Have you ever heard of the term “pay for play?” Maybe a Public Relations firm tried to tell you, as a blogger, they won’t pay you because they don’t engage in “pay for play.” Keep reading and you’ll learn what that means and how it relates to blogs.
What does pay for play mean?
As per 10X White Label digital marketing, before blogs and PR reps began working together full-time, PR reps worked mainly with journalists. They worked diligently to build relationships with journalists and generate media coverage for their clients without paying for it. This is also called “earned media” because they earned it with their relationship building – as opposed to “paid media” where they might purchase an advertorial in a magazine.
Robert Frause, APR, Fellow PRSA (Public Relations Society of America), who chairs the Board of Ethics and Professional Standards (BEPS), defines the term pay for play as:
When professionals make undisclosed payments to journalists or media companies to publish or broadcast a client’s story, or when professionals allow placement of stories that appear to be earned media where compensation was provided in exchange for publication or broadcast.
In other words, it is not viewed as ethical for PR reps to pay for editorial coverage. For example, Polly PR rep cannot pay Jacky Journalist $50 to write about Polly’s client who just built a children’s hospital. She must get Jacky interested in the story and if Jacky wants to cover it and considers it newsworthy, she does.
How does pay for play relate to blogging?
Bloggers want to get paid to cover stories presented to them. When they are presented with a press release and respond with their rates for publishing it, miscommunication might happen.
Nikki Stephan, of Identity Marketing and PR, said reps are seeing an increase in the request for compensation from bloggers and not all reps/companies want to engage in paid media. Some companies will refuse to pay a blogger for coverage or advertising. Others will look it at as just a new advertising opportunity on a different platform. But the bottom line is this: Any PR pro engaging in a paid sponsorship relationship on behalf of a company MUST make sure that relationship is disclosed. If you would rather invest in physical advertisement then consider getting signs or even something for your floor if you have a local shop/business, for that you can consult with a Floor graphics manufacturer.
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Don’t we deserve to be paid?
Yes, bloggers, you do! As a blogger, you do so much more than just write a 500-word post – you spread the news about that company on your twitter, facebook, and other social media channels. You might even talk about that company on your online forums. All of that is word-of-mouth marketing and valuable to brands.
That being said, there is still a higher value placed on earned media. When looking at two posts – one that has a disclosure of payment at the end and one that does not – which one will your gut reaction be to believe more? Intrinsically, we put more faith in something someone wrote without compensation. Brands and reps used to work with print professionals understand this.
Kelby Carr – CEO and founder of Type A Parent Conference – said the social media marketing that PR reps request is where it goes from earned to paid media and money should follow.
Where I get concerned is when those pitches cross over into paid media and marketing without the accompanying pay. For example, asking for a review plus a contest, asking for content plus insisting on tweets, Facebook shares and so on. When it is required to do marketing, to include a widget or a badge, to write certain things or it is required to use certain links (or link at all), that is no longer earned media. The term pay for play does not apply here. They are not paying for play, they are paying for advertising, marketing, ambassadorships/spokespeople, and so on.
What a rep means when they use that term:
They want you to read their press release and write whatever interests you from it. They might suggest a certain angle or even say, “this would be great shared with your Twitter followers, wouldn’t it?” but they only want unbiased, editorial coverage. If their press release is a perfect fit for your readers, or it interests you, then write it! But if you ask for payment from a rep seeking editorial coverage, be prepared to be turned down.
What should a blogger do if he/she receives a reply with pay for play in the e-mail?
As odd-sounding, frustrating or confusing as this term might be for you, do not be offended by it. Nikki Stephan has some wonderful tips:
Bloggers should be very upfront with PR pros about the different types of promotion/coverage they are willing to give to companies. I love when bloggers clearly state this in a section on their blog. It’s so helpful from a PR perspective. And I think PR pros need to be open to the idea of different types of promotion through bloggers. I know several bloggers who will respond to a PR pro by saying that the topic isn’t relevant for an entire blog post, but they are happy to promote the company/product/service through social media channels.
There will always be that one PR rep who doesn’t quite understand the value of paying bloggers for their marketing. Be kind and communicate to them why advertising with you will help their client; don’t be upset if they turn you down. Above all, if you read this term in an e-mail, tell them other times you worked with companies and how it was a marketing campaign and fully disclosed.
I hope this cleared up some confusion about the term. Have you ever heard it? Did this post help you understand where they are coming from?
That was a great piece! I think PR people just have to realize that bloggers have a different income model that isn’t based purely on ad space and selling subscriptions.
Thank you so much! Yes, this relationship is continually growing and evolving. The reps that succeed are the ones that learn how to respect bloggers and change their practices to match.
Thanks for including me in this, Annie! I think this debate is long from over, and opinions and feedback will vary depending on the blogger and PR pro.
Great things can happen for all parties when successful relationships are built between bloggers and PR pros. In addition to my recommendation for bloggers to add a section on their site listing the best ways for PR pros and companies to work with them, I also recommend PR people stop giving bloggers a laundry list of things to do (post, run a contest, tweet, share on Facebook, etc.). Let the bloggers decide what makes the most sense for their own communities.
Thank you Nikki! You gave some very valuable info.
And yes, I agree that bloggers need to be clear on their blog how they work with PR reps. Every single blogger is different. Speaking of which, I have to go back and see if I am clear on my blog 🙂
This is a very good and informative post covering both the blogger and PR rep logic. I learned a lot. Thanks for posting it.
This is a GREAT post, Annie! I’m on the marketing side of things but have done some PR in the past too. It’s tough because some PR firms ask for things that cross the line into marketing. But then some bloggers don’t really understand the PR/Marketing world and ask for things they shouldn’t. How companies work with bloggers is still being sculpted as it’s still new territory. This post really lays down some great guidelines though for both sides.
Thank you Melissa! There is definitely education that needs to happen from both sides – blogger, marketing and PR. Bloggers often confuse PR and Marketing – probably because lots of PR reps engage in marketing even though that is not in their job description.
You are right, how we work together is new territory and still being sculpted. I cannot wait to see what happens next 🙂
I differ a tiny bit 🙂 Bloggers are very different from traditional media and in the category of bloggers, there are many different types. There are those that are highly sought out, have high traffic, and write their own content and probably delete all of the press releases sent their way without even opening them. These bloggers have every right to ask for things they want, because they don’t care if they work with PR or not. They are probably making good $ from their ad networks and don’t need to work with PR unless it is beneficial for them, so they are the determining factor in what is beneficial for them.
Then there are the majority of mom bloggers whose content relies solely on working with companies and pr firms, marketing, etc. They need each other and therefore they are kind of restricted in a sense for what they ask for.
Traditional media doesn’t make people pay for stories because they are all getting their salaries paid and it’s their job. Bloggers don’t have salaries, so it’s a whole other ball game. Sorry for being long-winded Annie!
Emily – I am trying to figure out what you differ on, since I agree 100% with everything you said 🙂
Every blogger’s policy with regard to payment and content creation is different and personal. You summed it up perfectly – some bloggers don’t need PR reps, they have a ton of content and create their own opps/earn their own money. Other bloggers depend on reps for content development.
So when asking for payment, a blogger and a rep just need to communicate effectively about why compensation is needed and how it will benefit both parties. Also, reps and bloggers both need to understand each other’s point of view more – some reps still prefer editorial coverage and some bloggers prefer payment!
There is so much room for growth between blogger-PR relations 🙂
Oh, sorry Annie. I was replying to Melissa! Just to her response of bloggers asking for things they shouldn’t, then I blabbered on.
The powerpoint found here — http://www.slideshare.net/PRsarahevans/ftc-guidelines-overview-how-it-impacts-pr-brands-and-bloggers — speaks to bloggers about their ethical responsibilities and includes a link to this useful site — http://disclosurepolicy.org .
Thank you Sharlan! I don’t know very many bloggers at all that don’t disclose. In fact, every blogger I speak to uses disclosure in every post they write or work with brands on. So the problem here is not a failure to disclose, it is bloggers not understanding the value of unbiased editorial coverage and PR pros not understanding the value of compensating bloggers for representing the brand to the audiences they influence. Both parties have a lot of learning and giving to do. Thankfully we have come a long ways already and I see nothing but hope and good things in the future!
Very useful, thank you!
Thank you Annie for writing this and being so kind as to include my quote! I think one other way to distinguish earned from paid media is that earned is something you would right about JUST for your readers. Not for the relationship, not for the money, but because it is just that interesting. The problem with blogs that don’t have 50 pages of newsprint or a huge newsroom and several niche sections that must be filled daily…. well, it has to be pretty interesting stuff to earn the coverage.
This is a great post. I have been a Public Relations counselor (and PRSA member) since 1997 and have been blogging since 2006ish. When Kelby shared the link to this story, I worried that it would be another piece bashing PR folk. I cringe when I hear the way many bloggers and PR people talk to and about each other. I would never, in a million years, talk to a journalist that way and I’ve always been shocked that there are PR reps who don’t see bloggers as citizen journalists. I shake my head thinking about sending a laundry list of tasks that I want completed with a news release (to either a blogger or traditional journalist). I have a feeling that the rapid pace of social media has a lot to do with it, and earned media is hard yo! All that to say, thanks for explaining both sides so very well!
GREAT post Annie – you did a fabulous job of explaining it all. Good work!
thank you for the information! I definitely think bloggers deserve to get paid, especially those with a high readership. Newspapers get paid because of their high subscriber numbers and reach. Bloggers do the same thing, in an even more targeted way, sure to be seen way. PR pieces that will pretty much act as advertising for someone should be paid for like advertising!
This is a really useful post and I appreciate your perspective. I started blogging in January and now I’m at the point where I’m getting press releases alllll the time and I’ve kind of wondered, “Okay, what do you want me to do with this?”
The thing that bothers me about them, and about a lot of the PR emails I get in general, is that they almost never apply to what I write about on my blog. And the best part is when they preface the email with “We’ve been reading your blog and think you’ll want to share this with your readers!” It comes off as so ham-handed and disingenuous. You (and the people who have commented before me) are so right that there’s learning that needs to be done on BOTH sides.
LOL!! Yes I know what you mean because I get them too! Getting press releases that have nothing to do with your blog is the result of ineffective PR practices. The reps that engage in this behavior will not succeed at creating a buzz for their clients one bit. Lots of reps know this and don’t do it, but there are still a BUNCH (as my inbox testifies to) that do.
Seriously – they are doing what they do for newspapers and bloggers are not journalists. We are biased moms with an engaged audience. Just sending press releases hoping and praying someone reads it and posts it is not going to work very well with us.
I call that method the ‘spray and pray’ marketing technique. They blast it out and hope for the best. I don’t frown upon receiving multiple press releases because I also run an online magazine, not just a blog and am always looking for great content and stories to cover. Although the majority gets deleted every so often there are those pieces that are beneficial for me. The only time it truly puts me off is when they actually use my name and try to open the email with a few sentences like they know me and then mention me writing about diapers when my youngest is 5. I’d rather a plain email with press release than someone being fake.
Wow, that was informative!!! So far, I mainly write just for the pleasure of venting out, and making friends along the way. But I’m learning, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned during my time here in blogosphere, is that it’s limitless–the sky’s the limit!
Thanks for writing this and sharing this info with us!
I think that writing reviews and promoting products is a lot of work and bloggers should be paid for that. There should for sure be some sort of expectation set out by the company though… For example, a blogger shouldn’t be paid for a post with 2 pictures and just a few sentances.
Thanks so much for this article. Though I’d never heard the term before, this explained a lot about what PR intentions and goals are and has given me greater clarity about what my interactions, as a blogger, with them mean. Thanks also to everyone who has chimed in and commented. I’ve learned just as much from the responses and replies as I learned from the article itself.