This is one of those posts that probably will not interest you at all. But in the course of CraftTestDummies, I get asked frequently by new bloggers and craft companies/brands- “How do you make money blogging?”
Some blogs charge for reviews. I don’t. I think it’s unethical to take money for a review, since the reviewer would be compelled to say nice things. I’d rather not take the cash and instead be free to be honest and unbiased. (This goes for all of the reviews on CraftTestDummies.com, by all of the team and guests here. It’s a site-wide policy. Other bloggers disagree, and to each his/her own.)
Occasionally I run into a craft company that asks for a review but doesn’t want to provide an adequate sample size. (No, I cannot review your glue if you only give me ONE GLUE STICK. Or whatever. ) Or I have a company that wants a bunch of links to their social sites, or for me to do reviews on Amazon, or whatever. So I’ve had to really think about how I respond to them, and to put it clearly so that they (and maybe you, too, dear reader) understand how I make enough money to keep the boat afloat.)
So here’s my thesis.
Dear Representative of Company X:
Thank you for reaching out to CraftTestDummies and your interest in a review.
Per our initial contact, you know that I review craft products FREE OF CHARGE. Each review takes me 4-6 hours between creating with the product, research, taking pictures, editing them, and then writing a carefully-crafted blog post. I take special care to make sure that each post is SEO optimized so that searchers can easily find my post in the vast ocean that is the internet. In this FREE review, I happily link back to the website of the product, and then include additional affiliate links, too. (More on that part in a minute. )
As per our communication, I request three samples of product to allow for quality control checks, mistakes, and the different ways I use/test them. After all, the blog IS called “CraftTestDummies”- I reserve the right to make all of the mistakes I can- primarily to show my readers what NOT to do. It educates them and saves you customer service calls down the road. If three samples seems like an exorbitant amount to you, let’s be honest here. Just between you and me, you know that the cost to *make* your product is less than 1/4 it’s retail price. And this review isn’t going to cost you one red cent, but it will generate interest among a VERY dedicated niche audience. (And sometimes I get super excited about a product and make an accompanying video for free, too. But you have to stay on my good side for that.) So reaching out to a blogger is the most cost-effective way you can spread the word about your product. It’s like setting up a billboard in the middle of a superhighway for free. And that highway just so happens to be packed bumper-to-bumper with your target audience!
But that real estate has its costs. On my end, I pay for hosting fees, for high-speed internet access, for frequent computer and camera upgrades, and for dumb things like plumbing and electricity so my lights stay on and the toilets flush.
So that goes back to “How Do I Make Money?” Or better yet- “Why Do I Spend So Much Time For So Little Return?”
Frankly, I know that you might not care about this at all, but it’s part of my thesis here. So sit tight. It’ll be over in a minute.
I make money primarily through ads. The more views I get, (both on my blog and on my YouTube videos) the better I can cover my costs. Google Search accounts for about 65% of my traffic- so it behooves me to focus on products that FOLKS ARE SEARCHING FOR. I also embed affiliate links so that if my readers get inspired and want to purchase that product *right now* , they can click a link and I’ll generate a small percentage of that sale. (In fair disclosure, usually 5% to 7%. Not a lot, but it can add up and again, pay one of those pesky bills. )
As you can imagine, popular name -brand products generate a lot of searches, and often the most click-throughs to affiliate links. I hate to admit it, but it only makes fiscal sense to spend the bulk of my time and energy reviewing products that have decent search queries. But because I really love crafts and crafters, I often include up-and-coming craft companies. I do so because A) it’s a benefit to my audience and B) it’s good karma to give the little guys a chance. My blog was a “little guy” once and I got some help from bigger blogs and companies, so now I pay it forward.
So now back to you.
If you want more links and exposure, then you need to pony up and pay for it via Sponsored Content (tutorials), Sponsored Videos, or Giveaways. I can send you that information, or re-send it if you’ve misplaced it. This is another meaningful way I monetize my blog real estate- by giving extra attention and space to companies that pay for it. And those posts are ALWAYS labeled and disclosed as “sponsored”- so that my readers know what it is and I stay on the up-and-up per FTC guidelines.
I don’t do additional Amazon reviews because it only benefits YOU, the company, and does nothing for my blog in the way of traffic or name recognition. And if I’m going to work for free, than I’m only going to do that which benefits me and pays my bills.
And if you think I’m alone, I’d like to share this article with you from Haley Pierson-Cox, another technical craft writer, or this one from HideousDreadfulStinky, which is even MORE passionate *ahem* than I am on the topic.
So before you reach out to other bloggers, I suggest you take some time to do your homework. Read our content and respect the time and expertise that we put into our work. What you are asking for -links, additional reviews, etc- is not worth? the $XX (RETAIL) jar of product, which I know costs probably pennies to manufacture. It nets out to less than minimum wage. And I know my time is worth much more than that.
And now you do, too.
Now, if you’ve found yourself here and you represent a company and you’ve recent reached out to a blogger and they’ve send you this link…. well…. now you know. I really enjoy working with craft companies, and honestly 90% of them really do value bloggers and specifically my service. I do everything I can to roll out reviews on a timely basis and even try to coordinate them with when products are hitting the store shelves.
Bottom line? Working with a blogger is like wooing a mate. Treat us (bloggers) with a little love and respect and we will do an amazing job for you. But ask for too much for too little, and we’ll move on to someone who treats us better.
Thanks for listening, and I welcome comments- just keep them civil and respectful, please!
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Do you take ads from manufacturers of the products you review? I haven’t been visiting your Web site long enough to know. If you do take ads from the makers of reviewed products, have any of these received negative reviews?
Addie- no, I do not take ads from manufacturers. If those ads appear on the website, they are served through Google Adsense or another ad network and are based on the “cookies” placed on your server and are served up in relation to your browsing habits. I don’t control them. Thanks for the question, Jenny
What an interesting subject. Recently I have been offered two product from a shop, low priced products, total price under 15 dollars, to show in my YouTube channel. They are not connected to the crafty world, they are nice accessories. They ask me to film the products i was sent, and show detail shots in the video and put the links in exchange of the free products. I found it fair, I get those products in exchange just for showing them in a video. Of course I am telling my viewers I was provided those accessories to show them, i am not going to give the impression I bought them if I didn’t. I will be honest. And I considered a fair exchange that many people do in YouTube since long time ago.
But I only have to show them, put them on me and put the links to the shop, not much more. If I got asked to also have to develop some creative technique using those products (if they were craft products)… that would be a different thing. That would involve using my creativity and much more time and effort to do that, and the low priced products would not compensate that effort that goes beyond showing them, so I really understand your point here, you are right to ask for what you deserve, if they ask you to review and use their products is because they know it is great for them and they know that you will spread the word broadly… so your compensation must be in proportion..
This has been a master lesson for me, Jenny!
Great post, perfectly and diplomatically stated. Transparency is key. We all need to pay the electric bills, even bloggers.
Cheers,
Madge
go girl i like your integrity, you’re reviews have helped me in making some of my purchases and i for one hope you keep paying those pesky bills
Hey, I’m just a crafting customer but I find this fascinating and also very reassuring…always have known I like and value CTD but now I see my instincts were correct on an even deeper level — honesty and savvy! Keep up the great work and thanks for educating us “plain folk” on how things work behind the scenes 🙂
Great article. I have always wondered about this.
I really appreciated reading about this. I’ve always wondered about it.
Great article, thanks for this. Under your post there were links for “You Might Also Like” and some of them say sponsored. Do you get money if we click on those? I hope so as I did click on one of them. 🙂 And what about the YouTube Channel links? I’ve always been very confused about stuff like that when I see them on blogs. And some of the things that pop up I know did not come from my browsing cookies. (Like the “Steroid Alternative” that popped up with this post (least for me). HA!) A bunch of stuff from Amazon came up with this post and I’ve never looked at these items before. So confusing!
Awesome article and I agree 100% with how you have chosen to run your blog! You cannot work for nothing!
Laura- that widget you are referring to- “You Might Also Like” -IS a sponsored widget. If you click on those, I make a small fee. So thank you for clicking! The ads at the top of the post either come from your browsing history, or, in the case of the Amazon ones, are related to the content on the site and/or on the post. I use Amazon affiliate links a lot considering how many crafty tutorials I write. I hope this clarifies for you a bit. 🙂
Another bit of information: I also supplement my income with on-air work and social media consulting. I repped a company on HSN last year, and will be working on a PBS show this year. My blog is actually *not* a part of that-it’s separate- but I will share my appearances on the blog for the sake of my readers.
And I’d by lying if I told you I didn’t think that my blog was a calling card and/or living resume. Companies can see how I work on-camera, write tutorials, and build social networks by seeing what I’ve done here. Just another piece of the financial puzzle for those who wonder and/or are trying to make their passions their main stream of income. 🙂
Jenny, Thanks for this post. I have been getting more and more companies emailing me to promote their products – three in the last week. Unfortunately, they evidently do not read my blog since what they’re selling is not what my blog is about. I even have had freelance writers – another one last week – that wanted to write copy again having nothing to do with my audience and of course they wanted to use their affiliate links.
I need to draft a letter like yours to send back to those companies. I have in the past just ignored them but that’s not right.
Anyway, thanks again for the post.
Hey Jenny, this is such a helpful post, for everyone from us manufacturers to the makers you reach. Keep up the stellar work, and we’ll keep loving it!
Love this article and agree with you completely. You do have to pay the bills, but I like that you are honest and unwilling to be a slave to craft companies who want a lot for nothing much.
Thanks for the well written post. I pretty much figured that was how you made money. To you I would say thank you for your blog and others in the field. If it weren’t for you, we crafters would have to count on what would really be advertising. Because of your stance on fairness, we can count on you, and do. I hope you pay plenty of bills with your blog. You are my fav!
Fran- thank you so much for the vote of confidence! I love the manufacturers and brands I’ve worked with- Little Windows included- and I value your business. And it’s so gratifying to know you value mine! 🙂
Great letter! Very informative. I don’t have an interest in doing the work you do or that done by the many other bloggers out there, but I certainly am interested in what you have to osay. I would say that blogs factor into probably 90% if not more of my art and craft purchases. I see someone using or talking about a product and I frequently will buy right after reading a blog or watching a video. I have been a loyal CTD follower for years and I’ve come to really trust what you and the other reviewers have to say. Thank you for what you do. Your videos and reviews are really top notch!