Makeup can be a fun way to express yourself, get creative, and boost your self-esteem. It’s also big business. In 2019, experts valued the beauty industry at $532 billion. Yet, a lot of makeup products aren’t cheap. An eyeshadow palette from a mid-range brand can set you back $50.
If you love experimenting, or you want to start a YouTube channel, buying new products gets expensive. In this article, we want to show you how to get free stuff with coupons. In other words, free makeup! We’ll also show you how to get makeup companies to send you free stuff.
Read on to learn more about getting makeup freebies in the mail.
Start With Free Coupons
So you want to be a makeup blogger or YouTuber? Great! It’s going to be a lot of fun. Trouble is, if you don’t have an audience yet, it’s hard to get PR samples. Even if you contact companies, they may not reply. It’s going to get expensive if you try to buy all the products you want to review.
Use free coupons to get a collection of products. Now you can start creating content and building an audience. The bigger the audience, the bigger the makeup companies you can approach. If you’re new to coupons, check out our guide on learning to coupon.
Use Free Samples
Some makeup brands also give away free samples. These may only be a sample size rather than a full product. Yet that’s still enough to create good content for your audience. You can also check if you even like the product. No one wants to waste money on products they don’t like.
So how do you find free samples?
Check the websites of your favorite brands. You may be able to get a free sample when a new product is released. If you’re buying products anyway, you may get free samples too. Illamasqua often adds free sample products to your cart when you spend a certain amount. Sephora also likes to give out some freebies! Makeup Revolution often runs ‘mystery bag’ offers. They send products up to a certain value when you spend over a given amount.
Join a Product Review Website
Companies know the best way to hype their products is to get reviews on social media and blogs. They offer products to product review sites to get these reviews.
Sign up to the sites to get free products. Some sites will ask you to review products on their platform. Others will let you post reviews on social media or your own site. Being active on social media will certainly help you get more products. You can get started on YouTube or Instagram by reviewing these products.
Don’t feel you need to get complicated with your video. The first makeup tutorial video in 2006 taught women to “look hot” in five minutes.
Sign up for Reward Programs
Stores like Target, CVS, and Walgreens offer reward programs on purchases. Every time you spend money, you get points. Use these points in the future to ‘buy’ makeup! Yes, you have to spend money to earn the rewards, but you get points on things you’d buy anyway. Some stores will also run promotions for program members. You can get extra discounts simply by being in the reward program!
These first four options will get you enough products to start creating content. This leads us to the next phase in your free makeup strategy.
Network Online
Go through your existing products. Pick out a few by brands you love. Create a few looks with your ‘staple’ products. You know the ones I mean. You can’t find replacements and you’d be lost if they discontinued them! Post the looks on social media. Tag the brands on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. Check if they have any specific hashtags they use and then use them.
Follow the brands and interact with their content. Posting comments or sharing their posts is a great way to show interest in their account. It’s a great idea to pick out smaller companies just starting out. If you show an interest early on, they’re more likely to send you free stuff.
Now we can get on to asking for free stuff.
How to Get Makeup Companies to Send You Free Stuff
Now you’ve built up an audience and a body of product reviews. You’ve also networked with your favorite brands so they know who you are. It might be easier to get onto PR lists for the smaller companies first. They know they’re competing with big brands for the superstar influencers.
Up-and-coming influencers have smaller audiences yet there’s more chance their products will be featured.
Make a list of the companies you’d love to hear from. You may have some requirements, such as cruelty-free or vegan brands. Find their email addresses on their website. Try to find addresses for media or public relations. Technical support or sales are the wrong departments.
If you’re really tech-savvy, look up the brand on LinkedIn. See who works in their marketing or PR departments. Can you find their email address online?
You have two options when you contact the company. If you’re just an enthusiast looking for freebies, follow this route.
Freebies for Enthusiasts
Email the company. Tell them which of their products you love and why. This is really useful feedback. Let them know how their product worked for you. Then mention that you’ve seen another of their products that you like the look of. You’d like to try before you buy. Thank them in advance and say you’d be grateful if you could get a sample.
Then sign off. Make sure you include your address!
Getting PR Samples for Review
Your route is slightly different if you want samples for a blog or YouTube channel.
Contact the company and ask to be added to their PR list. Include a press pack with your email. This should detail:
- how many subscribers/followers you have per platform,
- how many email subscribers you have (if any),
- your social media views, and
- the type of audience you serve.
This lets the company know the type of reach your posts have.
You can also let them know how much you like their brand. Include your social media handles. This way, they can see if you’ve featured their products before.
Sit back and wait for the goodies to arrive!
Enjoy Free Makeup
Now you know how to get makeup companies to send you free stuff. Even if they don’t, you can still grab plenty of freebies using coupons, in-store samples, and special offers.
Make sure you spread the word about great products. Even if you’re not a YouTuber, it’s a great way to help fellow makeup enthusiasts.
