Two years ago, I had no idea a random person with relatively low experience could get free products sent to them. Nothing comes free FREE so there was one caveat: that I make a UGC video for them. UGC, or User Generated Content, is modern marketing in today’s world.
It’s where the end user of the product (not an official spokesperson) creates an amateur video (not a TV commercial) and uploads it to social media. My sister introduced me to the concept and I literally started to get free products sent to my house. I was SHOCKED!!!
Now, here I am two years later and I’ve rejected more products than I have accepted. I have made over 700 videos (on $50k+ of products) and get to choose who I work with and what products I want sent to me. In addition, I earn commissions on each of those products and can also earn affiliate commissions if those products are sold because of one of my videos. All of this because I said yes to shooting a UGC video for a set of porcelain bowls.
I want to tell you exactly how you can get your first “set of bowls” and become an influencer that gets free products. For beginners, most of your free products will come from Asia. Some are trash and some are really nice. The quality varies wildly. I love as many products as I hate. Some will last forever and others will be broken when you open them. Chinese retailers in general can err toward dishonesty. Many of their specs are inaccurate and they frequently violate intellectual property rights. My suggestion is to use the product and then honestly describe the experience. If a vendor balks, find someone else. There are TONS of them out there.
Yes, TONS. If you do the five things below, you will get more products than you can handle from a multitude of vendors.
1. Create YouTube and Amazon Accounts
Most people already have accounts with YouTube and Amazon. It’s hard not to buy stuff from Amazon and nearly everyone consumes YouTube content. (You might be asking yourself, what about Instagram or TikTok. Those platforms can come in handy too in the future. If you don’t have a following on them now, just leave those alone). If you don’t have them, make them. They’re critical to your success.
2. Shoot a Simple Video for Something You Bought from Amazon
Amazon relies on customers reviewing their purchases to decide which products they should promote and to whom. YouTube depends on views so they can sell ads. They want your content!!! Your videos don’t need to be professional or super polished. In fact, many creators cringe at their early videos but VENDORS LOVE THEM!
Everyone will give the same advice here: make sure your audio is clean and your face is lit. Poor audio and dark faces will have people clicking off of your video in seconds. Stand opposite of a bright window. Don’t let background noise overwhelm your voice. There are lots of good posts about simple lighting and audio. It DOES NOT have to be professional but it can’t be BAD!
A lot of people like to shoot vertical video. Save that for TikTok. Most vendors want horizontal HD video. Turn your phone sideways. I shoot nearly 100% of my content on an iPhone with the built in mic (except outdoors I use a windproof mic). Again, good enough. I would recommend getting rid of clutter in the background but it’s not a show stopper as long as the product is highlighted.
Don’t do a bunch of takes. Print out or memorize the key features and just let it roll. Aim for 1-3 minutes and you’re good. As with all products, share the features, describe the product and be real. That’s it!
3. Upload Video to YouTube and Amazon (as a product review)
You can edit your video on your phone or download free software. I use iMovie on a Mac but many creators use DaVinci Resolve (it’s free). You just need to crop out the rough parts and export the video before uploading. For a single video, my set-up is longer than my shooting and my editing combined. I can do the entire process in 20-30 minutes now (except for products that need installation or assembly).
Once you start posting videos, you can showcase your work to new vendors. TBH, I don’t think they check very often because most of them will send to anyone willing to shoot a video. As you create more content, you will get noticed and people will reach out to you. (On any given weekday, I have 5-10 new requests in my inbox).
4. Join an Amazon Influencers Facebook Page
This is where you can start making connections with other content creators as well as vendors trying to break into the U.S. market. You can ask silly questions and no one will bug you. Everyone on that page has a stake in the game and it’s not cut throat at all. In fact, I wish I had known about these groups when I started.
5. Tell Others You Want Products
First a warning: a lot of companies will try to pay you to give them a 5-Star review and reimburse you after. DO NOT DO THIS! (Not only is this unethical, if you fake a review in a video, it is illegal and you could be prosecuted by the FCC.)
Tell vendors you’ll do product reviews for them. Find a vendor and work with them. If you like them, stick with them. If you don’t move on. There are lots of shady ones with ridiculous demands out there. Find the good ones and stay with them. One of the vendors I have been working with for 18+ months now. Others were a single product and done. If you get serious, I might even give you some of my vendors because they’re all looking for more talent.
I hope this helps and gets you on the road to FREE stuff!!!
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