I used to be wholly against the idea of sponsored posts.
When I was number one on Google for terms like “best blog” and “funny blogs” I was approached a lot by companies who wanted to sponsor my posts. Most were firms of ill repute and were peddling dildos and other items of adult nature. But still, it was an offer of free money. The problem is that they all required me to do something ridiculous like put a link to their product in the ad, or write about a topic which featured their items, etc. Stuff that I don’t approve of. I have integrity, yo!
At one point I almost went for it and had this idea of having my cat and dog review each product. But I think that one-joke sketch would have gotten old pretty quickly. Like most SNL recurring characters.
Then Google spanked me and I lost my SEO high status. Since then I’ve had to build up my brand back from the beginning, reader by reader. Now, my traffic is higher than before and my social media presence is growing.
This is funny. I was chatting up this girl recently who I wanted to date. She asked me if I was a big deal on Twitter. I was just about to say, “Well, not really, but I do have 56k followers.” In short I wanted to brag. Then, she said, “The last guy I dated thought he was kind of a Twitter celebrity and I dumped him.” So, I kept my mouth shut.
Since I’m not a mommy or fashion blogger I’m not cornered by brands who want me to pimp their stuff. Pre-natal vitamin companies aren’t beating down my door to advertise on the site. Heavy flow tampons don’t want to be associated with a guy that once wrote, “Why can’t we just send them to the edge of the village for three days?” Other than the occasional penis-pump manufacturer, I don’t get a lot of corporate love. Which is a little ironic because most of my readers are women in that demographic. Well… not the penis pump demo. At least I don’t think so. God, I hope not.
But what if I did have people courting me (I actually do have a few now, surprisingly), who didn’t require me to write particular pieces of content? What if at the end of each post it had a “sponsored by Deez Nuts” or whatever company wanted to put their name at the end? Would that piss you off? Would you run the other way screaming? Would I have sold out?
Truth be told I’ve put a lot of money into this blog over the last two years. I am in NO way complaining, as I will continue to put money in whether I decide to go with sponsorship or not.
I’m asking you because I give a shit about your readership. Sure I’ll make up my own mind but I respect your opinion. Some people hate the idea that a sponsor has input over content. Mine wouldn’t, but perception might equal reality and I don’t want to lose any of you.
So, what’s the consensus? I can afford the bandwidth and hosting charges, so if nobody ever spends a dime (other than my lovely advertisers), I won’t be shedding any tears. Do you care if I start getting some sponsors?
And, also, while we’re at it, should I start trimming down my chest hair? I mean, I am dating and all.
