Choosing Ads for the FWJ Network

As the Freelance Writing Jobs community grows in popularity and network, the task of monetizing becomes a lot more difficult. This network of blogs does well  with Adsense and some other clicky type ads, but it’s not enough to keep us running. The good news is that more advertisers are seeking us out for their ads. The bad news is that I’m often torn between my need to pay our bloggers and techie and keep this network going, and my dislike for places that don’t pay writers a livable wage.

I’m always asked if I turn away advertisers and, also, how I choose the ads displayed at FWJ. Since I received a flurry of advertising questions over the weekend, I thought I’d answer them here.

Yes, I’ve Turned Away Sponsors

I’ve turned down quite a few sponsors because I didn’t appreciate the way they treated their workers. I have to tell you though, it tore me apart to do so. When you run a business and you need to pay the bills, you don’t want to discourage a revenue. It takes six to eight hours  each day to write for and maintain FWJ, plus the bloggers who work here have families to feed. Sometimes I’ve taken ads from places I wouldn’t work for myself, but that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t work out well for other members of this community. Keep in mind I only choose places with a good reputation, even if I don’t always approve of their pay rates. If they have a history of treating writers poorly, I pass.

How I Choose Ads for this Network

Some people might consider me a hypocrite for choosing some ads, while not allowing others. For instance, I’ve allowed advertisements from some residual-based websites. If you know me, you know I don’t much care for residual based websites because I don’t think many of them ofter a livable wage.  Before I approve an advertiser, I research his track record. I look online, I talk to other writers, I might even give them a phone call. If they can convince me the majority of their writers are earning a good living, I’ll allow their ads.

I choose ads from places with a good reputation. If a majority of the writers in this community work for some of these places and have a good experience, I may choose their ad from their recommendation even if I don’t agree with the pay. In the upcoming weeks you may see an ad here from a popular residual based network. I spoke on the phone with their people and they assured me the majority of their writers receive a livable wage each month. The average reported monthly earnings for their writers convinced me to allow their ads.

The Ethics of Choosing Advertisers

I try to be ethical about who advertises here and who doesn’t. Sometimes I receive emails from people who question why certain ads are here. It’s tough to explain my reasons to others, especially the folks who don’t want to “get it”.

I allow ads if I:

• Feel it’s a good place for brand new writers to get their start
• Feel they treat their writers well
• Feel it’s a place offering a positive experience to writers – especially writers who are just starting out.

I don’t allow ads if:

• They’re scammy
• The majority of their writers don’t earn a livable wage
• They’re scammy
• There’s just no way I can personally endorse them.

Do I choose ads with my readers in mind? I try to. There might be an advertiser I’m not sure about but if members of my community use them and swear by them I’ll go with the ad. I also look for the places that offer writers a good beginning, even if I wouldn’t personally use them.

I want to thank everyone who took the time to write me to ask about advertismeents on FWJ. I hope I answered all of your questions.