Dear Company,
Thank you for your interest in advertising and running sponsored content on The Pin the Map Project. I have poured four years of my life, money, time and effort into building this blog from the ground up. I’ve flipped my life upside down in pursuit of this passion-have left relationships, careers, apartments—all in the name of this dream. I’ve spent countless nights updating the website, writing stories and brainstorming ways to take The Pin the Map Project to the next level. I’ve chased this opportunity around the world and have poured more passion into this work than some people do their entire careers, so I’m humbled that you’ve taken notice.
You say you would like to append your brand to my website? I am flattered; thank you for approaching me with the opportunity. What’s this now about budget? Your budget is limited? Well, that changes the conversation a bit. Perhaps, I can work with you? Let me adjust my rates, let me discount my usual packages for sponsored posts in good faith that we will form a long term partnership. You are now $200 less than my going rate, does that work? No? You want more discounts? You want it for free?! Now, I must put my foot down.
Here’s the thing you may not grasp when reaching out from behind the veil of an e-mail. I am a real person and this website is not a hobby nor a side project, it is my career. I imagine if someone came into your office and tried to negotiate your salary down to a fraction of what it is, you would have none of it. Now imagine if someone came into your office and tried to hand you a project that had zero compensation. You have bills to pay, mouths to feed, vacations to save for and all the other trappings of an working adult life. Why do you assume I am any different? I too have bills, student loans, medical expenses and-contrary to what you may think-even rent because, no, I am not writing this from a beach in Central America while sipping coconuts.
The world of travel writing—as most other artistic avenues-is saturated with talent. Some of my fellow writers are fantastic storytellers with a knack for photography and inspiring readers. Some of these writers have websites that have set the standard for blogging today, while others are struggling to make a name for themselves. What companies like yours do is swoop in and take advantage of a field where there is no set rate card for our work. You step in and offer us “exposure” in exchange for hours of work on behalf of your company.
I get it, it doesn’t seem like you’re the big, bad wolf when you send out a blanket of e-mails asking writers to work for free. Perhaps you even think you’re doing us a favor; that the hours of work we would pour into crafting your sponsored content and then promoting it would somehow be compensated by a tweet or gift card.
It all comes down to the golden rule then, doesn’t it? Please don’t treat me the way you wouldn’t want to be treated. Please don’t ask me to work for free when you expect a full salary and benefits for your work. Please don’t tell me to lower my rates to a fraction of what they are, so that you can then turn around, please your client and cash in a full paycheck with benefits.
You’ve reached out for a reason. Perhaps you read a story I wrote that inspired you, maybe you saw an opportunity to align you brand with my website. Whatever inspired you to reach out to me in the first place, I ask that you remember that when trying to negotiate my rates down to nothing; because if you saw enough worth in my work to reach out, then why is it worth paying zero?
Kia Traviness says
I really really love this letter! Great one!
It really rustles my jimmies how much working for free or “exposure” has become the new norm in so many ways. I don’t mind if it’s a one off or two if I were to send something to Thought Catalog/etc. to get some traffic to my blog, but I did draw the line a few months ago with my fiction writing that I would no longer submit work for exposure. It has to pay, even if it’s just enough to make my Duotrope subscription a wash each year. If a brand wants to use your blog, any blogs, as a platform for native advertising, then there should be some payment. Asking for free work when the brand would get all the benefit and very little for the blogger is total rubbish.
This is PERFECT! I often struggle with saying no, especially if there is an interesting opportunity that someone would like me to post about, but I find it rude companies want this for free.
How do you nicely back out of writing a post?
Admittedly, sometimes if it’s a company I REALLY want to work with because I know it’ll be good exposure or will be great for the site to align with that brand, I may waive my fees or lower my rates . For the most part though, if a company reaches out for free advertising, I will just politely decline and say something along the lines of “Thank you for reaching out but I must respectfully pass at this time.”
Agreed! It’s very frustrating and a trend that unfortunately seems to be in every artistic field. My boyfriend is a comedian and filmmaker and has the same issues in his art. In a way it also seems a self-fulfilling problem because unless all artists put their foot down and say “no, we will not work for free or lower our rates” then why would companies pay a blogger a couple hundred for a post when someone else does it for “exposure?” We end up shooting ourselves in the foot!
Thank you! I wrote it right after receiving yet ANOTHER email asking for free work lol.
Thanks for that info, Nikki! I will keep that in mind the next time one of those emails comes in!
Hayley at Quirky Little Planet says
I fell for the whole “exposure” thing in the beginning because I didn’t deem myself “big” enough to be paid for my writing (sad but true). Thankfully it’s posts like this one that has taught me that if I’m worth approaching in the first place, then I am worth paying. Still waiting for that… Won’t give up the day job just yet!
You go girl!! Great post! I feel very lucky to have had companies reach out to me even though I’m in my first few months of blogging. I don’t think that I’m “big” enough to be paid…. Maybe I need to get more of a backbone!!
Well said!
I think in the beginning it’s common to take opportunities for exposure because you’re still building a following from the ground up! Once you get to a certain point though, don’t be afraid to charge companies what you deserve 🙂
I think I’ll be sending this post to all those brands that want us to work for free!
Haha i might start sending it to companies too!
I think I’ll start doing the same thing 🙂
Thank you! I am constantly having to re-share this article! Just today, I had a brand try to pass off a sponsored post as a guest post (which is just meant for aspiring writers and bloggers) just to avoid paying. The worst.
It’s hard not to fall for the exposure thing int he beginning-especially when first starting out. Unfortunately, you have to build enough of a following to get to the point of being paid, which means a lot of “free work for exposure” gigs. The downside to this (beyond getting paid) is I think it sets a precedent in the industry that companies can get free work out of bloggers, which makes it that much harder to get paid when you do have a following.