Is Free Advertising on the Internet Really Free?

When you place an ad in a newspaper, buy a radio spot, or have a commercial appear on TV, those communication mediums expect to be paid for providing that service.

When writers submit an article to a brick and mortar publication, they are hoping that the publisher will agree to publish their article, and will compensate the writer accordingly. If the publication isn't well known, they might pay the writer in contributors' copies. Other larger publications are willing to pay money, if they agree to publish your writing.

How did the Internet, become a place where the expectation is that writers will submit their articles for free publication?

While many things can now be done automatically, those tasks still take some time to get them set up correctly. I've often had to look at the things I'm promoting additional times, just to make sure the price has stayed the same, or that the bonuses being offered haven't changed from my last visit there.

Whatever happened to the concept that "Time is Money?" When did things change so drastically?

I wonder how we've strayed so far, from that old philosophy "That there are no free lunches." Many Affiliate Marketers don't receive any money for the programs we're working hard to promote, until a customer actually buys the product. It's now not only recommended, it's almost expected that writers will willingly submit their articles for free publication, and we're told to submit them to as many places as possible. That free advertising, might benefit the website owner if after reading my promotional article, potential customers, go to that website and buy that product. Then maybe I'll have earned my first commission.

I spent time and effort in my writing, revising, and proofreading my article in trying to promote that product. I may have spent time researching the subject before my fingers even hit the keyboard. If the buyer later requests a refund, for the product they purchased, I may not get that commission at all.

Many Article Directories, don't allow affiliate links to be placed in the body of the articles we're writing. It seems I'm making my potential customers take a few extra steps. If my article has attracted the attention of potential customers, then I think they would prefer to be able to go directly to the web site, to take a look at what I'm promoting. Instead they hopefully find the link I've included in my Author Resource Box, or they need to go to my blog, find the link from there, and then proceed to the look at the product I've been trying to promote to them all along.

I can understand that publishers don't want articles that look like nothing more than just a longer written advertisement that are just filled with promotional links. What I don't understand, is why the publishers, don't set some limits. Allow something like one to three links, within the body of each article. That would allow affiliate marketers to directly include that promotional link, within the body of their articles, without overdoing it. That would allow the potential customers, to immediately view the product, right after reading the article about it.

People selling products, and wanting others to buy those products is not a new concept. But the Internet is still a new form of communication, in comparison to newspapers, radio and TV. Perhaps the Internet which is still a young and growing communication medium, needs to take a lesson from those more experienced areas of newspapers, radio stations and TV. While I can appreciate the potential future value I might get from submitting my writing for free publication now, the future is promised to no one. Even if my writing were to become more widely read, and my by-name recognition increases, that is no guarantee that my earnings will drastically increase as well in the future.

Maybe we need to get back to that concept, that "Time is Money" and "That there are no free lunches." I've read that only a very small percentage of Affiliate Marketers actually make any money, from their efforts. Perhaps when more people realize, how much time and effort an Affiliate Marketer might put into promoting just one product, or the efforts writers put into writing a good article about the products we're trying to promote, then maybe they'll be a higher percentage of successful Affiliate Marketers than there appear to be today.