Paid-For Posts Emulate Real Life Media
Monday, November 13th, 2006 by MR
So much has been said about PayPerPost, its copycats, and now the new ReviewMe.com service and everyone seems to be all up in arms. The horror! Someone writing about a company with less than completely altruistic intentions! Disclosure or not, the idea of influenced writing isn’t new to the blog medium even though so many act as though it is. It’s been going on in mainstream media for a very long time, but over there in Big Boy Land there are companies built around this type of influence peddling, we call them public relations firms. PR firms are paid to take your message and get the word out in whatever way possible — whether that’s cold calls, emails, press junkets, expensive dinners, or flat-out bribes, it’s what happens in the “real world” when you want X to be written about in Y and you have no connections to Y.
About a month ago I ran across an article in Inc. magazine for a company called PayPerClip, an “on-demand” public relations firm where you only pay them for the results they get. Instead of having a 4 or 5 figure budget each month for generic PR work and seeing few results, PayPerClip only gets paid if your message gets where you want it. They have a PDF of recent client news placements… here are some big name publications that were “influenced” via PayPerClip’s practices for the benefit of their clients:
- CBS Evening News
- Washington Post
- Teen People
- Chicago Tribune
…and there are a lot more. In the article I read, they actually published what it would cost to make it into what publication, and on their website their prices are listed as well. A full feature in a Top 5 national or international outlet for $4,700? Does that mean for under $5k I can get my company featured in something like the New York Post? That’s amazing and incredibly smart.
Here’s a PR firm that’s telling you that for a certain amount of money they can get your story in (essentially) whatever publication, website, or trade magazine you want. I remember distinctly from the article that it was under $3,000 to get your company a gigantic feature article directly on CNET so maybe that’s the going rate nowadays.
Now with PayPerPost and the disclosure debacle, everyone is ganging up on the company and saying that they’re immoral and should burn in hell. Now even though I think bloggers should disclose obvious paid affiliations, has everyone forgotten that money is the universal lubricant in mainstream media? Are bloggers supposed to be held to higher standards than publications on PayPerClip’s success list, publications like the Chicago Tribune or CNET?
Reader Comments
7 Responses to “Paid-For Posts Emulate Real Life Media”
PayPerClip isn’t a new concept. Some PR firms have worked on success based remuneration formula for years. But you’re totally wrong with this post because there’s a massive difference between between a PR firm targeting a specific media outlet with a tailored story and a blogger getting directly paid to post a specific review.
The media outlet, editor and journalist just isn’t getting any of the cash. I’m not going to be stupid or naive and say that payola doesn’t occur in traditional media because it obviously has but they have been well and truly held to account for years over the lines between journalism and advertising to ensure they are clear.
There should be a disclosure note on this post I’m defending my friends who’s services I use to earn money and who also advertise on my network because they’ve taken a pounding in the last couple of days due to the fact that they have a sleazy business model with their latest venture.
November 13th, 2006 at 5:46 am
“Are bloggers supposed to be held to higher standards than publications on PayPerClip’s success list, publications like the Chicago Tribune or CNET?”
Why not? If they can be, they should be. Why not try to do things better than before, instead of just giving up.
November 13th, 2006 at 6:17 am
I really think it’s less than an issue of higher standards, and more the case of classic adolescent like rebelling.
If you will — The kids built this thing (blogosphere) to have their own take at media. To do it their own, “better” way. It’s been going pretty good, but now here come the adults (old media) with their old ways, and established rules to come play in their sandbox — and “ruin” everything.
That’s why I’ve always held that MySpace is not long for this world because more and more folks over 35 are taking over the space.
Throughout history, kids (and when I reference kids / adults here, I’m approaching it more from a mindset than actual age) have always needed to have their space apart from adults. When kids can’t have their ways — they whine.
You’re hearing some of this whining now with the pay per post stuff.
November 13th, 2006 at 8:26 am
Another thing to consider is the fact that most classic works of art were sponsored by patrons.
Were they plagued with the cheap consumerism we face today? I’m not so sure; but to assume that art for cash is somehow less valuable or disingenuous is naive at best.
November 13th, 2006 at 10:48 am
Pay per clip PR is easy - if you want news coverage just get your CEO to paint him/herself purple and stand naked atop a 10ft jewel-encrusted plinth in Times Square at midday Friday giving away a herd of elephants free to random passers by (eg only the people who wear hats) prior to announcing the firm’s half year results via megaphone. You will stop traffic and get news coverage but I doubt very much whether such a stunt will correctly position the company or its products or brand or convey the kind of “controlled message” which will boost share price or brand affinity among consumers.
November 14th, 2006 at 5:15 am
I’m the CEO of PayPerClip and I want to say I am delighted to get some play on such a prominent blog. To be honest, we at PayPerClip don’t know much about getting ink on blogs so I can’t in truth comment on the pay-for-posts concept. The difference as I see it is that we don’t pay the journalists or the media outlets a dime to publish/broadcast stories about our clients. We simply come up with very good story lines and pitch them to reporters/editors/producers. We don’t use press releases because they don’t work. A couple of corrections on your posting: the “ad in Entrepreneur” was really a story we pitched about ourselves and it was in Inc magazine. We would never pay for an ad; we’re PR people and believe that a story by a third-party (the media) is better that an expensive ad any day of the week. As to David’s Elephants in Times Square, it’s a great idea, but none of our clients have that kind of budget. We do, however, agree with his point that anyone can get ink with Elephants but that kind of ink may not be “on message.” We refund our clients 100% of their fee if they don’t like the story because it is not “on message” or for any other reason. I’ve run a traditional retainer PR firm, Stephenson Group, for 15 years. We started PayPerClip because we knew we were extremely good at getting publicity and many of our prospects we asking for this type of payment arrangement. PayPerClip is just over two years old and is doing better financially than Stephenson Group. I don’t know why other PR firms don’t try this model. And yes Mike, if we can get the NY Post interested in your story and they publish a feature (and you like it) it would cost you under $5K. Ann Stephenson
November 15th, 2006 at 7:39 pm
Anywhere you find people paying attention … you’ll find people finding ways to monetize their attention. I’m going to read and absorb any form of media from print to blog to video with knowledge that it is coming from an angle motivated by something … and that can be money, politics or just opinion.
Kudos to Ann for her post on her company … it seems that passion for her service is her motivation.
Thanks Matt for the good read.
December 12th, 2006 at 11:18 pm
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