I don’t know a single person who doesn’t like to get free stuff. As a blogger, I get free stuff all the time. But this post, isn’t just for bloggers. This post is for anyone who uses the internet, likes to get free stuff, and likes to talk about the things they get for free! Because, who doesn’t like saving money?
Sites I use to get free stuff
These are four sites that I use to get free products. Each of these sites require you to write a review or share your experience in some way after receiving the products.
House Party
At House Party, you are applying to throw a party centered around whatever product it is they are giving. They send you the things you need for the party, but it is always good to add a few personal touches to make it less advertis-ey. They also have Chatterboxes, where they’ll send you products to review, without necessarily having to throw a party.
Influenster
Influenster is all about the Vox Boxes, check out my most recent one here. If you are selected for one of these, they’ll send you a box full of surprise goodies! My favorite thing to do with these is to make a video of my unboxing. They also like for you to review their products on social media accounts as well as on store websites, like Walmart.
Review Kick
This one is for people with Amazon Prime accounts. You go to their site, look through their long list of items , then “purchase” the item with your Amazon Prime account. They have more heavily-discounted items than free, but I would still recommend it because some of the stuff they get is really good! You want to make sure to have an Amazon Prime account for this one is so that you aren’t paying shipping. With this one you are only writing a review on Amazon Prime.
Tomoson
This one is very similar to Review Kick in that you chose what products you receive and you “purchase” them from Amazon. Tomoson, however, likes for you to post to your social media counts as well. The thing I like about Tomoson is that you can choose while social media accounts you want to post to, and you can choose when you have to complete the review by.
Tips that pay off in the end
- Get a separate email address. This not only helps you keep things separate (so you know where to check for updates), it also keeps you from getting spammy mail to your work or home address!
- Get Amazon Prime. Not only do some of the programs require you to have an account, but this will also keep you from paying for shipping! We’re trying to get this stuff for cheap, if not free, right?
- Make your social media accounts public. This way the people sending you the free stuff can check out what you’ve reviewed! Also, it lets other people see your posts when they’re looking for info on a specific product. (Which is the big picture reason for why companies give us this stuff!)
- Take great pictures. We are visual people, so great pictures will catch our eye! Companies love this stuff and are more likely to pick you if you take great pictures. You don’t have to be a photographer, but make sure you take pictures in nice lighting. Would you click on the picture you just submitted?
What NOT to do
Now that you’ve got your hands on the goods, I’m gonna tell you three (kind of obvious) things that you should never do when receiving free products!
- Never miss a deadline. This not only breaks the agreement that you have with the company, but it makes people not want to work with you. In most cases, you are told ahead of time when the companies are expecting you to write your review so there are really no excuses. If something does come up, reach out to the company and let them know ASAP.
- Don’t sign up for something that you’re not comfortable reviewing in public. These reviews are going to be public and have at least your first name on them (so that people reading the reviews know that they’re legit). Don’t sign up to review an adult toy if you’re not comfortable having your name (and possibly picture) sitting right there beside it with the caption “This product changed my life.”
- Don’t write negative reviews. Look, I get it. Every once in a while you may receive a product that doesn’t live up to your expectations. I’m not telling you to lie and say that it does things that is doesn’t. I’m just saying list the pros and cons (literally). Find something good to say about the product, and then kindly list why it sucks. I’m serious about that “kindly” part. If a company looks up your reviews and sees that you are BASHING other products, they will not choose you to receive their discounted product. When it comes to reviews, all press is NOT good press!
- Don’t write a post without mentioning that you received it for free (or discounted) in exchange for a review. It’s the law. No, really! No matter where you are posting it to, you have to mention somehow that the product was free or discounted. In most cases, the sites will let you know how they prefer you to word the disclosure. Sometimes it is as simple as adding #ad! Other times, they want you actually say something like, “I received this product for free in exchange for a review but all thoughts and opinions are my own.”
I hope this post helps you get your hands on some free (or discounted) stuff! If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments below! Make sure to Pin this post and share it with your friends on Facebook so they can get free stuff too!
