One of the sponsored blog companies I occasionally do posts for is PayPerPost 4.0 Alpha. Their setup is a little different than PayPerPost. With v4, bloggers set a price per word and per link. The platform spits out recommended amounts based on your blog (PageRank, Alexa rating, traffic, content, topic(s), etc.), but you’re free to set your own price. By setting your own price, you ultimately decide how much you’re paid for writing a sponsored post for an advertiser.
Another difference with v4 is that you don’t have to worry about refreshing the dashboard looking for opportunities — they come to you. Advertisers are able to sift through the various bloggers and send personal invitations inviting targeted bloggers to write about their products, services or whatever else it is they’re wanting to promote.
Now, you’d think this is a good thing, right? For once you get to be paid per word and per link. Gone are the days of being paid $5 for a 300 word post with three links (not that I’d accept such a measly amount for such high requirements; by the way, that’s what this blog entry is about — I’ll get to that in a paragraph or two). On the flip side, gone are the days of scoring the awesome $10, $15 and even $20 and $25 opps that only required 100-200 words and just one, sometimes two links.
The bad thing about v4 is that advertisers can supply their own requirements for written content. Typically advertisers use this area to request that a blogger writes the entire blog entry around a certain subject. In other instances the advertiser may ask the blogger to simply include the link. An advertiser may also use this section to request that a blogger include an image, or a certain keyword, or a certain blurb about the product/service/whatever.
Unfortunately, there are also advertisers that will use this requirements section to require a blogger to include extra links. And because the advertiser has the ability to ultimately approve or reject the submitted blog entry, they can essentially get extra links for free if they decide to be underhanded and do this.
On no less than five occasions I have outright refused to do a sponsored post because an advertiser would essentially pay me for 100 words and one link, but then specify in the requirements that I include 1-2 additional links. In another outrageous instance, an advertiser privately emailed me a long-ass Word document that outlined the 500+ word post I had to publish, along with three links and two images. Mind you, the invitation in v4.0 outlined and offered payment for 200 words and one link.
I really, REALLY fucking hate and loathe advertisers who try and do this shit. I can’t fucking stand it. It’s sneaky. It’s underhanded. It completely disrespects ME as a blogger, and basically says that I am not worth being paid for X, Y and Z. I’m sorry, but my time, my creative energy and the space on my blog IS worth being paid for, which is why time and time again I have outright rejected $8 and $10 opportunities, because I’m not throwing in freebies. Bastards.
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5 Comments
, on November 14 2009 at 10:54am:
I’m the same- I have tossed like $20 opps (which is a great rate for my blog) because of the extra requirements. It is bad enough that I prostitute my blog for extra cash , but hey even I have standards ya know? 
, on November 14 2009 at 11:16am:
Ughh, they keep sending me emails telling me that I’m matched with this and that. With my blog being back up shortly, I was considering this whole new version of PPP. Now I’m wondering what the heck the reason for creating a new version of this system is if they consistently just find ways to screw the blog owners.
, on November 14 2009 at 5:54pm:
The one thing I have discovered though is that PPP is NOT happy with advertisers who do what you’ve described and they are NOT supposed to be doing that. I’ve seen people in their support area who were told by PPP staff to report it to them whenever an advertiser does that as this is not how the system is to be used.
That being said, I get a lot of “you have matched this opportunity” but I never actually GET the opps. What I get is a link to be “considered” for the opp. I see no point in making it “easier” to get opps when it’s harder now than it was with the original version.
, on November 16 2009 at 9:32pm:
I actually closed my account with PPP because of the nonsense. They were a great company at first, but eh… I’m over ‘em.
As the domain name suggests, my name is Jenn, and I own this blog. I'm 26 years old and married to my one true ♥, Daniel. And while I have two kids (Alyssa is five, and Ryan is three), you won't find "mommy" in my username or email address, nor does my blog revolve around them. I'm a mother, but most importantly I am me, with a passion for love, blogging, reading, and photography. I'm also a busy freelance writer, web designer & SEO goddess.
I too have done work in the new PPP. I was digging it at first because of the clear disclosure and stuff, but in the last couple months, my opps have dried up to literally nothing. And I’m not even that high-priced. It’s discouraging.