Bloggers with Benefits

As blogging becomes a serious profession in India, bloggers are finding means of making money from it

AS she walked out of the high-street store that she had been invited to review, the publicist asked blogger June Biswas why she did reviews for free. "You can earn up to Rs 30,000 a month," the publicist advised. It was not money that had drawn Biswas to the world of fashion blogging two years ago. It was the monotony of her job at an international bank that prompted the move.

Biswas gave blogging a shot even as she continued with her day job. She moved to Pune to handle an Indian fashion label with a social media firm and started blogging in her spare time. The job allowed her to liaise with more brands in exchange for freebies and discounts, in addition to signing an American fashion brand that displays a banner on her blog, paying $10 (around Rs 550) for every click that turns into a sale.

As blogging in India becomes a more serious profession, bloggers are finding means of making money from it. Depending on their focus, popularity and the number of visitors they attract, they are approached by brands with different propositions. Some like Biswas offer to display products of different brands on the blogs, paying them per click. Those who get more visitors can charge a lump sum for displaying banners — anywhere between Rs 10,000 and 35,000 a month. Others like Mumbai-based Manou Manou of 'Wearabout' who often bag shoots for brands and magazines that love his style of photography. In addition to shoots, Delhi-based Santu Misra of 'The Devil Wore', is quite open about charging brands to do advertorials — paid blog posts with personalised photos, text and opinions.

Malini Agarwal, head blogger at 'Miss Malini', is known for her influence in the celebrity circuit, and her readers across the board, which include over 48,000 followers on Twitter and around 25,000 'Likes' on Facebook. Without giving too much away, she revealed to a news magazine that blogging is a business that must pay the bills and her employees' salary. To do this, she charges clients a package that includes a post, promotional tweets and extensive video and photographic coverage of events.

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