Update: Response to this post has been extensive – it’s going to take me some time to deal with all the replies! That’s great.
I’ve been getting so many inquiries lately from companies looking to hire bloggers, and so many responses to messages I send out about them over twitter, that I’m losing track. I really like helping bring these two groups together. Sometimes I fantasize about starting a blogger training and placement service, but for now let’s just try to get organized! I’m a big believer in paying bloggers – see this post for example on social media marketing at SplashCast, that’s good stuff. Want a sophisticated discussion on the value of social media content creation? I can’t stop recommending this podcast and transcript by Dana Gardner on the topic.
There are other places that bloggers can find paid work, check out the great community around ProBlogger.net for example, but I’m just going to introduce people I like (particularly good bloggers) to companies I like (good companies) informally and at no cost because people are already asking me to do so.
Am I available to write for your blog? Probably not, even if it’s very part time. Thanks for asking. Can I train a person already on your staff to rock the blogosphere and set them up with a bunch of resources to help make that happen? You bet; send me an email.
So, if you are a company who would like to hire a blogger for either in-house content creation or for news coverage for your blog network, send me an email at marshall@marshallk.com. Tell me what topic areas you’re looking to fill, whether it’s a part time, very part time or full time job and how much the position pays. (How much should you pay? See the bottom of this post.) If and when I find bloggers who I would recommend for the position, I’ll email you and offer to introduce you. This is where the quality control comes in, my reputation for this depends on my not recommending bad bloggers. If you would like to hire me to offer advanced training for whoever you select, that’s great – let me know. You’ll end up with a world class social media presence. I’m happy to make introductions regardless.
Second, if you’re a blogger or otherwise skilled writer interested in a full or part time writing gig, send me an email at marshall@marshallk.com. Your confidentiality will be a top priority. Tell me whether you’re interested in doing news, company blogging or both/either. Tell me what topics you are knowledgeable about. Tell me whether you are available for full time or just part time work. Send me an URL where I can see your writing in action. If and when I find a blogging job that I think could work well for you, I’ll email you and ask if you are still available. If you are, and if the company in question is interested, then I’ll introduce the two of you. It’ll be great.
I’ve started a private wiki to keep track of leads coming in from both directions. I’ll be adding a link to the sidebar of this blog about this, linking to this post. Did I mention that it’ll be great?
How much should you pay a blogger?
I am asked frequently how much a company should pay a blogger. I find that bloggers who are paid per-post generally get paid between $10 and $20 per post by good sites for general interest topics. In most cases, I recommend asking yourself what monthly budget you have available for a blogger, about how many posts you would like to see per week (3 or 20?) and working backwards on the rate. The most serious blogs should be paid for on a monthly basis, not per post. I believe that top-tier bloggers that will be tied closely to your brand should be paid between $5k and $8k per month. Pay your blogger well, communicate with them clearly about expectations and if it doesn’t seem worth it after some time then fire them and find a new one.
Note: I’ve been told by a couple of people today that this pay is higher than is reasonable to expect. That may be true to some degree, but I think the range is reasonable. News bloggers typically have one pay range, bloggers representing a company have another.
If you are going to pay a blogger $500-$1000/month, it had better not take very much time or that blog had better be a great way for said blogger to gain visibility and move onto a better gig. That’s what AOL Weblogs Inc. paid me for a whole lot of posts, but the blog was great for my career.
Those are my thoughts about paying bloggers.
I hope this offer to introduce parties on both sides will prove useful for all involved.