This is the week blogger outreach goes on trial.

In just a few days, an estimated 1,500 women will gather in Chicago for BlogHer, the mega-conference for women of the Web. And while there are sure to be countless topics for discussion, you can expect one to eclipse all others:

How should bloggers — most notably mom bloggers — be compensated by marketers?

This is a topic that has sparked heated debate for months (if not years), but it’s sure to come to a head this week as some of the largest brands and most influential Web personalities meet at the social media Mecca that is BlogHer. (Not to mention pending government regulations on how bloggers and marketers can work together.)

I should note I’m not exactly neutral party here. I’ve reached out to bloggers many times for coverage, product reviews, giveaways and more. More often than not, I don’t offer to pay these bloggers. This is a personal stance, one that likely lingers from my years in journalism and surely has cost me some potential coverage. But I believe (however naively) that paying for reviews and similar coverage usually creates more trouble than it’s worth.

That said, I’m constantly looking for ways to make our relationships with bloggers more rewarding, and yes, that includes finding ways to get them paid. I assure you this isn’t hypocritical; I’m happy to pay for projects where it’s obvious that money has exchanged hands (free-lance writing gigs, involvement in promotional events, etc), just not for product sampling that’s intended to spark earnest feedback. I also try to route client money to places where it can help the most people possible, most notably through event sponsorships that help bloggers get together, have fun and share what they've learned.

As you can tell, these aren’t easy decisions to make for people in marketing, and it’s about 1,000 times more complicated for the bloggers themselves.

Last month, Lucretia Pruitt wrote a hard-hitting blog post on GeekMommy’s WebLife called “Why mom bloggers aren’t flipping for just a sample of your product.” It pretty soundly eviscerated marketers who aren’t willing to pay for giveaways:

Here’s an excerpt:

That’s what keeps repeatedly being asked of us.  “Will you work for free?” And for many of us, the answer is now becoming “well no - I’ve got this other company over here who is offering to compensate me for the same work and isn’t treating me as if being a blogger and/or a mom somehow made me lose my business skills and common sense.” Because seriously?

Yes, I love helping my readers experience new things and potentially win something… but I’m not going to be the only person working for free in this equation.

Yeah you there offering me this wonderful opportunity for my readers?  Are *you* getting paid?  Or do you just do that PR & marketing gig out of the goodness of your heart because you love it so?

I’m a big fan of Lucretia’s, so it was especially tough to read a post where she’s essentially vilifying people like me. But I’m the first to admit it’s a conversation that needs to be had. And it sounds like BlogHer is where it will all come to a head. (I would go into my own opinions on the matter, but we'll save that for another day, perhaps for my presentation at the Type A Mom Conference in September.)

In an Advertising Age video posted today, BlogHer Co-Founder Elisa Camahort Page outlines her blog network’s rules on disclosure and separating your “real blog” from your “review blog” — guidelines that some high-profile writers have criticized as being onerous and micromanaged.

You can expect some of these policies — along with a litany of other real-world dilemmas — to be hot-button issues throughout many of the BlogHer panels.

A few questions that are likely to come up quite a bit:

• If bloggers feel they should be paid, how much is fair? Who sets the pricing, the marketer or the blogger?
• How much money does a successful blogger make in a year?
• Do you need a “PR FRIENDLY!” button on your blog? If you’re “PR hostile,” do you need a button for that?
• Should you have a standard policy for reviews and giveaways? If so, where should it live on your site?
• What happens if you’re paid for a review and it’s not positive? Do brands appreciate the constructive criticism? Or do they take their ball and go home?
• If you’re not paid for a giveaway, how do you make it worth your time?
• Are there long-term benefits to working with marketers that make it worth writing about their products unpaid?
• How do readers react when you switch from unpaid to “sponsored” content? Do they notice? Do they care?

What about you? What would you ask the experts, brand evangelists, Twitterati, social media marketers and mom mavens who will be headlining BlogHer? Be sure to share your questions (or answers) in the comments.

Photo credit: 4PIZON on Flickr.

Comments

[Bruce Christensen]

I wish that I knew the answer to this dilemma...
We are currently stressing over which way to approach the Mommy Blog group, because our testing indicates that they are our best target. And I can't afford to get this wrong!

I am trying very hard to play by the proper rules and to be fair with them and with me.

I hope that someone publishes the varying sides of the argument, following BlogHer.

It would be nice to have some clear guidelines..

[Mindy]

Oh, now I REALLY wish I were going to BlogHer, if only for this reason. I can't afford to go, alas, because I am not paid to blog. Sound familiar?

I've been around a long time - started in 2002 (and was there stuffing binders in Elisa's apartment for the very first BlogHer conference) - and am often approached for giveaways, reviews, and mentions, though I don't really have a "review" blog. Generally, if it is something I do use, would use, have discovered I love using, or think my readers would love, I'll talk about it in the context of my own family life. Or I'll mention it in the Site of the Day section.

I know that PR companies go to a lot of trouble and expense to reach out to us, and that it is not always rewarding. It's tough to contact hundreds of bloggers and get the name right in each personalized email (I'm being serious), tough to strike the right tone, tough to decide whether to inform the blogger of your product's existence with an offer to sample it, or to ask for action on the blogger's part.

If I receive the "info" type of email, I'll look at the product and feature it if I think it's awesome. If it's not something I'd use or is a little outside my demographic, I may just delete the email. Or, I might flag the email with good intentions but never quite get around to doing something about it.

There are times when I do the math and wish that some of the cash that went into the effort could have come to me, but then again I have a policy of not taking money for reviews. Advertisers who purchase space in my sidebars can say what they like, and I will continue doing my thing in the body. There is a definite demarcation between the two, and they do not mix. The Site of the Day is a compromise but still subject to my personal preference.

I'll offer advice if you like, and will happily vet any outreach strategy, and will happily accept a consulting fee but not be part of the outreach. That seems to be the stance with the most integrity. I can help craft it or I can review it, but not both. And there's a very good chance that many excellent PR efforts will fail at my doorstep simply because I have no idea what to do with the product, or simply do not have the time to devote to pro bono advertising for businesses.

(Btw, I am cross-posting this on my blog - it's an important issue and hopefully readers will have brilliant insight!)

[Sean]

Ok, in a perfect world there would only be unbiased commentary on all products and services. The reality is that nothing is free from bias. As a reader you have to use your own best judgment. If a blogger recommends a product and it turns out to be crap, that will only hurt the blogger's brand and influence. A good blogger should get something in return, but be careful of what they endorse.

[Louise Armstrong]

I am really looking forward to reading the updates from Blog Her and enjoy reading your take on the issues. It seems to me that some of the mommy bloggers who are upset didn't have time to learn the difference between PR, marketing and advertising before they started getting inundated with requests. As you know, in PR (at least traditionally), our coverage, be it positive or negative, is earned, not bought. Paying for space is the realm of the advertising world. Perhaps these rules are changing and that is fine but all that is required is some honesty about what people are and are not comfortable with. We have great relationships with many bloggers here in Toronto reaching a variety of audiences including moms, fashionistas, beauty junkies, etc. They are all professional and up front about their expectations. Some are adamant that they won't do anything without payment and others never ask for money. They cover what they're interested in and politely decline the rest. All approaches are fine as long as you articulate it. I'm not sure why it needs to become a huge discussion.

[Igor Sauna]

The reality is that nothing is free from bias. http://en.newdosug.ru As a reader you have to use your own best judgment.

[Ken Prevo]

Interesting, I think a mom/blogger should be paid for her time. Without their opinions on services and products where would moms, women or men get advice or opinions on new services and products that they have not tried!