Freelance Writer Needs a Break

It’s true...I’m retiring.

Well, sort of. I need a break from writing. I’ve had “writer’s burnout” since I finished my second book How to Win Sales & Influence Spiders (which has already helped thousands of readers—YAY).

It’s also time for me to create better work/life balance. I want my weekends back! If you’re a hard-working entrepreneur, you can probably relate. That said, with a full consulting schedule and a little wiggle room to speak at conferences, I’m cutting back on writing to reclaim my weekends. Ahhh…

I’ll write just one more Q&A newsletter/blog post after this (you can visit Entrepreneur.com to read my “Net Sales” column through December. Yup, I’m even taking a break from my Entrepreneur column—I’ve enjoyed five fabulous years with the magazine).

Can I ask you for a favor?

Have my articles, books or newsletter been helpful? If so, could you share a comment on my blog? I’d love to hear from you! It really makes my day to know my tips are helping my fellow entrepreneurs.

P.S. Want my 3 favorite money-saving tips for pay-per-click? Visit my blog to watch my 5-minute video interview with Dr. Ralph Wilson. Don’t miss it. :-)

To Your Online Success!

Catherine (“Cat”) Seda
12-Year Internet & Search Marketing Strategist
Entrepreneur Columnist

Paid Reviews on Blogs

Want a guaranteed review of your product or service? Why not pay for it? My September 2007 "Net Sales" column for Entrepreneur magazine explores this opportunity. If you've used one of these services (or others), can you share a tip or two? Did it work for you?

September 2007

Pay the Piper?

Paying bloggers to review your product could lead to fame--or shame.

A good review is gold. Unfortunately, getting a journalist to write about your product or service is not guaranteed. Wish it could be? Well, you can pay for reviews--not by journalists, but by bloggers. Proceed with caution, though: This emerging tactic has some tricky implications.

The first step is to find bloggers who write reviews. You can contact the top bloggers in your industry who do this and offer them cash. You can also use sites like Blogsvertise, PayPerPost.com, ReviewMe and SponsoredReviews.com. These sites specialize in connecting advertisers with bloggers who are paid to write reviews and link to your site.

Here's how they work: After creating an account, you write a request describing what you want reviewed. You can usually specify the bloggers' qualifications, such as a minimum Google PageRank, Alexa score and/or Technorati ranking.

Today's pay range is anywhere from $5 to $1,000 per review. The paid review sites also charge a service fee, typically a percentage or dollar amount per post.

Does paying for a review undermine its credibility? Some bloggers have blasted other bloggers for accepting money to write reviews. Some bloggers have blasted the advertisers. These bloggers believe paid reviews are automatically slanted in the advertiser's favor. To minimize potential backfire, follow these guidelines:

* Choose blogs that are relevant to your product or service.

* Choose a paid review site that requires disclosure from bloggers.

* Don't choose bloggers or paid review sites that provide only positive feedback.

* Set a reasonable review fee; too little could get you a generic-sounding review, whereas too much could get you one that is overly promotional.

This emerging tactic blurs the line between editorial and advertising. To play it safe, be sure you're paying to get the review but not to control the content. Even with a risk factor, the potential pay-offs are powerful: feedback, buzz, traffic, link love--and most important, the opinion of an influential audience.

© Entrepreneur