Why I No Longer Write For Forbes.com
This past week, Forbes let me know that I will no longer be a contributor. Everything ends, of course, I just thought the reason here would be because of intermittent publishing or inconsistency with the Oxford comma. Apparently, though, it’s because I work in marketing. If one works in marketing I learned via an email on Monday, one shouldn’t write about marketing.
From the deputy editor: “Every year we evaluate our contributor network, reviewing a variety of factors in an effort to ensure all current contributors meet the rules and standards, some of which were implemented after you were brought on to the platform. Among those is a policy against recruiting anyone whose work touches marketing, as it can come with a built-in conflict of interest, or the appearance of one. It could create a conflict of interest.”
A conflict of interest? I know it’s a credible, national magazine, but c’mon. On the home page the other day was “Five Stunning Portuguese Cities To Visit After Lisbon.”
The truth is, I’ve loved writing for Forbes.com. Nearly 10 years ago, I started this column about creativity in marketing, publishing more than 100 pieces on topics from work in market and digital marketing to content strategy and career wisdom. I’ve shared insights and ideas, interviews of business leaders and entrepreneurs, lists of marketing classes, and proprietary frameworks. Two articles broke 20,000 unique views, and I’m proud of dozens of others.
The publishing experience has refined my interviewing and writing skills. While it’s a self-directed platform, on which contributors can publish at will, I received occasional guidance on writing style, journalism ethics, and best practices. Thank you Jenny, Katherine, Annabel, Glenda, Samantha, and Vicky.
Money? Forbes.com currently offers a modest payment to writers who post a certain volume. Write five pieces in a month, that’s $250.00. Write seven, it’s $500.00. In 2020, I hit the $250 threshold several times and the $500 bonanza one month, earning a total of $1,250.00 from Forbes. For me, the extra income helped cover costs of personal projects. Each piece I write takes about 10 hours of time. At $50 per article, that’s $5 an hour. Yeah, we don’t do this for the money.
Then was that surprise email: “Here at Forbes, we periodically review our contributors in an effort to ensure that all are aligned with our editorial strategy. Much has changed about Forbes recently, including the direction of our contributor network, and as we shift our strategy, I’m sorry to say we feel as though our platform is no longer the best home for your work.”
Oh.
The platform of Forbes has also had professional perks, and I am grateful for the experience and the halo of its hallowed SEO. Search my name, and articles here are 50% of the results. But I’m also a stickler for execution of any plan, including how we communicate with customers, employees, media, investors or any other stakeholder — including freelance writers on which a business model may increasingly depend. This exit strategy with writers is clearly not well thought out, and if you’ve worked in advertising or other areas of marketing, you know that can be commonplace.
I published a version of this on Forbes.com on the last day as a contributor. It was quickly taken down after I tweeted it. I wasn’t surprised, but I hope I made a point. (I must have since the section editor didn’t return my email asking what happened, but did view my Linkedin profile.)
I hope the articles remain available and useful, and that people will enjoy the many good contributors on Forbes.com who meet the latest criteria. I know you’ll find some good ideas and reporting, not just clickbait. Hopefully there will still be thoughtful coverage of creativity and marketing, significant areas for business and growth.
Nearly everyone’s work touches marketing to some degree. Curious how this policy holds up, and if anyone thinks it actually makes sense. There are plenty of marketers still on the roster so it’s confusing and, so far, inconsistent.
Of course I will still cover marketing, creativity, and careers. Just will have to cover it somewhere else.
