This week Chris Brogan, blogger, author, and social media guru, rocked the blogosphere when he revealed that he charges $22,000 a day (rounded up) for his services. $22,000, people! Chris’s expertise is definitely worth every dime of that amount, but what struck me is that he was not afraid to share that number with the world and he is confident enough to quote that rate without hiding behind the bushes and praying that people won’t think he’s unstable.
I think mom bloggers should be paying serious attention to this! While Chris Brogan has his own company and years of expertise under his belt, it’s still worth noting that he believes in his work, he believes in his abilities, and he believes in himself and that is why he can charge $22,000 for eight hours of his time.
Many mom bloggers that I have talked to over the years have done work for PR firms, brands, and companies that at the end of the day should have been invoiced. Looking back and being completely candid, when I first started blogging I did a lot that I should have been paid for, but I seriously didn’t know any better. I was just a stay-at-home mom (in my eyes) and was thrilled to get an email from a PR firm that thought I was good enough to contact.
Those days are long gone for me! I hope I can save you from doing free work for companies who should be paying women for their expertise and know-how! Half the battle, however, is knowing what you are worth. I know that can be difficult to determine, but you have to strive for compensation when it’s due.
So, in other words, no more “Can I Pick Your Brain for Free” telephone calls and emails. That’s called consulting. No more “guest blogging” on brand sites. That’s called freelancing. No more working with a PR firm or marketer for an entire month or more on one campaign by blogging and tweeting about a product on behalf of a brand. That’s called being a brand ambassador and that type of work needs to be compensated. No more inserting keywords in “product reviews”. That’s called advertising.
Opportunities that promise wider exposure for you and you blog or will ultimately add a notch to your resume are useful to a certain extent. If you feel you’re being used, don’t be afraid to move on!
You get the picture!
Awhile back there was a lot of chatter about Nestlé’s Digital Think Tank that has since been removed from the Net. Nestlé reached out to PR and marketing types to join their think tank to share ideas to improve their brand and product. The compensation: prizes and rewards. Needless to say, these professionals didn’t take it well, blasted Nestlé on their blogs, and some even blamed the “prizes and rewards” compensation model on mom bloggers for doing so much for free for so long. And they have a point.
So, how much should mom bloggers earn?
That is completely up to you. Your earning potential corresponds directly with the services you offer and how expertly you can deliver. It depends on how professional you are and how you treat your blog and your online reputation. It depends on how adept you are at networking and how good you are at thinking outside of the box. It depends on how good you are at creating solutions to problems and forging new ideas where and when they’re needed.
You set the rates. But, like Chris Brogan, your work has to be worth every penny.
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