I’ve been sent on a mission to take part in as many product testing organisations as possible to discover the best. It’s one of those pastimes where you receive what you give. If you have a little bit of free time available and you like analysing products, go ahead and read on.
What Is Product Testing?
Brands utilise product testing organisations to receive truthful and unbiased remarks regarding their latest products. The organisations choose those within their member bases that are most suitable to that particular product and propose them to join their “campaign”, “project” or ”programme”. The fortunate chosen ones will get the products via post and they can then get on with the testing and reviewing.
Often, it is expected of the participants to get the message out, by composing reviews, taking pictures, composing conversation reports, tweeting, Facebook posts and composing blogs. You are more important for the product testing company if you complete more activities.
If you are excited by the idea of testing new things, creating a difference to the customer market and also receiving free stuff, contemplate joining some of the organisations below, all these organisations are free to join.
Which Ones Should I Join?
BzzAgent:
With the entertaining and unscattered outline, BzzAgent is one of the easiest products testing websites to utilise. I am relatively new to the BzzAgent team and have participated in only one campaign until now: The Sure Women Deodorant BzzCampaign.
BzzAgent stresses on maximum participation by giving various ranks to their members which starts at Solitary Bee and ends at the Sweet Bee title. Every activity you finish (a tweet for example or a posted review) will get you a honeycomb that pushes you a step further towards the next stage.
Previously campaigns have been centered on Burt’s Bees Skincare, Tonka XT Toy Cars, Glade scented candles and Hill’s Science Diet Pet Food.
TRND:
Recently started in the United Kingdom, TRND helps product testing projects for various perfumes, chocolates, gadgets and a lot more.
When you write a report, you receive a personalised response from one of the “trndsters” at HQ, appreciating you for your input. You will also be rewarded with wombats for every report and you can keep tabs on them from your “mytrnd” page. I believe that the reason behind this is to show you and TRND how much effort you have invested in your campaigns.
I participated in the first UK campaign that was regarding 007 For Her. My packet had a 30 ml perfume bottle, loads of samples, questionnaires and the project booklet. I dived right into it writing a review on Amazon, composing conversation reports, composing a post on my personal blog and uploading numerous photos of my friends and colleagues giving the new scent a try.
Tesco Orchard: This is Tesco’s dedicated product testing board providing its members a chance to experiment their new items. They send out coupons that can be reclaimed in stores. Testers normally get extra-money off coupons to give their friends and family too.
I received two packets of their Tesco Finest Pasta for free by utilising a 3.40 coupon courtesy of Tesco Orchard. As a part of their programme, I composed two reviews, tweeted and composed two conversation reports too.
They have initiated two other campaigns since then, one is for steak whilst the other is for ice-cream. Unfortunately I was not given an invitation to participate in either of those! I have been given the opportunity to be a part of the Tesco Summer Berries and Cherries programme though, that doesn’t sound too bad.
The Insiders:
The Insiders is a group that has its network spread across Europe and helps in marketing of different products. Some past campaigns include Carte Noire Coffee Capsules, Purina Pet Food, Unibond Moisture Absorber and LePage Superglue.
By finishing the activities, the testers are awarded with points that can be traded for cash. This is genuinely a good deal as not a lot of other authentic testing organizations give money on top of free products.
Presently, the project is about the LG G4 smart phones. The Insiders are recruiting 200 people that want to test out the phone but you are required to return the phone as the duration of the campaign ends. A £250 caution is asked of you which means you have to give your bank details and consent, so that you can be charged upto £250 in case you damage the phone or do not give it back at the end of the campaign for any reason. This left a bad taste in my mouth so I didn't go for it.
I haven’t joined any campaigns with Insider yet, but I'll keep an eye out for any campaigns in the near future.
Savvy Circle: This is the VIP product testing team inside SuperSavvyMe. Sign up with a free account with SuperSavvyMe, only then you would be able to qualify to join SavvyCircle. Every now and then, new campaigns are released and you will be updated about them. Register for the ones that you are interested in and await their response to see if you are in. The products are always by Product and Gamble.
I was invited on my first campaign fairly recently and I got my package too which were two spray bottles of Viakal. The package also included a project booklet. My bathroom and kitchen will be, or should I say, spotless clean while I get on with the review!
It is encouraged that testers leave their remarks and upload photos regularly on the project blog and also compose conversation reports and reviews.
Other Product Testing Clubs and Companies:
Numerous brands have developed their personal dedicated testing clubs, below are a few examples:
Lush - Your shot at trying out scented body products for absolutely free. You can email Lush and request to be on their waiting list.
Schwarzkopf – Keep an eye out as they publish an ad every now and then when they're recruiting for their VIP Testers club.
Boots Review Panel – Fill in your details for your shot at being accepted and becoming part of the panel and get new health and beauty items.
St. Moriz VIP – You can be the first to use St. Moriz self-tanning products even before they are available in stores by providing your details on their website. You will be registered for their mailing lists but you will be required to wait a little before you get the news of products to test.
WOW FreeStuff – You can find lots of free samples on this website and it has some of the best freebies online , but they also offer free product testing. There is a fab Dyson, and free iPhone testing offer on there currently!
If there is some products that you're really interested in, look for the contact details and email the company directly requesting information and asking if they run any product testing initiative.
How to Excel:
1 – Enhance your chances of getting accepted onto a project by completing the maximum number of surveys as possible.
2 – While on a campaign, take part and be as active as you possibly can to demonstrate how good you're at getting your message across. This will enhance your chances of getting accepted onto other campaigns.
3 – If you have a personal blog, a Twitter account and a lot of other social platforms, it will give you increased chances of participating.
4 – Don’t go around accepting the offers that you aren’t interested in. You will only waste your time in those. Wait for something that excites you and put all your efforts in that project!
5 – Maintain highest level of professionalism. Keep your grammar and spelling accurate and photos nice and meaningful. Few brands will utilise quotations and pictures provided by the testers to market their product.
Be careful of Scams:
If a product testing organisations requires a membership fee, think is it worth it? They're a lot of, free of cost, reputed organisations accessible so paying to be a part of one is not necessary!
Scrutinise the company’s privacy policy. If there is a note which says they might share your information with third parties, don’t register. You will get so much spams and marketing emails that would be next to impossible to put a break on. As they say “If it’s too good to be true, it probably is”. Gifts like iPhones and expensive coffee machines suggest that the organisation is just using expensive gifts as bait to lure people in.
Try it for yourself:
If the post sparked your interest, register for one of the above mentioned product testing companies yourself. Keep in mind that you answer maximum surveys to enhance your chances of being accepted. Most importantly have fun with it!
I'd love to read any comments if you have any further suggestions!?
Until next time,
Jada x
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