I’m going to sound like an old man, and I imagine because I’m going to be 35 in April, it’s probably because I am one, but..

Blogging ain’t what it used to be!

It’s so accessible now that the whole world and its wife are blogging, and in some respects, it’s great, others, it’s not. Blogging used to be organic – you spent AGES shouting into the ether, and perhaps someone would read your stuff, and if not, it’d be indexed eventually by Google, and someone searching for something might read it. I used to squeal when my blog had 10 view in one day, it was such an incredible result… Now though, it feels like no one wants to do the graft, no one wants to put in the work, you have to be top of the pile IMMEDIATELY or else everything is rubbish.

This became clear the other weekend when the DA (Domain Authority) scores were announced, everyone seemed to be going crazy obsessing over this random figure concocted by some online demigod. Up until a while ago, I didn’t really know what a ‘DA’ was, I’m still not entirely clear – mine is 30, which apparently is very good, but I’ve done NOTHING to increase my score. I’ve just sat here, in my corner of the internet shouting at passers-by and shaking my fists at pesky kids. I’ve not checked my blog for broken links, or fought tooth and nail to get published on Huffington Post, I just do my thing, people read it sometimes, others not, and that’s cool.

I know people fret about DA scores because they are used by some PA folk as a way of looking at your blog, and therefore dishing out opportunities, but there’s so much more to ‘Blog Life’ than some number. Opportunities aren’t hard to find, and you don’t have to even wait for someone to contact you, just make up your own!

Write about the stuff you’re doing, the places you go, maybe see if there’s a press email address for somewhere / something you’re planning on going and email them..

“Hey! I’m planning on visiting XYZ in the near future with my family / friends and intend to write about it on my blog (link here). If there’s anything new there that you’d like me to mention in my post, let me know, and I’ll be sure to cover it”

Don’t beg for free shit, don’t bang on about how hard your life is and it will really make your poorly child’s day to go somewhere, just be cool, like the Fonz, and see what happens. Spend a few of your own pennies, give an honest review of whatever you’re doing and just wave it gently under the nose of the PR folk there. Make relationships, perhaps even friendships and in time, they might think of you when something crops up, just don’t be a dick.

I know some ‘Pro Bloggers’ will tell you that you need to ‘know your worth’, and that’s very unhelpful . Especially when these are the sort of dicks that will CHARGE to attend an event – their £500 ‘fee’ is coming straight out of the pot that could pay for twenty other bloggers to get there. Sometimes you have to spend a bit of money to make a little bit more, I’ve gone to so many events and not had my travel paid – which is fine, I’ll usually go to an event, eat the food, drink the wine, talk to the people and have a nice time – the cost to me, a £22 travel card. In return, I’ve made some contacts, had some fun, generally a bit drunk, got a few freebies and might have some content for here. There’s been very few events I’ve been to when I’ve felt I’ve got NOTHING out of it, I know my worth and I’m happy to pay for my own travel.

So.. What have we learnt from this? Hopefully that it’s not always about what you can get for free, it’s about being a decent blogger. Perhaps putting yourself out there a little with the chance of building relationships that could yield results. If not, you’ve made a friend or two, and created a bit of content along the way.

Just don’t be a dick.

 

6 thoughts on “How to get great Blogging Opportunities without being a dick.

  1. You know says:

    Dear me! How to not be a dick, by the biggest dick in the blogging arena. You are one massive walking ball of irony. Ps: you are a cunt.

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