Facing the hard questions about paid content

Many marketing pros struggle with determining the value of a given piece of content. How much to spend? What’s the long-term gain of a paid ad? One exec has the answers.

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The number of bloggers expecting cash for favorable brand mentions is rising.

Given the changing relationships among brand managers, agencies and writers for hire, PR pros face a new world of difficult questions.

A recent GroupHigh survey found that today’s influential social media users aren’t settling for free products or promises of ad placements on their blogs. Roughly 70 percent of them expect cash instead.

Mid-level users are charging from $200 to $500 per post, and more than 80 percent say they accept monetary compensation from businesses. “Influencer marketing” now looks more like the traditional advertising business—monetary compensation for a contracted endorsement—than a public relations strategy.

With cash on the line, PR pros should take a hard look at the stakes of pursuing these kinds of relationships.

The cost

Pseudo-celebrity Kendall Jenner attracts more than 65 million followers on various social media platforms, and New York-based D’Marie reports she is commanding $230,000 for a single brand-related post. That’s huge reach and might not be an effective strategy for most brands.

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