Sponsored Post Ethics

Do you write sponsored posts? I spend a lot of time visiting blogs and I'm noticing that more and more blog authors are writing sponsored posts. I don't write sponsored "posts". I write sponsored "articles". There is a difference and it's not just in terminology.

Writing sponsored posts can be a lucrative source of additional income, if they're written the right way (as articles). I've already been paid for two PayPerPost Direct offers. I'm positive the offers were the result of how I previously wrote sponsored articles.

On other blogs, I'm seeing disturbing trends:

Posts that are very poorly written, which appear to barely reach the minimum required amount of words.
Sponsored posts on niche blogs that have absolutely nothing to do with the niche.
Sponsored posts that are only identified by the category they're placed in — no other disclosure. Sometimes they're not identified as such at all.
Back to back sponsored posts — index pages which have no other content.

I have my own ethics in regards to sponsored articles:

I won't write an article where I'm told I can't disclose that it's sponsored.
I won't write about any topic or products that promote addictive behavior such as alcohol, tobacco and gambling.
Only one sponsored article can appear on my index page at any given time.
I choose opportunities based on what I like, my experience and my knowledge. If it doesn't fit in that group, I won't choose it.
If I can't write an article in a professional manner, I won't write it at all.

If you're a blog author:

Do you have certain rules or ethics that determine what type of sponsored post you'll write? Does it matter to you if the topic of a sponsored post is related to you or your blog in some way? Is the amount you earn all you're concerned about?

If you're a reader:

Does it bother you to see or read sponsored posts? What if the sponsored post is written well enough that you don't know it's a sponsored post until you've finished reading it? What if it's obvious that it's a sponsored post at first glance?

August 18th, 2007 By RT Cunningham | Categories: Advertising | Tags: ethics, sponsored posts |

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Jo on August 18th, 2007 at 11:21 am (Reply)

My "rules" are pretty much the same as yours. There have been times that due to medical copays I've had to take one or two sponsored jobs that aren't in my "niche" (do I have a niche RT? lol) but every post I write that I'm paid for I try to personalize and I do research on it.

I know I hate reading boring ads whether it's in magazines or online but I've always enjoyed the posts that are human and people try to put a little of themselves into.

The most I've been offered so far was $75 to do a post and I had to turn it down because it said I couldn't disclose. I wanted to cry but I won't lie to people for any amount of money. I may not be $75 richer but at least I still have my morals and integrity.

RT Cunningham on August 18th, 2007 at 12:24 pm (Reply)

Yep, that's a big ouch. I turned down two gambling posts that would have put a few dollars in my pocket and I didn't feel bad about it.

Stephen Cronin on August 18th, 2007 at 12:47 pm (Reply)

As you may know, I haven't done any sponsored posts, but I might - if I do, I think I will follow your rules. They sound very sensible and fit in with the way I like to do things.

Also, if you don't follow rules such as these, I think you'll lose some credibility and your site will suffer.

As a reader, I don't mind sponsored posts, if they are written objectively and the poster has put some thought into it. I'm turned off, if it looks like it has been thrown together without much effort or if it is too one-sided.

RT Cunningham on August 18th, 2007 at 4:28 pm (Reply)

You can go off-topic even if you do it right. I always try to tie them into a past experience or something I want to do. I'm surprised that I get a lot of page views for them.

B. Durant on August 18th, 2007 at 4:12 pm (Reply)

I've never tried a sponsored article. Sounds like it might be fun if you can find something worthwhile and are willing to put a little bit of effort into it.

To be honest as I think on it I can't recall actually ever seeing a sponsored article. Though I have no doubt read a few of them in my travels through blogdom. All month and a half of it.

RT Cunningham on August 18th, 2007 at 4:29 pm (Reply)

You have nothing to lose by doing sponsored posts in a professional manner. You'll lose readers faster by using AdSense than you will with these.

Bryan from OneMan'sGoal.Com on August 18th, 2007 at 4:18 pm (Reply)

Great post!

When ever I write a sponsored post, I always write another article for the same day. That way people that don't want to see the sponsored posts, can look right past them!

RT Cunningham on August 18th, 2007 at 4:27 pm (Reply)

I try to do that too, unless I lose my connection first. Damned local DSL.

Snoskred on August 18th, 2007 at 4:24 pm (Reply)

I'm standing about the same place as you are on this, RT. My rules would only differ in that - my front page shows the last 7 days (I'm thinking about lowering it to less days - any thoughts?) so if I did more than one sponsored post in a week, there might be two on the page. But any sponsored content is followed - immediately if possible, within the next hour if not - by non sponsored content.

So far it's never been an issue because I have only ever done one per week and some weeks none.

I also will not talk about something I know nothing about. I have to have some knowledge about it. I'm not making stuff up for the sake of earning money. It has to be relevant to me - because my "niche" is me. No gambling, no alcohol, no drugs.

I just did one today about mailboxes. It fit right in with what's going on in my life right now and what I said is 100% true - if the landlord agrees, I'll be chucking that crappy mailbox and putting in something better looking - and lockable! If not, guess where my mail will be going to from now on? A PO Box. Identity theft is a big issue these days and I'm not having my mail left where it can be pinched, thanks very much!

As far as reading - I understand that bloggers put a lot of effort and work into their blogs, and I am happy for them to earn some money. Some of the sponsored posts I have seen have been brilliant. I agree I have seen some very bad ones - one for Sydney where the author had spelt it "sidney" - one for hotels in Melbourne where the author had spelt it melborne. That kind of stuff is not on.

Either do it properly or don't do it. If a blogger is being paid for a post the least they can do is make sure they spell things right, even if they have to copy and paste names like Melbourne and Sydney to be certain. When you're being paid to write you have to put work in. Editing and spell checking is part of that work. I prefer when bloggers manage to write it like their other posts - in their voice - otherwise it can be a bit jarring.

I'm not so worried about the niche thing. There's not always stuff in that niche which a blogger can get paid for. I'm happy for them to take a departure from that niche if it makes them a bit of dough. As long as it's not every second post.

Snoskred
http://www.snoskred.org/

RT Cunningham on August 18th, 2007 at 4:36 pm (Reply)

I have only five posts showing, equivalent to about a day and half for me. Anyway, if you're following each one with a non-sponsored post, it shouldn't be an issue. My rule of thumb is at least four in between, but that's because I do so many posts per day.

I have to check out your mailbox post. I did one too a couple or three weeks ago.

And yes, going outside the niche is perfectly okay as long as it's in the author's own voice and doesn't appear to be contrived. I've seen some that read like an infomercial.

hari on August 18th, 2007 at 4:32 pm (Reply)

Good post!

I'm just back from Singapore and will catch up on your posts soon.

maurizio on August 18th, 2007 at 5:47 pm (Reply)

I'm confused about the difference between post and narticle (uhm maybe I have to wake up a bit more..)

Anyway my rules are similar to yours but I don't really have a niche so I post what I feel I have something to say. My Credit Cards post sounds a bit out of contest, but I had something to say so I published it.
http://blog.nafurai.com/2007/08/credit-cards/

Btw. you said you write only "sponsored articles", but just after this post you wrote a "sponsored post".

RT Cunningham on August 18th, 2007 at 5:59 pm (Reply)

That's for my ad filter, nothing more. I just wanted to clarify it here.

A post includes everything (images, videos, etc.). An article has original text. They're not quite the same.

goldcoaster on August 18th, 2007 at 7:41 pm (Reply)

Don't take this as picking on you, Richard, this is just about Sponsored posts in general. In fact you are probably the best at this type of advertising.

It really doesn't bother me about sponsored posts, it is just like any other advertising - like adsense. The blog owner can do what he/she likes. If the blog ends up doing too many I will just switch off and go somewhere else never to return and I would think that most readers, unless they do sponsored posts as well, would be the same.
Of course I can see why people do them - money - but some ads (they are ads) are the blogger saying how great the product is when clearly they wouldn't know because they haven't used it - I have read some that say how great this mortgage company is when it's UK based and the blogger is Australian.

Sponsored posts, I think, should have a border around them like an adsense ad, or the background shaded a different colour, so you can tell them apart easily. Plus not be included in RSS feeds (I get enough spam already). Treat them just like the ad they are and not a pseudo-article.

RT Cunningham on August 18th, 2007 at 8:08 pm (Reply)

I agree they shouldn't be in the feeds. I'm testing a plugin right now that should keep them out of the feeds. Besides, advertisers need to pay extra for feed coverage.

As far as putting a border around one or changing the background color… this would only be useful if all bloggers did it the same way (and you know they won't). Like you said, though, people will leave and never come back if they're done in an unethical manner.
2. maurizio on August 18th, 2007 at 8:20 pm (Reply)
  
  I am too lazy to create a new plugin, but I think a better idea is to have some sort of image near the first lines of the post, stating that it's a sponsored post. Some blog use an image at the end coming from an organization I don't remember the name now.
  
  (Actually I'm not that lazy..I'm just fighting with threads on my Java BlogStats application)
3. RT Cunningham on August 18th, 2007 at 8:27 pm (Reply)
  
  I put "(This is sponsored post.)" at the end of the article unless it's a PayPerPost ad that has the image inserted as required. Whether it's at the beginning or not is not really important. The fact that it's disclosed as such IS important.
  2. maurizio on August 18th, 2007 at 8:34 pm (Reply)
    
    found it!
    http://www.disclosurepolicy.org/
    
    It would be cool if you create a plugin that adds this icon/link to every post in a certain category
    
    It certainly looks professional IMHO.
  3. RT Cunningham on August 18th, 2007 at 8:47 pm (Reply)
    
    Are you talking about the icons on this page?
    http://www.disclosurepolicy.org/generator/usage
    
    I'm sure I could do a plugin for it, but right now my hands are full with a full-theme editing project for someone else and another plugin. I'm using a hastily concocted version of the plugin right now for my "Popular Articles" widget.
    2. maurizio on August 18th, 2007 at 8:59 pm (Reply)
      
      Those icon are a good start. IMHO.
Andy Beard on August 18th, 2007 at 9:23 pm (Reply)

Sponsored posts should 100% be in feeds.

If a sponsored post should for some reason not be suitable for your feed.

1) It wasn't well enough written
2) It wasn't targeted enough to your audience
3) You didn't have enough opinion about the product

My decision about whether I write a sponsored post is very simple.

"Can I turn a sponsored post in to some kind of cornerstone content that is useful for my readers and teaches them something"

As to disclosure only on sponsored posts, why?

You should write your disclosure policy in such a way as it covers every possible thing that might be relevant and that isn't just on paid posts.

I link to my disclosure policy within my content on every page, and in my feeds.

I also legally have to have a link to my contact information.
2. RT Cunningham on August 18th, 2007 at 9:36 pm (Reply)
  
  Heh, I was wondering when you'd show up, Andy.
  
  I'm at the point now where I'm waffling between showing them in the feeds or not (I have them in the feeds now). I know mine are beneficial to my readers, but I'm concerned that it could be overkill. I think I should wait until more people weigh in on the subject before I make the decision to filter them from the feeds. The plugin I'm testing is for all content, based on user levels, and feeds are selectable if I decide to go that route.
  
  I have the disclosure policy in place, but I don't link to it or my contact information. I should consider it even if I'm not legally bound to do so.

goldcoaster on August 18th, 2007 at 8:15 pm (Reply)

It would be great if that plugin works, Richard.

RT Cunningham on August 18th, 2007 at 8:18 pm (Reply)

I'll write about it if it does. It should. I probably won't know for sure until after I do the next sponsored post.

Angela on August 18th, 2007 at 8:21 pm (Reply)

I definitely agree with the one sponsored post on the index page. I write one occasionally but I hate sites that are loaded with them. I see it more, oddly enough, on personal blogs like mine than niche-specific ones. Some of them are really lame too, one paragraph completely unrelated to the sponsor with just the link.

goldcoaster on August 19th, 2007 at 2:25 pm (Reply)

Sorry but I don't agree on this Andy.

I really doubt that many if any of these ads can be turned into useful content. They are not content, they are ads - simple - no matter how well they are written or what spin has been put on them.

Of course the bloggers that do this are after the money, fair enough too, it is their blog and they can do whatever they want but please don't call it content or spread it through feeds.

And I believe they should say they are a sponsored post not just have a disclosure, tucked away somewhere else that mentions some content opinions has been paid for. Just say on the post that they are advertising, even if you have an all covering disclosure notice.

Snoskred on August 19th, 2007 at 3:18 pm (Reply)

maurizio on August 19th, 2007 at 5:39 pm (Reply)

I have to disagree with goldcoaster too.
Have a look at my Credit Card post on my blog. It should be just a "Buzz" post so I can be free to write whatevever I want to; and that's what I've done. It's a nice post and it doesn't look like a commercial.

I am not sure why some of you don't want to have sponsored posts on feeds. A feed should be like your site so you should have all posts there. Maybe you can add a second feed for that reason.