Collaboration with bloggers is becoming increasingly attractive for companies – on the one hand in the social media version of corporate publishing through specially designed themed blogs under the patronage of the brand and on the other through ‘blogger engagement’ through classical PR. Bloggers are influencers: if the author of a blog manages to arouse enthusiasm for a particular product, the effect is reflected in his/her fan community. The benefits are clear: the image transfer of the blog to the brand and (even with young brands) an increase in recognition within the target group.
So what does the blogger get out of this collaboration? Here it is all about gaining readers. One’s own credibility within the established community is more important than fleeting monetary success and being ‘bought’ content-wise is a no-go. Companies need to bear this in mind when planning blogger engagement. Julia Basagic, a renowned Austrian fashion blogger known as “Fanfarella”, also operates in this domain: “If I want to write about something, I have just 2 criteria, whether it is paid or unpaid: does it interest me and could it interest my readers?”
Paid blog articles are controversial. Approximately 13%* of users questioned completely reject ‘advertorials’. 70% expect commissioned content to be clearly labelled as such. This reflects the legal specifications which affect the classic journalistic media. “I think it is entirely legitimate to label contributions as adverts in this way and ensure that readers do not feel like they are being treated like idiots,” says Julia Basagic openly. “Bloggers need to decide themselves what kind of advertising they want to impose on their readers. The most important currency in a blog is trust”.
A successful collaboration requires companies to accept the independence of bloggers. Bloggers value their freedom – a motivation for running a blog. Even in cases of commissioned articles such as product reviews, bloggers should write whatever they consider to be correct. Personal input is a key element of this format. The approach of ‘paying buys you what you want’ does not work here. If bloggers begin to feel degraded to PR machines by money, the readers will soon sense this by the change in tone.
And it is all about these readers. When cooperating with companies, it is important to Julia Basagic that she is left scope in terms of time and content. “I want to be taken seriously and favour polite, respectful and straightforward collaboration”. The best articles are always those written with the full force of conviction and with direct experience such as attendance of an event or product testing. “I always find it interesting to take a look behind the scenes, engage in personal discussions with exciting decision-makers who are relevant to my blog and interact with other blogging colleagues”.
* Survey via Twittpoll, n = 54
