Why My Sponsored Posts Are Still Me, and a Ramble About Making Money as a Blogger

6th April 2017

So, I make a living from my blog, from this blog. Sometimes that can mean that one week it might be full of posts that are sponsored or reviews. I used to always try to make sure that I included some ‘normal’ posts in amongst the sponsored ones, so that people didn’t get annoyed with me. But now I don’t tend to do that, and here’s why…

Almost all of the posts on Birds and Lilies are written by me. Whether it is a sponsored post, a review post, or a personal post, they are all written by me and are honest and relevant to me and my family. They are from my point of view. Obviously I want people to enjoy my posts, and yes sometimes someone might not enjoy reading a sponsored post, but that could also be the case with any post at all. I try to write all sponsored posts in a way that makes it interesting for the reader and not too obvious that the post has been paid for, and I’m sure sometimes I fail at that. But, I probably also fail at making a non-sponsored post entertaining to read sometimes too.

And that’s okay. This is my blog, where I can write and share what I like and not everyone will like it or enjoy every post, and that’s absolutely fine.

I love my blog, I generally love writing it, and I love being able to have that outlet to share how I am feeling at any given time. I have made an amazing group of really close friends through it, and I am massively grateful.

But it is also what I do to make money. Doing this, including sponsored posts on here and talking about products, allows me to make money. It allows me to take and pick up my daughter from school everyday, let me wear my leggings whilst I work, make myself cups of tea whenever I want one, and get the chance to experience amazing things.

Yes, it might make some people annoyed with me, or stop someone from ever reading again but I would rather that than have to go and get an actual job that I hate, that would mean I couldn’t spend as much time with my daughter and in which I would probably earn less. I feel super lucky to be able to do this, to work from home around my family. But I work my arse off at it. I do a lot of hours and try to make all my posts something that people will like to read.

I completely get that the whole idea of blogging is alien to a lot of people still, and that it comes across as being simple with massive benefits, but all of the bits combined can make it a lot of work. And you get out of it what you put in – so to increase what I earn I need to work even harder. That’s fine. I am very happy to do that for what blogging gives me and allows me to do. I get that people don’t understand it all and think there’s nothing to it, but I also really love when people are open to it, and want to know how it all works and how I get paid for blogging, and then realise the work that does go into it once I’ve explained. It’s always nice to have that conversation I think.

Over the past year or so, many family members have sort of discovered what I do and have been so supportive with it all, and have started to understand it all a bit more, and recently I got the chance to explain to another couple of relatives how it all works. Since then they’ve started liking all of my Facebook posts to my page because they know it makes a difference to me – the more people that like a post – the more people that see it – and that support feels so nice, and I’m hugely grateful for it.

The point, if there actually is one in this ramble, is that sponsored posts on Birds and Lilies pay the bills and I don’t intend to stop doing them, but I will always try my best to make them enjoyable and something that people want to read. I don’t feel the need to make sure I include ‘normal’ or non-sponspored posts in between anymore – partly because I don’t always have the time and unfortunately the posts that I get paid for have to be more important than the ones I really want to write sometimes, but also, because often the sponsored posts are something that I wanted to write about anyway.

What do you think? Do sponsored posts put you off a blog, or do you see them as a way for your favourite bloggers to keep doing what they do?

*p.s the picture of the banana has no relevance, I just liked it.

Pin for later.

11 responses to “Why My Sponsored Posts Are Still Me, and a Ramble About Making Money as a Blogger”

  1. I am with you, if a sponsored post fits my theme/style/family then I will take it and make it a good read. If I dont feel I can do it justice then I turn it down, same with products. No point in sending me X if nobody can use it because I would rather it went to somebody who could.
    Love the shadow on the banana.

  2. Kerry says:

    I agree with a lot of this. I sometimes have weeks where the majority of my content is sponsored, others where none is. Doesn’t mean the posts aren’t ‘me’, but it does mean I can pay my bills and hopefully not go bankrupt! X x

  3. Maria says:

    I love this post Louise! I was just thinking about this myself the other day. We shouldn’t feel the need to justify what we do but it is bloody hard work and we always put in crasy hours!! xxx

  4. Maria says:

    Cleary I can’t spell either!!

  5. John Nguyen says:

    Your information is very helpful to me
    I am building a website make money
    Thank you

  6. Honest reviews and sponsored posts ensures that readers (internet) don’t have to pay for the wonderful information that bloggers put out regularly.

  7. I’m totally with you here!
    I didn’t start out to make money but it’s now what I do and it pays my bills. I don’t have time to always make sure I mix up sponsored content with personal posts but that’s because I make the sponsored content personal no matter the subject.

  8. Alan Herbert says:

    This reminds me of points of view as a child. I could never understand why people would watch a programme and then write a letter in to Anne Robinson to complain about it.

    Switch off!

    In this digital age where, in an instant you can view a million web pages in seconds it baffles me even more.

    Don’t like it, click away..

    There are obviously enough people out there who do read your blog that they want to pay you to write sponsored content.

    Keep doing what you are doing

  9. Zoe says:

    I love this. I don’t do many sponsored posts because I’m always worried what people will think of me, but you’re right: they don’t have to be different to ‘regular’ posts, and can still be something that I’d normally write.

  10. Jane says:

    I blog, and I also work for companies who may be interested in sponsored posts. What I am unsure about is this: does having a high proportion of sponsored posts affect the ranking of your site in google’s ‘eyes’?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

SUBSCRIBE TO POSTS




All rights reserved. Please do not take images or content from this site without written permission.