The Huffington Post writer also described specific brands he’d written about on behalf of one of the agencies, which ranged from a popular ride-hailing app, to a publicly-traded site for booking flights and hotels, to a large American cell phone service provider.
“This is a classic example of payola,” he said of the brand mentions, invoking a term that’s been used to describe radio DJs who accept payments from record companies in order to play certain artists on the air.
Sometimes, this writer said, the agency provides him with a pre-written article, complete with brand mentions, which he then publishes under his byline as though he wrote it himself. Other times, he uses alternate bylines on the same publications — including the Huffington Post — to push out even more content.
I receive an email every week from random gmail accounts asking me to link to certain products for $20-$50. I’ve never done it but they’re targeting even the tiny bloggers like me.
Update: Thought I’d throw this one out there I just received:
Hello Adam,
First, I wanted to say Great Job on your post – https://adamchandler.me/blog/2014/06/20/culinary-soylent-an-introduction/.
I can tell that you did spend a lot of effort on creating this content.
I’m actually the main editor over at Balance Me Beautiful (http://www.balancemebeautiful.com/)
So your post was of particular interest to me as we’ve just recently released an epic blog post on 8 Surprising Vitamin E Oil Benefits for Face and Skin.
While reading your article, I noticed you were linking to a post from en.wikipedia.org on the same topic as my post. Their post is also a great resource, though I would says mine is even more comprehensive and up to date. Plus, I’ve done my research thoroughly – lots of trusted sources in there.
Bottom line, I think a link to my article would make a great addition to your post.
If you agree, and are happy to add the link, I’d be glad to share your post on our social media channels.
This is my article: http://www.balancemebeautiful.com/vitamin-e-oil-benefits-face-skin/
Let me know if you like the idea?
Thanks,
Lily
Editor at Balance Me Beautiful
lilygreene@balancemebeautifulbody.com
No Thanks.