Public Service Announcement #3

A.K.A. Commercial Blogging on PayingPost.com

As most of my readership already knows, this continuing online rant is not just for my personal amusement (though I do get a kick out of it on occasion), but also has a commercial purpose, namely, interspersed in the completely original content, I throw in some of these 'Public Service Announcements', which are generally paid advertisements. My primary sponsor to date is a site called PayingPost.com, which is an online advertising brokerage firm. Check them out here.

Heres my interpretation of how 'paid blogging' works, and some steps to get anyone started.

1) Have a blog/start a blog - Myspace blogs, while widely-read, have VERY restrictive HTML code requirements, and generally frowns on paid blogging, due to the fact that Myspace administrators have already made their deals with online advertisers (i.e. the ads on your homepage). So, if you have a blog outside of Myspace/Facebook/Twitter already, you can use that, or start a new blog if you don't.

2) Post some content. - Figure out a topic that you have some interest in, or knowledge of, and start posting. Studies have shown that the average blog-reader has about a 1-page attention span, so unless you're Shakespeare or Poe, keep the posts down in size. Rants and technical articles are the exception, as with the first, it's your own word-vomit, and the second, a too-thorough article causes less of a problem than a too-sparse article that omits some valuable steps.

3) Get your blog indexed. - I put this before signing on with a sponsor, because most sponsors will reject your blog, and possibly suspend or cancel your account, if your blog isn't indexed with a major service. Getting your blog indexed can be really easy, or a real pain in the butt. Blogspot (which is run by Google) has an 'instant index' option under Webmaster Tools that allows you to index your site almost as soon as you put it up. Indexing is simply allowing search engines to 'see' your website when looking for search results. Other 'blog directory' services are available as well, some free, some with a paid subscription. The ultimate goal is to get listed with DMOZ, which, as far as I can tell, is the central repository of all blogs and related material on the Internet. This process can take some time, and definitely some effort on your part. There are several good articles on the subject already online, so I'm not going to duplicate the effort here. A thorough writeup can be found here, called Getting Into Google

4) Hang out your shingle. - In the digital age, this is probably the easiest step, as it generally involves simply signing up with brokerage site(s), and waiting for assignments to roll in. Before signing up, there are some things to consider. Did you follow all the steps above? If not, some sponsors won't pick up your blog at all. Do you have sufficient content? The general rule for most sponsors is 2 unpaid posts for every 1 paid post, so you need to keep YOUR content coming, or your paid posts may get rejected. Is your blog of sufficient age? Age of a blog, like age of the author, is only an issue to a point. Some sponsors don't care, some want 30 days, and some want 90 days since creation. Some are flexible about their age rules, some are not. Several sponsor sites that I pitched when I started this blog turned me down, but several saw promise and told me 'keep blogging, and check back with us periodically'. I like PayingPost because they actually pay for content like this, which is enough for most bloggers to get their feet wet. You can also get ad sponsors who will pay (in small amounts) just to have their ad on your page (often called banner ads, pay-per-click ads, or page-impression ads).

5) Pay attention to sponsor requirements. Once you have an assignment, it's just that... an assignment. It's work, with rules and deadlines. Sponsors will generally give you a brief, which will include things like minimum word count, minimum link count, and obviously, a subject. Sometimes sponsors will request a certain 'spin' on a product or service, so if you don't agree, don't take the job. Sometimes the sponsor will give you a weblink, tell you to look at a product, and write your honest thoughts. If you don't know what the product is, you may not be the best reviewer.

6) Last but not least, branch out. For example, once this blog gets going, expect 'daughter' blogs to be born, which will allow for more specific blogging. Whereas now everything is kind of lumped together, eventually I'd like to have one blog for rants and philosophy, one for computer topics, one for automotive topics, and one for household repair, and maybe one for the corporate world. Keep all your blogs interlinked (using a 'quicklinks' gadget in your blog makes this MUCH easier). But, don't bite off more than you can chew. Each 'daughter' blog needs periodic fresh material (sponsors generally see daughter blogs as seperate entities), as well as your main 'landing page' (i.e. thanatos0446.blogspot.com for me).

Hope this has given you a direction, or at least a springboard!

Happy Blogging!

Until Next Time...