I’ve been lucky to try many hats on for size over at Pregnancy & Newborn. I pitched a story idea nine years ago, which got me in the door as a contributing writer. Then I snagged a year-long blogging gig as one of the magazine’s Adventures in Motherhood bloggers. And for the last year or so, I’ve been a reviewer for sweet baby gear too. And that’s an arrangement I highly recommend.
product reviewing rocks
I’ve done product reviews before but those were far less formal – basically, it involved snapping a photo or two of me sporting my new paddling pants or flip flops and sharing them to Facebook. P&N is an old pro at the product review – they have stacks of them on their site, so they have the whole process dialed. The item to be reviewed arrives quickly, you’re sent a comprehensive outline with their expectations for the write-up, and you’re given a reasonable deadline that gives you plenty of time to use or wear or whatever before writing the actual review.
So onto the good stuff – what have I reviewed? I scored a fancy-pants infant car seat, a baby carrier that I use every single day, no joke, a super high-tech baby video monitor that I gifted to a friend, several diaper bags that I reviewed in hopes of finding “the one” (no luck yet), and a double. Bob. Stroller. Jackpot! I just finished up a review for a nice little lightweight stroller that was snapped up in a heartbeat when I shared it on Facebook.
I started this post thinking I’d share how you too can become a product reviewer, but I can’t lie – this just kind of fell in my lap. I really have no idea how you’d go about writing reviews for a company or magazine without first getting your foot in the door. So that’s my advice – submit a story (most sites have a link for freelance inquiries or pitches; just make sure you do your homework first to be sure your idea is a good fit), then casually mention you’d love to review a product if the opportunity comes up. Try that, and let me know how it works out.