Originally published May 3 2007
How to get your natural health or green living product reviewed or recommended by NaturalNews
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Here at NaturalNews, we've openly and independently recommended hundreds of natural health and green living products, all without asking for (or accepting) any money from the companies we publicize. Through our recommendations, we've helped numerous companies launch new products and connect with customers, and we've helped literally millions of consumers find new products that enhance health, protect the environment, improve quality of life and offer other similar benefits.
I'm often asked by makers of natural health and green living products, "How can we get our products reviewed or recommended by NaturalNews?"
Today I'm announcing guidelines for submitting products for review and possible recommendation here on NaturalNews.com. Product manufacturers and P.R. consultants are welcome to follow these guidelines in submitting products to us.
1. Start with a quality product. No junk.
I only recommend products of superior quality. If your product contains yeast extract, hydrogenated oils, high-fructose corn syrup, mercury, artificial colors or aspartame, don't even bother submitting it. I also don't promote products made mostly with fillers (for example, a bottle of mangosteen juice made mostly out of apple juice would not earn my recommendation).
To get exposure on NaturalNews, you have to offer a truly high-quality, innovative product (or book, website, etc.) that delivers strong benefits to customers.
2. Send an empty sample + literature to us.
Send a sample of your product(s) to us, but leave out the capsules or powder or whatever is normally inside. We only need the product package. (If you do send the actual product, we will throw out the contents anyway, so don't send the contents.) Supporting literature is also important to include, especially if it shows the ingredients list and nutrition facts (if applicable.)
How can we evaluate your product without the product inside? It's a two-stage process. If we like your product from the packaging, we will go out and buy a new bottle off the shelf, then use that for our review. We want to make sure we're testing the same product consumers might buy.
If you offer a non-nutritional product, such as a green living product, feel free to send us a full bottle (or whatever package it happens to be in) so that we can put it to the test. If you want your product returned after our review, see the instructions below.
Mail your product packaging and literature to:
NaturalNews Reviews
1820 E. River Rd.
#106
Tucson AZ 85718
USA
(Please do not drop by in person without an appointment.)
Please include:
• The product(s) you would like us to review.
• Your business card with phone number and web address.
• Literature on the product and your company.
• Any special coupon codes for NaturalNews readers.
• Tell us where you'd like us to link to if we recommend your product. How do consumers learn more or purchase your product?
How to submit coupon codes: If you have a coupon code that you'd like to send us for distribution to NaturalNews readers, you may either mail it to us at the address above, or call us directly at 520-232-9300 (manufacturers only, please) and give it us over the phone. We ask that all coupon codes are good for a period of one year, except in special circumstances.
Please note: If you want to verify our receipt of your products, please use a shipper with tracking capability (such as UPS ground). We do not call you to confirm we have received your products, and we will NOT return products or packaging unless you include a pre-paid return shipping label and specify that you want the product(s) returned.
3. Please be patient
Because we don't charge companies to review their products, it sometimes take many months for us to evaluate a product. Actually posting a review can take even longer, depending on the product. If we really like your product and want a background story, we may call you to schedule a phone interview. If you're in Arizona (or willing to fly here), we may invite you to appear on camera to talk about your company and product(s).
4. Include a coupon code for faster action
Effective May 1, 2007, NaturalNews is now giving review scheduling preference to those companies who offer coupon codes exclusively for NaturalNews readers. These are simple codes such as "XY4295" that a customer can enter into an online shopping cart and receive a discount, free shipping or free bonus products (your choice).
Here at NaturalNews, we feel it is our responsibility to not only inform and educate readers, but also to help them save their hard-earned dollars when it comes to purchasing quality products for personal and planetary health. The benefit to you, the manufacturer, is that you will see much greater response when you allow us to promote a coupon code or offer code to our readers. You'll also appreciate the quality of people who read NaturalNews, and you'll find it's well worth extending an exclusive discount to NaturalNews readers. Please note that we will never recommend junk products, even if they have coupon codes. Offering a discount does not make up for a lack of quality ingredients.
5. Note our rules for network marketing companies
Our new rules on promoting network marketing / MLM / direct sales products went into effect May 1, 2007. These rules dictate that our point of contact must be a principal in the company and not an independent distributor. If you are an independent distributor and you'd like us to review your product, please contact the principals in your own company and ask them to send us samples directly, with their own contact information.
(We do not have any predisposition either for or against network marketing companies. We've strongly recommended the Amazon Herb Company for several years, but we find that most network marketing companies use too much filler and not enough quality ingredients. The Amazon Herb Company is a rare exception, and we do recommend a number of Amazon Herb distributors.)
Never a fee, never a commission
Hopefully, you already know that NaturalNews doesn't play financial games with the companies whose products we recommend. There is never a fee for getting a story written about you, and we will never ask you for a commission on the sales that happen as a result of the article appearing. NaturalNews readers know they can trust us precisely because we don't charge companies to be covered by us, and that's why our recommendation actually has value.
So rest assured that we will never ask you fees to be covered on NaturalNews. However, we are very picky about what we recommend. The typical junk vitamins and junk health foods that other, more popular, health magazines and websites might happily promote for a fee will never get promoted on NaturalNews.com. We actually tell the truth about products, and we tell the truth rather bluntly about what's in your product.
If you send us a "natural" vegetarian food product made with yeast extract, for example, you can expect to get blasted on NaturalNews for using a hidden form of MSG. If you send us a superfood blend that's made with 50% soy lecithin as a cheap filler, you're going to get blasted for selling a cheap product made with 50% filler. On the other hand, if your product is exceptionally formulated, we will give it a glowing review and recommend that readers check it out.
Our reviews are determined entirely by merit. And it's not just what's in the product that counts. We also want to know about your company's policy on Fair Trade, organic certification, sustainable agriculture, safety testing of ingredients, ethics and philosophy of the company founders, and so on. We want to know, essentially: How are you helping to make the world a better place? Because if you're doing great work in that area, we'll gladly publicize you.
From our point of view, having no financial ties to the companies we cover is a great luxury. It gives us the freedom to tell the truth, without getting our strings pulled by some outside entity who maintains financial control over what we say.
So keep those great products coming our way, and we'll do our best to evaluate them and share the best with our readers. Be sure to include a coupon code or offer code we can pass along so that our readers can enjoy special discounts for trying your product. Everybody wins: Our readers get a great deal on an exceptional product, you gain a new customer, and we accomplish our mission of supporting great companies in the areas of natural health and green living.
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