Every morning I listen to a morning radio show, and fairly frequently one or more of the hosts will endorse a particular brand, product or retailer. Sometimes it can be difficult to distinguish paid endorsements and advertisements from real commentary, especially since there are never any disclaimers mentioning any of this. In my opinion, this type of paid-placement or “sponsored” content is grossly misleading and inappropriate.
Why am I mentioning this now? Recently I’ve been getting more and more emails from marketing folks looking to write “guest posts” on ToolGuyd.com. What it comes down to is they want us to link to their or their clients’ websites or products, all under the guise of a guest post, in return for advertisement fees. I’m assuming that these “guest posts” would feature glowing endorsements of their products or services.
This morning alone I received two such inquiries, one about deals on beds and bed frames, and another about ready to assemble (RTA) kitchen cabinets. In another request, an agent for a team of content specialists wanted to write guests posts in return for “a couple of links per article back to a relevant website.”
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I’m bringing up these examples to remind you of the types of practices that we absolutely will never engage in. Paid-for or sponsored content has no place here, and never will. As such, you can trust that our words are always our own, and that they always represent our honest opinions.
We do accept tool review samples on occasion, but we have a strict policy of only working with companies that agree to unconditional editorial freedom.
The point is, we greatly value your trust in us and our content, and would never take advantage of that trust just to make a quick buck. Our posts cannot be bought.
JeffD
Stick to your beliefs, your readers will thank-you for it.
Personally I can’t stand blogs/websites that use these content tricks.
jeff_williams
I think that’s one thing that makes Top Gear (UK version) so successful besides being wildly entertaining, they don’t pull any punches. Keep telling it like it is Stuart.
Makes me wonder about companies like that, they are paying to post because their products can’t stand for themselves. They have to hoodwink consumers in order to sell. No thank you.
Stuart
This is something I really do think about every morning. As the radio cast does their thing, interjecting ad-dorsements between commercial breaks and live commentary, I wonder how many people are fooled into thinking those endorsements are honest. Not cool.
From what I can tell, sometimes these practices are done by companies/websites themselves, other times by “SEO management” teams that are hired, and other by PR/marketing firms that are paid to promote a particular product or service.
Joe Mamma
Thanks Stuart. That’s a difficult position to take. But it’s very admirable, and the reason I like this site.
It’s funny what another poster said about Top Gear (UK). Someone I know (who buys more than his share of cars) really likes that show. When I asked him why, he said, “Because if they say it’s a good car, it’s probably really a good car!” He thinks that’s probably the only car show like that. It seems pretty simple, but it’s rare to have that kind of integrity.
Ethan@OPC
We get a lot of emails to write paid-for posts or to sponsor a post- it’s really annoying. We tell them that guest posting is free but it’s gotta be relevant, original and high quality. Even then, it’s not a guarantee. It’s important to be “transparent” with your readers.
Oh, and the FTC mandates it- http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/10/endortest.shtm
Keep up the good work Stuart
Wantedabiggergarage
While the FTC mandates it, good luck enforcing it.
It has happened on Amazon (Famous Dlink reviews), on Woodworking forums (Festool verses Eurekazone wars), etc.
No enforcement (normally from lack of manpower and budget) means practically no law.
Wantedabiggergarage
I also notice the OPC link seems to contain a lot of those sponsered links. Still working them in, LOL?
Stuart
I don’t see what you’re talking about – I have never seen any “sponsored content” at OPC, and Ethan just confirmed that it’s a practice they don’t engage in.
My points are in reference to fake posts that are advertisements in disguise. You know, like the occasional magazine or newspaper advertisements that look like real stories if not for the tiny “special advertisement section” disclosure printed in an obscure location.
Mark La Roi
I greatly appreciate your stance and will spread the word! On a related note, there’s a cooking magazine/tv show who do the same thing; they tear apart recipes in their kitchens and honestly review products (foods, utensils, appliances) in a category, and because over the years they’ve gained the reputation of being upfront and honest, their word now carries a great deal of weight.
Endorsements from them bring an instant spike in sales (I know; I’ve talked to companies who’ve been mentioned on there).
So, you keep on doing the same thing and I’ll keep telling people that this is a great place to find an honest review! Thank you for your diligence and integrity.
fred
I endorse your stance and hope that you stick to it. I have become a fan of tool blogs over the last few years as a source of differing perspectives and sometime a good lead or two to new tools to help make me or my business more productive, safer , more environmentally conscious and so on. Like most of the world caveat emptor still applies to what you read and even honest and heartfelt posts probably reflect the biases of the writer. I’ve said in some of my posts – that what I might endorse as a tool for home shop use – might not be the right choice for commercial applications – and vice versa. I also see people who post on topics that in my opinion they are far from expert. While on things like politics – I believe that one man’s opinion is as good as the next – the same does not universally apply to tools. I also find it amusing when folks provide strong or strident comments about tools that they have never used.
Stuart
Thanks for your support, guys! Here’s a quote from another cookie-cutter email I received this morning:
We are working with a specialist content firm here in the UK. They have a large team of high quality researchers and editors who can write on any subject. We are happy to commission them (at our expense!) to write some content for you to publish….
And of course the “content” would favorably mention and link to the retailer they want us to promote.
Tammy
Glad you stick to your convictions! It’s win-win for everyone – you get happy readers and a clear conscience.
Monk
Good lookin’ out for us!
At least you don’t have an editorial board to deal with… like the poor auto journalist (Scott Burgess) at the DetroitNews… You should google the story Stuart, if you haven’t already heard about it.
Maikeru
I’m glad to hear this! I don’t often purchase tools, so it’s always a good thing to find a resource that offers up a variety of items as both previews and reviews.
Maikeru
I forgot to add the last sentence:
Thus your honesty is greatly appreciated as it helps to find normal reviews in this world filled with paid for opinions.