with your deadlines.

PS – If you found this post offensive in any way or you think I sound arrogant or rude – let me tell you I am quite the opposite in real life. BUT, I do know how to fight for what is right and rightfully mine. I am quite a warrior – just like every other blogger out there blogging. 


If you have ever been in a similar situation, please do leave me a comment as I would love to vent out a bit more with you. I believe sharing helps in keeping calm.


 

STREETTROTTER

StreetTrotter is a Travel, Culture & Lifestyle blog, inspiring people everyday with real stories to look good and travel even better. Founded in 2012 by Shraddha Gupta, Founder & COO, this space is all about experiencing new things in life, be it a daring mountain trek, a frugal backpacking trip, a runway look made local, or simply anything that scares you enough to live a little more deeper.

    1. STREETTROTTER says:

      I totally relate to what you are saying. The industry really has to mature with time and bloggers have to start saying no to work for free. Only we can change this trend by saying NO to practices we cant accept.

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