Getting Products for Review (How to Start a Sex Toy Review Blog: Part 4)

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Part 4: Getting Products for Review

This is probably the most thrilling experience for any new sex toy reviewer. As someone who used to longingly gaze at sex toys I’d never be able to afford, having them sent to me for free….well, you don’t quite get over that feeling.

Step 1. Find a company

Important: find a company you’d happily endorse. If you review a product for a company, you’ll need to link back to them and tell your readers who sent you the product for review, so don’t go after companies you’d be embarrassed to promote. Long term. I wish I’d been more careful about this early on as a newbie.

Companies that send toys to NEW Sex Toy Reviewers:

I generally tell everyone to start with Good Vibrations. They’re extremely newbie friendly and will start you off on their Pleasureworks line.
I also had success early on with LELO (scroll down and click on Affiliates). They sent me an Ina Wave when my blog had only a few posts up. (Update: note that Lelo isn’t the greatest company to be aligned with nowadays)
Lovehoney (affiliate through Shareasale) was very welcoming to me as a newbie. They generally send products to review from the brands that they own, but occasionally send out other ones as well.

Remember: if you are a new sex toy reviewer, companies are making a bit of a risk sending a toy to you. Scammers have started up a blog before simply to get free toys and run away with them, so companies need to be careful. This is why it’s important to be professional from the start, starting with your own personal blog reviews, and then moving onto your proposal email.

Step 2: Write your email.

I remember being really nervous writing my first email. It became easier, over time. If you’re lucky, you won’t need to write them eventually because companies will start to approach you.

A few pointers:

Mention something nice about their company. If you want to review for them, there must be something that you like. Did you love one of their products? Do you love that they only sell bodysafe toys?
Introduce yourself. Mention your blog name, your location (country), and why you’re great (ie, ethical, good photos, many followers, good writing, etc).
Ask to review. When asking, immediately throw in what they’ll be receiving in return in your post. Linkbacks, tweets, a summary of their store, etc.
Set out timelines. If you think you’ll get the review done in 2 weeks, say so. If it’ll be more like a month, say so as well. Companies like to know what to expect.
Choose a toy (Optional). Overall, I usually find that, if you pick out a toy or two, things go better. If you review something you want to have, it’ll be because you think it’ll work well for your body. And believe me, writing a review on a toy you LOVE is a lot easier than writing a review on a toy that was Meh. If you do ask for specific toy(s), be sure to include a line to indicate you’d be happy to discuss alternatives.
Write professionally. Spellcheck.
Don’t be too bummed if you don’t get a reply. I emailed a lot of small companies when I was a newbie and I didn’t receive a word back from many of them. Don’t take it personally if they decline or ignore you. Move on!
When you DO get a YES reply, provide them with your mailing address (I suggest a PO Box) and let them know you’ll inform them when it arrives.
Then write your review! If you live in the USA, clearly specify somewhere in your review that the item was sent to you in exchange for an honest review. Once it’s published, email the company with the link.
If you’d like to review for them again, wait a couple of weeks and then send a polite email asking if they’d be open to working with you again.

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Last Updated on May 27, 2020 by Miss Ruby

Part 4: Getting Products for Review

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