Behind the Scenes of Product Testing

And how to get your product featured

Nov 25, 2024

Hi friends,

Happy Thanksgiving! I’m banging out a bunch of assignments and scheduling private publicist coaching calls before heading to Wisconsin for six days. Oh, I’m also testing out a BOATLOAD of products, hence the topic of today’s newsletter.

That pic above is of all the products I received this past Saturday - just on Saturday! - along with all the broken-down boxes I dealt with after. Within the pile are a few humidifiers, some non-alcoholic drink mixers, a sleeping mask, and a shampoo/conditioner set. Not pictured are the red-light mask, Bluetooth speaker, and enormous full-body muscle compression suit that arrived a few days before.

It had me thinking…perhaps I should give my readers a sneak peek into what it’s like to test products for a living. I hope that understanding the process better will set you up for success when pitching journalists and editors products to review.

Also, this newsletter took me nearly 2 HOURS to write. If you find it helpful, I hope you’ll upgrade to paid so I can afford to keep providing these hyper-detailed newsletters.

Thank you so much!

Cassandra

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What it’s like to test products

For the past five years, I’ve been testing, reviewing, and writing about everything from sofas and mattresses to hot water kettles, bidets, and hiking boots. I genuinely love testing products and, as a naturally curious and critical person, I think I’m really good at it. Here’s a bit of what the process is like:

Confirmed vs Not Confirmed Coverage

About half of my product testing is for confirmed articles. Say, CNN will commission me to write The Best Smart Bird Feeders of 2024, Tried and Tested. They might either ask me to source the products directly from brands, they’ll source themselves, or they’ll purchase them for me to test.

The other half of the products I test have no confirmed coverage because most editors don’t want to receive a pitch about a product you haven’t actually tested yet. This article I wrote for the Daily Beast on self-watering plants is an example of a product I tested, then pitched, and had commissioned.

This Forbes piece on An Honest Ruggable Review: How it’s Held up to Kids and Pets is another example of a product that a brand pitched to me, I tested, and then pitched to Forbes. Most outlets these days are having internal staff and editors update articles instead of hiring freelancers to update the articles they originally offered. This is infuriating because, not only do we not get paid for the updates, but editors sometimes insert comments that we writers would not have made, yet our name remains as the author. The Forbes Ruggable piece is the rare case that they hired me to later update the piece to add in more details about how the rug stood up over time.

Payment

As you can imagine, writers are paid for their articles. So, in the case of the articles that Forbes or CNN commission me to write, I am guaranteed to be paid for the article. They typically offer a rate and I decide if I think it’s worth the amount of time required to test the products and write the piece. In some cases it is, and in other cases, I’ve turned down confirmed articles simply because I can’t justify spending that much time testing for such a low rate.

In other cases, I might think the rate seems fair, only to find out that testing takes waaaaaaay longer than anticipated. This may be because an editor asks for much more than initially requested. Or, it’s because the product doesn’t work well, I have to request another to be sent (and re-test), or I have to spend a ton of time talking with the brand’s reps to get the info I need for the piece (often because their product manuals and website information is woefully inadequate).

I track all my time so I know exactly how much I earn from each article and how much I spend on unpaid work like corresponding with publicists, attending meetings/events, crafting and sending pitches that aren’t commissioned, and testing products that I never write about. As you’ll see from the screenshot below, I spent 22 hours on the article I wrote for CNN on The Best Bike Lights in 2024, Tried and Tested. The article was commissioned in March and wasn’t published until October. I worked on it nearly every month in between. I probably spent two hours alone getting all the photos my editors requested (on bikes, on the ground, on a table, on grass, during the day, at night, with the flash on, with the flash off, etc.). Had I known so much time would be required, I may have declined the article.

Is testing products worth it?

I receive dozens of emails per week from brands who want to send me products for consideration. Many seem to think it’s a no-lose situation, but it’s not so simple. Product testing is extremely time-consuming and even if I spend several hours testing a product, and I spend considerable time crafting various pitch angles and sending them to numerous editors, I still may not be able to land an article about the product.

Not only does this mean that I don’t receive payment for the article, but it means I spent countless UNPAID hours testing the product. On top of all that, I often receive numerous follow-ups from brands asking for detailed feedback on the product and requesting updates on pitching progress. Again, this is all unpaid time. I’m not mad at publicists for requesting this info, but I believe that as many of them are salaried (thus, are paid for the time they spend corresponding with writers), they fail to understand that we are not paid for that time.

You know what’s also unpaid time? All the time it takes me to unbox products, break down boxes, and haul trash and recylcing to the curb. When I test products at my family’s home in Wisconsin, the boxes that these goods come in take up so much space that they often don’t even fit into our recycling bin, which is only picked up by the city every other week. In these cases, my brother-in-law has to pack them into his car and dispose of them at his job. Now, this is as first world of a problem that I’ve ever heard of, but it’s still a time-consuming annoyance that factors into whether or not I want to test a product.

Some brands also want to have products shipped back to them, which is also time-consuming. This is one reason that many writers refuse to send back samples. It’s not because we’re greedy and want to keep everything for ourselves; rather, it’s because it simply isn’t worth our (unpaid) time to send them back. Many of us don’t have room for all these products in our homes, and we don’t want the hassle of standing in line at the post office or UPS store, or re-boxing up a product and hoping UPS picks it up from our home before someone steals it off the stoop.

Last week, I walked 7 blocks to my local UPS store to return a pair of shoes that I had agreed to return. It was a really small company and they sent me two pairs to ensure proper sizing so I agreed to send one back (which I rarely do). When I got to the UPS store, their computer was down so they told me to come back another day. You’re looking at at least 45 minutes of unpaid time for returns like this - more if I have to stand in a long line, which I often do.

Then, there’s also a matter of disposing of all the products. While I’m happy to continue wearing a pair of great moisture-wicking socks that I test, I simply don’t need seven AI-enabled bird feeders, eight humidifiers, or the 10 outdoor rugs that I tested for this Best Rugs article I wrote for Tom’s Guide. In some cases, I’ve donated the products to charity events I organize. In other cases, I’ve offered them in “Buy Nothing” Facebook groups or mailed them to Mexico, where my brother-in-law’s family takes low-income youth on camping trips. Sometimes, I bike (in NYC) or drive (in Wisconsin) to donate these items to the Salvation Army. Again, all this requires additional time.

What this means for you

Did I scare you into never pitching me again? I hope not, as that wasn’t the purpose of this newsletter. I love to test products and write detailed product reviews, so I just wanted you to understand the context of product testing. Here’s a bit more on what this means for you and what to do with all this information.

Showcases & Individual Meeting

A well-organized product showcase is a great way for writers to get to know products (and even test them) quickly and efficiently. I’ve also met privately with brands and destinations who may be in town but can’t put on a full-scale showcase. I think this point is so important that I dedicated an entire (very popular) newsletter to How to Convince Writers/Editors to Meet You in Person, which covers both how to put on a successful showcase event and handle private meetings with writers.

Write Better Pitches

Some pitches are truly fantastic and some are downright horrible. To help you write better pitches (and to reduce the number of unhelpful pitches I receive), I’ve written a LOT about how to improve your pitches. There’s no room in here to dig deeply into how to perfect your pitches, so here are some previous newsletters I’ve written on the topic:

This AARP Pitch Explainer includes a perfect pitch I received about a destination that I had never visited and had no personal knowledge of (a berry farm in Idaho).
This piece on How to Send the Perfect Pitch - Part 2 (in a four-part series) includes a sample of an amazing pitch I received from a publicist I’d never worked with for a bra that I wound up testing and including in a Forbes article.
How to Guarantee I See Your Pitch talks about how to write a proper subject line and also links to a half dozen other pitch guides I’ve prepared.

Consider Consults

Many, many freelance writers out there offer private pitching consultations, myself included. If you want to work with a particular writer who does product reviews and also offers pitch consults (like myself and my incredible colleagues, Joni Sweet and Alice Dubin), then booking a private consult or coaching call is an investment in your brand and business.

If your pitch isn’t strong, it’s not going to land, and sending a bad pitch to 100 writers and then sending 300 follow-ups isn’t going to change that.

By booking a private consult, you’ll get immediate, individualized feedback on your pitch, plus real-time input on trends, who’s accepting what, and where you could pitch. I’ve had several private pitch consulting calls with publicists who sought help not with just pitching me specifically, but rather, with determining which outlets they should be focused on and where they should be pitching themselves.

Here are two testimonials from brand and destination reps who have booked consults with me this year:

My coaching session with Cassandra was exceptional! She exceeded my expectations. I took about 2 pages of notes, and had about 7-key takeaways that I would never have thought of on my own. including where to pitch and new pitch angles. It was refreshing and insightful, so much so that I got about to pitching and heard back from The New York Times. I definitely recommend working with Cassandra, if you're looking to get more press. She's super smart and knows her stuff.

- Elina Leclaire, Owner – Glampful Campground

“Cassandra and I were able to cover so much in just 30 minutes. I got to ask questions about how various outlets she writes for function, that I would have no other way of knowing about. She gave me great feedback on potential avenues for several of my clients, which helped me identify a few new angles and approaches to pursue that I never would have thought of on my own. Time and money well spent!”

- Jason Simms, Principal - Theirsay

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VARIOUS RECENT ARTICLES

Recent Articles

Thanks to those of you who helped me source products and quotes for these pieces. I’ve had a lot of roundups and reviews published recently and I don’t have the capacity to send personal updates but your brand or destination may be included below:

Thrillist: Spilling the Tea on This Indian Ocean Paradise

CNN: The Best Bike Lights of 2024, Tried and Tested

Range Best (gorgeous print mag): Scotland Slowly - Why the Best Way to Explore this Rugged Country is by Water

Yahoo: FeatherSnap Scout Smart Bird Feeder Camera Review: An Intelligent, Addictive Addition to Your Backyard

Midwest Living: 11 Must-Visit State Parks According to Locals and Pros

AFAR: This Canadian Island is a Dream Destination Best Explored By Sea

Yahoo: 8 of Canada’s Best National Parks (which got 185,000 views!)

Hilton: Embrace the Season in These Worldwide Winter Wonderlands

Hilton: Paradise is Calling: Elevated Experiences in Waikiki

AARP: Four Pumpkin Patches to Celebrate Fall

AARP: Adaptive Equipment to Make Mealtime Easier for Caregivers

Sierra Club: Leaf-Peeping for Hikers