Blog Lovin’? Do Brands Really Support Bloggers of Color?
During a visit to your favorite beauty and fashion blogs, you’ll come across ads featuring everything from luxury cars to discounted weekend getaways. What you’re less likely to find is an advertisement from a beauty or fashion brand.
Black women spend $9 billion a year on their manes and another $20 billion on clothing. It’s no surprise that hair care and fashion trends are hot topics in the blogosphere. We want to know what products we should use and where we can buy them . . . now! There is certainly a demand for this information, and the cyber-editors are supplying it.
But why aren’t advertisers in this market showing the love back?
When the support is reciprocated, it’s usually the same five or so Black websites that ad campaigns go to. The other (and arguably more relevant) Black beauty and fashion blogs that are driving just as much business toward them get tossed to the sidelines.
Editors across the Web are speaking out and taking a stand. “If you are not supporting the very women who give you buzz daily then why should we support you?” asks a publisher of a popular fashion and beauty website. “If the online community doesn’t let them [the brands] know that we matter as a trusted medium, bloggers and online publishers that want to transition to a profitable website or profession will never be successful.”
It’s common for various brands to seek out opportunities to promote their products and events. A beauty editor, for instance, is sure to have a cabinet overflowing with freebies—goodies sent from various companies for product reviews.
One fashion editor from a high-traffic site opens up about her experience with a popular womenswear brand. “I was invited to a bloggers event by a brand to preview their spring collection. They wined and dined myself and other popular bloggers for about an hour while we previewed their latest looks. As we were leaving they started to seat editors from print magazines for an entirely separate event. I asked myself, ‘Why couldn’t we all preview the collection together?’ It was almost as if they didn’t want us to associate with the print editors, or maybe the print editors didn’t want to associate with the bloggers.”
Bloggers receive treatment from brands that print magazine publishers and editors would never accept. Some Web professionals could benefit from new media training and savvy know-how when dealing with multi-million dollar brands who pay thousands to advertise with print outlets with comparable readers as online outlets.
But for some bloggers of color who are in it for fun, some of these nuances of the business are of no concern. One beauty blogger says, “I started blogging years ago for fun and I love what I do. I enjoy attending events, and receiving free products to try out.” When we asked how her ad sales were going she admitted that she struggles to earn money from her blog. “I mean, I haven’t really figured out if I want to make a business out of blogging. But I do spend a lot of time doing it.”
Even with a notable mention, free leave-in conditioners and curling puddings aren’t enough. Certainly valuable content is what drives visitors to a website, but ads and ad views are what fund it.
As new media continues to broaden, and becomes the medium of choice for readers ages 18-35, niche bloggers offering in-demand content have to become critical of brands who are using them to market the products that ultimately drive their businesses. Bloggers of color have to ask themselves, who drives your brand?
Blogger/Online Professionals: What do you think? Do you think fashion and beauty brands support you past access to events and free products?
Sound off!
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Really well written piece on an ever-evolving problem. I tend to get much of my advertising from smaller brands looking to reach a niche audience. The larger brands just don’t quite see the value in doing ads on blogs, even though (collectively) we probably bring them more business than the print magazines. I know most online brands are developing Affiliate Programs that require readers to actually purchase products through blogs in order for bloggers to receive any compensation. Monetizing your blog is a tough hurdle to get over…
I totally agree with the premise of this article. I am often in contact with other bloggers trying to do the link exchange, and in doing so, I have seen less content driven sites get more support than bloggers of color. As a blogger myself, I try to lean more on original content rather than rehashing the same thing every other blog seems to be interested in. It means that for my blog., I am not posting all day everyday about celebs and their mess. I try to be positive along with showing the positive side of entertainment.
I find that because I am a new, less popular blog that advertisers do not feel a need to answer my requests for ads on my site rather than it being a deal about color. I do think that there is a lag in doing so, but not the overall reason. However I do believe that there needs to be more representation in the interest and action from companies when it comes to responding to the popularity of products with those of color. Many blogs have better content than the larger more popular blogs. In some cases I have watch blogs like Mediatakeout use content from smaller blogs like Youknowyoudeadazzwrong siphoning content daily. Even larger websites gain ideas from smaller blogs.
To treat anyone differently when gaining ad space, support and attention is the very reason why the industry will continue to be narrow, and one note. It is missing out on billions of readers and dollars as a result.
GREAT ARTICLE!!
I wish I could comment more on this, but I’m fairly new to blogging and do not have any advertisers. However, I am very anxious to hear some of the responses from others.
well written piece. i think that bloggers of color need to be on their game if they plan to make a profit from their blog. but this also should be nothing new when it comes to navigting any aspect of “doing business while black.” yes, we could beat the “why do we have to work twice as hard?” horse to death – and i’m not saying that is NOT a valid question – but i think spending more time in understand how to get around this hurdle itself is more valuable in the long run because who wants to leave money on the table why you sit around scratching you head?
i do disagree with this point though: “Certainly valuable content is what drives visitors to a website, but ads and ad views are what fund it.” yes, your content must be valuable, but unless you are john chow, darren rose, shoemoney, or steve pavilia, you can forget about adsense, adbrite or any other ad network paying your bills full time while you vacation in the caribbean. the real money maker is in being your OWN brand and having your own product or being a brand so big, like chictopia, for instance, that selling other people’s stuffs makes you rich.
love brown sugar makes an excellent point as well. larger brands DON’T see the value of advertising on blogs no matter the color of the blogger. unless your uncle’s last name is largerfield then you should not hold your breath waiting for armani or dg to come knocking and even when it comes to middle american brands like old navy and the gap, etc. they just send you back to their affiliate links.
so where does that leave one? back to figure out how to work with what you are given. i think tackling that issue is what will help you stand out from the crown and what will get you a personal call from urban outfitters like your girl jane at sea of shoes or mtv like your girl (of color) gabbi of young fat and fab. if you are not doing it big and different, then you just won’t get noticed. and one should be prepared at all times if they want to market their blog. how many page views do you have? do you know your ad sizes and specs in relation to the CPM or CPA – whichever format you work off of??? do you have a media kit? how long is the avg reader on your blog? what’s is your bounce rate and what are you hot spots? what’s your readership sex, age range and income? – can they even afford or are they even interested in a certain brand’s offerings?? monetizing is not a game so you better have on your best poker face and power suit.
yes, because of our skin we often have to work harder and faster, but blogging is also a business model for brands so before investing in you they want to know how you will increase their brand name. i support tons of bloggers of colors. are all of their design templates and layouts nice. no? is their content original? often times not. <– and even though most of us are blogging about the same thing – cause i mean, come one – fashion is fashion and hair is hair, i always ask myself "how is this blogger bringing it differently?" toyota and honda are both cars that sit on four wheels – what makes them different? and though i support many bloggers of color and will continue too, not many blogs have thought provoking content like clutch or even have a clean and organized aesthetic flow like the moptopmaven, to name a few. the budget fashionsita is a six figure blog run by a plus-sized black woman. there are a lot of factors at play here. as yoda would say: does not one rich make the affiliate program. so slapping up a couple of affiliate ad and links and praying for the best will not pay the bills.
i did say that this was a valid question and agree with bettyboop that the industry is very narrow and one note. i think if we stay on our grinds and continue to work for originality and bring forward flowing and cohesive content, then in addition to reaping the rewards – whatever that may be for one – we may also start seeing changes when it comes to advertising and if we don't, we can voice even louder that this could be perhaps what some see as borderline discrimination. but before you yell make sure you are bringing it.
I’m a blogger and I don’t have ads on my site. I don’t like pages that are cluttered with ads. I haven’t even explored having ads on my blog and I doubt I ever will. This statement from the article fits me perfectly: But for some bloggers of color who are in it for fun, some of these nuances of the business are of no concern.
Its time to change the game up ladies…
@ kurlybella
u are absolutely right and luv your blog btw. online is the only place where the playing field is equal. if a person is not making money from their blog then they have no idea what they are doing. having commenters doesnt equal $$’s
you make money by selling online and most of you do a poor job of it.
but i will disagree with one point. john chow, shoemoney etc make money by selling people on crap … well … thats my opinion lol. i make a decent amount of money using adsense. it just depends on who your audience is and the topic of your blog.
the beauty blog industry for blacks is over crowded. i could write a blog with a crap article and make it to the top of the SERP’s because i know internet marketing.
its just a shame black bloggers dont.
advertisers want to see organic search engine traffic that converts into sales. not comments.
prove you have the traffic and you’ll make the money. point blank.
thanks aj, i’m glad you like http://www.kisforkinky.com. and you are right as well, but you still proved my point, these big names are still “brands” that make money by being their own brand (whether you like what they sell or 3rd party market or not) ;).
adsense on average won’t have the avg person holding up a six figure check or being interviewed by forbes magazine like shoemoney. i think a lot of people put a lot of faith in google when it comes to that and that’s scary because for most it will really only be adCENTS. there are millions of blogs online, but at the end of the day only a very small percentage, what like less than 1 or 2% it’s been said, of bloggers will ever make a full time living from their blogs and it’s a sad thing because when it all boils down to it, it’s fairly simple to do if you have the chops, can pump out fairly good content and have the DEDICATION. blogging is a business.
the internets has been making people rich for years, so if you can bring it, learn a little coding and SEO and can market yourself like a beast then you will reap the benefits.
@ kurlybella
yes … i have been a subscriber for awhile … and your posts are good … but you SELL! you sell the hell outta that blog and i aint madatcha! lol :-)
i just hate when people make excuses about making money online. just because u setup a blog and put ads on it doesnt make you an online marketer.
internet marketing is filled with a bunch of white men (and foreigners) why? because they get online to make money … the black fashion blogs are far too concerned with being popular. being popular is easy. figuring out how to convert those visits into clicks … is something totally different and probably would bore the average person to death. (e.g. keywords, seo, link building etc.)
–> lol ok ok, they are a few white women in online marketing … but its very RARE i see a black female doing it, so i give u your props. :-)
anyway keep up the good work. i wish i could see more black females who take blogging as serious you (and i do).
oh and subscribe to hundreds of black fashion blogs, natural hair sites etc and i NEVER see anyone do it right.
NEVER! except you.
i dont click your links lmao but your site holds a special place in my heart! lol :-)
sorry last comment. the fashionbombdaily does a good job as well …
i am a uk based natural hair and fashion blogger with a mostly US following. i’ve been contacted by many companies and have a good relationship with lush cosmetics and loreal paris. i don’t promote all brands that come my way, i want to share good quality products to my followers because they deserve that! i also like to give my time to smaller black owned companies like darcy’s botanicals as it about supporting our community. soon mainstream will realise that black skin can sell shampoo(insert random product here) as well as white. i hate google ad’s! i’d rather source products i genuinely use and share an honest opinion on them. i personally do not blog for money the perks are good obviously i get some nice products to try and invited to cool events. i have a career in the hair industry so blogging is my much loved hobbie and passion.
As someone who worked with one of the top digital marketing agencies in the world, this article both intrigues and inspires me. I’ve helped produce campaigns for top brands that launched on major websites and blogs. A lot of this advertising was done through affiliate companies or networks, but lately I’ve been developing a company that helps connect bloggers directly with local, urban and startup brands.
I think the most important thing that needs to be established is how digital marketing works. A lot of major brands do not deal with publishers directly. They work with media companies who plan out the campaigns and where they will run. If anything, there needs to be better relationships built between publishers and media companies. It also is the responsibility of each blog to have things together like kurly bella mentioned: specs, media kits, formats, content schedules, traffic stats, etc. These will all increase your chances of getting advertising or sponsorships.
It also lies deeper than race. Popularity does not always translate into value. Things like CPC/CPM or just the overall audience of your website will determine how valuable an advertiser feels about running a campaign on a site. Also, your site has to be technically and visually capable of handling rich media ads: video units, expandable ads, page takeovers, skins, etc. This is the type of advertising big brands are doing and they are spending big money. To get their attention, your site should reflect their brand in more ways than just content.
It is definitely a fact that multi-cultural marketing is always a few steps behind mainstream corporate marketing (whatever you choose to label it). My goal lately has been to help publishers prepare their sites for advertising revenue and also connect local business owners, startups and brand ambassadors with the blogs that have yet to be discovered and are often overlooked for more well-known publishers.
I long for the day when we can see major brands doing high-quality, publicity-garnering ad campaigns on sites. The first step will be in building and enhancing the relationship between urban/black blogs and the media agencies that are creating the plans for these high-end campaigns.
@Ronnia Cherry – very well put and my point exactly. bloggers who blog for money do their research, work on seo techniques and present themselves as a small business.
its not about color. either you have your sh*t together or you don’t. unfortunately, many black bloggers don’t. if you are a casual blogger and would like to learn more about creating a brand and becoming marketable, try attending a few blogging conferences to see what it’s all about.
e.g. Blogalicious, Blogging While Brown, BlogHer, etc.
Clutch’s founder is presenting @ SXSW – http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/ideas/view/5379
Very intriguing conversation here…
When I started blogging, my goal was never to be a business, however the moment that I realized that THIS is where I needed to be, I quickly got my act together. As a niche blogger in plus size fashion (The Curvy Fashionista), I had the advantage of holding my Masters in Marketing, so I understood the game to an extent. I knew impressions, SEO, branding, and social media and for the things I did not, I went to work trying to figure it out.
Funnily enough, I have never thought of my race first. What was also working against me in the myriad of online media was my niche: Plus Size Fashion; so seeking out advertisers,ad networks, and sponsors was more difficult- showing my impact and how their dollars would work. I have been fortunate enough to belong to an ad network, but I have also researched affiliate programs and have been selective in joining the ones to bring in the dollars.
I also seek out and establish relationships with emerging brands,and I have no shame introducing myself to the power advertisers. While I am still understanding and defining my site’s worth, I am reaching out to other bloggers who are making a living off their blog, are incorporated, and are challenging the status quo to gain a better grasp on my business.
I think a lot of those who are successful online boils down to how they treat their blog. If you treat it as a business (nice design, content, traffic, seo, social media, networking, the passion, and the professionalism) and grind it out, you will flourish. Just like every other business though, you have to work at it and create that unique selling perspective…
Just my thoughts… :)