To put my money where my mouth is, I’ve drafted a document that sits on my desktop titled, “TGR Income Statement.”
When any corporation contacts me for product reviews, product giveaways, advertising or publicity exposure I simply copy and paste this document into a reply email.
I’ve already decided. I don’t have to make a decision every time I’m contacted.
Women have been living with this myth that we shouldn’t talk about money or tell others what we’re making and charging. Which totally sucks – because we’re operating without adequate information. In Secrets of Six-Figure Women: Surprising Strategies to Up Your Earnings and Change Your Life
Jessica Gottleib and I exchanged letters after I wrote 10 Reasons Mommy Bloggers are Broke. She wrote back that I should double my fees and not do a review for less than $250. I immediately edited my letter. I thank her for pointing out my true worth.
Dear Marketer,
Thank you for contacting me about your product or service. I’m so glad to see you wish to participate in The Girl Revolution. It’s wonderful that you value girls and women and what they can offer in all aspects of life, including business and the economy.
The Girl Revolution has a very loyal and receptive audience. In marketing terms, they are Thinking Parents.
I would love to review your product, especially while it’s in the development stages. I’d also love to consult on effective and ethical marketing practices in regards to how it impacts children, especially girls.
I adore books. As an author myself, I want to see the publishing industry make money and do well. As a blogger, reviews are very time consuming and labor intensive. Therefore my regular rates apply.
My rates are $120 per hour for consulting and $250 per post. Each post gets one full day of exposure, including links on Twitter and Facebook pages.
Sidebar advertising and spokesperson opportunities are negotiable.
Thank you for contacting TheGirlRevolution.com.
Sincerely,
Tracee Sioux
Executive Director
The Girl Revolution
traceesioux@gmail.com
Don’t leave without your free button:
10 Reasons Mommy Bloggers Are Broke
10 Reasons Mommy Bloggers Deserve Condescension from The New York Times
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10 comments ↓
You have no idea how much your post has helped me. Since I’ve been blogging I’ve wondered how much I should be charging for my services. I’ve asked around but haven’t received any concrete responses. Your letter has given me the guideline that I’ve been searching for. I’m so grateful for your openness. Thanks again.
THANK YOU for this! I have been concerned about this issue because as you said, “Women have been living with this myth that we shouldn’t talk about money or tell others what we’re making and charging.”
I come up with numbers out of thin air for the cost of doing a giveaway or sponsoring my blog. I don’t know if I’m charging too much or too little, and there’s no way to compare because other bloggers are so secretive about it.
Do you mind telling us how many readers you have? Does that affect your prices?
Great letter. So, does it work? Do they bite?
What’s funny is that other professions don’t work for free (or next to free), or even they do (think lawyers doing pro bono work), they jump up and down patting themselves on the back and calling attention to how generous they are with their time.
I have to admit, money should be the FIRST issue to resolve. I am a woman who earns a six figure salary, and it’s the subject broached by head hunters within the first five minutes, salary, so that book is dead-on correct.
Does it work and do the numbers matter?
I don’t know.
I know this:
If you keep doing the same thing and expecting a different result it’s insanity. What we’re doing isn’t working. Someone has to try something different. Here’s my contribution to that.
The number that matters to me right now is: How much does it cost us to live? Eat food. Live in a house. Drive a car. Provide health care. Operate a business. Build a dream.
I started with the math and worked backward to come up with the number per posts. Just like they tell you in business books. I was surprised by how high the number is. But, that’s just me facing reality.
I suppose there are a lot of marketers out there for whom the important number is . . . how many people will see my ad?
I have the respectable number of 16,000 page views last month.
I have a lot of very loyal fans and followers who act on my recommendations.
I know this: If YOU too start asking for enough to eat, live, build a business – then we’re both more likely to get what we ask for.
Wow! I love your letter! Every word, every sentence, and every under tone. I’m glad I stumbled on your blog tonight; I’m inspired.
Thanks!
[...] 1 – They have no intention of making money and no business plan or strategy. 2 – They think they have to choose between making money or doing something with passion. 3 – They believe if they work from home, they have to take less than a junior high school baby-sitter would take in exchange for 90 hours a week of scrounging for links and page views. And they keep talking about how lucky they are for the same reason. 4 – They will let anyone change a contract on them for no reason whatsoever. They don’t negotiate contracts, they accept them. 5 – They work for imaginary future income potential instead of cold hard cash right now. “We’re a start up, so we can’t actually pay you, but we’ll give you the special honor of rolling out 7 posts an hour for nothing and maybe in the future, if we like you enough, we’ll think about paying you for working.” They feel thrilled for being chosen ahead of all the other suckers willing to work for free. 6 – They work for tuna, cup cakes, boxes of cereal, handbags, free trips, and invitations to parties. This is doubly stupid because they have to pay taxes on income they can’t pay their mortgage with. It’s usually stuff they would never spend money on. Again, they feel grateful for this arrangement. 7- They let advertisers advertise on their sites for free because they used the words “give-away.” They think they’ve struck gold when giving the opportunity “review” an item and give it away. Again, paying taxes on items and shouldering the full cost of producing and hosting a blog for special fancy mascara they would never buy. 8 – They feel popular when corporations – especially big corporations with lots of advertising and marketing dough – ask them to give themselves away for free. “I feel so honored to have been chosen!” 9 – They judge the success of their blogs by comments, links and page views instead of income. 10 – They do not value what they do and who they are enough to hit “reply” with a simple message about their consulting, advertising, public speaking, give-away, and spokesman fees. They are, in fact, more afraid of the potential rejection than they are of working for Chicklets and girdles. Here is what a letter like that looks like, Nice Girls Don’t Talk About Money. [...]
[...] time and talent was worth money and I have a new policy not to work for free and put it in my post, Nice Girls Don’t Talk About Money, I attempted to incite the Blogger Revolution, which SP Sarah pointed out in her column, is never [...]
Hi — just found your blog this evening while reading responses to the “Sarah PR” issue.
Anyway, I have a (hopefully) quick question: how does charging for reviews work with FTC regulations? I understand you’re not charging for a “positive” review but for your time to review the product; do you have to disclose that you were paid to do the review or just disclose that you received the product.
I’m not a review/giveaway blogger but do have occasional opportunities come my way. . . just curious how it works!
Thanks.
Rachel recently posted..We Picked Oranges Today &8212 What Did YOU Do
Full disclosure all the time is the basic rule that will keep us out of trouble. Same for if you don’t charge – full disclosure all the time.
Honestly, I’m not charging at all, mainly because no one is offering to pay me. LOL.
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