Why Bloggers Are Under-Appreciated

I started blogging back in 2014 after completing work experience with a few companies who suggested that if I wanted to become a journalist, I had to do something to show my future employers that I was keen and not just being lazy – skip forward to today and here is my blog, Trafotoz.

I have bought several templates (which by the way were far from cheap), changed my platform a few times and changed the niche of my blog. Finally, I am now happy with it and hope my readers are too. So can the myth that bloggers are lazy please stop. Here is why:

That Google search image at the top...type 'Why bloggers' into your search bar and see what you get. I have mixed feelings about what came up. "Fail...stupid...?" Gosh, that makes us feel greatttt *sigh*

The thing is, I reckon bloggers are under-rated. Not your bloggers like Tanya or Zoella, but people like you and me who gain nothing from doing product reviews. Yes, having some feedback is great but sometimes people will just read it and not bother commenting which kinda sucks, right? Where did the good old days go where everyone would comment on everyone’s blog and companies would thank you for taking your own time to write the post?

Imagine this: You have been sitting down for hours and potentially spending days writing a blog post. You are finally happy with it and you share it on social media. On average, I would say per blog post I can get anywhere between 500-700 views in a day for one post. Two years ago, I would have gotten 100 if I were lucky – doesn’t that show how hard I have worked on my content? Yes, there are bloggers out there who get far less and also far more than me but that’s not the point.

THIS IS…

You then see a product review like the one you JUST posted and you click on it. They have been PAID to do it, they have so many comments and shares and the company even thanks them which further promotes their blog (and the company). Us? We may have influenced a couple of people to buy a product but that doesn’t mean we should be under appreciated because we have not been paid. If anything, it’s a more reliable source, right? We have nothing to gain or lose by writing a s*** review.

To back up what I just said, according to Technorati’s Digital Influence Report, bloggers are in the top five sources of trustworthy information (which includes a parent or a friend). Meaning if bloggers are saying good things about the company or their products, their readers may actually act on it...which means money for them.

Basically, it makes you feel useless. ‘Why would anyone look at my blog when this person is doing the same as me but being endorsed by the company?’ ‘Their blog looks so much better than mine’, etc. It isn't all about the money but it is a big part of it sometimes. It feels weird saying I am a blogger simply because I am not a well-known one.

Having a blog (believe it or not) is time-consuming. It takes effort, time, passion, creativity and a whole bunch of ideas. Please, please correct me if I’m wrong but I think everyone has this concept of if you’re not watching a vlog, it probably doesn’t matter. ‘You didn’t sit down and speak in front of a camera, you didn’t edit it (which isn't true)…and now you actually have to read this post…blah blah blah’.

I love both vloggers and bloggers and have nothing against them nor Tan and Zoe who I mentioned above. I have made so many friends online through Blog Chats on Twitter (@GRLPOWRCHAT) but my opinion, we are underappreciated. I also believe the smaller vlog channels are also underappreciated but I only blog so couldn’t really comment. The positives are definitely a plus and it's really what keeps us motivated.

I hope this wasn't too moany! What do you think?