Recreating the Good Life - Press


Blog of the Month

Halfway through the second series of the Good Life, Jerry comes up with a way to help the Goods get some free stuff. When a journalist wants to interview them and write an article on their alternative lifestyle, Jerry persuades them to endorse local businesses in return for things they can use (or things that Jerry can use!).

The whole plan backfires when it turns out that the article is going to appear in a small local newspaper rather than the national press, as Jerry has envisaged, but now that we have the internet, social networking and a media clamouring for articles on people who are going green, it should be much easier to cash in.

It’s certainly true if you have a blog or website of any standing (i.e. one which has been around a while, had good content and a regular supply of visitors) – companies may come knocking at your door to offer you goods to review, or want to rent advertising space from you. It pays to be clear with your readership what form of deals you have accepted, though, as nothing turns people off quicker than obvious advertorials that don’t offer honest opinions or are off-topic. You should also be careful which advertisers you get into bed with – spammy adverts for things like fake degrees are disturbing, and off-topic adverts just annoying. It has to be said, though, that unless your website is about high revenue items like insurance or gadgets it’s hard to make money from advertising unless your site is extremely popular. Many website owners go for Google Adsense, which is highly respected, easy to use and provides context-sensitive adverts.

If you want to be in the mainstream media then you’ll need to keep an eye out for (usually unpaid) opportunities. BBC Countryfile Magazine currently has a ‘blog of the month’ featuring blogs on suitable topics, and a mention there could get you a lot of readers. Established gardening bloggers regularly contribute to the Guardian Gardening Blog in return for a high-profile link to their site.

If you have a self-sufficiency story to tell (especially if you gave good photos) then pitch it to Home Farmer magazine. Permaculture Magazine accepts articles on a wide range of permaculture-related topics, and barters for magazine copies or books.

To really make it into the big media leagues, though, it pays to be ancient. 2008 was the year of the Green Granny – with everyone from Oxfam, the Daily Mail and The Evening Standard running features on various eco-friendly OAPs.

Articles in the ‘Recreating the Good Life series’:
Recreating the Good Life: Cash Crops
Recreating the Good Life: Energy
Recreating the Good Life: Food Waste and Chickens
Recreating the Good Life: Pigs and Barter
Recreating the Good Life: Press

Posted 19 February 2010, 11:16.
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