During the middle of World Cup 2002 started, when Rivaldo was one of the hottest players, I remember reading about how he had gone from highly-criticized to much loved.
Mind you, this face-clutching episode (read Wikipedia entry) was definitely one of the worst moments in soccer-acting, but that is another point.
Rivaldo credited his resurgence to the coach. While many had called for his head, the coach had told him that he had nothing to worry – his place was guaranteed. With the stress of having to prove himself every game removed, he played at a much higher level, knowing that one bad game wouldn’t get him axed.
Of course, the opposite could also apply (player knows he will start no matter what, plays soft – eg Vince Carter), but again – another point.
So when it came to Bloggy Network and our paid bloggers, we never took on a pay-per-post model. I absolutely hate it. Successful blogs produce compelling content. They are insightful, interesting, and require some research. When a person is being paid per post, what motivation does he/she have in producing excellence? A pay per post model, imo, simply encourages people to post as often as you want. Of course there is a certain level of editorial control, but defining requirements is a non-trivial task. It isn’t fun.
The other model, a flat-fee, is working very well for us. It was stressful at first, but the fantastic growth we have been experiencing validates our model. We hired bloggers based on their ability to write interesting and compelling content, not because of their ability to churn out post after post (great for search engines perhaps, but really a shitty solution). We did of course put in certain conditions (you have), but they also meant the stress factor was a lot lower. Our writers knew they would get paid the same, be it with 5 posts in a week or with 50. They also knew that by working harder on each post, by ensuring a higher quality of work, the long-term potential and upside were far better than a post-churning blog.
It takes time. It can be highly stressful. But I liken it to the shotgun approach vs the sniper approach. The pay-per-post is shotgun-like – keep scattering fire and hope one hits. The sniper approach, far more deliberate and slow, yields much more positive results. A person with a shotgun can get to it right away, but a person with a rifle takes time to gain proficiency. Just need to be patient (and that patience is being rewarded now).
Our approach is in contrast to most other blog networks out there.
8 Responses to BloggyNetwork: Pay per Post vs Flat-Fee
Michael
April 22nd, 2007 at 10:09 pm
You what I love the most about the flat fee model? I don’t go looking to work elsewhere. When I was working for a few pay-per post sites, you always feel like you have to get a certain number of posts out to make enough money to justify the time you’re putting in.
You don’t spend as much time as you should on some posts, because you need to get another one up to keep the cash rolling, when 1 good post can bring in more traffic to a site than 20 “eh” posts. It also means that all of your posts are worth the same amount of money whether you spent 5 minutes on them, or half a day. That model just doesn’t make sense.
Once I started working for Bloggy, I stopped looking at the job boards trying to find a better deal. I feel like a part of Bloggy because I get paid a “salary”, and I get to talk to the bosses on a regular basis. You can’t do that when you’re one of 20 bloggers on a site.
One of the best things I’ve ever done in my life was answering the job post for an “apple blogger” for the Bloggy Network. Things have just been getting better for me ever since.
David
April 23rd, 2007 at 11:50 am
Not to make this a Bloggy Network love-fest, but I agree with Michael. I have had other opportunities, some meaning more cash in my pocket now and I decided to stay with Bloggy Network. I can’t give their business model, and my job satisfaction any higher praise than that.
While it was probably much riskier on Ahmed’s part, I am glad to hear it is working out well.
BloggyNetwork: Pay per Post vs Flat-Fee by Blogging Pro
April 23rd, 2007 at 2:02 pm
[...] Ahmed has posted an interesting behind the scenes look at the payment model for Bloggy Network. It is interesting to note that Bloggy Network is one of the few, nearly only blog networks that pays a flat fee. So when it came to Bloggy Network and our paid bloggers, we never took on a pay-per-post model. I absolutely hate it. Successful blogs produce compelling content. They are insightful, interesting, and require some research. When a person is being paid per post, what motivation does he/she have in producing excellence? A pay per post model, imo, simply encourages people to post as often as you want. Of course there is a certain level of editorial control, but defining requirements is a non-trivial task. It isn’t fun. [...]
Flat Rate Compensation for Network Bloggers at The Blog Herald
April 23rd, 2007 at 3:01 pm
[...] Blog Networks Apr 23, 2007 at 3:01 pm by J. Angelo Racoma – AhmedF over at Tech Soapbox discusses the virtues of paying a flat rate to network bloggers, instead of the usual pay-per-post setup common among most blog networks. He argues that with a flat fee, bloggers are able to focus on creating good content, instead of focusing on quantity because they have to churn out posts according to schedule, usually without adequate time to do the research and without a good topic to work on. [W]hen it came to Bloggy Network and our paid bloggers, we never took on a pay-per-post model. I absolutely hate it. Successful blogs produce compelling content. They are insightful, interesting, and require some research. When a person is being paid per post, what motivation does he/she have in producing excellence? A pay per post model, imo, simply encourages people to post as often as you want. Of course there is a certain level of editorial control, but defining requirements is a non-trivial task. It isn’t fun. [...]
Darren
April 24th, 2007 at 1:00 am
I’ve found bloggers like to know they’re being paid at least a base rate per month too – however I’ve found that there is something to be said for some sort of incentive also.
I don’t personally think ‘per post’ is the right incentive but the challenge is to find another fair way to give them some incentive to go above and beyond. At b5 we have a flat monthly fee plus a traffic/impression bonus (CPM).
We’re tweaked our pay model a number of times since starting (and probably will again) but this is working best for us so far
Interested to know what your base requirements are.
Ahmed
April 24th, 2007 at 1:21 am
As we are smaller (people-wise), there isn’t a standardized system. A system for every blogger. Thats part of our flexibility – we don’t deal with too many bloggers.
In regards to incentives – absolutely. Those are critical imo – a multitude of possible factors for that. I was just thinking that a ‘per post’ incentive sucks
Alex
April 24th, 2007 at 2:55 am
True. Ever since I started blogging under the network, I scrapped all other paid blogging and writing work (part of a gentleman’s agreement with Bloggy too). It’s nice to have a flat sum that you can expect. Bills get paid that way.
Plus, a pay-per-post scheme does put undue pressure to blogger for quality content. Like in the case of LifeSpy, most of the tips I write there need some background research. Some procedural tips, I even actually test and retest to make sure we’re giving out the right tips. Those things take a lot of time.
Am just happy to be blogging under Bloggy.
Pali Madra
April 25th, 2007 at 6:19 am
I hope more entrepreneurs emulate the model followed by Bloggy Networks as flat fee scheme allows writers to write compelling content which increases the usefulness of the blogs amongst the readers.