Christine Mielke is the owner and founder of Temptalia.com, a popular beauty blog and resource. This article is thus written primarily from a blogger’s perspective, but Christine is also a regular consumer who reads and trusts various blogs and bloggers for both beauty purchases as well as unrelated purchases so the commentary has some sense of a very blog-savvy consumer.

I would also (since I’m on a writing spree, it would appear) make a quick point about where many blogs diverge from similarities to print media. One of the reasons that there is so much distrust of glossy magazines is because we fear the magazines are getting paid to write good stuff about products.  I don’t work in print media and never have in the past, so I’m not going to address the validity or accuracy of that assumption/fear.  I think there is a very large distinction that holds true for many bloggers, though not at all, that I’d like to bring to your attention.

What is the blogger’s relationship with advertisers?

If a blog runs advertisements (and many do), what relationship does the blogger have with their advertisers?  Print media generally have direct relationships with advertisers, so the relationship is closer, more personal, and the like.  However, many bloggers utilize third-parties to run their advertising, and this includes major advertising networks like BlogAds, Federated, Glam Media, Google AdSense, etc.  Some bloggers (generally bigger and incredibly popular blogs of international acclaim) do sell their ads directly, so they do have direct relationships with advertisers–which is similar to print media.

Speaking from experience (I personally use Glam Media to handle my blog’s advertising), I rarely know what brand is going to advertise on my site in advance.  I don’t know what kind of ad they’re going to put (I just know the sizes), but my role is incredibly minimized.  I see ads like any visitor would – that’s how I tend to find out what brands advertised on my site.  Because I advertise this way, I don’t feel pressure from advertisers.  I don’t have to worry at all about mixing editorial with advertising and juggling those relationships together.

Advertising doesn’t mean a blogger isn’t honest.

Again, it’s all about establishing trust between you and the blogs you read.  If you find them credible, then it’s unlikely that advertising plays a significant role in how they write or how they review products.  This statement just isn’t inherently true.  Advertising is a means for your favorite blogger to make the blog bigger and better for you as a reader.  Earning revenue, whether they want it to be a full-time job or keep it as a hobby, is a good thing and supports your favorite blogger.

For me, earning revenue means that I don’t have to seek out a part-time job and have more time to blog.  It’s about finding what I love to do and working hard to find a way to get paid to do that.  One of my goals in life is to get paid to do what I love, whatever that may be at the time.  That’s such a huge key to happiness, and I continue to work towards making that a reality.

Christine Mielke is the owner and founder of Temptalia.com, a popular beauty blog and resource. This article is thus written primarily from a blogger’s perspective, but Christine is also a regular consumer who reads and trusts various blogs and bloggers for both beauty purchases as well as unrelated purchases so the commentary has some sense of a very blog-savvy consumer.

Next, I want to address some myths about bloggers. Again, these are myths about the general population of bloggers, but they may not hold true for all–qualify the blogs you’re reading and the bloggers you’re believing. I do this in all aspects of my life.  It’s just vital to research and understand what you’re believing and never blindly believe what you’re told.  (Once I establish an expert’s credibility and source of authority, then I believe faster and feel less need to do legwork, which is why we love experts–they save us time!)

Myth #1: Bloggers won’t write anything bad about a product they get for free because they want to keep the freebies coming.

In the three years I’ve been blogging, I have never had a brand cease working with me because of a bad review. I have given some brands multiple bad reviews, but they still work with me–I’d almost say they may even try to work harder to show me that they DO have good products. But here’s a thought – if, at the end of the day, a brand puts out consistently poor products, why would a blogger even care if the freebies kept coming? If it sucks, and it’s not changing, I certainly don’t want to keep wasting my time trying.

My other thought on this issue is – if I purchase a product, but I do have an existing relationship with the brand and/or its PR firm, how does this concern change? That’s because it doesn’t. There is still an ongoing relationship whether you purchase, get samples, or a combination thereof. It doesn’t change that status.

Myth #2: All bloggers get paid (with cash, not product) to review.

From my experience, very few bloggers get paid by the brand to review their products. There are certainly some, and I do think some of it depends on the particular blogging community. Since I am a beauty blogger, I feel comfortable saying that the majority of beauty bloggers aren’t getting money to write a review.

Paid reviews are not necessarily dishonest, either. I will wholeheartedly agree that full disclosure that the blogger has received monetary compensation is absolutely necessary if a blogger chooses to do paid reviews. As a blogger, I’d look at it this way: “I get paid to write what I would write for free anyway.”

My personal choice is not to participate in paid reviews, though I have done paid posts (”sponsored posts”), which I have always indicated as sponsored (I think I’ve done maybe 15 or so out of over 5,000–just to give you an idea). I’m sure some are wondering what kind of post gets paid for that isn’t a review–advertorials, which are ads within a post or the post is purely advertising as written by the brand and nothing by me; product placement or an announcement of a new product/contest; or sometimes it’s a mention to their site within an article you write.

If a blogger discloses they’re getting paid and they seem credible after you’ve qualified their content, that’s enough for me. More power to them for dealing with an otherwise sticky situation!

Myth #3: Bloggers get whatever they want for free.

There are the exceptions to this–very popular bloggers who have established audiences, but the majority of bloggers don’t get to email a PR firm and say, “Please send me one of everything from your brand.” It doesn’t work that way for most. (To be clear, it doesn’t work that way for me.) You may or may not be able to establish a relationship, and you may or may not be able to get a sample. You may struggle to just get information. Some brands only send samples to print media or very established online media. Some brands send samples to everyone.

Myth #4: PR can control what a blogger says.

No, it’s very unlikely. I can’t even imagine the skill and power it would take for PR to truly control the average blogger. The only one who controls what a blogger says is the blogger. Whether a blogger feels compelled to review something positively is actually more in their court and on them than on the PR firm. Most PR firms send products for consideration, which means that a product is sent in hopes the blogger will first try it, and then like it, and finally review it. I think only one PR firm has ever said something like, “If you don’t like it, please don’t review it.” (Subsequently, I had no desire to work with them.)

Myth #5: Bloggers can’t be truthful if they get a product for free.

As a blogger, this myth has always frustrated me, because while I can understand skepticism and concern over honesty, I feel like it’s an assumption that is often made without validation. As I mentioned previously, once there’s a relationship between the blogger and a brand/PR firm, the blogger purchasing the product doesn’t eliminate that relationship. If a blogger is credible, they’re going to be honest.

Most bloggers have built their blogs successfully because of their passion for the subject matter and their honesty/integrity. Very few are interested in risking their reputation and continued success to tell lies about a product.

But there is one instance where this myth may hold more water: when it first starts. I think for some (but not all), the glamour of working with brands/PR and receiving product samples may overwhelm a blogger initially. This newness, this pride and “OMG, they want to work with me!” feelings are all natural and don’t usually last forever. I do not, however, think these bloggers revert to lying to their readers, but they may, at first, be excited and thereby review a product in a better light. I just think this is something that is more prevalent in the first few experiences (and again, not true for all), but it is part of the process.

Brand Concerns:

I’d also like to address one comment I received via Twitter from a company: “As a business owner I am concerned that bloggers are going to reluctant to do reviews because it will become a hassle for them.” I think, like you, bloggers also have some concern over whether PR firms and brands will work with them as they have in the past with the latest regulatory guidelines. At the end of the day, if both brand and blogger understand how each other works and the blogger remains honnest and trustworthy, they’re going to continue to work with you. The FTC guidelines are concerning, but they are not damning, if you have nothing to hide.

Bottom Line: GET TO KNOW THE BLOGS AND BLOGGERS YOU ARE READING.

There are so many amazing writers and websites out there, but there are the occasional bad apples that often spoil it for the rest. Use your best judgment and determine whether to trust a blogger. An honest blogger will be trusted–that’s my optimistic outlook–if you do what you do, as you want to do it, and you’re honest, I think you will prevail. I think readers are becoming more and more savvy, and they’re beginning to understand the complexity (and consequently, appreciate as well) of blogging.

And secondly? Though, the FTC (as of December 1st, 2009) will require bloggers to be a lot more upfront and obvious with their disclosures, always read the fine print! Many blogs and websites have policies linked on their page (often under “About Us” or in the footer–which tends to be an internet standard), but many readers often miss these. Check out your favorite bloggers and see if they have clear, written and public policies on how they run and write their blog.  If they don’t have anything written–why don’t you ask them?  You may be surprised!

Christine Mielke is the owner and founder of Temptalia.com, a popular beauty blog and resource. This article is thus written primarily from a blogger’s perspective, but Christine is also a regular consumer who reads and trusts various blogs and bloggers for both beauty purchases as well as unrelated purchases so the commentary has some sense of a very blog-savvy consumer.

The other night, I was trying to fall asleep, and my mind drifted to what exactly readers are concerned about when a blogger receives free products (”samples”) for review. Since I’m a beauty blogger, I know a great deal about this issue, because there are so many that receive samples, and since most beauty products are to-be-consumed, bloggers rarely are required to return samples they use (there’s nothing left, or better yet, why would you want a used lipgloss back?!).  Nevertheless, I was kind of wondering why or what issues readers may have regarding this situation.

I put out a feeler on Twitter, because it’s so easy to interact and get instant feedback and thoughts.  I’d like to address–from a blogger’s perspective–the concerns some people mentioned, their validity, and how to qualify a blogger.  This editorial will make generalizations about bloggers, because I feel the generalizations I make are true of the majority of bloggers I know and based on my own experience and practices as a blogger for the past three years.  There are bad apples, though, and what I say shouldn’t be immediately applied to any and every blogger without qualification.

The Real Concern is Blogger Honesty

It’s definitely a valid concern, but I think what’s important is that we first recognize readers are smart and can think for themselves–that they’re not susceptible to just anything a blogger says.

• “I think what can tick people off is that they are afraid of getting an untruthful review? Some people think there’s compensation.” — @freyza_
• “As long as the reviewer is honest, then I have no issue with free goods. If the reviewer is just in it for the products? Not cool.” — @hardcorelamb
• “Honesty! Bloggers getting free stuff is great (more reviews for readers) but please be totally honest, insightful, and helpful!” — @loudhearted

The majority of bloggers who are “in it for free stuff” are transparent (even if they think they’re not).  Just like any expert you might look to for advice, it’s important to determine if they’re credible.  If you have never read a blogger’s reviews before, you should read through some.  One fantastic way to find out whether the blogger is credible is reading past reviews.  Look specifically for reviews on products you’ve personally tried, because what they say may align with your own experience.  (Though, if it doesn’t, you shouldn’t automatically assume they’re lying.)  Here are some questions I ask myself when establishing a blogger’s credibility:

• Is there review thorough?  Is it pointing out pros/cons of a product?
• Does the review add insight based on experience or is a regurgitation of the product’s claims?
• How many reviews have they done?  Do I agree with any?
• Have others commented in disagreement with the review?  How does the blogger respond?
• Do others look to them as an authority in the blogosphere?

A short review when it probably merits a longer discussion is a sure sign someone may not have thoroughly tested a product.  It may also indicate there wasn’t much good to say about it.  Not every review needs to be long and drawn out, so I always look to see what they’re saying about the product.  Do they tell me how it performed for them?  Talk about the feel, weight, packaging?  How it fits into their routine?  I’m looking for things that someone who’s tried it woud know about and pass on that knowledge.

Like it or not, but a blogger’s track record is important. If you’re just starting out, you do have to earn your readers’ trust, whether you like it or not.  If you’re reviewing products and you’re heavily involved in another community or have lots of reviews on a retailer’s site that you can point to… do so!  You could even republish those reviews on your own blog.  Show people you know what you’re talking about, and thus, having multiple reviews to read through helps.  If I find that we agree on products we’ve both tried, I feel better connected to you.  Also, seeing too many glowing reviews–and I mean reviews that say things like “This is the best product ever!” over and over–will naturally lead to suspicion, so pointing out any negatives about a product helps qualify your positive review.  Nobody’s asking you to be flat out harsh or to bash a product, but there should be a balance.

Most products are “your mileage may vary.”  We’re just not all going to agree on everything all the time.  What I love, you may just like or even dislike.  What I dislike, you may love, and so on and so forth.  This is no difference than when a friend tells me they LOVE this and I try it, and I’m not impressed.  It doesn’t make my friend a liar, and it doesn’t make a blogger (or reader!) a liar.  What’s more important is how a blogger deals with readers who chime in with their experience (in a thoughtful, respectful way, of course).  Personally, I expect some will agree, some won’t, and I think it just adds to the whole review–I want to hear from readers who’ve tried the same product.

A blogger’s online presence is important. The more the community at large looks to a blogger as an authority, the more likely others have already qualified the blogger and their blog and determined that they’re honest enough to keep reading.  BUT there is a HUGE caveat… taken alone, popularity or even having expert status is not enough.  You still should evaluate them for yourself, but it can be indicative of hard work and honesty to have earned a good reputation.

Now, that’s my two cents on how to qualify a blogger and determine if they’re credible or not. It’s my advice as a blogger, but it’s also my advice as a consumer based on what blogs I choose to read (whether related to my community or otherwise) because I definitely scour the internet for reviews on all sorts of products, beyond my beauty niche!

If you are a reader or public relations specialist or brand and want to speak up, we’d love to get your perspective!  Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!