First and foremost, I need to be clear that there will be work involved and a lot of times, you will get a deep discount as opposed to free. The terms of service for whatever site you are reviewing on should be read in its entirety and followed closely. Amazon now has very strict rules regarding writing reviews. If Amazon is where you want to be, you need to make sure you read up on that.
This is not easy money, it's not effortless. It takes time to do the reviews and it takes effort to build followers and a reputation. It takes time to take pictures and videos, to edit it all, to type, to test. If you are okay with that, go ahead and read on.
I suggest, first, that you start out with a blog, social media, YouTube, Imgur, etc. Where you post depends on what you are doing. Let's say you love makeup. You have to ask yourself who will pay more attention to your review, photos in a blog, or a video of you applying the product with commentary and a before and after shot?
Then, it's a matter of just writing/making content. Let's pretend you need to buy some headphones anyway, so you go online and you buy a pair for full price the first time. (You may need to do this a few times before you start gaining a reputation and followers) You take a photo of the package, the item itself, the accessories. Talk about how they look, how they feel, how they are built--if they come to you damaged, don't allow that to be part of the review for the item. That is a packaging problem and more often than not, if you talk to the company that sold it to you, they will replace it. Your job is to write content on the item itself. Take really good pictures in natural light from many angles. Have fun with it.
I recently bought a pair of headphones that I just loved because I love geek things. They were headphones, but were also elf ears. I paid full price for them, because I loved them, but wrote a review to build content as well as spread the word about a surprisingly decent and fun item.
So, one of the places I like to discuss content on is Imgur and the photograph I used was from a photo shoot my daughter did where I was dressed as a winter elf. We had fun with it, promoted the product, and created a setting that attracts headphone fans and cosplay fans. See?
Eventually, you will be noticed, especially if you tag your items as a product review and with the brand you are reviewing.
Make sure you are honest. If there is something you don't like, explain why you don't like it, but also make sure to explain why you think it will be good for someone else. An example would be a Christmas laser light that I reviewed a while back. I had trouble with it working in the extreme cold we have here in Wisconsin. Despite the fact that the description said it could handle the cold, it could not; however, it would be perfect for an indoor situation (a dance in a big basement or gym) or used in a climate that it wasn't -40F windchill at night.
There are places online that you can find products for a deep discount to review. A simple Google search will bring up several and some of them, after building a reputation and followers, will even pay you to write reviews in your personal blog and on your social media. I'm not going to list them here, because there are other blogs that extensively describe who offers what and I want them to get their traffic too.
The point is, you will get there. Don't lie, don't take bribes. You do NOT have to change your review if it is honest. Taking free stuff for a false review is wrong. Doing a review without trying out the product is wrong. Writing a hateful or an abusive review, a sloppy review, an unprofessional review is wrong.
These companies rely on you for both quality control and promotion. This is their livelihood and while you can choose whether to do the review or not before you get the product, you are obligated to put in a professional effort when you agree to do the job, because, that's what this is. A job. You are a freelancer and you are getting paid by being able to keep what you are working for.
I wish you good luck!
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