Kris Krug pinged me this morning with this article by Will Pate (formerly of GoodBasic now Raincity Studios)-- A New Model for Paid Blogging | Raincity Studios.
 
I'll be frank, I'm not enthused about his proposed pricing model.  I think the price per post is too low and the linking bonuses could be hard to track.  Personally, I would take less per post only if I were getting a percentage of the sales for an e-commerce site, or maybe some other performance bonus, but the effective price per post has to be worth my time effort and expertise.Blog Ads by Chitika
 
Despite this lack of enthusiasm for the pricing model, Will does explain the professional blogger value proposition pretty well from his introduction:
Blog publishing has lowered the barrier for businesses to start their own publication. Whether you're looking to publish your own news, establish your company as a firm of experts, engage in a conversation with your customers and colleagues or raise your profile for key topics in search engines the costs are so low that it can make economic sense for many businesses.
 
You can do the writing yourself, but to really benefit from a blog you must publish as frequently as you can. Let's face it, how many businesspeople really need another distraction? Sometimes hiring a paid blogger to write blog copy for you can help you benefit from blog publishing without distracting you from your real job.The upside of hiring a paid blogger to write for your company is that you can (for now) pay below traditional copywriting rates. The cost per word goes down because it's on the web, the articles are shorter and there isn't editorial review.
Blog Ads by ChitikaThis is exactly the professional blogger value proposition.  ProBloggers can quickly and cost effectively seed your blog with top-notch content.  There is nothing worse, IMHO, than a business blog that starts off with a few great posts in the first week and then people discover their "real jobs" have been suffering and stop posting.  Before you know it a couple weeks have flown by and the blog has lost momentum.  A ProBlogger, though, will make sure that you have new content each and every week.  I don't agree that ProBloggers should be paid below traditional writing/freelance journalist rates, that doesn't fly with me--or some other ProBloggers I know-- but, hiring a ProBlogger still it is cost effective way to increase content on your blog while also letting your employees do their work, and blog, too.

Qumana Services can provide you and your company with:
  • Blog strategy
  • Blog consultation/training/coaching/mentoring
  • Blog setup and customization (using the blogging platforms Blogware, Bryght, and others)
  • Professional blog writing services on virtually any topic

If you are interested in a blog for your company contact Tris (tris AT qumana DOT com) or Arieanna (arieanna AT qumana DOT com) for a free half hour consultation.


 
 
[Also published on View from the Isle]
 
Tris Hussey is the Chief Blogging Officer for Qumana Software and Managing Director of Qumana Services.  He can be reached at tris AT qumana DOT com or tris AT trishussey DOT com.
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