The mommy blog world is abuzz regarding a recent article published by the Wall Street Journal. The article addresses bloggers, product reviews, and paid posts and essentially asks if bloggers are selling out. Since everyone seems to be talking about this article I decided it would be a good time to let you (my readers) know where I stand on the whole product review/ advertising/ paid post issue.
1. I am never compensated with money for any post I write. Everything I write about on this blog are my opinions, unless I am quoting someone else, and then it should be obvious.
2. I do accept products for review. My review policy is simple, if you want me to review your product you need to give me a sample. And, as a courtesy to my readers I also ask for another item to giveaway.
3. I do not accept products for review that do not embrace the themes of this blog. I receive emails every day from companies wanting me to review their products. I say no to almost all of them because they are not things I could support. You will never see me reviewing Happy Meals or mini blinds because those items are not relevant to my site.
4. Because of #3, my reviews are usually positive. If there is a negative, I will not hesitate to address it.
5. There are times when I love something so much that I will write about it and promote it without being asked by the company. Over the past year I have written about my love of OxiClean, Dave Ramsey, the Vita-Mix, Motivated Moms and other products. These companies have no idea I am writing about their product, I don’t need free stuff to write about things I like.
6. Sometimes I write about products and then the company contacts me regarding a giveaway or review. If I have already endorsed a product I am happy to give one away to a reader and share the fun!
7. The main goal of my blog has been and will always be to help my readers live a happier, simpler, healthier, greener, and thriftier lives. My readers always come first.
When I am interested in a product I research the product online. Many times my research leads me to blogs. When I am reading a review of a product, I am interested to know if the person was compensated for the review. I don’t mind paid posts, as long as I know that is what I am reading. When I watch a television commercial I know I am viewing a paid advertisement. When I am reading a blog the line is easily blurred. Rest assured the lines here will always be clear.
What do you all think? Is there a right or a wrong way to handle product reviews/ promotions? Can a blogger write too many reviews? Do you trust and/or use blogs when trying to find information about a certain product? If your favorite blogger recommends something are you more likely to try it? Share your thoughts below.
Coming next week: A guide to writing product reviews.