Reality of a Full Time Blogger

Reality of a Full Time Blogger

• 7.02.2018

This would probably be my most unpopular opinion post to date because i'm sharing a "taboo" topic here, most people would assume i am a full time blogger, social media influencer or whatever fancy title people label us with these days, i wasn't until recently as i left my full time job (yes i have a proper job and life or else who pays my bills) to come to Japan and start a new life here. I still do some part time projects thanks to my freelance clients and blogging on the side before i start my new job end of this year. There are many unspoken things about the blogging industry or even if it does gets mentioned one would immediately be hushed or labeled as a demanding attention seeker. 

Though i've practice the art of just complaining and letting things slide after that because there is no point of harboring such negativity in your life but who knows this post may shed some light into all those ridiculous assumptions/ perspective people have of bloggers. 

Probably need to change this photo because it's the face that looks like i never worked in an office before pfftt.. No wonder people don't take me seriously  😒

Myth 1 : We are all rich & don't have a full time job

Well, for most of them who managed to make this gig their rice bowl, good for them but they too have their fair share of struggles especially when the dough doesn't come in on time or they start losing out to younger and more potential influencers. And the saddest part about them is that they spent their entire early working years just on their social media meaning they don't have any proper working experience to get themselves hired out there in an office job, it's literally a dead end "career" to be even considering about UNLESS you managed to become a prominent figure before your youth days are over just like modeling. 

There are some of us who still struggle to maintain to full time job while pursuing our passion in writing/ creating contents and it isn't necessarily about the glamorous life of getting invited to events, travels, etc. We don't stay with our parents, nor they pay for our petrol or food (unless you eat at home) we are full functioning adults with RESPONSIBILITIES. 

That's why i cringe everytime when someone tells me they want to be a full time blogger because the life seems fun and rewarding when in reality it's just like every other job, it needs EFFORT and  PROPER PLANNING, without it don't even think it will get you far.

Times has indeed changed from 10 years ago when people were new to the internet, before it became widely available to all, those who started during that period definitely hit jackpot and are now known as the pioneer internet celebrities of today, you guys already know and follow a few of them as they used to (or still do) work with agencies like Nuffnang (are these guys even still a thing?)

As a person who's recently out of a full time job it gets very stressful to see the numbers in your bank account shrink weekly, just because i'm married doesn't mean i have to rely on my husband for all my expenditures, i don't believe in "His money is my money" concept, not sure which crazy lady came out with that in the first place. That's why i'm still taking up whatever projects i can get, even though i'm supposed to be resting with my current condition. 

 Myth 2 : We get paid for every posting

IF THIS WAS TRUE, i would be a millionaire or billionaire by now and own multiple houses in Malaysia without breaking a sweat because all i need to do is post a selfie with the product and upload it with the client's hashtag LOL. Joke of the day indeed. 

There are definitely some paid ones, but most of them are self crafted contents to build our readership and engagement and all these effort means money coming out of our OWN pockets to get props, hire a professional videographer or photographer, rent a studio, invest in proper lighting equipment or even purchasing products to be featured.  That's the reality of how things work, all those assumption you have is just based on what you guys have observed on the surface but not below it. 

Definitely a small potato can't demand for payment but a token of appreciation (angpao) is definitely appreciated! But everyone starts from somewhere, i remember the days where i slaved in front of my laptop churning out blogposts daily to grow my numbers, had so many brands telling me my numbers weren't impressive enough until 5 years later i've managed to reach the benchmark where i can demand for certain amount of payment for my services. It isn't easy, i lost most boyfriends over the years due to stress and depression, neglecting them as my blog came first until i realized everything in life needs to be balanced. Yes i still do struggle now to keep up with the younger ones but then again my blog is no longer my first priority in life, my husband, Mariko and lil penguin is. 

And im grateful to all my returning readers after all these years who still support my content silently, thank you!

You know, trying to get a paid gig by brands isn't easy unless you have an agent constantly pushing your profile out there of course they get a bigger slice of the pie for the job done but the key is getting more clients to sell yourself higher in the future. 

Everyday we receive emails from random brands or agencies looking to advertise products but whenever we give them a quotation with a solid proposal they'll just go cold on your email (no courtesy to reply back, celaka) or say that they don't have budget to pay us when in reality we know where all the budget went to "IG influencers", it's like bloggers don't deserve to get paid at all, it's really disappointing especially when blog contributes back to their SEO and everyone uses google these days. 

It's like writing a 700-1000 words blogpost is so easy, anyone can do it so why should i pay you?

Makes you definitely want to b*tch slap the person, even during your college days writing a simple report already makes you want to vomit blood, how about the us bloggers le?

Think we do not need to crack our head for writting ideas, take nice photos and edit them before posting ka?

There are some cases when we do agree to work on mutual basis meaning i don't get paid for it but in return the products is something i need, so let's collaborate. 

Some clients are nice, some are plain difficult even if it's a mutual collaboration, they'll get so demanding making you edit countless of times and micromanage every single thing. 

It came to a point i had to tell them off politely and made sure to list everything out for my future clients so that i don't get stressed out over something that isn't my fault. It's not you, it's just them taking advantage of your kindness. 

Myth 3: We get sponsored for everything

From travel, food, clothes, make up, household furniture and appliances, etc ..like i said in the first 2 myths, only a handful gets that kind of privilege. I know so many others out there who creates better content than them but don't get noticed by brands because their numbers of followers don't hit the 100k mark despite healthy engagements. 

Most of us still have to buy our own products, we don't get everything sponsored la and if we do i don't have to fork out a single cent for my expenditures, i can just go around demanding for sponsorship. Sounds silly alright, the world doesn't owe you anything darling. 

Getting sponsored doesn't mean it's free to be honest, the brand still expects some sort of advertising form from you in return like a shout out or a blogpost (read back Myth 2 on mutual collaboration). 

Myth 4:  We only write good things because we are paid to

This is a tricky one here, yes there are many bloggers out there so practically swears by every tom, dick and harry product sent to their doorstep whether paid or not that's one of the reasons why i always tell people to read stuff online with a pinch of salt because at the end of the day you as a consumer can only tell if it's suitable for you or not. 

It's not hard for us bloggers to say no if the product is bad, to me i prefer to keep it neutral because "hey, might not work for me but it might work for you, who knows?" UNLESS it's a really terrible products then i would warn my readers to stay away from it at all cost. Not worth wasting your hard earned money. 

Writing reviews is simple as a person being honest or a liar, it's where your integrity lies (no pun intended lol). You can pay me as much money as you want, but you can't buy over my integrity because i don't want to be held accountable for bad products shared under false pretense. That's why i'm really careful with who i work with and made sure that the items are safe with the brands allowing me to speak my mind freely instead of controlling every single word being posted. 

It's hard to be honest and still get paid for it, really it is because everyone thinks that money can buy flattery but to some of us with stronger morales that's not the case.


Myth 5:  ..........

Okay i ran out of ideas already will probably update later if i remember any lol, okay there i've ranted enough for today, wasted one day feeling awful when i'm supposed to be drafting my other happy blogposts. Guess i'll start that tomorrow instead. For now this is my first entry for July, not some time reflection post but cold hard reality slap. 

XOXO,