Paid blogging with PayPerPost

Never underestimate the power of blogs. A decade ago, few knew they existed; now they number in the millions. If you still think blogs are just online journals, think again.

Companies have been using blogs for SEO-friendly marketing for several years now and have since expanded these efforts into paid posting ventures through companies like PayPerPost. Through third parties, advertisers pay bloggers to write about their companies and services, generating valuable marketing buzz in cyberspace.

PayPerPost, founded in 2006, is one of the leaders of the blog advertising and paid posting revolution. Qualifying bloggers – known as Posties – can sign up to write sponsored content on a wide range of subjects specific to their target audiences. Each post is reviewed for quality, length and requested features (advertisers may request a video, a link, or other tidbits) and Posties receive Paypal payments for completed assignments.

I heard about PayPerPost through a sponsored opportunity posted to a web designer forum I frequent. My blog didn’t qualify initially – it was too young and had too few posts – so I missed that opportunity, but there are loads of others in the PayPerPost community.

A lot of bloggers work for multiple companies, but I heard about PayPerPost first and I have to admit that, at first glance, their opportunities seem better than other paid blogging services. The initial approval process is more difficult (believe me, I know!) but this is great for their advertisers in the end because they are getting quality exposure for their money.

Offers range accordingly, based on a number of factors, and I have seen some that pay hundreds of dollars. That sounds great for an hour of work, but paid blogging is not for the faint-hearted; you need to operate an established, popular, regular blog before you can even think about trying for these opportunities (there are usually requirements such as PageRank and Alexa rank too). To sign up and assume you’ll make “easy money” is misguided. At least with PayPerPost, you must have been blogging for 90 days and have at least 20 entries before you can qualify for even the low-tier opportunities. Suddenly a hundred dollars per hour looks like a distant dream!

What I’m curious to see as my PayPerPost experience unfolds is whether I will qualify for enough opportunities. I am a member of one other paid posting service but I’ve yet to receive any offers due to my newbie status (which raises the question of how I can earn credibility with this other company if they won’t give me a chance!). From a marketing perspective it will also be an intriguing experience to be a part of – to be inside one of the new online marketing revolutions.