A number of readers have emailed me about a new opportunity for bloggers to make money in a system called PayPerPost (the first to let me know was Brem).
The short of it is that they sign up advertisers who want bloggers to write about their product, service or company and then pay bloggers to do that.
This is how they pitch it:
To Advertisers:
“PayPerPost is an automated system that allows you to promote your Web site, product, service or company through the PayPerPost network of bloggers. Advertise on blogs to create buzz, build traffic, gain link backs for search engine ranking, syndicate content and much more. You provide the topic, our network of bloggers create the stories and post them on their individual blogs.”
To Bloggers:
“Get Paid to Blog. You’ve been writing about Web sites, products, services and companies you love for years and you have yet to benefit from all the sales and traffic you have helped generate. That’s about to change. With PayPerPost™ advertisers are willing to pay you to post on topics. Search through a list of topics, make a blog posting, get your content approved, and get paid. It’s that simple.”
When I was sent links to this site by readers warning bells started to go off for me for a number of reasons:
1. while in their ‘get started page’ they do say that you shouldn’t accept opportunities to advertise if you don’t own the product or if you can’t be honest about it – I can see this system being open to abuse and shallow or dodgy reviews being made of products simply to fulfill the requirements to be paid.
2. I don’t see any mention of needing to write a disclaimer that you’re being ‘paid to post’ (something I think needs to be disclosed when you’re accepting payment to write about a product). Where’s the transparency that the blogosphere was built upon?
3. there doesn’t seem to be any quality control – ie PayPerPost say just to post what you want to say and then let them know about it so that they can access the post to see if it fits requirements set out by advertisers.
4. They seem to be pimping an article written in Business Week to legitimize themselves. Unfortunately the article in question didn’t paint them in a positive light.
Ok – I should say that I don’t mind the idea of sponsored posts or being paid to write things about a company – but I’d want to ensure that that type of post was transparent and that the post added some value to the reader’s experience.
While I don’t know anything apart from what is on their site, PayPerPost leaves me feeling a little uneasy and I’d recommend caution to bloggers.
Update – it looks like I’m not alone with my concerns – TechCrunch shares them and has an interesting discussion in their comments section on the topic.
Other posts on PayPerPost include:
- PayperPost–Please Crash & Burn @ Naked Conversations
- Pay Per Post isn’t Evil – It’s a Failure @ Post Bubble
- PayPerPost Will Taint us @ Publishing 2.0
- Paid to Blog – Mountain or Molehill? @ Inkblots
- PayPerPost Stupid and Evil @ Jason Calacanis
Update II – hyku blog has an interesting post pointing out that PayPerPost looks like it’s just the new name for a previous product – the BlogStar Network which has rebranded/relaunched. BlogStar was announced back in 2005 as a project of MindComet and always seemed a little like it was going down the ‘pay per post’ type direction. Here’s a quote from their announcement press release:
“Unlike blog ad networks or search programs, BlogStar focuses specifically on integrating content directly into blogs. BlogStar Network allows marketers to go beyond simple advertising and leverage the network’s relationship with bloggers themselves. The network creates opportunities for product reviews, testimonials and focus group testing.”
Also check out this post that Duncan (then at Blog Herald) wrote about BlogStar approaching him to write a post mentioning a site in return for $10.
Interestingly I’ve written previously about BlogStar and wasn’t too impressed with their approach after a bit of digging last time either.
I think with full disclosure and competent, fair, and honest reviews you can establish a rapport with your viewers. Many of these PPP sites don’t requre you to gush over every product or service they send your way. They want you to write a detailed analysis based on your opinions.
Of course they don’t want you to bash their ads either, but if you can write from a positive, constructive angle you’ll maintain credibility. Also, you don’t have to endorse every product or service they throw your way.
If you happen to enjoy something, why not get paid to write about it?
PPP is wrong, but so are a lot of things in America. As long as they don’t take any money out of my Pay pal account I guess I will honestly review products and get paid for it, I hope.
[…] There’s no shortage of opinion on the topic of bloggers getting paid to post reviews. I won’t add another view on whether or not the system breaches some kind of blogging code of ethics. ‘Cause I really don’t care. […]
Payperpost is a solid business concept and the general practice is her to stay. Currently, though payperpost.com is working hard to blow their lead in the industry. They rolled out updates and have somehow disabled a majority of their publishers the ability to post. So many people up in arms and the buzz online is terrible for them right now.
I predict the concept is not going anywyere, but payperpost.com might tumble off their pedestal.
I can smell advertisement in a post..I am sure all of you can smell them too..
[…] Per Post, on the other hand, pays existing bloggers for making posts and has been villified for its less than transparent practices involving payments to bloggers for advertorial posts that are not identified as […]
I am just starting to buy Pay Per Posts for the Robomower and Lawnbott robotic lawn mowers that I sell. It is a very economical way for me to do 3 things:
1. Economically get my website noticed by people who may be interested in what I am selling.
2. Get credible links that help my search engine rankings.
3. Help good writers that can form opinions and change the world.
TV and magazines accept advertising, the good bloggers and good products will be around for a long time, the others will just disappear.
Hi,
Its interesting reading this blogg. I see there is from the bloggers perspective the moral dilema of maybe sacrificing impartiality for dollars. i run the site at http://www.ukfinancialoptions.co.uk and we would like to egage bloggers direct and thought here might be a good place to ask if there existsa directory of bloggers?
Thanks in advance.
Kjell
I think pay per post is a great idea for the owners of the pay per post website, but not for the users. If the comsumer took out time to figure out why a website would want to pay people to post, they would build a pay per post website as well.
Too bad I didn’t see this review before going in and signing up. Even though I don’t use Pay Per Post now, all the bad points you pointed out in this post came true and still is for Pay Per Post. Especially the point about people taking posts that their blog is not about – turning their blog spammy looking and not pleasing the advertisers I’m sure. I read the more recent article about spreading out your income lines so I’m keeping my Pay Per Post account – but I highly doubt I’ll find anything good/worth it to write about on my blog.
To those against pay per post because the poster is paid and what they say may not be their true feelings, what do you think of models and actors who are paid to act in commercials? What do you think of those born skinny models who advertise wait loss programms. LOL.
I’ve joined PayPerPost few weeks ago. Haven’t post anything yet. I will see if this thing will be good earner.
I just joined Pay-per-Post out of curiousity. A blogger I respect who posts about budgeting and sound income opportunities pays to post and claims to have made a little extra money from the venture.
But my antennas went up after registering. Don’t know why. But, I realized I had not done any research on this company myself, which led me here, which led me to other places. You know how it goes. I am always skeptical of anything that proposes to be easy as 1-2-3 and here’s a check. I began in door to door sales when I was twelve. Oldies will remember Fuller Brush company. Anyway…
I did not agree to the TOS and still was able to get logged in once I verified my e-mail address. They did ask for it as I logged in minutes later. I read the TOS and did not see anything very different than most. Okay, my antennas are not scientific, but they are dependable and I’m old enough to have a track record to prove it, though not always 100%
Because information is part of my blog identity, I am going to finish the process and see what its about.
Thanks for the information and posting it. All the comments are very helpful whether pro or con.
I am not sure if you guys have heard about it, but there is a similar site like this one called ReviewMe. Based on the feedback that I’ve been reading, the main cause of concern is the fact that people might abuse the system with regards to meeting the criteria set by advertisers just to get a check. ReviewMe though, does not require you to post a positive review for the advertiser, just your honest thought based on what you know about it. Does it make the site a much better option over PayPerPost? I personally don’t know. I haven’t joined either, since apparently, my blog does not meet certain criteria. I sent an email request as to what those criteria were, and they replied saying that it is not specific. Um, right.
Aaron – http://ajphenomenal.blogspot.com
PayPerPost is a joke. I thought I would try posting a few reviews on my blog, but found their TOS to be very restrictive and their “Customer Love” to be just your standard old run-of-the-mill customer *service*. After all was said and done the post I chose to write about was rejected after 15 days. This means their customer received 15 days of free advertising. That’s right! Their review process is so extremely slow it allows their customers the opportunity to not have to pay you for your post. And yet the people requesting the advertisement will still pay PPP for your submission.
For the most part the users seem to be students who blog about nothing in particular or stay at home moms who blog about anything from denture cream to mortgage advice. Either situation lends to shades of dishonesty.
I wish I would have found this post before I began with PayPerPost. I could have saved myself a little time.
Kind of cool to see a post from way back still getting comments.
I currently post reviews at pay per post, and could not be happier. Yes, their terms can be a little strict, but not really. You are not allowed to have any other links in the post that YOU WERE PAID TO POST ABOUT. Hmmmm …….. does not sound like it is too restricted.
From my blog (with pay per post) I have made $540 with them from September until now. That is pretty good if you ask me. I have tried Adsense, text link ads (still use them), kontera, adbrite, clickbank, and even some amazon links. They have not converted anywhere near the amount I am making on Payperpost. And with the last google update, my blog jumped to PR2 (don’t laugh, it is only 5-6 months old). With that increase in PR, I am eligible for more paid blog posts.
So while some try to be “pure” with their blog and continue to struggle, I did something about it. And with the look at available advertisers looking for bloggers, I don’t think it is going away any time soon.
Mike
Hi Darren,
Your review is helping even in 2008.Thanks for your posts that have lot of variation and also excellent information.Please let me know what you think about payperpost after its third year.I checked its pr it stands out good.5 pr.So would like to take a sugestion from you.Just would like to know what you think about payperpost.
So, here we are, some 3 years later I come here in the hope of finding some clear answers regarding payperpost.
I have just signed up to ppp, however after reading this post I am having second thoughts.
I need to take my blog to the next level, currently PR2, Alexa 277,135. The blog is 5 months old.
Please could someone advise on how I can start pulling in revenue other than adsense (average $1-$2/day revenue) and neither payperpost.
Which method is best?
Any help would be most appreciated.
Regards
SolReka
Brighter Energy Solutions
PayPerPost is total BS for advertisers. most of the blogs are just total spam (even when i offered $25 per post), and they did NOT have the PR i requested – i specified a PR 3+, but 3 of 4 blog posts were on PR 0’s.
when i contacted customer service to complain, they removed my blog posts, but kept the $$.
considering they tack on $10 to every $20 post you offer, its a real rip off – no phone # to call, no customer service at all.
I DO NOT recommend this service. i am a professional SEO specialist and i work for a fortune 500 company…
sounds like a good service but I am not sure I am comfortable with the ethical issues involved, I am a blogger right, but I also rely on reviews when I am purchasing stuff, and for things like webhosting etc, and I do want them to be true honest reviews.
Payperpost seems to be good only for bloggers. There have been many complaints from advertisers latery. As far as I know ReviewMe and Smorty are better.
I post for payperpost and I only take opps that I can be honest about. There have been several I have skipped over because I refuse to lie just to make a little money. I don’t see anything wrong with payperpost as long as you are honest about what you write.
PayPerPost is way sweet. It’s made me almost 1000 dollars. The higher the page rank you have, the more money you make.
I truly feel bad for the advertisers though. They’re paying all this money for these high page rank backlinks… Problem is, these once high page ranks are now dieing out when gGoogle does their PR Update every 3 months.
So yeah. PayPerPost isn’t that great for the advertisers. And it does cause the publishers to lose Page rank. But I still use it because it’s a great source of income.
If you really want 2 make money oonline legitimately try Social Spark. It’s like PPP but w/ nofollow links
PS: Sorry this is a sloppy comment. I’m laying in bed about to go to sleep