Ewhite92 Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Okay so I want to start doing reviews on shisha brands and flavours. When browsing youtube for reviews to use as examples to follow, I've noticed a lot of the people always thank brands for sending them samples. As a college student not living at home, I can't afford a ton of shisha to review so I was wondering how one goes about getting samples? Is it simply a matter of emailing the company and asking? Or do you, instead, have to build a reputation as a reviewer so that the companies will be more likely to send them? Or is it a completely outrageous idea to believe that any company will send out samples? I plan to start posting reviews regardless, I'd just be able to post more reviews more frequently if it were possible to receive samples! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelLCP Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Usually you just contact the company, explaining who you are. Make sure you tell them you have a YouTube channel, and link them to the page. Company's are more likely going to send samples when you have a big of a following on YouTube. It all depends really. Good luck! Let me know if you have any questions. Here is an example of an email I sent a few months back. "Hey! My name is Michael Barbieri and I am a hookah/tobacco reviewer on youtube. I represent HookahForum.com, one of the best online hookahforums there is. I was wondering if you guys send out samples. I have recently heard about your product and was wanting to give it a try. In return you will get advertisement on my youtube page. (Though I will be giving my 100% opinion on your product) If you would like to take a look at my youtube page the link is "www.youtube.com/michaellcp". Also feel free to check out HookahForum.com, my username is MichaelLCP. Thanks so much for your time. -Michael Barbieri" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ewhite92 Posted February 9, 2012 Author Share Posted February 9, 2012 Awesome! Now to start a Youtube channel and get followers. Thanks for your help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuie Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Let your reviews speak for themselves. Asking for freebies doesn't work often. Usually when you get them, they want good reviews. Despite the facts. I have been asked this several times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ewhite92 Posted February 9, 2012 Author Share Posted February 9, 2012 Thanks, Stuie. Any tips on how to structure a review? Or is it best done using a template similar to the one on here in the reviews section? Also, Michael, Do you need to get permission to say that you represent HookahForum.com? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelLCP Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 [quote name='Ewhite92' timestamp='1328819679' post='538440'] Thanks, Stuie. Any tips on how to structure a review? Or is it best done using a template similar to the one on here in the reviews section? [b]Also, Michael, Do you need to get permission to say that you represent HookahForum.com?[/b] [/quote] No idea. I said that because a few people from here were interested, and the company I had emailed wanted to work something out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rani Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Ummm, personally I'm not comfortable with the "represent" statement. The word represent pretty much claims you speak for or make binding decisions on behalf of the forum. Even moderators I think would be pushing the envelope on that one. The only ones I would say have an absolute right to make that claim would be admins, which I think right now is Mush and Adrock period. I think the rest of us should probably stick to Premium Member, long time member, etc. Especially when it comes to something where a vendor might feel they could come back and claim you misrepresented yourself. What you could have said though is that you represent several members interested in their product. 'Rani Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuie Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Michael is about to get spanked, I believe. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bawhee Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 sounds sexy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelLCP Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 [quote name='Rani' timestamp='1328823430' post='538447'] Ummm, personally I'm not comfortable with the "represent" statement. The word represent pretty much claims you speak for or make binding decisions on behalf of the forum. Even moderators I think would be pushing the envelope on that one. The only ones I would say have an absolute right to make that claim would be admins, which I think right now is Mush and Adrock period. I think the rest of us should probably stick to Premium Member, long time member, etc. Especially when it comes to something where a vendor might feel they could come back and claim you misrepresented yourself. What you could have said though is that you represent several members interested in their product. 'Rani [/quote] Well I do represent Hookahforum as one of the reviewers here. I'm sorry that you have a problem with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cotsi95 Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 [center][img]http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2010/069/e/a/calm_the_fuck_down_by_mooh438.jpg[/img][/center] 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chreees Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Ewhite92- Be aware that often you will make yourself seem less credible if a company has given you a product to review for them. I bet if you do decide to ask companies for samples to review, first thing they will say is, "Well, what are you going to say about it?" (or something along those lines). Either way, they're going to have their best interests in mind, which I totally understand. I think that I am much more willing to read/listen to/watch a review when a person has purchased the product themselves with no sort of "hookup" from the company. More often than not, I have found myself thinking that certain hookah products reviewers (especially on YouTube) are quite biased towards one company. I tend to disregard these reviewers. Seems to me there are more biased reviewers out there than honest ones who buy their own stuff they review. I tend to stick with the ones I feel are honest. Stuie is my number one guy I go to when it comes to reviews on hookah stuff. As for this representative business, just say you are a long-time HF member, as Rani suggested. I feel as though the label "representative" is often misused, misunderstood, or comes off as some sort of entitlement. Easier to just steer away from all that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelLCP Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 nvm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joytron Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 [quote name='Rani' timestamp='1328823430' post='538447'] Ummm, personally I'm not comfortable with the "represent" statement. The word represent pretty much claims you speak for or make binding decisions on behalf of the forum. Even moderators I think would be pushing the envelope on that one. The only ones I would say have an absolute right to make that claim would be admins, which I think right now is Mush and Adrock period. I think the rest of us should probably stick to Premium Member, long time member, etc. Especially when it comes to something where a vendor might feel they could come back and claim you misrepresented yourself. What you could have said though is that you represent several members interested in their product. 'Rani [/quote] Rani, I really think you are making too big of a deal out of this issue. Mike I would be happy to have you as a representative of this forum and feel you are an excellent ambassador to hookah in general. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king_lunchb0x Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 I agree with chrees, on the part that it is best to buy your own and review, to me it would provide a more unbiased view of the product. about the other topic, The word represent is a strong word, but I believe mike has our best interest at heart, he would never intend to represent us in a bad light. Keep on keepin on, life's a garden...dig it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelLCP Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 [quote name='joytron' timestamp='1328831517' post='538472'] [quote name='Rani' timestamp='1328823430' post='538447'] Ummm, personally I'm not comfortable with the "represent" statement. The word represent pretty much claims you speak for or make binding decisions on behalf of the forum. Even moderators I think would be pushing the envelope on that one. The only ones I would say have an absolute right to make that claim would be admins, which I think right now is Mush and Adrock period. I think the rest of us should probably stick to Premium Member, long time member, etc. Especially when it comes to something where a vendor might feel they could come back and claim you misrepresented yourself. What you could have said though is that you represent several members interested in their product. 'Rani [/quote] Rani, I really think you are making too big of a deal out of this issue. Mike I would be happy to have you as a representative of this forum and feel you are an excellent ambassador to hookah in general. [/quote] Thank you Jess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rani Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 Let me say to anyone who thinks I'm coming down on Michael, I'm not. I don't feel he made some huge major mistake or outta be bitch slapped, etc. But having been here for years, that particular word has come back to haunt the forum in the past where people have been accused of having been our duly authorized representative. Big drama ensued. And not all of it was the fault of the "representative". Me, I explain shit too much being a writer and some times it's gonna get taken the wrong way. However, it wasn't meant as a ruler to the hand. It was meant as a "might want to avoid that one" for the future. 'Cuz God knows every one of us said stuff we have later "what was I thinking?" moments about. 'Rani Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ewhite92 Posted February 10, 2012 Author Share Posted February 10, 2012 Chreees- Now that you and Stuie have mentioned it, I would feel really dishonest reviewing something that I got for free. If I spend my hard earned bucks on something that i would never spend money on again, I'd want to make sure no one else made the same mistake. I would feel like I owed the company a good review. So I'll stick to buying my own, and come up with some sort of system to try a new brand from a new shop or site each week or something. Thank you guys for bringing up such an important downside to receiving samples In regards to the Representative issue, I agree, it's a strong word and I wouldn't dream of calling myself a rep. of this forum. I'm one voice out of hundreds. Does anyone else have any tips for doing reviews? Any dos and don'ts? Or is it really as simple as keep it interesting and say what you think? I apologize if I'm being annoyingly analytical, I like to research the hell out of things before I get myself into something Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang67n Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 [quote name='Ewhite92' timestamp='1328845524' post='538494'] Chreees- Now that you and Stuie have mentioned it, I would feel really dishonest reviewing something that I got for free. If I spend my hard earned bucks on something that i would never spend money on again, I'd want to make sure no one else made the same mistake. I would feel like I owed the company a good review. So I'll stick to buying my own, and come up with some sort of system to try a new brand from a new shop or site each week or something. Thank you guys for bringing up such an important downside to receiving samples In regards to the Representative issue, I agree, it's a strong word and I wouldn't dream of calling myself a rep. of this forum. I'm one voice out of hundreds. Does anyone else have any tips for doing reviews? Any dos and don'ts? Or is it really as simple as keep it interesting and say what you think? I apologize if I'm being annoyingly analytical, I like to research the hell out of things before I get myself into something [/quote] I've never done reviews, but I've watched a few. I prefer reviews that keep it short, and factual. Less of your opinion, and more of what the product IS. also, i get annoyed with overly long intro's etc. also, i like to know the setup a person is smoking from, but prefer it be said quickly. no sense in going on and on about ur pipe/hose/bowl when you're reviewing tobacco. just touch on it real quick. My opinion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pavo21 Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 i like doing reviews mainly just to make hookah even bigger in the world also everyone has a different palet so that everything is slightly different yet the same. if u wanna do reviews just go watch some online and take ideas from there's to do it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king_lunchb0x Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 (edited) -review product thoroughly, but not long..this is possible. -be sure to give good info about the product- I.e. if its a pipe what metal?hollow?built on diffusers? etc -Try to cut out the odd words like-uhhh,hmmm or dragging anything out to long. or repeating yourself...maybe write what ur going to say..? -Do say your opinion because every review is opinion based-just try not to make it too long, if u would recommend to a friend or buy again kind of thing Nate is right about saying your setup but no need to boast all about it unless its actually being reviewed. And if an intro is more than 15 seconds for me i stop the vid, so try to keep them short too(unless ur mike i would still watch even if his intro was 15 minutes) this is my two cents on what i like reviews, some people like other ways, ur just not going to please everybody and good luck Edited February 10, 2012 by king_lunchb0x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floataround Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 Ok just to chime in ... When it comes to flat out reviewing - your review is based off of opinion. Try and make sure to include all of the FACTS as well as some of your opinion. Example - You may or may not like AF Double Apple. That is your opinion. But the fact that AF DA is pretty close to pure Anise is a fact. That is valuable information. When it comes to people "representing" I suppose that something like that is really meant to be determined by the Admins. Its their forum, so they should be able to choose who they feel really reps them. But even then, when it comes to reviews, I take things with a grain of salt. You may be qualified to rep a forum or organization, but the review is still going to be from your opinion. If everyone from whatever forum/group loves flavor X, and you hate it, when you review it, will you be able to give it a positive review? Doubtful. And if you did, people would be so lost and confused anyway. Imagine watching someone take a pull of a flavor they cant stand, grimace as they taste it, and then say "well everyone else likes it, 8/10". Thats just as bad as giving a positive review to a company just because they sent you free samples. So at the end of the day, I think its best just doing reviews as you see fit, and having some fun with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camelflage Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 [quote name='MichaelLCP' timestamp='1328826715' post='538456'] [quote name='Rani' timestamp='1328823430' post='538447'] Ummm, personally I'm not comfortable with the "represent" statement. The word represent pretty much claims you speak for or make binding decisions on behalf of the forum. Even moderators I think would be pushing the envelope on that one. The only ones I would say have an absolute right to make that claim would be admins, which I think right now is Mush and Adrock period. I think the rest of us should probably stick to Premium Member, long time member, etc. Especially when it comes to something where a vendor might feel they could come back and claim you misrepresented yourself. What you could have said though is that you represent several members interested in their product. 'Rani [/quote] Well I do represent Hookahforum as one of the reviewers here. I'm sorry that you have a problem with it. [/quote] as a general notice, no one should ever claim to represent hookahforum.com except Adrock. if he gives you permission to speak on behalf of the forum, then so be it, but especially when speaking to other vendors or media, we do not have the right to speak on behalf of the forum owner. If someone claims to be a representative of the site and then goes out and starts beef, intentional or otherwise, it will come back to Adrock and his business, and thats not something he should have to deal with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mushrat Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 You all are members here, and we love having you, but HookahForum will disavow ANYONE contacting a company claiming to represent Hookah Forum, especially soemone asking for free stuff. You want to write reviews, thats cool. I suggestmaking your reviews personal, with no Hookahforum banners or plugs. It will be welcome on many sites, as opposed to the last prick who had another forum's name pasted all over his review and didnt take me seriously when i said they couldn't post it here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king_lunchb0x Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 some of those banners on review vids drive me crazy, just get to the shit i want to know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now