The Truth About Sponsorships On My Blog
In Lieu of all the drama that happened on it Mama, Jillian Harris’s blog last week. I wanted to touch base with you, my loyal readers on what sponsorships mean to me and my family and what you should expect from me when you see the word ‘sponsored’ in one of my posts.
Now let me rewind a bit. Jillian Harris, was made famous as the Canadian girl on the Bachelor many seasons ago. As an interior designer, she now hosts Love It Or List It Vancouver, as well as running a very successful blog. She was put under pressure in the comments section of her blog where women started taking shots at her and, like I have had happened to me in the past, her mothering was under fire.
What brought this cruelty on? the fact that she was paid to write about her son eating a well known pureed baby food brand. They accused her of being a bad mother because she ‘used’ her son to profit on her blog.
Now to me. I have always dreamed of being a mother. And, as much as I wanted to be a boss lady running some powerful fashion empire, I was always torn because I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. Guys, I had a doll named Jenna until like grade 8. She even had a stocking at Christmas. But, when the time came to have Aubrey, Rob and I were not in any way financially stable in his career to have me stay home after my mat leave. So, I returned to work. I HATED IT! After my miscarriage, we decided maybe it was time to do a career change to help me be able to be flexible with Aubrey but also allow us to survive with the second income. It was hard and I wasn’t finding anything that was working for our family.
Throughout this entire journey, I was blogging. It was my way to get out the frustrations and focus on my love of motherhood and writing. Once Poppy arrived, we started getting paid opportunities. At this point, I had been blogging for over 3 years and was starting to gain a pretty great following in all of you. We decided that I should run with this and focus on blogging. These sponsorships started to roll in and soon I started making the same amount I have made working full time in some jobs. But, this time, I got to stay home with my newborn and with Aubrey, putting him in daycare 3 days a week for socialization.
Since I have started blogging full time, You probably have seen many posts coming through that have been sponsored. But, what you need to realize is that of the posts that make it to you, I have turned down twice as many. I will only represent brands that I believe in and stand behind. Each time an email comes past my desk, Rob and I ask the same questions to see if they meet my requirements.
- Is this an item I use/would want to use?
- Do I believe in the brand?
- Do we need it?
- Is this something my followers would like to know about?
- Does it match my ‘brand’?
- would I purchase it if I either could afford it or knew it had existed?
We also have topics that my husband and I have ruled out me talking about:
- Nothing about issues in our relationship
- Nothing in regards to our financial situation
- Nothing regarding our sex life
Sometimes, I have brands reach out to me, offering more money than I’d make in the month. But, If it doesn’t match my ‘brand’, I will turn it down. I don’t blog for the money so I am not going to allow myself to become a ‘sellout’ just to make a buck. An example of this would be a well known condom company wanting my husband and I to film a video for a campaign in which we respectfully declined.
If it is a yes to all of the above, I will accept the contract. BUT, again, you may not see the collab. Especially when it comes to reviews, I test out each product before I write about it. I have many times cancelled a contract due to not believing in the product. You will never see me do a bad review on my blog because I don’t believe in bashing brands. I would rather cancel the collaboration and not be paid.
So how will you know if the post is sponsored? At the bottom of each sponsored post below my signature, you will see me thanking the brand for supporting my family, because honestly, that is what they are doing. They are helping me be able to be there for my children. And, at the same time, they allow me to create content for you all to read and learn about.
The words in these posts are mine. The opinions are mine. The photos are mine. Sponsorship just gives my mind the creative push to write something in regards to a product I probably loved before.
And like always, I aim to have a balance of content that is just about my life, minus the money. Writing because I love sharing my life with you, not because I received a product for free or a paycheque. You can trust me to always give it to you straight, just like I have with my friends since I was a little girl.
So here’s to more great, honest content on Wild Rosebuds from my home to yours.
Hi Katie,I used to love reading your blog but it definitely feels less sincere when most of the postings seem like they’re pushing super expensive products. I can imagine it’s hard to be as personal as you were when you first started. You’ve gained quite a following which is awesome but I know I miss the honesty and real-ness of the start. Every photo is perfect and every post seems written to encourage purchasing so it’s not as easy to relate.I appreciate this post, though and I hope you will continue to write unsponsored posts as well.Thanks,K
Im so sorry that you feel that way. Sponsored post happen because it is a product that I already use and love for my family most of the time. Yes, some are pricier than others, but I do my research on products that I use for my family and am willing to invest in items which are known to be better so that they last longer (we do so far have 5 kids between my sisters who all share the same items). I am 100% honest in all reviews. I am trying to find a balance in the heart felt posts about my life and the review posts that are sometimes sponsored. I hope you understand that even though it may be sponsored, it is still me behind the screen writing. xo
Hi Katie,I used to love reading your blog but it definitely feels less sincere when most of the postings seem like they’re pushing super expensive products. I can imagine it’s hard to be as personal as you were when you first started. You’ve gained quite a following which is awesome but I know I miss the honesty and real-ness of the start. Every photo is perfect and every post seems written to encourage purchasing so it’s not as easy to relate.I appreciate this post, though and I hope you will continue to write unsponsored posts as well.Thanks,K
Im so sorry that you feel that way. Sponsored post happen because it is a product that I already use and love for my family most of the time. Yes, some are pricier than others, but I do my research on products that I use for my family and am willing to invest in items which are known to be better so that they last longer (we do so far have 5 kids between my sisters who all share the same items). I am 100% honest in all reviews. I am trying to find a balance in the heart felt posts about my life and the review posts that are sometimes sponsored. I hope you understand that even though it may be sponsored, it is still me behind the screen writing. xo
Hi Katie,I used to love reading your blog but it definitely feels less sincere when most of the postings seem like they’re pushing super expensive products. I can imagine it’s hard to be as personal as you were when you first started. You’ve gained quite a following which is awesome but I know I miss the honesty and real-ness of the start. Every photo is perfect and every post seems written to encourage purchasing so it’s not as easy to relate.I appreciate this post, though and I hope you will continue to write unsponsored posts as well.Thanks,K
Im so sorry that you feel that way. Sponsored post happen because it is a product that I already use and love for my family most of the time. Yes, some are pricier than others, but I do my research on products that I use for my family and am willing to invest in items which are known to be better so that they last longer (we do so far have 5 kids between my sisters who all share the same items). I am 100% honest in all reviews. I am trying to find a balance in the heart felt posts about my life and the review posts that are sometimes sponsored. I hope you understand that even though it may be sponsored, it is still me behind the screen writing. xo
Hi Katie,I used to love reading your blog but it definitely feels less sincere when most of the postings seem like they’re pushing super expensive products. I can imagine it’s hard to be as personal as you were when you first started. You’ve gained quite a following which is awesome but I know I miss the honesty and real-ness of the start. Every photo is perfect and every post seems written to encourage purchasing so it’s not as easy to relate.I appreciate this post, though and I hope you will continue to write unsponsored posts as well.Thanks,K
Im so sorry that you feel that way. Sponsored post happen because it is a product that I already use and love for my family most of the time. Yes, some are pricier than others, but I do my research on products that I use for my family and am willing to invest in items which are known to be better so that they last longer (we do so far have 5 kids between my sisters who all share the same items). I am 100% honest in all reviews. I am trying to find a balance in the heart felt posts about my life and the review posts that are sometimes sponsored. I hope you understand that even though it may be sponsored, it is still me behind the screen writing. xo
Hi Katie,
I used to love reading your blog but it definitely feels less sincere when most of the postings seem like they’re pushing super expensive products. I can imagine it’s hard to be as personal as you were when you first started. You’ve gained quite a following which is awesome but I know I miss the honesty and real-ness of the start. Every photo is perfect and every post seems written to encourage purchasing so it’s not as easy to relate.
I appreciate this post, though and I hope you will continue to write unsponsored posts as well.
Thanks,
K
Im so sorry that you feel that way. Sponsored post happen because it is a product that I already use and love for my family most of the time. Yes, some are pricier than others, but I do my research on products that I use for my family and am willing to invest in items which are known to be better so that they last longer (we do so far have 5 kids between my sisters who all share the same items). I am 100% honest in all reviews. I am trying to find a balance in the heart felt posts about my life and the review posts that are sometimes sponsored. I hope you understand that even though it may be sponsored, it is still me behind the screen writing. xo
Hi there, I was just wondering if your posts re: the clekinc car seat were paid posts? Can’t seem to find it. Thanks!
Hi Rory,That is a bit different of a case. To start, Yes we received the seat as a gift from Clek, but did not receive payment to promote it. My husband and I had previously researched Clek and the pros and cons and had even showed interest in it at our local children shop who sells Clek. We wanted it for our kids because it is the best and safest out there. Plus we loved the fact its made in Canada. But, when we went to purchase it, it did not fit into our family’s tight budget. So, Clek gifted it to us. Once I have used it for a few months and write an honest review of it ( I’m thinking August) i will make sure you readers know that the seat was gifted to us using the words c/o next to it. This in the blogging world means ‘care of’ or ‘gifted’.
Hi there, I was just wondering if your posts re: the clekinc car seat were paid posts? Can’t seem to find it. Thanks!
Hi Rory,That is a bit different of a case. To start, Yes we received the seat as a gift from Clek, but did not receive payment to promote it. My husband and I had previously researched Clek and the pros and cons and had even showed interest in it at our local children shop who sells Clek. We wanted it for our kids because it is the best and safest out there. Plus we loved the fact its made in Canada. But, when we went to purchase it, it did not fit into our family’s tight budget. So, Clek gifted it to us. Once I have used it for a few months and write an honest review of it ( I’m thinking August) i will make sure you readers know that the seat was gifted to us using the words c/o next to it. This in the blogging world means ‘care of’ or ‘gifted’.
Hi there, I was just wondering if your posts re: the clekinc car seat were paid posts? Can’t seem to find it. Thanks!
Hi Rory,That is a bit different of a case. To start, Yes we received the seat as a gift from Clek, but did not receive payment to promote it. My husband and I had previously researched Clek and the pros and cons and had even showed interest in it at our local children shop who sells Clek. We wanted it for our kids because it is the best and safest out there. Plus we loved the fact its made in Canada. But, when we went to purchase it, it did not fit into our family’s tight budget. So, Clek gifted it to us. Once I have used it for a few months and write an honest review of it ( I’m thinking August) i will make sure you readers know that the seat was gifted to us using the words c/o next to it. This in the blogging world means ‘care of’ or ‘gifted’.
Hi there, I was just wondering if your posts re: the clekinc car seat were paid posts? Can’t seem to find it. Thanks!
Hi Rory,That is a bit different of a case. To start, Yes we received the seat as a gift from Clek, but did not receive payment to promote it. My husband and I had previously researched Clek and the pros and cons and had even showed interest in it at our local children shop who sells Clek. We wanted it for our kids because it is the best and safest out there. Plus we loved the fact its made in Canada. But, when we went to purchase it, it did not fit into our family’s tight budget. So, Clek gifted it to us. Once I have used it for a few months and write an honest review of it ( I’m thinking August) i will make sure you readers know that the seat was gifted to us using the words c/o next to it. This in the blogging world means ‘care of’ or ‘gifted’.
Hi there, I was just wondering if your posts re: the clekinc car seat were paid posts? Can’t seem to find it. Thanks!
Hi Rory,
That is a bit different of a case. To start, Yes we received the seat as a gift from Clek, but did not receive payment to promote it. My husband and I had previously researched Clek and the pros and cons and had even showed interest in it at our local children shop who sells Clek. We wanted it for our kids because it is the best and safest out there. Plus we loved the fact its made in Canada. But, when we went to purchase it, it did not fit into our family’s tight budget. So, Clek gifted it to us. Once I have used it for a few months and write an honest review of it ( I’m thinking August) i will make sure you readers know that the seat was gifted to us using the words c/o next to it. This in the blogging world means ‘care of’ or ‘gifted’.
Loved reading this post. It broke.my eart when i saw Jillian crying in her insta stories about this whole thing. It’s terrible what people write behind the computer. You really didn’t need to write this because your long time followers like us know and believe that your true to this blog and community. But its great that you made it thoroughly clear of your intentions regarding sponsored posts.
Loved reading this post. It broke.my eart when i saw Jillian crying in her insta stories about this whole thing. It’s terrible what people write behind the computer. You really didn’t need to write this because your long time followers like us know and believe that your true to this blog and community. But its great that you made it thoroughly clear of your intentions regarding sponsored posts.
Loved reading this post. It broke.my eart when i saw Jillian crying in her insta stories about this whole thing. It’s terrible what people write behind the computer. You really didn’t need to write this because your long time followers like us know and believe that your true to this blog and community. But its great that you made it thoroughly clear of your intentions regarding sponsored posts.
Loved reading this post. It broke.my eart when i saw Jillian crying in her insta stories about this whole thing. It’s terrible what people write behind the computer. You really didn’t need to write this because your long time followers like us know and believe that your true to this blog and community. But its great that you made it thoroughly clear of your intentions regarding sponsored posts.
Loved reading this post. It broke.my eart when i saw Jillian crying in her insta stories about this whole thing. It’s terrible what people write behind the computer. You really didn’t need to write this because your long time followers like us know and believe that your true to this blog and community. But its great that you made it thoroughly clear of your intentions regarding sponsored posts.