Play-i: Ready to play, but not ready to pay?

One of the first experiences I ever had with a company that was unwilling to pay for a campaign was with a Silicon Valley based company called Play-i. Remember that anytime a company is trying to get you to write for free, it's a scam for them to get something for nothing and you're the target.

I received the following email from them in November of 2013:

"Hi Alicia,

I love your blog and all the tips for moms you share! I thought you might be interested in hearing about a company that is building robots for children to program. We were covered in publications like Mashable, USA Today, Fast Company, TechCrunch and more last week.

I'm writing from a company called Play-i, Silicon Valley based company that is making computer programming fun and accesible for children as young as 5 years old. We have a prototype ready, and we're launching a crowdfunding campaign to bring the product to market. Check out the robots on our website here!

Children are starting to use technology at a younger and younger age, we are changing the way they relate to technology by empowering them to be creators. Children learn the concepts behind programming in really engaging ways. They can send their robots off on quests, play robo-soccer with their friends, and even compose music. All while learning how to program.

I think your readers will be interested in the story and would love for you to share it. I've attached our press release, and please get in touch if you have any questions!

Best regards,

June"

Blogger Rookie Mistake #1: Falling for Flattery

As a new blogger, you're going to be thrilled when you get those first few emails from "adoring" readers who would like you to suddenly promote something for them. I've got some bad news for you: It's a crock of poo. Your blog might be fan-freaking-tastic, but it doesn't matter. The people sending out these kinds of emails are emailing hundreds of bloggers. They didn't read yours, or anybody else's. Don't feel the need to post for someone because you think that they like you. They just like the thought of getting something free from you.

Blogger Rookie Mistake #2: Thinking Free Posts Will Bring You Readers

Did you see how proud they were to announce their affiliation with those big-name sites like USA Today & TechCrunch? There's a good chance that those publications interviewed them and didn't ask for payment... but that's because those sites all now have a uniquely-written posting that they feel will attract readers via search engines. In other words: Your site isn't going to get discovered by people who are looking for information on this company because they have already been covered by well-known websites. When people Google their company, your blog isn't going to show up at the top of the list. You are not going to get the bulk of those random readers. The most-likely readers of any content you post for free is going to be your current readers, and that is why you have been pitched to. The company needs you for what you can do for them, not the other way around!

Blogger Rookie Mistake #3: Posting a Press Release Without Thinking it Over

Press Release? Hold the phone right there. Let's think about this for a moment. Let's assume that this company has pitched 100 different bloggers (and that is probably a HUGE underestimation). Now we guess that about half of those bloggers refuse to post for whatever reason. The rest of them all agree to post, and before you know it, there are 50 different sites with the EXACT SAME CONTENT posted. This goes against what Google says about duplicate content, and guess what? YOUR site can be penalized for it! But it gets worse! Some bloggers, especially inexperienced ones, don't realize that Google also has rules when it comes to linking. If your site is littered with links that don't have the rel=nofollow coded into them, your site will not only tank in the Google rankings, but Google may remove you from search results altogether. I don't have to tell you why this is very, very bad for any blogger.

My response?

"Hi June,

Our current rate to promote an item which we have not personally reviewed is [rate at the time], which includes two weeks' worth of steady promotion across applicable social media accounts and a unique article on MasterofMom.com.

We also offer an option to have your product reviewed by us, which is only [a super low dollar amount]. This includes three weeks' worth of steady promotion across applicable social media and an article on MasterofMom.com.

Please let me know if you would like to discuss working together to promote your business.

Thanks, and have a great week!"

It was a quick but polite reply from my end - and guess what? I heard back zip from the company. You know why? For all their talk about "loving my blog" and all my tips, they don't give two shakes. They didn't want to work with me, they wanted to use me.

Have you ever received a pitch from Play-i? How did you handle it?

Chat with me in the comments below, I love hearing from my readers!