Let Me Get Some Free Product

This is a topic that I’ve been wanting to talk about for a while now. I want to make this clear, I’m not mad, I just want to inform everyone about how it feels to be asked this question from my point of view and also to possibly help anyone starting a brand and going through this same situation.

I get tons of messages that ask “hey let me get some from gear and I’ll post a pic” or “send me some gear and I’ll give you a shoutout”

When I first started opinion, I gave a TON of stuff away for free, thinking if someone had followers that would mean a lot of sales. I was very new to the clothing industry and didn’t really know what I was doing until I looked at my margins and saw I was losing money due to me giving things away for free and not seeing any return from doing so.

Because someone has followers does not mean that they have engagement. Make sure that if someone reaches out to you and has a major following, that they have true engagement and that their audience really follows and supports them so when they share your brand, their audience believes in it too.

I also want to touch on the point that to put in so much work and time into this brand and have someone reach out and ask for something free can be pretty upsetting. This is my passion and something that I have left a full-time job for and this is how I make a living now. If you’re thinking about asking someone for a free product, make sure you provide them with value that they couldn’t achieve without your help.

Giving away product is a super tedious thing and can be a major help to your brand if things go right, but you can also give away a ton of product and see no return, it’s just a game you have to be willing to play.