You should know that before writing to Ellen I also contacted Kraft.
That’s right.
The cheese company.
I was trying to figure out how people use their blogs to make money. I didn’t want those silly little personal ads on my sidebar, I wanted the real deal for things that I really use.
I don’t have anything to lose in all this so I decided a letter to Kraft was necessary.
Basically I told them that I blog and sometimes use their recipes in my little cooking segments. I told them if they created an ad to put on my sidebar I would encourage my readers to go to their website for the recipe I used. I informed them that most companies give the blog owner a small fee every time the ad is clicked and that that would work for me.
It took awhile and I had almost forgotten about my inquiry when a representative finally responded to my letter. Yes. RESPONDED. Unlike SOME people we know.
Anyways, she told me I was welcome to use their recipes as long as I cooked them EXACTLY as shown (no substitutions) and that I was sure to site my source. She wanted to make sure that I let ALL my readers know where the recipe came from and where they should go to find it and others like it.
Oooookkkkkkk.
Soooo….she’s giving me “permission” to use their recipes as long as I don’t make any changes to them? And so what if I do? What if I don’t was cooked carrots in my chicken stir fry and fail to mention them in the recipe? Will they sue me? What if I don’t tell you all I got the recipe from Kraft? Is that plagiarism? Of a RECIPE? Is there such a thing?
I don’t think she. Quite. Understood.
So I wrote back again:
Dear Kraft Representative:
I don’t think you quite understood. If I use the recipes under the stipulations you stated, will I receive payment for the people I send to your website. This is essentially what I am asking for.
Your Hungriest Fan,
Kathy
Because I mean really. Why would I go to all that effort of cooking a recipe EXACTLY as written (when cooked carrots make me gag), tell you all about it, and then send you to the Kraft website for nothing?? I was offering her a deal…you know…I’ll scratch YOUR back, Kraft…and you give me money.
What is so hard to understand about that?
A lot apparently because she never wrote back.
And I am not in cahoots with Kraft.
Looks like I’m 0 for 2 in the “soliciting famous entities for money” department.
Who should I hit up next??
