Comments on: Thoughts on Sponsorships, Disclosures, Product Samples, Bias etc.

By: Foz

Foz — Thu, 09 Sep 2021 03:11:39 +0000

I absolutely love the candor and transparency in this article. It is always hard to find such transparency. I 100% agree that just because a blogger received a free sample, it puts some kind of responsibility on them to provide a positive review is too much of a generalization. Thank you for sharing such insights!

By: SJ

SJ — Sun, 25 Jul 2021 18:08:30 +0000

You are too kind. I spent some time to look for a patreon or ko-fi link but found this instead. I mean if you have done the math and the research and if it is not something you are comfortable with given your philosophy of free education then all power to you. But if you consider that there might be people like me who just want to support you without any demand of bonus content and just want to see you thrive then it would be brilliant if you’d give patreon or ko-fi a rethink. Yours is *the* most educational skincare related content on YT. May the algorithm gods smile on you and you get an M in your follower number before this year ends. All the best <3

By: Marina

Marina — Sat, 08 Aug 2020 15:49:47 +0000

This is so far the best explanation of the monetizing options in the field that I’ve got to read or hear. Your strategies and rules are logical and honest.
As for “I’m sorry if this got a bit disorganized” – it’s been as organized as it could and should be. THANK YOU for this and of course, for your content

By: Saffron

Saffron — Sun, 10 Nov 2019 15:10:46 +0000

Hi Michelle, I’m a big fan of your work and have been following you for a while now. Honestly, I can tell how hard you work on your content and I definitely see how much time and effort it takes to produce such in-depth and well-researched beauty content. Especially with regards to expenses… I definitely spend a lot of money on my domain, buying product etc. It definitely isn’t profitable lol. And for me, I don’t know if I want it to be – I love writing and do that professionally now as a freelance journalist, but blogging has never been about the money for me, it’s more like a portfolio. I know I could probably monetize (I used to use ad links but I stopped because I felt like I was letting it influence what I was writing!) but I’m increasingly at peace with only doing it for fun. I think there’s a lot of pressure to monetize and it can kind of take the fun out imo. I’ve been offered sponsored posts but it’s never felt right for me so I’ve always said no… which might be foolish considering I’m broke but I can’t bring myself to produce content I don’t believe in.

With regards to disclosure, I do think it’s less important to disclose samples but I know a lot of readers prefer it so I always do (though it’s easy to forget…) disclose as a “press sample” or “pr sample”. I don’t like the language of “gift”, because it’s not a gift! It’s work and should be understood as such. It’s not payment either – I don’t owe a brand a blog post in exchange for product! But I do often feel like accepting PR also shapes my content, since it’s a lot easier for me to post about products I’ve received for “free”. I do also feel like PR can make me lose touch with reality – how much things actually cost, what they are worth and so on. So I’ve become more selective in accepting PR, and if a brand sends me something I don’t care to try I’ll send it back or, if that’s not possible, donate it. Generally I find I’m more enthusiastic about products I’ve purchased myself, because I’ve chosen them. So I guess I kind of share your feelings on all this…! I kind of long for a day when I can be a real freelance journo with an office so I can keep my PR samples separate from my personal life.

Also: services like Octoly and Influenster are the bane of my existence. I think they exploit bloggers and I wish people wouldn’t use them. Brands basically use this method to “buy” guaranteed content without actually paying for it!!

By: Kim

Kim — Thu, 24 Oct 2019 01:27:25 +0000

Just writing this post is a really amazing thing to do. Transparency about financials is actually really rare, and it should be more common, so you’re doing a great thing by writing all this out.

By: The Satori Chemist

The Satori Chemist — Wed, 23 Oct 2019 18:55:01 +0000

In reply to PERRY ROMANOWSKI.

I agree with Perry’s comment.

I completely relate to this post and as a science-based beauty blogger/educator/creator, it is definitely an intricate balancing act. You want to maintain credibility as a scientist/educator – creating interesting yet informative content in a lucrative way. But it can be a struggle at times.

Keep it up! And thanks for sharing!

By: Shea Drury

Shea Drury — Tue, 22 Oct 2019 15:46:40 +0000

In reply to PERRY ROMANOWSKI. I love that I now know that Beauty Brains is a fan of Lab Muffin! My favorite two science based beauty content creators in one place! Perhaps a collaboration? Interview Michelle on the show? Both of you have been so helpful in my search for healthier skin. Although Perry, I wish you would give snail mucin more of a chance! It really is amazing! Thanks to both of you for your hard work!

By: Viva Glow

Viva Glow — Tue, 22 Oct 2019 06:07:20 +0000

I’ve been reading and following you for some time now and am glad to hear about your transition. I think your reader base has already put a lot of trust in your content. I think all other things have already been said. We’re with you on this. Keep up the good work.

By: Anne

Anne — Mon, 21 Oct 2019 12:15:07 +0000

I understand your train of thought very well – I have struggled with the same things over time.
My platform is way smaller than yours, and like you I have no intent of quitting my day time job that I really enjoy, but if there is a way of earning a little money without compromising your standards, that is amazing and should be celebrated, not frowned upon.

By: Lynnda

Lynnda — Mon, 21 Oct 2019 00:01:39 +0000

I love your content even though many of the products are not available in the US. I know everyone is pushing video video video these days, but I’m always happy to see a post that I can just read! You can’t listen to a video in public places like a dr’s office, and I hate having ear buds in all the time while others are watching TV etc, Just sayin that good old blog posts are great lots of times. Plus I can read content a lot faster and refer back to parts of written material much easier.