Bloggers, Free Products/Samples, and Honesty (From a Blogger’s Perspective)

Christine Mielke is the owner and founder of Temptalia.com, a popular beauty blog and resource. This article is thus written primarily from a blogger’s perspective, but Christine is also a regular consumer who reads and trusts various blogs and bloggers for both beauty purchases as well as unrelated purchases so the commentary has some sense of a very blog-savvy consumer.

The other night, I was trying to fall asleep, and my mind drifted to what exactly readers are concerned about when a blogger receives free products (”samples”) for review. Since I’m a beauty blogger, I know a great deal about this issue, because there are so many that receive samples, and since most beauty products are to-be-consumed, bloggers rarely are required to return samples they use (there’s nothing left, or better yet, why would you want a used lipgloss back?!).  Nevertheless, I was kind of wondering why or what issues readers may have regarding this situation.

I put out a feeler on Twitter, because it’s so easy to interact and get instant feedback and thoughts.  I’d like to address–from a blogger’s perspective–the concerns some people mentioned, their validity, and how to qualify a blogger.  This editorial will make generalizations about bloggers, because I feel the generalizations I make are true of the majority of bloggers I know and based on my own experience and practices as a blogger for the past three years.  There are bad apples, though, and what I say shouldn’t be immediately applied to any and every blogger without qualification.

The Real Concern is Blogger Honesty

It’s definitely a valid concern, but I think what’s important is that we first recognize readers are smart and can think for themselves–that they’re not susceptible to just anything a blogger says.

• “I think what can tick people off is that they are afraid of getting an untruthful review? Some people think there’s compensation.” — @freyza_
• “As long as the reviewer is honest, then I have no issue with free goods. If the reviewer is just in it for the products? Not cool.” — @hardcorelamb
• “Honesty! Bloggers getting free stuff is great (more reviews for readers) but please be totally honest, insightful, and helpful!” — @loudhearted

The majority of bloggers who are “in it for free stuff” are transparent (even if they think they’re not).  Just like any expert you might look to for advice, it’s important to determine if they’re credible.  If you have never read a blogger’s reviews before, you should read through some.  One fantastic way to find out whether the blogger is credible is reading past reviews.  Look specifically for reviews on products you’ve personally tried, because what they say may align with your own experience.  (Though, if it doesn’t, you shouldn’t automatically assume they’re lying.)  Here are some questions I ask myself when establishing a blogger’s credibility:

• Is there review thorough?  Is it pointing out pros/cons of a product?
• Does the review add insight based on experience or is a regurgitation of the product’s claims?
• How many reviews have they done?  Do I agree with any?
• Have others commented in disagreement with the review?  How does the blogger respond?
• Do others look to them as an authority in the blogosphere?

A short review when it probably merits a longer discussion is a sure sign someone may not have thoroughly tested a product.  It may also indicate there wasn’t much good to say about it.  Not every review needs to be long and drawn out, so I always look to see what they’re saying about the product.  Do they tell me how it performed for them?  Talk about the feel, weight, packaging?  How it fits into their routine?  I’m looking for things that someone who’s tried it woud know about and pass on that knowledge.

Like it or not, but a blogger’s track record is important. If you’re just starting out, you do have to earn your readers’ trust, whether you like it or not.  If you’re reviewing products and you’re heavily involved in another community or have lots of reviews on a retailer’s site that you can point to… do so!  You could even republish those reviews on your own blog.  Show people you know what you’re talking about, and thus, having multiple reviews to read through helps.  If I find that we agree on products we’ve both tried, I feel better connected to you.  Also, seeing too many glowing reviews–and I mean reviews that say things like “This is the best product ever!” over and over–will naturally lead to suspicion, so pointing out any negatives about a product helps qualify your positive review.  Nobody’s asking you to be flat out harsh or to bash a product, but there should be a balance.

Most products are “your mileage may vary.”  We’re just not all going to agree on everything all the time.  What I love, you may just like or even dislike.  What I dislike, you may love, and so on and so forth.  This is no difference than when a friend tells me they LOVE this and I try it, and I’m not impressed.  It doesn’t make my friend a liar, and it doesn’t make a blogger (or reader!) a liar.  What’s more important is how a blogger deals with readers who chime in with their experience (in a thoughtful, respectful way, of course).  Personally, I expect some will agree, some won’t, and I think it just adds to the whole review–I want to hear from readers who’ve tried the same product.

A blogger’s online presence is important. The more the community at large looks to a blogger as an authority, the more likely others have already qualified the blogger and their blog and determined that they’re honest enough to keep reading.  BUT there is a HUGE caveat… taken alone, popularity or even having expert status is not enough.  You still should evaluate them for yourself, but it can be indicative of hard work and honesty to have earned a good reputation.

Now, that’s my two cents on how to qualify a blogger and determine if they’re credible or not. It’s my advice as a blogger, but it’s also my advice as a consumer based on what blogs I choose to read (whether related to my community or otherwise) because I definitely scour the internet for reviews on all sorts of products, beyond my beauty niche!

If you are a reader or public relations specialist or brand and want to speak up, we’d love to get your perspective!  Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!