Why do people blog things that they're not doing? - Reviews

I seem to see a lot of blog posts that I assumed are sponsored of guides on 'how to' and 'top tips for....' 

'How to pack for holidays'

'Things to do at an airport with kids'

'Pet foods and accessories'

'Home renovations'

I don't have a problem with people writing these posts, although, seriously? just how many guides are there to packing and entertaining kids? I'm guilty of that in the past. Writing posts about experiences in the hope of helping others, but they were relevant to my blog and what I was actually doing.

I regularly receive emails from companies asking me to add a link to a post, publish their written article, or write a post, mention on social media and tag them.

Often the fee for this is £10 - £25 and if you blog you'll know how long it takes to write a post, it's just not worth the money to me. I appreciate for others that any amount can make a huge difference to their income.

A few years ago some bloggers said that these posts undermined the real value of blogging and brought the prices down for others, but there are so many blogs out there, so many accounts on social media to reach so many more people than when blogging and social media started.

The thing though that irritates me the most are the posts written by people who don't actually have kids, aren't having home renovations done, have pets or even go away that write about these topics. It doesn't fit with their blog, usually fashion or baking, but they pop in posts about dog leads and cat food or write about home renovations when they're not having any done, including links to companies that they can't actually vouch for.

I know there are lots of other things I should worry about and I do, but they're for other posts.

I'll never take a recommendation from something I've read online without doing further research. I mean we've recently had a new kitchen and I was approached by a PR company to include a link to a building website I had no experience of and another from a company asking me to tag their kitchens, I didn't buy my kitchen from them, so how could I possible comment? Besides they both were only offering £25 for each post.

Getting blood from a stone

I wrote about volunteer fatigue a week or so ago and took some time off, I was taking on too much. I decided to clear a back log on my 'to do' list which now had sub lists, which was making me feel overwhelmed. Most of my lists involved follow ups with companies and organisations that i had contacted either in person, by email or over the phone. Some were from cold calling but most were recommendations from friends in both the real world and on twitter.

There is only so many times I'm prepared to have the door closed on me before I give up and that's what I've done. I can't get blood out of a stone. there are too many people here asking for donations, money and time, as there are so many causes to support. rape crisis, education, feeding scheme, abandoned babies and the list goes on. I do beg on a regular basis and am quite successful at relocating unwanted items from people, clothes, unused stationery, but what I can't get is a cash injection to fund things properly. I've applied for nearly every grant going. the small companies support their staff's interests, the larger companies have an application you must apply to, with a response that usually reads 'sorry applications for this year are now closed' It's so frustrating.
I've approached companies for product reviews, toys, toiletries, but it seems they don't want their brands associated with townships and poverty.

Companies and organisations want more than a few tweets, RTs and a blog post, despite the fact I get 9000 hits a month. The big companies invest in the big charities, not in the likes of me, the one actually on the ground, the one making changes in peoples lives on a daily basis, the one who actually sees and witnesses the devistation of how an armed robbery victim looks or the amazing transformation to someones life from giving away a pair of shoes or providing a disabled child with a pushchair or seeing the excitement on a Childs face when you give them their first ever christmas present.

I just need a foot in the door, I can't do anymore than what I'm doing now without a bit of investment.

If anyone has any suggestions, I'd be grateful.