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The industry is changing, and the FCC is perfecting their rules and guidelines on how you have to disclose sponsored and paid posts. I was working with a brand and received a very nicely worded email complementing me on my post. It also included a request: to take down the #ad. There was a #_ambassador but I always like to include either #ad or #sponsored when I am creating a post with compensation just to be extra clear to my audience that it is sponsored.
This brings up the interesting thing about the blogging/influencer industry- it is always changing. New processes, new guidelines, new algorithms. Nothing is certain and everything is confusing. I’m going to break things down for you a little and talk about my opinion on the subject of disclosures.
What disclosure means is that since bloggers sometimes get paid to promote a product, brand or service, we need to tell the people who follow us that we are getting compensated. Just like with advertisements in a magazine or on another website, there is usually something in little print on the bottom saying something along the lines of “paid product placement” or “advertisement”. It used to be that bloggers needed to include “#ad” in their sponsored posts, but now bloggers are getting better at hiding their sponsored posts by saying “#brandambassador” or “#createdwith_” which is easy to glance over and just see the brand name.
When bloggers use #ad, people think they are just promoting the product or service because they are being paid too and it must not actually be a good product. For the most part, this is completely false. Yes, some bloggers will promote something just because of the money. But most bloggers have to really focus on what products they promote so they build a following that trusts them and trusts what they recommend. I have turned down many sponsored post opportunities because the timing wasn’t right or the guidelines for what I had to say didn’t match my brand. Or simply because I did not love or support the brand. I hope this comes through to my audience.
I hope that more people understand that *most* bloggers work really hard on creating sponsored content for brands they love. It would be inauthentic for me to promote something I don’t love or don’t believe in, because it really does become part of your DNA.
The brand reaching out to me and asking me to remove the #ad was super sweet about it, this isn’t to complain about them at all. It is just to say that yes, there is a sense of secrecy and a veil over the industry. It almost makes bloggers feel ashamed for turning our hobby into a business. I disagree. What I have learned is that you really have to love the brands you promote. They become part of your brand. You really have to make sure their product and values match up with yours before you get into it.
And I think the clearer you are with your audience about sponsored posts, the better.
What do you all think? Is an ambassador hashtag enough or does that leave things too open for interpretation? Does seeing #ad turn you off from a post? I’m so interested to hear your thoughts!
xoxo Gabriela
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