This week I was finally invited to join the BlogHer Ad Network, after applying several months ago. (You can see an example of how the BlogHer ads look on The Bobby Pin.) Now I’m debating whether I want to use their ads, as they have some rules you have to follow when it comes to reviews and giveaways, and honestly, I think they look rather ugly. The prettiest advertising option is to work through individual sites/stores/sellers and come up with little banners that all line up neatly on the side, similar to what Elizabeth Anne Designs Living does.
BlogHer = easy but the ads will be random.
Individuals = pretty and I can choose sellers I really believe in.
What’s the difference in the amount I would make? I have no idea! No one actually talks about how much they make with either BlogHer advertising or private ads.
That Wife Blog is my little baby and I love her so much. I would like to make some money though, as I’ve reached the point where I feel like I can start marketing myself as a blogger big enough to offer a readership for advertisers to target. Everyone responded favorably before when I asked about introducing advertising. Now I just have to decide which kind.
Help?
June 4th, 2010 on 12:23 am
I think with as much traffic as you get you could certainly find sponsors that would love to advertise with you, and do cute little sponsor buttons on the side- similar to Rockstar Diaries. She has at least 10 I think, so even a flat monthly charge with perhaps a minimum two or three month commitment could earn you a nice pull of money a month. Plus, as you said you could choose sponsors you believe in.
Does BlogHer have a time limit? Now that you absolutely know you could go the “easy” route and link up with them, you could try out the find-your-own-sponsors route and then if it doesn’t work out you can always fall back on BlogHer. As a side note, congrats on the acceptance!
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June 4th, 2010 on 2:11 am
I have both BlogHer ads and individually sponsored ads. The individual ones just have to sit below the BlogHer ads but none of my sponsors have ever had a problem with that. The guidelines for the reviews/giveaways can be a bit irritating at times but I also like that it gives me an excuse to put my reviews on a different blog so that it doesn’t get mixed in with my regular blog posts. Also, their reviews program is really fun and you get paid to review some really great products. The BlogHer team is really nice, I can’t say enough about them. I’ve been part of their ad network for over a year and they’ve always been super kind to me and my requests and asking for my opinion on reviews. The best part about being part of blogher is that you don’t have to do anything except run the ads which is a code you put in once. For the individual ones, it’s a lot more work as you have to keep track of your advertisers, when their ads expire, sending out invoices, sending out reminder emails about payment, etc… when you have a lot like me, it can take a bit of time to get it all organized and you have to remember each month to check on which ads are expiring.
I hated the “ugly” ads at first but now I’m just kind of used to it and can deal with it.
Feel free to email me about how much I make via BlogHer and individual ads if that will help you make the decision.
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Dienaid Reply:
June 4th, 2010 at 4:11 am
Do you mind if I EMail you as well? I had never heard of BlogHer but if it competes with Google AdSense, I’d love to apply. I won’t be offended if you don’t want me to EMail though!
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Tiffany Reply:
June 4th, 2010 at 12:00 pm
Hi Dienaid, Sure, no worries. And BlogHer blows Google Adsense out of the water in terms of payout.
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tiffany Reply:
July 13th, 2010 at 5:38 pm
just replying to myself as I’ve gotten several more requests about blogher questions and I just don’t have time to answer them all so if anyone else stumbles upon this, please do not contact me about this. I’m sure that if you contact blogher, they will be happy to answer any of your questions. Thanks!
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June 4th, 2010 on 3:24 am
As a multiple blog follower, I have to say that I really prefer blogs with individual advertisers simply because their ads are able to stand out more. But I’ve never had any experience with BlogHer, so it could be a good thing, who knows?
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June 4th, 2010 on 4:10 am
I’d suggest Google AdSense first if you can do it, and if not then a mix of BlogHer and Individual ads.
I dislike people suggesting that bloggers should not be compensated in any way for their hours of work through advertising. It probably took you hours upon hours to write your birth story. Even though you wanted to do it, that was still, in a way, work. It’s still work if you like your job!
Steve Pavlina noticed no change in the traffic of his site when he went to ads and he runs a huge website that is aimed at a niche, not people that just.. like him. Most of your readers just like you and I bet they will keep coming back even if you have a few ugly ads.
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Sophia Reply:
June 4th, 2010 at 9:24 am
I totally agree with this. I have no idea why people complain when people try to make money off of their blogs. There were a few snarky comments on another blog I read about how they couldn’t believe she was “trolling” for money. She’s had the blog for 5 years, runs two other blogs, and posts quality stuff every day! Give her a break and let a SAHM get paid for the service she is providing.
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June 4th, 2010 on 8:19 am
Your readers will continue to read no matter which route you go. Individual advertisers would give you more flexibility long-term, but also require a lot more work up front. Good luck, and congrats to being on your way to making a little money!
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June 4th, 2010 on 8:29 am
So for wedding sites, I prefer individual ads because its usually a blogger I like and a vendor I would hire.
But for other sites, meh. Individual or not is fine. I click on BlogHer ads when they pique my interest. I say just go with Blog Her, it sounds easier.
Can you cancel your relationship with Blog Her if you don’t like them or get enough individual ads? Or are you locked in for a period of time?
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June 4th, 2010 on 8:43 am
I agree with previous commenters, I think choosing individual businesses to advertise on your blog would definitely be the way to go. You have so much more control over the types of businesses that will be advertising AND you have more aesthetic control as well.
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June 4th, 2010 on 9:21 am
I’m not sure how much each would bring you. I do some good adsense and it’s pretty ugly and really doesn’t bring much revenue (I don’t have as much traffic as you either though). Something like $23 in over a year and they don’t pay until $100.
PW obviously makes a fair amount since she does the giveways out of it. So it sounds like it could be a good deal.
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June 4th, 2010 on 10:04 am
I personally never even notice ads, but I guess if I were to see an individual ad, I’d be more likely to click on it if it was pretty and appealing, rather than the BlogHer ads which totally LOOK like an ad and make my eyes glaze over. I don’t think there’s any harm in trying both and see what works for you.
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June 4th, 2010 on 10:04 am
I don’t think the blogher ads look that bad at all! I’d say go with that for now until you figure out a “prettier” way to make some $$.
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June 4th, 2010 on 10:12 am
Who-hoo. I am all for making money. Get your paper bo bo.
Well I don’t think you can make a decision until you know the money that you would make from BlogHer. Also you need to know how long you are committed to the contract? Is there a contract? Is it terminable at will? Can you write whatever you want? Also is it a pay-per click kind of situation?
For me I would do a simple cost benefit analysis and if there is a contract read every single word. I doubt anyone is trying to screw you over, but it’s always good to be smart.
If BlogHer let’s you do both. I would do both. Why not double your money and see what you like…and then you like BlogHer or personal ads you can drop which ever you are least comfortable with.
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June 4th, 2010 on 11:15 am
My thought is start with whatever is easier. If you don’t like it, or think you could make more money going a different route, then change. But why delay in getting some income on what is a fantastic blog?!?
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June 4th, 2010 on 12:13 pm
xoxo
I have been using blogher for over two years I think and I love the ease of it and how responsive their staff is.
Tried Bidvertiser (supposed to be similar to GoogleAds) major fail. Some of their ads are scummy.
I had some success with GoogleAds, too. I like their interface.
I dont’ have the traffic or time to manage individual ads. With grad school and what not – it wouldn’t work. So “going corporate” works well for me!
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Jenna Reply:
June 4th, 2010 at 8:59 pm
I hope being singled out didn’t offend you! You were just the first person I thought of when it came to using Blogher. Your blog is pretty the ads are… commerical.
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June 4th, 2010 on 1:27 pm
I’m not a blogger, but with all the thought you put into your blog I guess I would kind of expect the same from you when it comes to ads. Although, I also get why you would use BlogHer since it’s so much easier. Either way, I think with all the hard work you put into your blog you deserve to finally make some money and I’ll still happily read everyday no mater what you decide!
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June 4th, 2010 on 3:22 pm
You might want to look into OpenSky, which is more a storefront than an ad network, but could be quite profitable for you. Brokeass, Hubby, and I attended a launch party when I was in LA and it looks like it might be a cool service.
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Jenna Reply:
June 4th, 2010 at 9:50 pm
I’m so intrigued. Thanks Kat!
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June 4th, 2010 on 8:13 pm
It seems like if you do individual ads, besides the extra administrative work some mentioned above, that you’d also take on the added role of “salesperson” for your blog, as I imagine you’d have to start putting the word out to secure advertisers and that may not be super fun or easy!
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June 5th, 2010 on 10:20 pm
I am almost never interested in Blogher adds. But if you were to put up stuff you were really interested in I’d probably look at those sites. Like, TAMN. Not that she is interested in those sites, but I end up looking at a lot of them.
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June 6th, 2010 on 6:28 pm
From what i have understood from other bloggers, individual private advertising is generally more targeted and profitable. Plus, the ads are generally more aesthetically pleasing and inviting to boot.
I know that I completely ignore BlogHer ads but click on private advertising ads all. the. time.
Good for you for thinking about profiting from this blog. Your time is valuable, you know?
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June 8th, 2010 on 7:28 am
late to the game, but wanted to throw in that i would really miss the giveaways and your reviews (cameras, clothing… your opinions are fun to read!). I know other bloggers have done this, but I have never subscribed to anyone’s “review” blog.
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Jenna Reply:
June 10th, 2010 at 4:37 pm
I think this comment was the tipping point that drove me away from BlogHer. I want to have control over my own blog!
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July 2nd, 2010 on 8:32 am
I was invited to join the BlogHer ad network, but I declined. My blog is about homeschooling for academic reasons. I wanted any advertising to fit the theme of my blog. I also could not easily follow their review policy, because any review of homeschooling material would have to be on a different page. Since I share a lot of resources on my blog, that just wasn’t feasible.
My decision to do individual advertising was best for me. I am still looking for some longer term ad sponsors, but it will happen in time.
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Jenna Reply:
July 2nd, 2010 at 9:26 am
That is the decision I made as well. I don’t like being told what to do in my own space.
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November 26th, 2011 on 6:53 pm
I think I’m late for this conversation, but as far as the ads look, I think pioneer woman uses blog her and i don’t remember seeing that long banner across the top of her site. So, some things may have changed, but congratulations!
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Belinda Reply:
December 13th, 2011 at 5:43 am
Apparently the Pioneerwoman got a really sweet deal and the ads from the other bloggers.
http://www.abdpbt.com/personalfinance/2010/02/10/blogher-is-in-bed-with-the-pioneer-woma/
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