They say nothing in life is free.
Except it is, according to the latest guidelines from the Advertising Standards Authority, who want bloggers to start using the hashtag #freebie when an item has been gifted or sent for review purposes.
Using the hashtag #freebie on social media is fair enough, I initially thought, if you have indeed been given a product for free.
Until I thought about it a little harder, and realised itβs not fair enough at all. And I won’t be using the hashtag #freebie.
Why I wonβt be using the hashtag #freebie
Iβm all for being transparent β you will find all my paid-for content clearly labelled β#adβ or β#sponsoredβ at the beginning with a disclosure detailing the nature of the collaboration either within the copy or at the end β but to trivialise a review, which involves testing a product or visiting an experience; writing about it; taking and editing pictures and uploading that content to multiple platforms with the hashtag #freebie is, quite frankly, insulting.
Thereβs nothing free about spending your (valuable) time researching the background of a product or brand in order to write an informed review of it, thereβs nothing free about the time it takes to shoot and edit images and thereβs nothing free about building a brand that results in other brands wanting to send and offer you things for βfreeβ.
As Nell Heshram, who blogs at The Pigeon Pair & Me, puts it in a post on why itβs time for the ASA to treat bloggers and influencers fairly over on the BritMums website, the trouble is these rules are often made by people who have little or no understanding of what it is a blogger actually does.
Of course, this isnβt the first time the ASA has come under fire for how it regulates online content (BritMums quite rightly highlight the glaring contradictions in rules for online and print content, for example) and it wonβt be the last.
In the meantime, I wonβt be using the hashtag #freebie. I think itβs misleading, it undermines what it is a blogger actually does and I think it sets a dangerous precedent: that products or experiences sent in exchange for review are perks, and not part of the job.
Instead Iβll continue to tag my βfreebiesβ with the hashtags #gifted and #review, which I think far better reflect the nature of the content and relationships I have with brands. And Iβll be joining BritMums, who have coined the hashtag #nofreebie. Because, as weβve already established, nothing in life is free.
What do you think? Are you a blogger and how do you feel about the term #freebie? Do you use it, or do you prefer to use another kind of disclosure? I’d love to hear your point of view!
Using #freebie really does undermine what us bloggers do. If it was a freebie we wouldn’t have to even mention it online. Ugh!
I will continue using Ad, Gifted and Review. #MMBC
They obviously have no idea how much work goes into what we do. I won’t be using freebie in my posts.
#MMBC
I’m not a fan of the term freebie, I don’t really do paid for posts but if I receive product to write a giveaway or review then I always write a disclosure at the end about receiving the product free of charge.
~Popping by from #DreamTeam
Couldn’t agree more! A freebie is the little pieces of cheese they give you in Asda. Not something you have to spend hours of your time on photographing, evaluating, writing about & sharing. Time is more precious than money imo!
I could have written this myself! I’m not using it either!
Well said! I won’t be using the hashtag freebie either. It’s completely the wrong term to use for a review post. I think #review is just fine, especially as the blog posts will have the required disclosures in place. Thank for sharing this with the #dreamteam x
Interesting. I’d not thought about it that way but I see your point…#KCACOLS
Totally agree with you Mrs! #Freebie will not be making an appearance on my posts either. Nothing is free, so much hard work goes into promoting a product. It really does undermine what we are all about. x #MMBC
I couldn’t agree more! I work very hard if I am sent something to review. It’s not a freebie its a contadeal where I am buying that product with my time rather than my money! #KCACOLS
I have to agree that I won’t use it either. #Freebie to me means that I am giving away something for free. They’re taking a broad hashtag and putting a label on it. It’s something that already exists in the world and doesn’t mean exactly what they want it to mean. So now I can’t use it for giveaways and I never would have known this had I not read your post. Plus I don’t like all the regulations we’ve been put under like that stupid popup privacy which seems to be across the board for any website I existence. #KCACOLS
I think you capture it perfectly in what you have written here! A review takes a lot of time, effort and actual work! It is not Free Stuff when you work for it! Well written #ABloggingGoodtIme
Iβve always thought this too, but youβve explained it brilliantly. Thank you
So totally true! Bloggers give a lot of time and effort doing a review. So #gifted and #ad are enough for me. #KCACOLS
I honestly couldn’t agree with you more, we spend so much time writing to share a little bit of our passion, I will not be using #freebie! Thank you so much for linking up with us for #KCACOLS and we hope to see you next time.
“freebie” really doesn’t sound very professional either and is a bit misleading. If I saw something with that hashtag I would assume that there was a giveaway or something, a freebie for the reader. All very silly #KCACOLS