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Why Bloggers Should Be Paid More, Part III: Not Everyone Blogs Right
This series covers common myths about blogging that contribute to the low-payment factor, to wit: that blogging is easier than writing other kinds of copy, that blogging takes less timethan other kinds of copy, and that bloggers are a dime a dozen.
Click here to read about the first and second myths – that blogging isn’t hard work and that bloggers should be paid more. Or, read this:
One of the arguments for bloggers being paid less is simply the fact that everyone (yes, yes, and their mother) has a blog these days. If everyone’s doing it, then it must be simple. Nearly intuitive, really. It’s like knowing how to feed yourself.
Sure. But most of us don’t really know how to feed ourselves, either.
Let’s run with our food metaphor for a second here. Yes, everybody eats. Well done, there. By and large, we feed ourselves, which is to say we buy food, prepare it, and consume it.
But there’s a difference between the person who buys ready-made fast food every night and the person who goes home and makes a meal that incorporates the basic food groups and provides a level of nutrition with a reasonable calorie count.
Both are feeding oneself, yes. Only one of them is doing it well.
You only have to browse through some of the blogs out there to see why professional bloggers are valuable. There are more rambling, stream-of-thought posts than you can shake a stick at.
Most of them have no logical storyline. Most of them are devoid of grammar and spelling. They often sound almost precisely as though someone blurted out whatever was on their mind about a particular topic and let a ten-year-old transcribe it without handing the poor bastard a dictionary.
The difference between a professional blogger’s posts and an amateur’s is the difference between going out to a nice restaurant for dinner and going to get McDonald’s. Both of them put food in your belly, so theoretically, you can go with the cheaper option and it’s the same thing.
Except the cheaper option is going to be bad for your health, which is a pretty big caveat.
The same applies to blogging. Good blog posts get lots of traffic to your site, improve your credibility, and get new clients to decide they want to hire you. Bad blog posts actually make clients decide you’re not as professional as they thought and perhaps they should take their business elsewhere.
The Value of Quality Blogging
Any marketing director will tell you that your marketing materials should be as high quality as you can afford. Your business cards should be swanky. The paper you use should be thick and pretty. Your advertising should be polished.
Why the buck is supposed to stop at blogging is beyond me.
The reason your marketing materials are supposed to be nice is because they’re a reflection of your business. Swanky materials = swanky business. In the words you use for your business, it’s just as important. I’d argue it’s more important, but I’m the copywriter here, so I’m biased. I have a good reason, though.
People think your marketing materials are a reflection of how your business operates.
People think your copywriting (blogging included) is a reflection of how your business THINKS.
In the U.S., our previous president got a lot of flack because the man constantly seemed confused by the words that were coming out of his own mouth. He’d get along toward the middle and look like he’d actually gotten lost, and it’d take him awhile to get back. Because of this, many, many people thought he was stupid.
Now, I have no idea if he actually is stupid. None whatsoever. But I listened to him, and I thought he sounded dumb. And I didn’t want that guy representing me to the rest of the world. Because he sounded dumb.
Now, think of your blog. If someone else blogs for you, do you want that person to sound dumb, or do you want him to sound spectacularly entertaining and professional?
Your blog represents you, even more so than your marketing materials. It’s meant to be a more personal medium through which you can communicate. If your blog sounds like you can’t keep track of your train of thought, if you misspell words and communicate poorly, then people are going to think you’re dumb.
So you want to hire someone. And when you want to hire someone, should you hire the person who sounds dumb or the one who sounds competent?
Thought so. Now then, back to our original point, which is that bloggers should be paid more: How much is it WORTH to you to sound smart instead of dumb?
If the answer is more than $10, you should be paying more for your blog posts.
Getting Elitist About Blogging
So yes, everyone blogs. Everyone talks, too, but not everyone is an orator. Not everyone can tell a good story. Hell, not everyone can tell a joke. Being capable of talking is not the issue. Being able to do something useful with the power of speech is what’s on the table.
Everyone is out there blogging, but most of them are telling bad jokes and bad stories. Most of them are boring the pants off people. When you find someone who can actually blog with real power and insight and intelligence, you want to pay that writer whatever he wants to represent you.
If that means paying him $100 a post, do it anyway. He’ll be worth it. Because it’s worth it to you not to look dumb.
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First… I am guessing this has James’ name on it and not Tei’s for some important reason.
Secondly… am happy my thoughts finally match up precisely to this topic and I can just give a simple “I agree”.
I would even go further to say the bar is even higher than what you say in your post. It’s not just sounding dumb, but not actually standing out in the crowd. There is so much noise on the net these days that if you’re going to pay someone, you may as well go all out and make the payment really count. Competence is good, but excellence is better.
I would even say blogging is going through a transition phase, a lot like radio did. There are more and more professional blogs starting to grab attention, and while it is still very possible to do in part time, more and more people are beginning to learn professional blogging skills. You don’t want to hire someone who is behind the curve, so to speak.
Patrick Vuleta´s last blog post…Site facelift – a big thank you to Men with Pens!
Blogging is another word for entertainment…and I take it that like singing or learning to play a keyboard, you need to tweak your blog writing to align with the rhythm of READABILITY!
This last part in this series I agree with. Many bloggers are just expressing for their own sake-and there’s nothing wrong with it, this is exactly why they blog. The pro-bloggers who feel they have to post on a particular frequency or schedule are the ones who inevitably bring the quality down. But then again, Shakespeare warned us of drivel four hundred years ago through Polonius.
Kaushik´s last blog post…Metta Zap and Release Meditation – 8th Awakening is Simple book exerpt
@ Patrick – Thank you! The damned ‘author’ field is low down on my screen and I continually forget to change that to Taylor or Harry when appropriate. Done now!
This is something I’ve noticed too Tei. When it comes to marketing, food, heck any service or product other than blogging the old adage “you get what you pay for” seems to apply.
Yet people are paying the pathetically low rates for blog posts and expect to receive great value. Why is that? Where’s the old adage gone?
Marc – WelshScribe´s last blog post…SEO 101: An Overview
That’s a lot like “Everyone can Coach” Um no, they can’t. Just because everyone can talk and everyone can listen and ask questions doesn’t mean they can coach. Yet I’ve had people tell me they don’t see the point in hiring a Professional Coach because they “know someone who does it just as well”
To which I normally reply along the lines of “Really? So you know someone with no formal training who can coach as well as a trained Professional Coach who has over 150 hours of specific training, more than 100 hours of actual coaching experience and subscribes to a code of ethics and standards? They must be pretty good. And they’re giving it away for free?”
I’ve never yet heard a decent come back from that comment. But…. to get off my soapbox and bring it back to the actual post….
You get what you pay for. If you’re paying only $10 a post then that’s the quality you’re getting. If you’re lucky the ROI will get that $10 back for you. If you pay for a $100 post then you get the quality that goes with it, and the ROI can be well expected to be several times your investment.
Kauskik, I’d say Men with Pens – and their Rogue female – are definately pro-bloggers, they post on a schedule (three times a week) and I really don’t think their quality is lacking in any way, yes?
Melinda | WAHM Biz Builder´s last blog post…Reader Survey – Your Opinion Counts
Well said!
I’ve read more poorly written blog posts than I care to admit, and enjoyed none of them.
Virtually anybody can put a blog out there. There is no quality filter either. In a democratic sort of way, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. After all, blogging is about voice and currently everyone who wants one can have one.
However, when you compare a well-written and informative post like this one to a humorless and disorganized post chronicling whatever happens to be on the blogger’s mind – well, there’s no real comparison.
Those who hire bloggers need to consider which blogger they would rather have represent them – someone with professionalism and class or the guy moaning about the burnt toast that he had for breakfast.
After all, you get what you pay for.
Laura Spencer´s last blog post…Available Now – How To Start a Freelance Writing Business E-Book
I was recently approached by a highly ranked outdoors site to do regular writing for them. (In addition to my main freelancing specialty, I also write about hiking.)
However, the pay was so low that I passed, and I told them why.
John Soares´s last blog post…Becoming a Full-Time College Textbook Supplements Writer: When to Make the Transition
Not everyone blogs. Sure there are a ton out there, but that is because people that blog have more than one going on. I actually heard a person at work this week say “I’ve read a blog or two.”
Not everyone is blogging, just as not everyone is on Facebook or Twitter.
Martin´s last blog post…UP Movie Review Sweet and Sad with a touch of brillance-Grade A
That’s. BRILLIANT! I’m a professional blogger wanna-be, so thanks for this excellent article.
Guy Wade´s last blog post…Character, how do I hate thee? Let me count the ways.
Anyone with a computer can write. Anyone with a camera can take amazing photographs. Anyone with…..you get the point.
This is a fantastic post with a fantastic analogy.
In my own business though, I’ve often found it futile to convince people who don’t don’t value the work (whether coaching or photography). It’s not usually *my* work they don’t value, it’s a generalization they have in mind about people in these fields.
Of course, after they go and try to do it on their own or go to someone cheaper and see the results they get — they often come back.
Hopefully, people will listen to your advice and avoid that painful process though.
All the best!
deb
Deb Owen´s last blog post…i’m good enough, i’m smart enough, and gosh-darnit – people like me (what’s wrong with affirmations)
Nice wrap up of the series. It really has been valuable in terms of getting folks to think about the whole issue of blogging and the pay/quality.
And yes, there are far too many drive through blogs offering super-sized “value meals” with no nutritional value at all. More and more I find myself driving right past them in search of a nice sit down diner serving big portions of comfort food.
A little off topic, but I’m wondering if MWP could do a post/series on the possible death of keywords from the Google perspective. I’ve read some things recently that indicate Google may be leaning more towards natural writing flow and other factors. I only ask because if keyword optimized articles go away, maybe clients would have to pay writers more in order to get articles that are written well, with authority.
Just a thought.
Cheers
George
Tumblemoose´s last blog post…5 ways to improve your children’s book manuscript
You have completely summed up everything I feel about non-pro bloggers. I’ve read terribly written posts by a guy freely admitting that he failed high school English. How can I possibly focus on his argument if I keep getting tripped up by spelling errors and poorly supported opinions?
The medium is the message, folks. Let’s not forget that that!
The Office Newb´s last blog post…Picking Out Business Cards
Thank you SO much for writing this series. Perhaps it will help clients see the value in moving away from the “quantity, not quality” mindset, and perhaps bloggers will come to value their own services more. I’m not sure which is the bigger problem, to be honest.
I agree with this post a hundred per cent.
Writing, in general, is easier said than done. That is why I always get annoyed whenever I hear a person say that a writing job is easier than being an engineer or a doctor. Well, maybe it is, in some way. Still, if engineers, doctors or just about anyone who is not inclined to writing were to write a blog post, they’ll sure feel stupid for not getting the job done faster than they expect.
People have different talents. And people who are good in writing deserves to be paid for being a good writer, even if it’s just for blogging.
@Online Printing,
Agreed – writing is not easy… but (engineer here) I can probably write about half as well as a really great writer.
Can that same writer say as much for her ability to do my job?
(I’m just kidding around, I had to defend the engineering honour!)
@Online printing
Engineers not inclined to writing?
What? Are you kidding me?
Writing is 90% of my job.
Not only do I have to write well enough to convey the right design and operations concepts to clients and contractors, but I have to be very careful to make sure the right regulatory/safety codes apply and that contractual obligations are met.
This is something that not just any professional blogger can pick up do. You need an engineering degree on top of that, plus years of experience.
And what are the consequences if a blogger writes a bad post for someone? THeir blog dosen’t get read. The client might lose some business.
What are the consequences if an engineer writes a bad document? Million dollar contracts going over budget. Failure in a design, safety hazards, which can result in loss of property, or even loss of life. And possibly jail time if you’re found criminally negligent.
So, mabye that’s why bloggers arent’ paid as much as other professions.
(Didn’t mean to sound harsh…Like Brett, I feel I have there is a need to defend Engineer’s honour)
Patrick – I think you’re right, that bloggers are starting to be recognized as valuable. I’m hoping posts like these are going to help out in that department, at least a little.
How to write a writing – Good metaphors help, too.
Kaushik – Pro-bloggers who post on schedule can (and often do) create remarkably good work. There are many journalists out there who write to deadlines, too, and the quality of their work is not expected to be lower.
James – Oh, sure. Like you weren’t just stealing the credit. Pish.
Marc – I believe the logic goes that you should get something for nothing. Then Wall Street crashed, and . . . .
Melinda – Thanks for the defense of deadlines. I was too polite to say. But yeah, I think you get what you pay for is a worthy adage to be using here.
Laura – Man, burnt toast SUCKS. That’s terrible. When it starts to leave black bits in the butter? Worst. Thing. Ever.
John – Good. Hopefully they’ll find out that low rates command mediocre blogging, and they’ll come back to you.
Martin – I beg your pardon. I am prone to exaggeration. Sometimes monkeys show up in my posts when no monkeys are actually present, too.
Guy – Good luck with the blogging!
Deb – I have a unicycle, so it must mean I can ride it. Right?
George – Interestingly, this is actually not my field. Whether keyword optimized articles are effective in terms of SEO is actually a question for an SEO expert, which I am not. Using keywords in a smooth and seamless fashion so that the reader is unaware the article is keyworded is more my forte. Determining whether they should be used and using them well are two different things.
And actually, keyworded articles CAN be very valuable. Many blogs simply want something like a single phrase repeated in every blog post so that people in their area can find them – they still want quality posts, they just want one keyword phrase in them. I know there are many people who focus on keywords over quality, but the two aren’t mutually exclusive.
The Office Newb – Elitism is a wonderful thing. I am a huge grammar snob.
Pat – Gotta hope.
Online Printing – Being a writer is, I believe, easier than being an engineer or a doctor, true. Mostly because of the training required to do those jobs. However, we all deviate toward our own special skills, and some people simply have a talent for hearing the difference between good language and bad. Everyone can learn to have decent grammar and spelling, but that feel for language is hard to come by.
Brett – No. No I cannot. We would die in a horrible power-plant-induced fashion. I concede the floor, sah!
This is one of the downsides of having specific terms such as blogger and blogging. There’s a danger that they create the impression that they must somehow be different from ‘writing’, which in turn risks creating the theory that blogging = writing, but not as skilled.
And to add, if your blogging sucks, no one will ever visit your blog, believe what you say, buy products you endorse or click on links you promote. It’s like doing business that essentially goes directly down the drain! :p
@ John,
I agree that some of the problem comes from terms like “Blogging”, but I don’t think it’s due to specifics. I think it’s the lack of specifics that gets people.
There are millions upon millions of blogs out there, yet there’s a huge range in their style, goals, what they cover and so on.
Aside from being ugly and sounding a lot like “bog”, blogging is an unfortunate term as it is not capable of capturing the exact essence of a site. Calling someone a “blogger” is like calling a volunteer life saver and heart surgeon “heart fixers”. They both do very broadly similar things – get someone’s heart working again when it is in trouble, but the differences between them are huge.
To identify value, someone needs to focus in on specifics. For example, when I hired Men with Pens to design my site, I didn’t hire them to design a site. I hired them for two reasons:
1. they are capable of creating artistic looks while retaining functionality; and
2. great customer service.
Those are the things I was prepared to pay for. Even I can whack up a website, but I can’t do it artistically.
Being a “blogger” does not capture the true essence of what someone does. To be paid commensurate with what you do, you need to define what exactly are the benefits you provide.
And sadly, I think the word “blogging” works against that. Aside from not actually meaning anything, it also tends to be weighted towards what the vast majority of blogs actually are – incoherent politiclly motivated ramblings. Who would pay for that?
Patrick Vuleta´s last blog post…Site facelift – a big thank you to Men with Pens!
I completely agree!
With Social media taking a front row seat in main stream media and Hollywood. The value of bloggers is sure to rise in the coming years. Almost every main stream program from ESPN to Entertainment Tonight is Twittering. Which to me, a long time social media lover, is kind of mind boggling..
Great Post!
Cheers to Bad Ass Renegades and a Rogue.
Jonathan | EnlightenYourDay.com´s last blog ..Inspiring Tweets and Zen Retweets from my Twitter Contributors