Why new blogs in paid-review networks should be limited in the frequency of their paid-posts
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Not having insight into the marketplace for paid posts at most paid post companies, I can only go by what I’ve experienced with PayPerPost. PPP’s marketplace allows the blogger to select the advertiser rather than the other way around. Unfortunately, this creates a “feeding frenzy” during times when opportunities are dropping into the system. With 40,000 bloggers in their network, there are simply not enough opps to go around.
Additionally, many of these bloggers are new; I’d estimate over 10,000 in just the last month. Which means they have not yet moved up the learning curve as to how to integrate paid posts into a blog in a manner that retains an audience and continues to provide the value the blogger built prior to accepting paid posts.
Yes, Virginia, there is a learning curve. I’ve been blogging for years, and I am an experienced offline copywriter and I made mistakes early as well. It’s understandable. It’s also manageable, and I had the opportunity to make a suggestion in this regard as part of PPP’s blogger focus group.
Currently, once approved in the PPP network, a blogger with a 90-day old blog with 0 Pagerank and non-exisent Alexa stats has the same right to complete opps as a blogger with a 2-yr old blog, an audience, and decent stats so long as the advertiser sets the segmentation criteria loose enough to allow this to happen. Additionally, bloggers quickly realize that the more opps they complete, the more money they make, and it’s pretty easy money, to be honest.
(Clarification: This does not mean a blogger does not work for their money. In fact, all quality bloggers work many hours building and maintaining a blog, an audience, and a brand that will bring value to the advertiser, usually in excess of what the advertiser is paying for a post.)
I made this mistake during my first month with PPP. In case this makes the RockStartUp video, I’ll disclose now: I went on what I called an “Opp Orgy” during my first month. I was grabbing anything and everything I could qualify for. It was only when I looked back after a few weeks and realized what a piece of crap my blog had become that I began to rein it back. Now, I stick closely to the rule of 1) relevance, or 2) something I’d write about for free, when writing a paid post. It makes for a better blog, and allows me to deliver more value to the advertiser in terms of audience retention and ongoing Pagerank.
I made the suggestion that PPP revise their policy for new bloggers to limit their post frequency until a certain number are completed. Currently, PPP allows each blogger to write 2 posts/day per blog. This is new, down from 3 per day per blog. It wasn’t a problem for me because I never write 3 in a single day on any blog. However, it caused great wailing and gnashing of teeth amongst the power-posties.
I suggested limiting new bloggers to one post per day or even 3 posts per week until they hit a number at which they can be “trusted” to write quality posts and maintain a quality blog. PPP already requires 10 posts before allowing a blogger to add a second blog, and has an ‘auto-approve’ feature after 30 posts on some opportunities. I suggested going with the 30-post bar before allowing new bloggers full posting privileges.
I don’t know if this will happen. If it does, it might cause more wailing and gnashing of teeth amongst the newbies. Of course, this will end as soon as they get to 30 posts and realize they’re now protected from people like themselves. Regardless, I wanted to post here and make sure that if/when this comes to pass, you know where to point the finger.
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Hi
Very interesting information! Thanks!
G’night