In the last Simple Freelancer post, I talked about how freelancers and PR reps work together to create story ideas based on clients and products. The week, I want to talk about PR samples.
The first time I was offered a PR sample, I was very confused. I didn’t know what the expectations were, whether I was implying coverage by accepting the samples, or if I was supposed to send them back.
I couldn’t really find the answers I was looking for, so I started asking. This Twitter (sorry, X) thread has a lot of good responses from PR reps explaining their views on sending out product samples to writers.
Basically, my question was what their expectations were when they send samples to a writer. What do writers do if we can’t find coverage and what about if we don’t like the product?
The takeaway was that they don’t send samples out with any expectations attached. Do they want coverage for the product? Absolutely. But is it something they expect? No. Here are some of my takeaways from the thread:
Coverage isn’t expected
This was my favorite analogy: “I like to say it’s called seeding a product for a reason - you’re planting a seed. As such, you shouldn’t expect it to bloom a) right away or b) at all. Like gardening, PR isn’t guaranteed.”
Other comments included:
“Coverage is awesome, but never expected.”
“My expectation is simply introducing you to the product.”
“I never expect coverage when sending out product, but I do appreciate ANY type of feedback on the product.”
“It’s part of building or maintaining relationships. Feedback, coverage , or a story on IG is great, but a plus.”
Accept in good faith
I struggled with this one in the beginning because I wasn’t sure what to accept and what not to accept. At first, I wanted to accept EVERYTHING. I mean, FREE STUFF. But then I pulled back and sent a bunch of “no thank you” emails. I really gave it a lot of thought and started to think about not just what I’m covering now, but also things that I want to cover.
I’m not one to buy a lot of things, so there are products out there that I just would never try on my own. So, I finally settled on a way to respond that gives them an out and feels comfortable on my end (you can use it if you want!):
Hey [name]! I’m not working on anything that’s a fit at the moment, so I totally understand if you want to hold off on sending samples, but I’ll leave my address below just in case. Either way, I’ll keep it in mind and reach out if something relevant comes up!
What I like about this is that it cuts out a step if they decide they do want to send it because I’ve given my address, and it also gives the PR rep the opportunity to wait to send until I have something more concrete. I’d say responses have been about half and half. Some send it anyway and some say they’ll hold off. Either way, I feel good about being transparent, and it keeps the relationship in a good spot.
If you do receive a sample, another thing that is appreciated and that can help maintain the relationship is simply acknowledging that you received the sample. One comment was that “there’s no expectation but acknowledging receipt is nice!”
Send feedback
One thing that surprised me is how many said they really want feedback about the product. One PR rep even said they “appreciate feedback ESPECIALLY if they don’t like the product. Have had that happen where journo said they didn’t like the product but also didn’t want to write about it and appreciated that greatly.”
Another said, “The client knows we’re sending out product, so it’s always nice to be able to share feedback…good or bad!”
And this is one of my favorites - “Feedback is truly a gift, regardless of the outcome. Understanding why something isn’t a fit for you (either overall or just right now) can help PR pros have constructive conversations with clients or business partners.”
The bottom line
PR reps send samples to writers for consideration for stories and to get the product into more hands. They appreciate feedback, good or bad, on the products, and keeping the lines of communication open can help to maintain a relationship in which they can provide support and ideas and writers can provide coverage.
To decide which samples to accept and which to decline, think about what you may actually be able to cover or something that you genuinely want to try and give feedback about. Simply acknowledging receipt and letting the PR rep know what you think is much appreciated on their end.
This helps me so much! I have only just recently felt comfortable accepting samples as long as I reply with something similar as you listed here. Great tips!