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"I Tell No Lies" – Disclosing Sponsored Conversations

Any serious blogger will tell you that credibility and integrity are incredibly important to what they do. Recently sponsored conversations have gained great momentum as companies start to switch on to the power that influential bloggers have.

As a result services like IZEA , ReviewMe and PayPerPost have sprung up to facilitate this interaction. Whether or not bloggers want to believe it, sponsored conversations have cast doubt over the integrity and authenticity of what they do, and whether you like it or not sponsored posts seem to be here to stay.

From my research into corporate blogs one of the interesting side points that I’ve found so far is that a blog reader’s threshold for sponsored content is entirely dependant on the way in which the sponsored post is handled. My interviewees all recalled and unanimously hated the “terrible advertorials” which were just a bit too hard sell. However, the same people didn’t seem to mind the odd sponsored conversation if it was done with taste and style. So what’s the difference?

In tastefully conducted sponsored posts…

• The blogger discloses that they are being sponsored.
• The post is honest and seems to give unbiased insight.
• The product or service is in line with the bloggers expertise or general theme of the blog.
• Sponsored conversations are the exception rather than the rule (1 out of every 10 post – max).

The first of these points (disclosure) has become such an important part of sponsored conversations, according to the “FTC guidelines“, if there were a financial or other relationship between the advertiser and the endorser that would affect the credibility of the endorsement, that relationship would have to be disclosed.

So, as long as the blogger is clear that the post or conversation is “sponsored,” all guidelines are respected and satisfied.  Hence the creation of the “Sponsored Conversation” badge – below (ZIP file here).Do you think this badge is a good idea? Is it necessary or is it too much? If you ever use this badge please hit me back with a comment – I’d love to know how it goes.