Try Out New Products for Free
Try out products for FREE!
Last week I wrote about websites that help you save money when you purchase things online and Swagbucks, a site where you can earn points to use toward gift cards just by searching the web. This week I want to share a few websites with you that allow you to try out new products for free or for very cheap! First, a disclaimer: Always be wary of sites that advertise free samples and “free stuff.” There are many sites out there that are just fishing for your email address or home address and you’ll end up getting tons of spam and junk mail. No matter what, it’s a good idea to get a free email account from Hotmail, Gmail, or Yahoo that you use only for these kinds of deals. That said, the sites I’m sharing with you are all legitimate and I have been a “member” of all of them and/or have friends that use them. I have gotten a lot of great free products in the last year and have had fun “testing” out new things!
BzzAgent: www.BzzAgent.com If you sign up as a member of this site, you will be asked to try new products in exchange for providing word-of-mouth marketing for those products. You fill out a few surveys to give BzzAgent information about you that they can use to invite you to “BzzCampaigns.” (You don’t get to pick and choose the products you try…they pick YOU based on your profile information). Once you are invited to join a campaign you can accept or decline. Most of the time you will get the products you are trying for free, occasionally there is a cost for the product, but you are free to decline those offers. They will mail you the product (and usually coupons to share with friends). At that point it is up to you to use it and share it with your friends/family by having conversations about the product or posting on a website (Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, etc). You don’t have to share the product with tons of people, but the more you “Bzz” about the products, the more campaigns you will be asked to join. And if you don’t like the products, just be honest…they don’t ask you to lie. I have been a member of this one for about 6 months and have tried products from Off!, Covergirl, and Softsoap. I do have to say that this website has a LOT of extra info that I can’t seem to sort through. I don’t use any of the “frogpond” stuff or spend much time navigating anything but my own surveys and campaigns.
Vocalpoint: www.VocalPoint.com This website is similar to BzzAgent, but a lot more user friendly and less structured. Become a member and you have access to special coupons and occasionally FREE products. When a new sample or offer becomes available, you will get an email and you can sign up if you want the product. Vocalpoint asks you to fill out a survey about some of the products after you try them and share extra coupons with friends, but the feedback process is way less structured than BzzAgent. I have tried products from Secret Deodarent, Kashi, Olay Pro-X, and Bounce.
Right at Home: www.RightAtHome.com A website from SC Johnson that offers free products or great discounts on new products. No reviews required…they just want you to try their products! Most of their offers are limited to the first 5,000-10,000 people to respond, so if you get an email with an offer, sign up right away! I have tried Glade, Windex, and Pledge products through this website.
Kraft First Taste: www.KraftFirstTaste.com This website from Kraft Foods offers you new products to try and asks you to provide feedback on the website after you try them. I got to try the new Velveeta Shells & Cheese Cups through this site.
My Blog Spark: www.MyBlogSpark.com If you have a blog, this site is great! The site will provide you with a product to try and most of the time a gift pack to give away on your blog. They ask that you try the product and write an honest review on your blog. Once you choose a winner of your prize package, send them the winner’s information and they will mail out the goodies! I have tried/review products from Hasbro and Yoplait through this site.
So if you are interested in trying new products for free and sharing your opinions about those products (either with others or with the company that makes the products), definitely consider signing up for one or more of these sites! Checking your mail will be a lot more fun!