There has been lots of interest recently in regards to advertisement and reviews on the blog. While I love money and free things, it is important that the blog’s readers feel that the information and recommendations presented are unbiased, genuine, and with the purpose to inform and engage. I launched D/S with an ethical platform advised by my day job as an academic. Due to this, I find myself having to reject most advertisers used to the traditional beauty or perfume blog structure. To avoid confusion, I am listing the site’s policies here and if you have any question do not hesitate to contact me at livegirl@deathscent.com
Adverts
We are currently beta-testing on adverts, please contact Nuri livegirl@deathscent.com for more details.
Native Articles
Native advertising promoting a product or company, but made to resemble an organic article, is against the ethics of D/S, and I feel it has the potential to mislead readers. The site will not permit native articles whether written by the advertiser or by me.
Sponsored Articles
Unlike native articles, sponsored articles are permitted. In this case, the advertiser would have their company’s name, logo, and link presented in a banner on top of the article clearly stating that the article is sponsored and thanking them for their assistance. However, the article can not mention the advertiser’s products or company directly. The sponsor may suggest a topic but does not have editorial oversite on content or tone. The article must fit with the overall character of the site and provide worthwhile content to the readers.
Some examples would be, a bath and body company sponsoring an article on the history of Frankincense and Myrrh to correspond with the launch a new Frankincense and Myrrh body lotion. Or an indie perfumer, whose company is based on traditional Japanese scent-elements, may wish to sponsor a series of posts on the use of fragrance in Japanese funerals.
If interested in sponsoring an article, please contact me at the address above.
Paid Reviews
I feel that it is ethically not possible for me to give a completely honest review or recommendation of a product if I am being paid to do so. It is my priority to provide my readers with accurate and genuine content. Therefore D/S does not accept paid reviews.
In-Kind Reviews
Often I receive requests from indie perfumers wanting to send products to include in the monthly Ephemera post. I love supporting small businesses, in particularly female-run businesses, and I am not opposed to receiving samples of indie and niche fragrances or death positive products for consideration as long as no money changes hands. I do not accept in-kind items from large scale fragrance manufacturers or distributors. However, taking in-kind items from smaller retailers does not guarantee a positive review or inclusion on any post.
I make a point only to include products I am deeply excited by and want to share with my readers. If a company sends me goods, of any value, I will only mention them if:
- I truly like it
- I wear or would wear it
- If it isn’t to my taste but I would recommend it to a friend with a different sensibility
- It fits with the nature of the post and the site.
If your company sends me a product and I don’t post about it, either it hasn’t found the right article yet or doesn’t meet one of the above criteria.
Contact me at livegirl@deathscent.com to discuss in-kind reviews more.
Product Feedback
As a result of in-kind review requests I also receive requests for feedback on products. I love fragrances with a passion and enjoy discussing it. While I may be a bit more informed than the average bear I am just one person, with one person’s sensibility. Time and schedule permitting I would be happy to discuss my personal experience with your products. However, I am not in a position to provide analytics or market information. Likewise, any particular discussion we have about products may not translate to mention on the blog.
