Avoid Opportunities That Risk Your Blog's Reputation

By Wendy Piersall

When you associate your mom blog and your personal brand with a company product or brand, it is inevitable that you will both rub off on each other. Like it or not, you can and do become associated with that brand.

Not all companies seeking to give you free products are ones you want to work with. Some are just not a right fit. Others can be slightly deceptive or even downright manipulative.

A good example of this is a campaign that occurred recently through a marketing firm that reached out to mom bloggers. The firm presented the opportunity to the moms as an outreach to help educate the public about high-fructose corn syrup. Ultimately, some of the participants didn’t realize that the campaign was being funded by the large lobbying group, the Corn Refiners Association.

Some bloggers felt misled by the talking points they were given. Yet they had already published their posts, and now had to take responsibility for the fact that they had to own words they weren’t very happy about owning. Ultimately, this campaign probably won’t permanently harm anyone’s blogging business — however, it could have.

It is truly up to you as the blogger to ensure that the sponsors and brands you choose to work with also represent the values you hold. Here are some questions you can ask as you evaluate whether a brand is the right fit for you and your blog:

Is this a company that makes products or services that my readers would likely be interested in reading about?
Does this brand stand for principles that I agree with?
Does this company have subsidiaries that would present a conflict of interest for me?
Is this company in an industry that is known for perpetuating scams or misleading information?
Am I 100-percent sure that this company is a legitimate business?
Does this company sell any products that I would never use in my home, or would never advocate to my readers?

Some very large companies have diverse products they sell and brands they use. You may be thrilled to work with one brand, yet find that its sister company uses child labor in China.
Does this company produce products or services that I feel are immoral, unhealthy, or disagree with?