19% of bloggers charge over £250 per blog post

Over a quarter of all blog content is compensated for in some way, with some bloggers charging over £1,000 per post.

The number of full-time bloggers – for whom blogging is their main source of income – has increased 50% year-on-year. While the vast majority of bloggers charge under £250 per post, the 19% who command fees above this reflect a broader professionalisation of the industry, which is fast becoming a recognised career choice.

Professional bloggers earn even more for collaborations, which typically involve multiple blog posts and social media posts. A quarter of bloggers charge over £250 for a full collaboration, with 4% earning over £1,000.

The stats come from the UK Bloggers Survey 2019, the annual report of the blogging industry from Vuelio and Canterbury Christ Church University, which has included pay for the first time. The survey also covers bloggers’ views of their industry, how they’re working with brands and PR, the use of social media and the growth of the ‘supersector’.

‘Supersectors’ – Fashion & Beauty, Lifestyle, Parenting, Food & Drink and Travel – account for around two thirds of all blogs. While three of these supersectors have grown since 2016, Lifestyle and Fashion & Beauty have seen declines, with the latter experiencing a 14% drop over the last two years. The rise of Instagram is probably a factor as these visual-friendly topics have found natural homes on the social platform without the need to have their own blogs.

The supersectors receive more PR pitches for stories than any other category, suggesting they’re key to the growth of influencer marketing, which is already considered to be worth anywhere from $2bn to $10bn. This is reflected in charges for blog posts – Fashion & Beauty and Food & Drink have the biggest proportion of bloggers who charge over £1,000 per blog post.

The survey follows a recent spate of bad press in influencer marketing, with fake followers and non-disclosure two of the biggest issues facing the legitimacy of the industry. A huge majority of bloggers (88%) believe sponsorship disclosure is important for every collaboration but that still leaves a sizeable minority for whom this requirement is not a priority.

Bloggers have also commented on the future of their industry, with almost a quarter (24%) believing that blogs will become driven by advertisers’ needs and nearly half (42%) believing their audiences will become more sceptical of bloggers’ motives.

Download the full survey here. 

Want to work with bloggers, vloggers and influencers? You need the Vuelio Influencer Database – the definitive source of bloggers who accept PR materials in the UK.