Furthermore, since the size of product samples are often smaller in scale, you have the ability to permeate a larger demographic for a fraction of the cost. Although product sample distribution may be more cost-effective than a business plan without product sample distribution, a profitable business still requires a budget and a plan to be in place.

Entrepreneurs must take into consideration the cost of developing and distributing the samples and also work quality control and research and development into the budget. Also, samples should not be handed out carelessly with no focus in sight.

A target market should be defined so that you get the most bang for the buck. Stephanie Lee began writing in with concentration on food, travel, fashion and real estate.

She has written for Amnesty International and maintains three blogs. Lee holds a Bachelor of Arts in international relations from the University of California, Irvine, and an M.

from Concordia University. What Are the Benefits of Samples When Marketing a New Product? By Stephanie Lee. Exposure The unfamiliarity of new products may make consumers weary of reliability, impact on lifestyle or effectiveness. Consumer Feedback By providing product samples, you are also welcoming consumer feedback regarding the product.

Cost Effective Incorporating product samples into the marketing plan is cost-effective because it saves money if mistakes are corrected during the promotional phase rather than when the product has launched and is available on store shelves. If not, there are lots of ways to find journalist email addresses.

This aspect of PR is covered in depth in our online public relations course , Pitch, Please! You may also want to consider investing in a journalist database such as Muck Rack or Cision where you can search by topic, publication, etc. You will also have instant access to email addresses and physical addresses.

Keep in mind that these subscriptions can cost thousands of dollars per year. While these tools can be helpful, they may be cost-prohibitive for a new startup or solopreneur.

But if you want to simplify the process of reaching out to journalists, the cost may be worth it. These databases and similar journalist directories may also list physical addresses to send packages to. That address could usually be found on the masthead of the website or print publication.

But most people are still currently working from home and likely will be for a long time. If you are targeting influencers and bloggers for coverage, their email addresses should be connected to the contact button on their Instagram page, bio link, or somewhere on their blog.

You can also try and reach them through DM, but it is probably best to send an email. Sending out unsolicited samples is risky, especially if you are a small business. These generally land somewhere between humorous and bizarre.

Many of these packages contained products I don't even write about tangentially such as spicy mustard and anti-fungal foot powder. While these products never got coverage, I got a got laugh. Here is an email I recently received about sending a sample.

Keep in mind that it was written by a publicist, but it is a great template for anyone to use. If you want some more email pitch examples, read this blog post. Happy New Year and hope you had a safe and relaxing holiday season!

Excited to share the newest launches from BRAND REDACTED , NAME OF PRODUCT REDACTED, launching early and get on your radar for any upcoming stories that you may be working on.

Would love to get samples your way for testing, so please let me know if you would like to opt-in to receive and the best address to send to. See below for additional information and let me know of any questions you may have! A 3-in-1 hybrid lip treatment gloss, that provides immediate and long-term benefits to lips.

A clean, sustainably sourced, vegan lip liner that delivers rich, highly pigmented payoff in one smooth, tug-free stroke. Rich emollients wrap the lip with a weightless, flexible film that leaves a beautiful satin finish.

There are many reasons why this pitch example email works. After years of receiving sample packages— some good and some not-so-good, here are some helpful tips on what to include in the package itself. Keeping with the beauty line example here— if you send a moisturizer, you may also want to send a cleanser and exfoliator.

This increases your chances of getting coverage because the writer will get to explore more of your line. Broken glass can be dangerous and is also a waste of time and resources. You should also include a note or card thanking them for trying the product, but don't forget to list your email address.

In , Cheerios saw a chance to take advantage of Amazon's e-commerce algorithms to potentially market its product to over million Amazon Prime members in the US. Cheerios used product sampling as part of its strategy to capitalize on Amazon Prime Day 16 - 17 June and position Honey Nut Cheerios as Alexa's cereal of choice for Amazon customers.

The advantages were two-fold for Cheerios. In addition to promoting the brand to new customers with a free sample, this transaction automatically created a Cheerios shopping history for millions of Amazon Prime shoppers.

This gave the product a huge boost in Amazon's recommendation algorithm and moved Honey Nut Cheerios to number one in the cereal category and even the number one grocery item on Prime Day.

One of the biggest and best-known brewing companies in the world, Anheuser-Busch produces a wide range of popular alcoholic drinks, including Michelob, Bud Light, and Budweiser. In , when the company launched its hard seltzer brand, Bud Light Seltzer, its existing in-store sampling programs had been discontinued due to the COVID pandemic.

As an alternative, they collaborated with a digital product sampling platform and developed a digital sampling campaign to encourage first purchases, track repeat purchases, create user-generated content, and even spread word of mouth. In less than two months, the campaign resulted in an 82 percent positive shopper sentiment, with first-time buyers accounting for 89 percent of purchases.

Additionally, each consumer rating of 7 or higher was used to create and publish high-quality content on Product 1 and Aisle 9 , averaging 7. Product sampling could be different for each project, but there are six basic steps to take if you want to run your campaign successfully.

Ask yourself what you hope to achieve through the campaign. Is it brand or product promotion, more sales, or consumer feedback? The answers can help you design the best strategy to get you there.

Ask yourself who your ideal customers are. Create a customer persona that includes various attributes such as their challenges, preferences, and demographic information. You can also think of it this way: who will be the most willing to buy your product?

This will encourage reviews and give customers a chance to learn more about your product. Additionally, choose the ideal time to launch your product. For instance, consider releasing your line of school supplies a few weeks before the start of the next semester.

You can contact your audience via email for surveys and feedback after they've received the samples. There are programs and businesses that can take care of the entire product sampling procedure for you and even handle the challenge of post-purchase updates. Encourage participants who had a positive experience with your product to write reviews and share their experiences on social media.

This makes other potential buyers more confident to try out your product through positive word-of-mouth and social proof. There is no end to the process of product sampling. This process can always be modified and repeated to collect feedback or create relationships with customers. The digital age of technology has made it convenient for both businesses and consumers to connect with each other.

Digital product sampling is the natural evolution of the traditional product sampling method in the modern world.

This method allows your brand to narrow down your target consumers and reach them in an optimized manner by using analytics and more. It has been gaining popularity consistently, especially since the onset of Covid pandemic , when many brands were forced to discontinue their traditional in-store sampling campaigns.

These are some of the advantages of digital product sampling over traditional ones:. Peekage is a personalized digital product sampling platform that allows consumer brands to conduct targeted at-home product trials.

Peakage performs customized customer surveys and analytics on users who have tested your product or service. You will receive valuable feedback that will assist you in discovering actionable insights that can inform strategy, messaging, product positioning, and more.

The long term reality of living in a pandemic however has left many marketers asking themselves whether meaningful product experiences can exist for brands in times of social distancing. The answer? Product sampling offers consumers a tangible interaction that is hard, if not impossible, to ever replicate.

Having the opportunity to put your product to the test before buying it - provides a type of visual navigation and tactile experience that demonstrates first-hand what makes your product so special.

If your ultimate goal is to convince your target audience that your product is worth the investment, consider pairing your content, advertising, and other marketing tactics with a product sampling program that enables your ideal consumer to witness its value in real life. When shopping for any type of item, consumers often turn to online reviews or even their peers for a trusted opinion, so that they can make more informed buying decisions.

These words are an incredibly important part of the shopping process and can oftentimes be the defining difference between a potential customer and a paying one. Product sampling takes this a step further and rather than serving as a recommendation, it poses as a direct demonstration of what your product has to offer.

By trying it before buying it, consumers can build confidence and reduce doubt, leading to higher conversions. Uncertainty can stop a consumer in their tracks and keep them from ultimately making a purchase.

Now think about how consumers feel when you offer them a complimentary sample of your product. With newer, digital sampling models, this is taken to a whole new level of delight by delivering the sample to your ideal audience directly to their doorstep and giving them the ability to try it on their own terms and in the comfort of their own home.

Product sampling ignites a natural sense of reciprocity amongst your audience, leaving them with the desire to return the gesture by purchasing the product they sampled.

As consumer expectations continue to evolve, finding ways to forge new bonds with your highest value audience is more important than ever before. Product sampling can be your greatest ally in forging new bonds with your highest value consumer and most importantly, generating greater value for your brand - one freebie at a time.

Our complete guide on how to launch and maximize your product sampling services will arm you with the information you need to ensure your next program is built for ultimate success.

Receive digital sampling resources, product updates, and success stories from brands similar to yours. Sampler clients see an average 19X sales lift via digitally-targeted sampling campaigns on Kroger. Work with Us. Claim samples Speak to an expert.