How To Get Free Outdoor Gear from Sponsors

Outdoor Gear

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What if you had a blog that enabled you to get free outdoor gear from sponsors? And what if you were able to keep all that gear to yourself, to use and abuse?

Well, here's my proposal to you: Even if you don't have a blog (or if your blog is just too small) you can apply for gear sponsorships on behalf of Highball Blog.

In other words, you simply write emails to sponsors, telling them you're a member of the Highball Blog community, and offer to write a review for whatever gear they send to you. It's that simple.

Is this going to work? I'm not actually a regular reader of this blog...

If you're reading this, you're enough of a reader to me. :-)

I'm not sure if it's going to work but here's the thing: it works for me so why wouldn't it work for you too?

I write emails to sponsors asking for free gear and I usually get it. Why? Coz the sponsor wants to be featured on this blog I guess. Or maybe coz other notorious outdoor companies have sponsored before so that adds some credibility to this site. Or maybe they are just generous and I'm lucky.

So if I'm lucky, I'd like to share my luck with you.

Okay. I want outdoor gear. I'll write reviews. Now what?

Fist, you'll have to subscribe to be notified about free gear opportunities.

Then, if you really want to be sponsored, you'll have to reach out to sponsors by yourself. You'll have to send out emails. More on that later.

For the moment, you may ask:

Why are you doing this? Why not keep all the benefits of this blog to yourself?

You see, I get gear offers that I have to decline since are of no interest to me. My main interests are mountaineering (winter tours especially), climbing (sport climbing, multi-pitch walls) and mountain biking. And apart from the sporty activities, I also enjoy shooting and editing videos.

So whenever I get approached by a brand that specializes in gear that has nothing to do with my interests, I either decline or  I ask them to do a gear giveaway. Some want to do the giveaways, some don't.

There's another reason. There's only so much gear I can have. I don't wanna fill my home with stuff.

You and I know there are good athletes and outdoorsy people out there who could use some gear but they just don't have the time or the knowledge to put up a blog and grow it to high traffic. So if those guys start spending their time blogging, they'll go out of shape and won't be good athletes anymore.

I  am in a fortunate position to receive gear just coz you contributed to this blog by visiting it. So I wanna reward you with the possibility of being a blogger and getting free gear at the same time.

What's the exact process?
  1. You copy and paste the email template below and only change the variables (your name, name of the company  your favorite outdoor activity, the specific piece of equipment you'd like to review, etc)
  2. You add me to the CC field, that is you type info@gabtrend.ro. This way I also get a copy of the email so I can keep track of who's asking what. 
  3. You write We'd Like to Review Your Products on Highball Blog as a subject line
  4. After you get the product, you test it and come back with a written review and a few pictures (and a short video, if you want). You send it to me via email and I'll publish it. You'll also get links to your blog and social media profiles. 
  5. You shouldn't publish the review elsewhere on the web. If you have a blog, you can do a short mention and link to it here after I publish it. 
Email template:

Hello, Outdoor Company!

My name is John Smith and I'm a climber and blogger from Mountain View, California.

We would like to offer you a written review on our site (www.highballblog.com). You'll get a link to your website, photos of the product and a video.

I'd like to review your Nomad 7 portable solar panel if it's possible. If not, I'd be happy to receive other products that you see fit to be featured on our blog.

Highball Blog gets 60,000+ pageviews/month, most of the traffic coming from USA, Canada, UK, Germany, Australia. The audience consists mostly of men, interested in outdoor activities, related gear and gadgets, specific DIY projects.

Former sponsors on Highball Blog include: Wolverine, Mammut, Hydrapak, Altrec.com, GoalZero, Prana, AppOutdoors.com.

Thank you for reading this!

Yours sincerely,
John Smith
john@email.com
555 355 655
Skype: john.smith

Tips:
  • Most companies don't have their email address listed. So you'll have to fill their contact form. That's why the link is shown in full format (www.highballblog.com).
  • If you manage to get their email address, be sure to attach the traffic stats image below (right mouse click - Save image as...). This will back your email with extra info - plus, people like to see charts. The traffic stats figures and the image will be updated regularly.
  • You can modify the email but keep it short and to the point.
  • The review should be concise, no longer than 1000 words. If you want, you can also do a short YouTube video (nothing fancy, just 2-3 minutes of you showing the item and talking about features you like or don't like).
  • Write short paragraphs with space between them. I'll take the liberty to edit your article if necessary. 

Blog Traffic Stats

What happens if I get the gear and don't write the review?

Not much I guess. The sponsor will be disappointed. I will be too.

But anyway, I assume people who practice mountain sports are good people so I'm just gonna trust you. This is an experiment so I'll treat it accordingly.

Start sending emails. Seriously!

If I get offers that are not fit for me, I'll notify you by email so you can receive it.

But if you truly want to receive outdoor equipment, you have to start writing emails to sponsors. There's no other way.

May the Gear Gods shine their light upon you!

PS - Leave a comment if you have any questions. Cheers!


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14 comments :

  1. Very cool idea Constantin! I will have to look into this as a sideline for my blog, just need to find time! Always keep me in mind for gear you don't want, I'd be happy to guest blog.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Very cool idea! I've been wanting to do gear reviews but my blog is just too small.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hey, Mike!

    I understand and I'd like to help.

    I have a friend who's a top athlete struggling to get some publicity and some extra sponsors but he cannot build a blog. He's training all day long (swimming, running, road cycling) and he's also a student.

    I hope each of you, reaching out to sponsors, can get the equipment you long for.

    Thanks for joining the club! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Constantin. Saludos fron Spain.
    I came across your site recently.
    Well Done, is a good Blog.
    This article is very interesting but my blog is too small.
    Excuse me for my english

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hello, Mariano!

    It doesn't matter if your blog is new. Drop an email to sponsors and tell them you'll publish a review on Highball Blog.

    It's an experiment. You have nothing to loose.

    Thanks for your kind words!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hey Constantin,

    I don't have a blog, but if you don't mind me using your site I will post reviews here.

    Thanks mate.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Yup, JSO! That's the point: blog or no blog, I invite you to use this site's credit to get your own outdoor gear.

    The sponsors expects a written review to be posted here so that's all you have to do: email me the review and I'll publish it for you.

    You can do this repeatedly, with different companies. The more emails you send out, the higher chances of actually getting that piece of gear you always wanted to have.

    Cheers and good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Will the program open soon?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi Brandan! There are a few proven members already. I can't promise anything. Thanks for your understanding!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Would you be willing to give each other shout outs in our next blog/video? My You-Tube channel is Ozark Survival ( https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS7Qg5pKYBsuMUd4i_fNigg ).

    ReplyDelete

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