This is something I have been torn over. Honestly, when I first began blogging, I thought “what a great potential way to earn some extra cash”. It never felt quite natural or true to me or my blog though. Please don’t be offended. I am not against advertising. I live pretty simply & try to weigh my spending/consumption. This is actually one of the main focuses on ColourMeHappy. I strive to reduce & reuse, by upcycling & buying second-hand when possible. It wouldn’t be authentic to advertise products I would never buy myself.
I have come to truly appreciate ad-free spaces, because quite frankly, it can really get out of hand. I don’t mind sidebar ads, where it is my choice to meander over. Middle of post ads? That’s tacky. Pop ups? Beyond tacky. What about an irrelevant video (car commercial) that starts playing when I go to your (food) blog URL? My head explodes. It is rude. It is inconsiderate to your readers. It detracts from everything I love about your blog. It makes me resent nearly every moment I relent in going to your blog.
This is another sore spot. Generally, these are my least favorite posts to read. I’m talking about solicited reviews – NOT genuine reviews. If it is relevant to your life – repainting the house? I wouldn’t turn down samples of low-VOC paint – & you offer a detailed, useful review, I can appreciate this. But all the free stuff everyone scrambles for & then rambles out some obligatory (be it honest) “review”? Meh. Occasionally, I will review products or share affiliate links for product I love & think you might like too. If I mention a product or service here, it is because I love it. It is because I actually use it & buy it myself. This is why I feel ok using affiliate links; because if you decide to try something based on my suggestion, I am ok with receiving a small percentage. I genuinely feel good promoting it -> you like it enough to try it -> the business gets more business -> I get a referral reward of sorts. Everyone gets something. I will always delegate when an affiliate link is used. The opinions expressed are always my own. I hope you will appreciate this.
Would you guess I am not a fan of these either? Very rarely am I psyched about the products being given away. Of course, I am guilty of partaking at times; but honestly, I’m selective in even the give-aways I enter -- & only at blogs I visit regularly. I despise it as a tactic for driving readers to your blog. Content. I go to blogs based on content. I hope people come to mine for the same reason. You won’t come across many give-aways here. When I really love something, if I think it might truly benefit you, or am in complete support of it, I am happy to share it with my readers.
Thank you so much for reading.
