Pearl at Interesting Observations has a post up about Pay Per Post and I did sign up for it. But fear not, my ranking is not high enough to have the "opportunity" to write posts that I would be paid for. However, when I read a few of the blogs that do have Pay per post, it left me with the question of what do they have that I don't? Can't figure that one out. In my typical fashion though, I looked up the negative information about something after I signed up. For example, this Business week article from July 2006 wasn't exactly complimentary to the concept.
I know that in the past I wrote about blogging being a creative outlet for me and a chance to make connections with people around the world. But the lure of making a couple of extra dollars a month is appealing. What are your thoughts about Pay Per Posts? Are they turn offs for a blog? I am just looking for a few extra bucks, for those Starbucks coffee and designer sneakers. Seriously, we have had some serious talks about money in our household and it's not there like it used to be. What's different? Yes, we have a son in college, but he is paying the majority of his tuition. The differences in money going out revolves around health insurance premium increases along with paying for our healthcare until we reach a maximum, utility bills have almost doubled in 3 years, our property taxes have doubled in 10 years, gas prices have increased and home heating prices have increased. When the question is asked, is your life better than 4 or 8 years ago, our answer would be no here.
What are your thoughts about Pay Per Posts? Are they turn offs for a blog?
I'll be brave enough to say it: you don't need Starbucks or designer tennies, Jen.
ReplyDeleteToo many paid posts and yeah, I'm gone, even if you're a groupie. I simply don't have time to read all that -- it's a choice between writing and getting a book ready for you guys (which would hopefully be my own income) or reading a bunch of ads. Which would you pick?
A few here and there are okay. But when the blog becomes nothing more than paid posts with the occasional comment from you, forget it.
I don't understand enough of how this works. How do you get the "opportunities?"
ReplyDeleteI have the Google Adsense box on my blog. I started for the free counter, but now I enjoy seeing what ads they digitally choose for me. I've earned an estimated $5.83, so I can't judge you on moral terms.
Also, I'm an advertising writer, so how can I say anything about someone else using her talent to sell stuff?
I just hope that, as SHG says, your blog with still be mostly your musings. I'd miss that.
Once you sign up, based on your google rating, you have opportunities to write about products. My rating is a 2 and would need to be at least a five.
ReplyDeleteBased on the blogs I have read through Pay per post, I don't see how their rating is higher..granted I am being subjective.
Oh man! I was so afraid of the negative reaction! :) Jenny, you know I didn't even realize to put the badge for them on my page until now, so if you had signed up through me, I would atleast have gotten paid $7.50 LOL
ReplyDeleteBut I agree with the sentiment that if some blog is only writing about the paid reviews or posts, I wouldn't want to read them either! and you are right, your blog has to have some rating before any advertisers are gonna look at it! My blog doesn't have any Page Rank yet, so I am not very ambitious but if I see the potential, I'll start another blog to post reviews and not put them on my regular blog! I am not sure how payperpost will look at it though - am new to all this too so have no idea how this works!
I do a lot of sponsored posts. I clearly mark them as sponsored though and a lot of my readers may not read them simply be seeing the sponsored advertising.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I think quite a few do read them and I always try to make them very truthful and adding to the content of my site and not hindering it.
My readership has never been higher. I think you should try it and if you don't like it...well stop. Just read what you are agreeing to closely.
If your blog post continues to have your own voice, how would it differ, really, whether you're blogging about whatever or whether you're blogging about a paid sponsor? Might as well give it a go. You can always opt out later if you don't like it.
ReplyDeleteJenny, I have made $500 at Pay Per Post alone over the past 6 weeks. My google page rank is a 2 also, so you should be fine. My Alexa rating is around 730,000...and I can show you how to get the toolbar if you are interested. They are coming out with a new Argus program later this year that will rate based on content. The best way to increase Google PR is to have people link back to your site with the name of your site as the anchor text. I am trying to increase mine too, but the other issue is that Google doesn't update their ratings very often. Email me kpuleski [at] gmail [dot] com if you want more info, I am happy to help you!
ReplyDeleteDo what you want but I won't be interested in reading your blog about products.
ReplyDeleteSure, I could use more money -- I am very poor but I will never blog about products/advertisements. I have too many other things to write about and my pay is the satisfaction of sharing with someone else the things I enjoy, including my photography.
I am torn on this - I am surprised that Karen has made so much money and it does sound attractive but I know for myself I do tend to stop reading blogs when there is too much pay per post articles. I kept reading for awhile and when it got to be too much I just all together stopped reading.
ReplyDeleteI guess I try to say I do this for me as an outlet but dang wouldn't $500 be nice in six weeks for not doing too much?
Let me know what you decide - you know I'll be a faithful reader no matter what....;)!
I hate pay-per-posts. I often will stop reading a blog that has them.
ReplyDeleteIan
get the alexa toolbar. It helps your rating or some nonsense.
ReplyDeleteI look at Pay Per Post like this, if some idiot out there wants to pay me for something I was going to talk about anyway, why not. But I don't search high and low for opportunities. If they are there, they are there. Plus, if you bury them over the weekend when traffic is lower, most of your readers will miss them.
now if someone can explain adsense to me, that would be swell
teamouse - I felt just the same at people making so much money writing a few articles and I am not going to search for opportunities that desperately either.. but trying it out isn't gonna hurt in the long run, as long as the quality of the writeups doesn't decline...
ReplyDelete