# Free samples for bloggers



## kdaniels8811 (Apr 7, 2015)

Okay, i am at a loss.  I had supplied a blogger with samples of shampoo bars, per her request.  I did not get a single sale out of it.

Now I have a request from another blogger saying I understand you provide free samples to bloggers and I want some.  I am at a loss because I do not know how to respond.  As a small business I cannot afford to be giving out samples but if I would actually get some sales it may be worth it.  What are your opinions?  Thanks!!


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## LBussy (Apr 7, 2015)

Did you expect sales, or coverage?  Do you know how many readers the blogger has/had?  Was something actually published?  You can;t "expect" sales but you can reasonably expect that they write somethign about your product.


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Apr 7, 2015)

What are these bloggers blogging about?  Did you check out the post about your soap?

If you don't feel any particular marketing channel is working for you, cut it and find something that does work better for you.  That said, was there a link to your site?  That alone, if the blog gets a lot of traffic, can help you out and might be worth the price of a bar or two


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## JuneP (Apr 7, 2015)

*Bloggers*

Of course you have to do what is comfortable for you; but if you want to try giving samples again, check out how many followers the blogger has and how often they blog.

I have a new blog, Lady June Soap,and have only posted a couple of times due to family health problems;and only have one or two followers at the moment, so I would not be a good choice for you; but someone who has been blogging a long time, has a high profile on the internet (maybe has videos on you tube, a page on Facebook, etc), and has a lot of followers on those venues, that person would be someone to consider as a recipient for some samples.

June


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## shunt2011 (Apr 7, 2015)

I agree with the others.  I wouldn't expect much in sales.  However, if it's a well followed blog and they do a review you just never know.   Samples aren't all that expensive.  I have small soaps, lotions, scrubs that don't cost me much.  It just depends on what and where you want to go with your business.   I've been doing this 5 years and had one blogger approach me at a market.  I gave her a few samples and she wrote a nice article.  Did I get business from that article?  Yes, one but that's still getting my name out there at that time.


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## dixiedragon (Apr 7, 2015)

I think you can use Google to track where your traffic comes from. Did she mention your shampoo bar on her blog? If so, did it generate any traffic for you?

I would figure out the largest size bar I could send for a 49-cent stamp (assuming you are in the US) and send that out willy nilly. Keep track of who you send it out too, if they blog about it and what kind of hits your site gets from their blog. Reward productive bloggers with more stuff.


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## SplendorSoaps (Apr 7, 2015)

As other posters suggested, I'd definitely research the blog to make sure that you're getting exposure in your target market and that they have enough followers to justify your expense. When I've had bloggers review my products, I made sure that they knew that I was sending them samples in exchange for an honest review on their blog. That way I could weed out bloggers just looking for freebies as opposed to those who are looking for interesting content to entice readers on their blogs (for both of our benefits).

As a side note, on my last blog review I didn't notice any direct sales from it, but I DID see some traffic to my site.  I'll take it!


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## cmzaha (Apr 7, 2015)

When trying to promote your product you just have to try all avenues. It takes a lot of product to promote and advetising any product is one of the biggest expenses. Some bloggers are good some not so good and after time you will learn to recognize some you do not want to deal with. If does not necessarily get you sales in the beginning but your name does get out there. Be aware bloggers do not necessarily give good reviews. We still have some bloggers that purchase from us. Once you start with bloggers you will be inundated with requests and some will want to charge you. Some will get made if you do not send them samples and give a bad review, because they wanted a freebie


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## Stacy (Sep 23, 2015)

I would go one step beyond research (although that's still a good idea). If people are approaching you for freebies to advertise, then they are asking to  enter into a business relationship. In an advertising relationship, the advertiser can provide you with metrics (page views, impressions etc). So when they ask you, make them do the work so that you know you're dealing with someone who is serious. Reply by asking for information.

These are the questions I'd start with:

How may views do you get/what is their active subscriber base ?
What is your demographic?
How are you going to present my product (as a singular review or as part of a group)?
Do you disclose that you're being given free product (big one for me because if they're not telling people then they're already not honest)?
What are some links to other products you've promoted? (and visit them to make sure you like this person's professionalism - I usually find a 'negative' review the most telling...were they fair and did they still present a well thought out review or did they just say 'well this was crap' NEXT!)

If they can't answer all of these to my satisfaction with a pretty quick turn around, then in my mind they aren't a professional and are more likely looking for handouts. This will weed out a lot of freebie seekers simply because it's too much work, whereas people who do this and do it well will have this info at hand.


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## Relle (Jan 11, 2016)

This is an old thread.


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