I couldn't agree more guys! It's nice to actually find someone else who has such a strong stance as I do. I agree with all of the points you make and it's a shame that most 'agencies' still rely so heavily upon buying links. Buying a link from a blogger or from a PBN in India? What's the f*****g difference? Nothing!!
Thanks for confirming something I suspected, but I haven't researched myself. I have wondered what is happening in the content marketing world. I understand bloggers want to make money. I also understand there is a competing idea we hold about the internet being free of bias "sharing" or reporting. This kind of cognitive dissonance is going to make the shape of the internet to come frustrating for many.
Thank you for reading, Leili! It is definitely a bipolar situation but I do think there is space for everyone to achieve their goals: bloggers will always have the possibility of earning money through advertising but of course their model will need to adapt as more and more publishers report that their ad earnings are going down + subscription models continue to flourish.
You've got blogs doing a fantastic job creating content in collaboration with brands (VOX media properties and Buzzfeed being two examples) but of course it is hard work - it's definitely easier to get some money + a bunch of freebies, write a review that may well be biased and drop a link. Now, is that the review you will trust when you're looking for info about a product? Probably not.
As content creators the challenge is massive, particularly with the rise of content marketers and the incursion of SEO and media buying agencies who are now also creating content for their clients. And those are not the only competitors! Every time we launch a piece of content, we're competing about whatever is going on in the world on that particular day. Then again, adding a link buying budget to the mix makes things way easier.
I guess mine is a crusade against laziness in the end...
You've got blogs doing a fantastic job creating content in collaboration with brands (VOX media properties and Buzzfeed being two examples) but of course it is hard work - it's definitely easier to get some money + a bunch of freebies, write a review that may well be biased and drop a link. Now, is that the review you will trust when you're looking for info about a product? Probably not.
As content creators the challenge is massive, particularly with the rise of content marketers and the incursion of SEO and media buying agencies who are now also creating content for their clients. And those are not the only competitors! Every time we launch a piece of content, we're competing about whatever is going on in the world on that particular day. Then again, adding a link buying budget to the mix makes things way easier.
I guess mine is a crusade against laziness in the end...