Ignorance is bliss…unless you’re a blogger. Especially a blogger who is unaware that the content you post, the advice you give, and the products you promote could land you in hot water if you’re not legally protected.
I’ve blogged for other websites for years, but it wasn’t until I started my own that I began to be aware of the advice, promotions, and ideas that I share with the world. Like starting your own business, it’s on you to cover all bases of your blog, and there’s no guide book to follow. It wasn’t until I came across the legal bundle from A Self Guru that I realized I’ve been working without a safety net. That’s when I decided that I needed to invest in some legal pages.
What if I don’t claim to be an expert?
I don’t consider my blog to be controversial or slanderous in any way, but these days, anything you put online can be twisted and misconstrued. That may sound paranoid, but we’ve all seen firsthand how a single tweet or even a misplaced “like” can ruin a person’s professional life.
Even though most of my advice is writing-based and my reviews are opinion-based, offering any type of advice makes you an expert in the blogging world. And experts can be taken down if the advice they offer goes wrong for any of their readers.
What kind of opinions and advice are you offering in your blog posts? Are you…
- promoting a product that could be recalled?
- giving a harsh, critical review of a product that you didn’t like?
- offering medical or mental health advice?
- sharing recipes without mentioning potential allergens or ingredients off limits to those who eat a specific diet?
These actions are seemingly harmless and almost always written with good intentions, but that doesn’t mean that you’re off the hook when doling out advice and recommendations, expert or not.
About A Self Guru
I first learned about A Self Guru on a Pinterest follow thread. The word “legal” can stop anyone in their tracks. So, when I saw the pin from Sweet and Simple Life linked to an article about making your blog legal, I had to check it out.
This article broke down each of the sections included in the legal bundle:
- privacy policy
- disclaimer
- terms and conditions
Each section was explained in terms that I could understand and how that related to how visitors used my blog and its content. Once I had pinned that article to my board, I kept receiving pin suggestions linking to other articles praising A Self Guru and their services. Customer reviews are essential to making online purchases nowadays, and if they were satisfied, I knew that it was worth pursuing.
Is the legal bundle worth the expense?
Still, I hated the thought of dumping more money into my blog before it’s even profitable. What if my blog never takes off? What if I have to stop blogging for some reason?
Then, I remembered why I started my blog. It was to:
- help me form connections with other writers
- set up an online portfolio of my work
- pursue writing gigs.
Why start a blog at all if I hesitate to do things right? And doing things right sets you up for further success. Sometimes you have to spend money to make money.
But I was still concerned about the price. After all, A Self Guru is run by Amira, who is a legitimate lawyer. Even though I’ve never worked with a lawyer, I knew that legal fees can be steep. But she came highly recommended from other bloggers who have used her services and had nothing but positive feedback, including the price of her services.
The legal bundle that I purchased came with the paperwork needed to create a privacy policy, disclaimer, and terms and conditions for my blog. You can buy each of these separately, but no matter what type of blogger you are or plan to be, you’re going to want all three. So, you might as well purchase the bundle and get a deal. See for yourself how affordable it is compared to the cost of hiring a lawyer to draft everything from scratch.
Purchasing A Self Guru’s Legal Bundle package
The legal bundle arrives as an already constructed set of templates. You then personalize these templates with your blog information and contact information. There’s no waiting for Amira to draft the documents to your blog. You just purchase the bundle directly from the website, and seconds later, the paperwork arrives in your inbox.
That was a relief after having been ripped off by trying to purchase an unusable blog theme just weeks prior. It can be hard to trust digital services, but A Self Guru really stays in touch, keeping you in the loop and offering help if needed. Luckily, personalizing the legal bundle was so easy that I didn’t need to ask for help.
Personalizing the Legal Bundle
The minute I opened the document, any feeling of intimidation went out the window. I saw right away how easy it was to personalize and add the paperwork to my blog.
Throughout the document, there are blank lines featuring a number. Before each section, there is a key that tells you how to fill in each blank line. For example, a line like this ___1____ means that you fill in the name of your blog or company here. Others might ask you to insert your email or niche. That’s the extent of the work that you have to do.
There’s no deliberation on how to phrase a particular line or any details that you have to remember to fill in in order to cover yourself. The terminology is all there, it’s clearly written, and it’s official. Because it’s so thorough, it takes a little bit of time to fill it in but no more than 30 minutes. And there’s no stressing over whether or not you missed anything or filled anything in incorrectly.
Some paragraphs were clearly marked as optional sections to include or omit depending on how your blog operates. For example, there was a section about making purchases from your online store. Since I don’t currently have a store or a link to an Etsy shop on my blog, I omitted this sentence. But I still have that section available to add to my blog should I ever need it.
Adding the Legal Bundle to your blog
Once I was finished filling in the blanks, I created a new page on my blog titled LEGAL. There, I copied and pasted my personalized legal bundle pages to this new page. Now, whenever anyone had a question about my policies, or if a visitor tried to come after me and my content for any reason, I knew I was covered. All three sections are easy to find and personalized to fit my site name, contact information, and niche.
Joining A Self Guru’s affiliate program
Once I knew how important it was to legalize my blog, I put off seeking out affiliates or advertisers until I purchased the legal bundle. So, I was surprised to learn that A Self Guru itself hosts an affiliate program. This program offers a 40% commission rate for any sales that are made by clicking on your personalized link. Not only would this be my first affiliate partnership, but it would be of a product that I actually purchased and could vouch for.
The affiliate program was equally easy to set up. The sign-up form directs you to a site called Kartra. There, you create a login and fill out the necessary tax forms and information needed to obtain your personalized link and get paid when you make a sale. Also, there are step-by-step instructions in the legal paperwork document that walk you through all of this. It too only took a few minutes.
Now, I can pursue other affiliate opportunities and give my affiliates peace of mind to know that my blog is legally protected. It will give me a leg up in the monetizing world and show affiliates and advertisers that I’m serious about my blogging.
Buy it here!
I posted my affiliate link on my legal page and my Giveaways, Contests, and Promos page for any bloggers who come across my site and still need to set up their legal pages.
If you’re interested in purchasing the legal bundle from A Self Guru for your blog, click here!
Note, by purchasing from this link, I’ll receive a commission from your sale.
Like insurance, the legal bundle is something that you buy and never hope to use. But it’s there. Now, I feel like a legitimate blogger who can safely post my content and let my readers know the terms of visiting my site.
Pin it!
This looks wonderful! Very good reminders about keeping your blog legal.
Thanks for reading!
That’s some really interesting information which I never knew of! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for all the information! Is so good to know more about it :3
I am also a blogger and you have covered things I hadn’t thought about, like having people misconstrue your meaning online and seek legal action against you. You have certainly given me some food for thought. Thank you for sharing an honest review of such important information!
You’re welcome. Yeah, as you can see, my site isn’t controversial and doesn’t offer life-changing advice, but anything you say on the Internet can be used against you these days.