I was watching, and this is rare for me, Net@nite and Leo was telling Amber how Sony offered him $2000 to send out one tweet (one!) on a certain date. Leo didn’t see the email in time, so he didn’t send it. I gather the offer came from Ad.ly where Leo said he signed up for an account and set his cost per tweet very high, just so he could check out the service.
This got me thinking so I queried my Twitter followers:
Would you send out a single tweet for $2000? Clearly marked as an ad, for a company? Discussion @ambermac & @leolaporte @twitlive
and
Extension to this. If I sent out one paid tweet a day, would you unfollow me?
about 5 hours ago from TweetDeck
What I got back was very interesting…(reverse order, of course):
OnlineStrategy: Earlier today @trishussey initiated a good dialogue about Twitter ads. Here’s my take: http://ow.ly/VToz
jonjennings: @trishussey Wait, if you’re sending me $2K tweets then I want something in it for me. Fund a party + we’re OK. @hummingbird604 @johnbiehler
Miristee: @trishussey Yes I would unfollow.
shanegibson: @trishussey I think if their product and values are in line with you then it’s okay.
bbluesman: @trishussey yeah too bad we all ahve that 3 meal a day habit huh?
DebNg: @trishussey I wouldn’t unfollow you for one sponsored tweet. If all your tweets were spammy and paid links,I’d probably do so.
tamar: @trishussey i don’t think paid tweets are bad if you’re tweeting about something 1. interesting to you AND 2. interesting to your followers
DixonTam: .@trishussey One paid tweet a day is unintrusive. More than that, I would consider unfollowing. Tweet should clearly indicate it’s sponsored
shaicoggins: @trishussey Hey, Tris. How’re you? Congrats on the book. & on the Q: Depends on what I’m Tweeting. If I’m cool w/the msg, then *maybe*.
digitalkvan: @trishussey I have done paid tweets and have not had any “drama” from them including unfollows
KaerusGrp: @trishussey @ambermac @leolaporte @twitlive I believe I probably might as long as your doing it with full disclosure….tough call.
yurechko: @trishussey for $2k, I’d do it. For $200 I’d probably do it
digitalkvan: @trishussey Have you read this? http://www.shoemoney.com/2009/10/20/how-to-make-15000-00-in-1-month-just-by-tweeting/
wildsheepchaser: @trishussey “The trouble with drawing lines in the sand, is that they are so easily erased.”
gmarkham: @trishussey Paid tweets/sponsored/ads don’t bother me as long as overall value of the stream remains high.
ianiv: @trishussey Plus I already enter contests via tweets which are like ads and those don’t even guarantee I get anything back
duzins: @trishussey no, but anyone else, yeah…
ianiv: @trishussey I’d feel dirty, but for $2k I might do it. potentially loose some followers in exchange of mrtg payment?
bbluesman: @trishussey If we asked you for money one tweet a day would you unfollow us?
wildsheepchaser: @trishussey hell yes, but nobody is looking to me as authoritative voice on anything either, and I think that matters.
digitalkvan: @trishussey yes I would and have! I have also used these companies to run campaigns with great success
shanegibson: @trishussey depends what company.
duzins: @trishussey depends on the company and the ad copy…
What this tells me is that Twitter is reaching maturity and acceptance as something that takes time and adds value to people’s lives. The same thing happened with blogging not so long ago, and with pretty much the same sentiment. Ads are okay as long as it’s not over the top, reputable, and doesn’t interfere with the content.
There will always be people on Twitter, just like there are blogs, who’s sole purpose in life is to generate ad revenue. There are other folks, like me, who work hard, try to enrich the larger pool of knowledge, but also like to eat and have a home. I’m not at a point where I feel I have to stop using Twitter because I need to earn money. Twitter is an integral part of me earning money. It’s one of the key ways I use to promote myself, my books, my classes, and my work.
It’s tough to say what my number is. I did, out of pure curiosity, sign up with Ad.ly and set my price pretty high (much higher than their “recommended” amount). Regardless of whether or not I do take an advertiser up on their offer, I am very curious to see if I’m offered anything at all.
How can an advertiser evaluate any individual Twitter user? I’m not a celebrity, so there isn’t that kind of draw. I occasionally am caught saying something smart or witty (I said occasionally) and I have a fair number of followers with good engagement. I think I’d be a good bet for some tech product or service. I’ll just have to wait and see if any advertiser thinks I’m worth it. Which, ironically, is actually putting a price on you my readers and followers. They aren’t paying money for me, they are paying for your attention.
As I said, this is a good discussion to have. We need to just hash these things out. It’s new territory and like ads on blogs before, people are going to make mistakes, but that’s okay. It shouldn’t cost us. Much.
(Apologies to Dire Straights)
