Another Open Letter to Influenster

June 30, 2016 Baltimore, MD, USA


Dear Influenster,

It's been awhile since we've had to chat. I remember when you sent me box after box of rubbish that, based on my user profile, you should have known I'd never have to use.

The boxes stopped coming and the surveys started telling me I probably "wasn't a good fit" for upcoming programs. You were likely right and I saw this as a step in the right direction. Yay progress!

Recently a survey came along for testing a sleep aid, and since I have a transatlantic red-eye coming up that I'd love to sleep through, I said sure.

The ZZZQuil VoxBox was waiting at my desk when I arrived this morning. I instantly noticed something different about this box compared to others:



It's rather tiny. Past boxes are loaded with full size products. Multiple full size products. Granted, I often left them for co-workers to take home since I'd never use them, but at least you tried to make our time worthwhile.

Now you've just gotten stingy. It's clear you don't care about the time we put into blog reviews and social media promotion when you think one measly dose of a medication is appropriate compensation. Nevermind that one dose doesn't provide enough experience to give objective coverage. Nevermind that this particular product, ZZZQuil, is just Benadryl that will be overpriced now that it's wrapped in a brand's fancy packaging that tells us what we already know—Benadryl makes people sleepy.

Speaking of how stingy you are, I have another VoxBox to complain about and I can't even share it here because it's not real. What is with this Virtual Vox nonsense? Worse than asking us to promote a product based on a sample, you now want us to promote products we haven't even tried? Kylie Jenner's  nail polish  retails at $2.99, and you're asking bloggers to create buzz about it with no product to try, nothing in return but the chance to win the full collection? Rude.

Every blogger has to start somewhere, but you've progressed from not listening to us to simply taking advantage of us. I hesitate to post this as I'm still technically providing coverage "in exchange" for your super generous drug sample and chance to win cheap nail polish, but someone needs to tell it like it is: you've gone from bad to worse.

Sure, people desperate for anything free will keep eating your nonsense up, but it won't result in the quality influencer coverage that comes from the mutually beneficial relationship between sponsor and blogger.

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11 comments

  1. I completely agree with you. I used to get full size items and now they're just trial size. But the last 4 boxes have been virtual boxes. Why would I promote an item I've never used?!

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  2. Preach sista! I NEVER do the virtual ones for this very reason.

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  3. Agreed! Almost not worth my time anymore. I miss the boxes full of awesome product, not slim fast snacks and nyquil. And if I wanted to review a product I had to pay for I would have been doing it already.

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  4. I feel the EXACT same way. They have made big changes to the program & not in a good way. What is this virtual vox stuff? Stop spamming my email to purchase a random product & promote it on your behalf. No. Just NO. And why do my boxes not contain every item? Only select users get the good stuff?

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  5. You and Influenster--the saga continues. You give it to them straight!

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  6. Influenster is on my list. They have buggered me around, time and time again while other bloggers in my niche receive box after box of tip flight goods. They even cheated me out of a special box I won in a contest. Influenster can bite me.

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  7. HAHAHA Alot of people are not happy and have been yelling about the boxes lately! That virtual vox crap is stupid! OH it'll qualify me for another vox box? Really... stupid!

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  8. This was a pretty funny read, but so true!

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  9. This was a pretty funny read, but so true!

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  10. RIGHT ON THE HEAD!!! At least BzzAgent either sends a full-size product or gives you a coupon to 'buy' it free.
    I did a 'Virtual VoxBox' for Pure Ice nail polish... okay, $1.97 isn't too much for a bottle of nail polish, but the brand is crap.
    I'm going to finish this voxbox and then close my account. I'm done.

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