I don’t see many people talking about the free product testing websites they use day to day. This made it tough for me to find brands to work with when I first started out.
You can always go with the cold call approach by emailing faceless PR email addresses, but I vastly prefer connecting with brands through a platform. It took me ages to sift through the giant haystack of influencer sites out there. Let me save y’all the pain of diving into that haystack, here are my go-to websites and influencer market places for connecting with brands for product reviews!
Here are my top free product testing websites for Influencers!
1. Tomoson Website Review
What is Tomoson?
Tomoson is the first influencer site I started using way back when.
When I first started applying to collaboration sites it was discouraging to see that most of the campaigns required 5K+ followers to apply. On the other hand, Tomoson frequently has brands posting collaborations with 100-500 follower requirements.
I’ve completed +125 Tomoson campaigns so I’ve had a fair bit of interaction with their support team. They’re quick to respond if a brand is not fulfilling their side of the bargain or for example, they’ll also help out if a product gets lost in the mail and you need your deadline extended.
How does Tomoson work?
You apply to campaigns via the Tomoson marketplace. There are product exchanges, paid campaigns, discounted products, and refunds after purchase. You set your own fee and deadline date for each kind of review (blog post, social media, YouTube, etc). You can also adjust your requested fees on any campaign; you’re not locked down to one pitch amount. Payments are issued via PayPal. Tomoson does take a service fee but this is added to your pitch amount behind the scenes so it does not subtract anything from the amount you are requesting.
Here are a few reviews that I’ve completed via Tomoson in the past: toner review, makeup brush review, and a little black dress.
2. 08liter Website Review
08Liter is a fairly new website, I started applying to their campaigns in early 2017. They mainly post Korean skincare and beauty products with the occasional houseware product thrown in.
You can apply to campaigns and choose whether to post on Instagram or Facebook; but your chosen platform must have at least 100 followers to be eligible.
Each campaign also lists how many reviews they’re looking for so you can get a feel of your chances of being approved. Overseas shipping always takes eons with campaigns through 08Liter but the deadlines take that into account and are extremely generous.
What kind of campaigns are available on 08Liter?
There are only two kinds of campaigns listed on 08Liter. Free product exchanges, and “Try” campaigns where you purchase a discounted product in exchange for posting a review after the purchase. They do not offer paid campaigns.
How is 08Liter’s Customer Support?
My experience with the 08Liter support team has been hit and miss. The first time I reached out for help it was due to a glitch I was experiencing while trying to submit a finished post. They resolved that issue very quickly.
There is not a way to directly contact the brand running the campaign so if you run into any issues you have to contact 08Liter directly for assistance. I had a campaign ship my product to a shipping address I had never seen before so I reached out about getting it re-shipped. 08Liter took their sweet time in replying to me (this is all while my deadline is ticking away). Their deadline policy is on the harsh side. If you do not submit your review within the deadline of the campaign your account will be suspended and terminated if the issue is not promptly resolved.
Here are two reviews I’ve completed via 08Liter in the past: a facial cream and a sheet mask.
3. Glambassador Website Review
*EDIT*
I will no longer work with Glambassador due to many issues regarding withdrawal of payment and poor customer service. Their T&C’s state payments can only be delayed up to 15 days; I have waited 4+ weeks to receive payment. Their website is not clear about taking a 25% cut from earnings during the signup process and an additional transaction fee is also taken during the PayPal process which is not disclosed in the T&Cs.
Glambassador is very similar to Tomoson but tends to have extremely high follower requirements. It seems like the majority of companies who post campaigns are small startups that haven’t quite caught onto how the review community operates. A lot of them will ask for 50K-100K followers minimum for just one cheapie product. You’ll find an even mix of free product and paid campaigns here.
You can apply to any campaign (even if you do not fully meet the follower requirements). Each brand sets their budget for the campaign and you can set a bid amount within that budget. If you do not meet the requirements your bid amount will be reduced.
Payments are issued via PayPal and Glambassdor takes a 25% cut of your payout. I feel like 25% is painfully high cut, so when I apply to a paid campaign I add the 25% on top of what I am pitching so I don’t have that cutting into my end amount.
They do have a kickass messaging system going for them, you get the main inbox for invites and confirmations, and then for each campaign there is a dedicated workspace for messaging the company. You can send images and attachments as well in the workspace, and because all your work is contained on Glambassador’s website it would be very easy to reach out for help on a campaign if the company has not released the agreed upon compensation.
I haven’t had to hound a company to complete their end of the bargain yet. I usually avoid campaigns where you purchase a product and the company says they will reimburse you after the review. I feel like that particular setup is not friendly towards 100% honest reviews. I’d be more comfortable signing up for something like that here since everything is documented in the campaign and Glambassador can chase them down if need be.
Here’s a review I completed via Glambassador in the past: a camera strap. and a night cream.
The next couple of websites are aimed towards lifestyle bloggers rather than just beauty.
4. Intellifluence Website Review
What kind of campaigns are on Intellifluence?
You can find paid product reviews, discounted products in exchange for a review, freebies, and occasionally there will be affiliate campaigns.
Payments are issued via PayPal with a $25 payout minimum. This means if you complete a campaign with a bid less than $25 you can’t withdraw your earnings until you have completed another campaign and earned over the $25 cap.
5. BzzAgent Website Review
BzzAgent is very similar to the site Influenster, they post questionnaires to determine if you will fit with their latest review box. They send out boxes with
I’m very picky
*Edited October 2019*
BzzAgent has completely reworked their site set up and now only email surveys to determine your eligibility for reviewing products. I only receive one of these surveys every couple of months so it seems like the service is slowly dying out.
6. Influenster Website Review
I used to get a ton of Influenster boxes but I’ve gotten really bad about keeping my accounts up to date. Influenster has a review community where you can review products and look up reviews by scanning the barcode of a product. Your chance of getting chosen for a campaign is linked to how active you are in the community. Influenster is almost identical to BzzAgent but they send out boxes way more often. They also utilize the questionnaire screening to pick who gets what box.
Influenster boxes are usually only 1-3 items and the products will all fall under the same theme so I find these easier to incorporate into my posting schedule. You’re not likely to get mouthwash and a bottle of nail polish in the same box.
If you sign up for Influenster you need to keep an eagle eye on your email for campaign invites because they fill up extremely fast.
Here’s a VoxBox I reviewed via Influenster in the past.
7. HeartBeat Website Review
HeartBeat is an influencer website dedicated to Instagram campaigns. They post campaigns and survey questions on their main site, and if questions you have answered in the past flag your account as compatible with workspace campaign they will directly email you an invite as well.
What kind of campaigns are on HeartBeat?
HeartBeat has campaigns with free products, paid campaigns, affiliate programs, and digital rewards. Payments are fulfilled via PayPal and your profile is set a pay rate. HeartBeat says “Your pay rate is calculated by our algorithm that looks at 60+ data points. You can see your pay rate at any time in your Heartbeat Profile on the app. The easiest way to increase it is to gain followers and engagement. ” My stats have drastically changed since I first signed up but I have still seen no change in my rate.
There are a lot of game apps, affiliate campaigns, and website
Did I miss any websites that you would like to learn more about? Drop me a comment and I’ll get on it!