Getting Paid To Promote A Product? Dealing With The Ethical Side Of Blogging // Contributed Post

Being a blogger of a high caliber means you will have businesses approach you to review their latest product, and this means you can feel a sense of duty towards them to do it justice. It’s an interesting scenario to be in when you are at a certain level and businesses are coming to you to advertise their products. It's not just about doing them a favor, you've also got to think about the ethical implications. And if you are getting to the point where you are becoming an influencer in your own field or people are approaching you, are there any things you should think about so you are dealing with it in an ethical manner?

Does The Brand Align With Your Attitudes And Feelings?

Some people don't care about organic materials or the origins of a certain t-shirt fabric, but others cannot blog about a product unless it's directly in line with their beliefs. As you have a duty to your subscribers, you've got to give serious consideration to the ethical implications. Maybe this isn't something you've really thought about before, but when you are making progress as a blogger, the ethics you convey through your blog have to be representative of who you are. If you are seen to be plugging products that aren’t in line with who you are, you may find yourself losing subscribers.

Do You Think You Owe Them A Favor?

As far as ethics are concerned, if you have a company approach you, you may think that this is a great way to earn a little bit of money, but at the same time, you may feel that you need these people to help promote your blog further afield. Don't think that you owe them a favor, and this is why it’s important to research their background to see if they do align with your ethics. Don't feel that because they're a small business that they are depending on you for a completely biased review of their products. You've got to be honest.

Don't Forget Your Integrity

Everything is monetized, and so we can feel that temptation to earn a quick buck here and there. But is this really necessary in the grand scheme of things? Sure, you may get paid to promote their product, but if it's a product you don't entirely agree with, should you compromise your integrity? Instead, it's about presenting your blog as a package that represents who you are. If you compromise now and put any sort of product on your blog, you may earn some money in the short-term, but will this be enough to monetize your blog anyway? If it's enough money to invest back into your blog or to market your site more, it might be a necessary evil. But you shouldn’t have to bend over backward for these companies, nor should you compromise your integrity. If you do this now, it will be very difficult to stop.