If the influx of survey sites are any indication, people sure do love sharing their opinions on stuff. Today I’ll be reviewing a different kind of site – Influenster. Like survey sites, members can share their opinions on Influenster. But that’s where the similarities end.
See on, Influenster, people receive and review actual products! Sounds cool, huh? I couldn’t pass up a chance to try out this site. If you’ve heard about this site, and have been wondering whether Influenster is legit, read my review!
What is Influenster?
Influenster is a “product discovery” community that contains millions (25 million, to be exact) of user-generated product reviews and over 6 million Q&A’s. So far the site has over 4 million members!
How this Works
On Influenster, members share reviews and opinions about products. Qualified members can even receive free swag for review!
Yep, I mentioned free swag. While other survey sites pay you in cash, Influenster pays you in kind - it sends out boxes of products (called “Voxboxes”) for certain members to review. These free products are both the reward and the subject of the person’s review. VoxBoxes are awesome, so let’s look at them in greater detail.
The VoxBox
VoxBoxes are boxes of free (and often full-sized!) products that Influenster sends out to qualified members. I’ll be discussing how to qualify for VoxBoxes in a bit.
The products come from pretty big brands, too. Cosmetics companies such as L'Oréal, Kat Von D, BECCA Cosmetics, and Maybelline, and food companies such as Pure Leaf, Hershey's, Sour Patch, and Hellman's are just some of the companies that have sponsored VoxBoxes.
Members who receive VoxBoxes will be asked to provide honest, “authentic” reviews of the products. The great thing about this is you’re not obliged to give the product a glowing review. They want you to tell it like it is.
How to Join
All right, if you’re all hyped up to join Influenster, here’s how to go about it. But take note, while anyone from around the world can become a member, only residents of the United States and Canada are eligible to receive VoxBoxes. You also need to be 13 years old and older to qualify for their campaigns.
To join the site, simply follow this link:
Get Started: https://www.influenster.com/registration
Registering is really easy. You can also login using your Instagram and Social media accounts (which the site recommends - more on that in a bit).
Once you’ve registered, you can then complete your profile. You may also be asked to answer “Snaps” which are easy questionnaires designed to let the company know more about you.
I recommend you provide as much info as accurately as possible, because Influenster partly uses your profile to determine whether you qualify for a particular VoxBox. For example, a box containing a specific type of lip balm or cosmetics will be sent to members who fit the demographic that the company is targeting.
How do I Qualify for a VoxBox?
Being a member of Influenster doesn’t mean you will automatically receive free stuff. Whenever a VoxBox is available, the profiles of its members before deciding who to send it to. The site uses several criteria, including:
Social Impact - This is basically how many followers and how much engagement you get on social media. It’s a major deciding factor in determining whether a member qualifies to participate in a campaign. As you can imagine, members with an existing audience (so-called “influencers”) and strong social media presence
have a greater chance of getting picked for a campaign.
Answer a Pre-Campaign Survey - Even with our profile and answers on Snaps, the site will often want to know even more about you before the campaign. This is why it sends you a pre-campaign survey. These often come with a set deadline, so it’s important that you answer them as soon as you get the notification email!
Once you’ve done these, it’s time to wait. If you’re lucky enough to get chosen, you will find out via email and in the Campaigns tab in your dashboard.
Payout Options on Influenster
Well, on Influenster, the VoxBox is the payout. The company doesn’t offer your usual survey site rewards like cash and gift cards. I’m not going to count this against Influenster because it was never meant to give cash rewards in the first place. Offering free swag as incentive is part of its reward program.
If this is a deal-breaker for you, that’s okay. There are many survey sites that do pay on cash.
Influenster Pros and Cons
So, everything looks good so far. But how do the positives and negatives stack up? Here are the lists of the Pros and Cons of using Influenster:
The Pros
Get Free Swag! - Getting a VoxBox is an awesome experience. It always feels like Christmas morning when a box arrives. The best part is, the contents of the boxes are usually matched with your profile, so it’s not like you’re getting a bunch of useless stuff. So awesome!
Get Unbiased Reviews and Opinions - I’m willing to bet most people register on the site to get free swag; sharing opinions and reviews is just something you have to do to get the items. But surprise, surprise, most of those reviews are actually pretty useful. So much so that I’ve started to rely on Influenster for unbiased reviews before I actually buy something.
No Payment Required - Mystery Box subscriptions have gotten pretty popular, and I initially expected Influenster would follow that model. But nope, Influenster is completely free. And that includes free shipping!
The Cons
You’re Not Guaranteed to Get a VoxBox - The downside to being a member is that you may not actually become eligible for a particular VoxBox. This is understandable. VoxBoxes cost a lot of money to put together and ship, so I can see why Influenster doesn’t send it out to just anyone who signs up. But I need to bring that up just to control your expectations.
It’s a Popularity Contest - Your social media presence (which the site calls “Social Impact”) is a big part in determining whether you qualify for an exclusive campaign. This is a bit of a bummer - personally, I’m not the most outgoing person (both on social media and in real life), but I always took pride in my reviews. Since my social engagement isn’t as good, that hampers my chances of getting a VoxBox.
Worth Mentioning
No Cash Earnings - You don’t earn actual cash on the site. The swag you receive is pretty much the reward. This is neither a pro nor a con because the site wasn’t designed to give you money. But if you’re looking for paid rewards, you might be better off checking out other sites.
The Verdict: Legit or Scam?
Influenster is legit! It’s a different kind of survey site, but it’s good-different. It’s always fun to qualify and receive VoxBoxes. You won’t always qualify, but it doesn’t take a whole lot of effort to create a profile, answer SNAPs, and take a pre-qualifying survey. So why not do it? We have nothing to lose!
Influenster Screenshots
Click to Zoom
Your Turn
Now it’s your turn to share! Have you qualified for any campaigns on Influenster? What products did you get?
Let’s hear your stories!
