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Product reviews are a natural fit with ‘mommy bloggers‘. With women connecting more and more online, it makes sense to get advice on which stroller to buy, which curriculum to choose, which detergent best gets out crayons, etc.. from your online friends. Through my company, I do a ton of product reviews and I am constantly being asked by moms just starting to blog how they ‘get into’ product reviews.This post is aimed at the new mom blogger looking to get their feet wet with product reviews. I have a few companies that you should get signed up with. The sign up process is free and depending on your blog audience, these may work out well for you. I personally work with the first two often and have met both their owners (and wonderful employees) in person. I can highly vouch for their companies and feel comfortable sending my closest friends over to them.Mom It Forward- Register and participate on the forum to be contacted about blogger outreach opportunities including blog tours, twitter parties, conference sponsorships and more.Mom Central– In the right hand sidebar there is a link to sign up for their mom testing panel. They are very organized and will send you emails with campaigns that may fit your readership come up. You respond to the email by filling in their questionaire. They will contact you to let you know if you are chosen. I really like that Mom Central usually sends a giftcard to compensate you for the time it takes to post your review and test the product.They have some wonderful campaigns, including Feld Family Activators which I proudly participate in.Team Mom Media-Wonderful women to work with. I really like that when I get a product to review from them, I get a press kit in the package. After you start doing a lot of reviews, that will be a big plus. While Team Mom usually does not compensate you for the posting time, I really like the campaigns that they offer and the products tend to be things that fit well with my family. Team Mom spends time getting to know their bloggers personally so they can keep you in mind when that perfect fit comes up.MyBlogSpark-I have just signed on to do my second review through them but several of my online mom buds swear by them.As you get more into product reviews, you will develop relationships that lead to higher paying opportunities and ‘mom teams’. I have always enjoyed the opportunity to do reviews and I hope the companies above can get you started on this path.One last suggestion! Have a company you adore and are a natural brand advocate for? Contact their pr directly.I have a list of people I adore and will post that later this week but twitter is an excellent way to begin a relationship with brands. Remember, there are real people behind those accounts so just saying hi and showing your interest goes a long way in building a relationship before you ‘pitch’ them.Take a look at the list of PR people that I recommend getting to know!
Summer says
Great post woman!!!Now if only I could find people who would send me clothes and jewelry and diamonds to review….Maybe I should just become a celebrity instead of a blogger…. =)Found you on the pink and brown Sits!.-= Summer´s last blog ..Why I love having sisters: =-.
Kim says
Thank you so much for such valuable information. I appreciate any and all tips to help me figure out this whole mom blogging thing.
Bethany Larrabee says
I was wondering how to sign up with Team Mom Media. I can’t seem to find out how. Thanks!.-= Bethany Larrabee´s last blog ..Brandi Carlile Review =-.
Luv2CUSmile says
I realize you wrote this a bit ago but I also am appreciative for the share in information. I am just getting ready to start my Blog and have a question…being that I am just now getting ready to start a Blog, how long should I realistically expect to wait before any of these companies would find me an asset to do a review? Is there a time limit? i.e. 4 months as an active Blog, or is it readership? If I have 300 followers in one month would I be able to successfully be chose? Thx for any other infoI subscribed to you!
Barb says
Thanks for your comment! I am planning on writing more about all of this in 2010 but until then, I don’t think there is really a ‘magic’ number. All campaigns are looking for something different. That being said, for ‘bigger’ campaigns you do need a good following. I do think you need to be around a bit (6 months or more) and show you are actively posting.Have you thought about joining theblogfrog.com ? It is a great place to start
diane says
Thanks for the helpful info. Following from MBC.Dianehttp://turning-the-clock-back.blogspot.com/
Barb_L says
I sent a message over to Marie about that for you. You can just email her though. She is really nice. Her email is in the PR Peeps I Recommend post
Barb_L says
Duh, just realized she left it in the comments here. Oh well, read the other post anyway. It has some good contacts in it 🙂