Vocalpoint sends out free product coupons every month without you having to request them. You can then try the product and fill out surveys on their site or do nothing as all. Vocal Point is another example of a Word of Mouth Marketing program.

This is something extra you can request.

Just log into your account occasionally to see if there is something to try under the Try and Tell section at the top of the page. You must be a Vocalpoint member to try it and limited quantities are available. Only one Secret Clinical Strength sample will be mailed per U.S. household. Please allow 2-4 weeks for delivery.

If you want to learn more about Vocalpoint read what I wrote here.

House Party develops and launches a thousand or more highly engaging parties in the homes of carefully selected consumers, all of which take place on the same day. The parties are attended by the host’s friends, families, neighbors and co-workers and shared by millions more who experience the party via the Internet.

What is a House Party?

Houseparty.com connects people through parties. A House Party is thousands of parties hosted on a single day all across the country, hosted by people like you. Each event is sponsored by a leading brand and focuses on something cool that the sponsor wants its best fans to experience firsthand and share with their friends.

Sponsors know that by giving you great stuff to try and give away to your friends that they are getting their products in your hands to try. That might be the only way you would ever have known about their product or service so it’s a cheap for them to market themselves.

Each event has a unique Party Pack filled with all kinds of free stuff to make your party a success. There are all kinds of events and many of them are based on a theme or something that might be currently going on like American Idol or even a holiday like the 4th of July.

How do you Join House Party?

Step One is to GET ON THE LIST

Sign up to be among the first to learn of new host opportunities. (As new parties are launched, you’ll get an email announcement linking to the online application)

Step Two is to APPLY ONLINE

When a new event is open, you’ll be invited via email to come back to the site to complete a host application. (Thousands apply, and space is often limited. Your application will be reviewed and hosts will be selected and notified).

Step Three, the PARTY IS ON!

If chosen as a host, you’ll get an email confirmation walking you through the steps of setting up your party site. (There, you’ll send email invitations to your guests, manage your RSVP’s, upload photos and videos, join the national event party blog, and gain access to great party resources.)

Use the helpful tools to plan your party, create invites, join sponsored events, share pictures and video, and explore thousands of parties being held in homes around the country.

Here are some things I recommend when signing up for free stuff:

What Not To Give Out

Never give out your social security number or credit card to request a free sample. If it is a free sample you will not need to give out a credit card. If you are signing up for a trial and then after the trial you are required to pay for a subscription like a magazine then a credit card may be needed.

Read the Fine Print

Have you ever read this, “Terms and Conditions apply.” Usually that means there is some string attached to the free sample you are requesting. The terms and conditions might be acceptable to you but you need to actually read that fine print to find out what is required. Maybe you are signing up for a magazine subscription and only get 1 or 2 issues for free. If the company you are requesting it from is legitimate you will be able to figure out what you are getting by reading the fine print. But, you have to read it. If you don’t then getting “taken” is no one elses fault but your own.

Don’t Want to Use your Real Phone Number?

When you are requesting a free sample there really isn’t a reason the company needs your phone number. If you are entering a sweepstakes that is a different thing because the company might contact you if you are a winner. If you don’t want to use your real phone number but the form won’t let you submit it unless you put a phone number then either fill it with random numbers, or 000-000-0000 or sign up for a k7.net account, which lets you get a free phone number, and you can check your voicemail online. (this last part came from my friend James at JustFreeStuff.com)

Sign up for a Separate Email Address

I suggest that you sign up for a separate email address that you can use to request free samples and also enter sweepstakes with. It will keep you “hobby” separate from your personal email account. When you sign up for freebie and sweepstakes you often agree to get that company’s email newsletter and unless you opt out at some point your email Inbox will fill up with newsletters. Company newsletters are good though because often you will find more free offers and sweepstakes in future newsletter so you want to keep them coming.

Some good free email companies you could sign up with include Yahoo, Gmail, Live (Microsoft), or AOL. I use Gmail.

Be Patient

Remember that many times it takes from 4 to 6 weeks to receive a free sample in the mail. If you start requesting samples today and keep requesting them you will have freebies in your mailbox on a regular basis.

Privacy Policy

If you are concerned that the site you are requesting the free sample or other freebie from is legitimate check to see if they have a privacy policy. Many times it will be a link at the very bottom of the page. You will even see that I have one for Sweeties Swag. It will tell you what the company will or will not do with your name, address, phone, or email you might give them to request a free sample.

Do you want Free Stuff you can’t find?

Maybe you want to try that new cereal, dog food, or bathroom tissue but you can’t find it posted on any freebie site. Why not contact the company directly and tell them you would really like to try their product. They might send you a free sample or coupons. It sure never hurts to try the direct approach.

I picked up the product at my local grocery and went home to try it. Since then I I have been using this new spread everyday because I love it. I found that it is very creamy and spreads easily. I was using another spread but now I will be switching to Shedd’s Spread Country Crock mainly because the taste is fabtastic! The added bonus in using this product is that each serving provides 100 mg of calcium, which is 10% of the Daily Value (DV) for calcium, and 80 IU of vitamin D, or 20% of the DV for vitamin D). By trying new products you could find something you really like better than what you have been using for years.

So, I suggest that you give it a try too. Country Crock wants you to save money on your purchase so they are giving you a 55¢ coupon to use at the store. And, most stores double coupons so that is really $1.10 off.

As an added bonus Shedd’s Spread Country Crock is holding a sweepstakes with an instant win game. What can you win? Do you want a chance at winning a $25 Visa gift card each day? How about the grand prize of a trip to Yellowstone National Park for 5 people PLUS $3,000 cash?

The Rules:

Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, 18 years of age and older as of date of entry. The sweepstakes begins on March 13, 2009 and ends on June 13, 2009.

Visit countrycrock.com/Calcium and complete the registration for one (1) entry into the Grand Prize Sweepstakes Drawing and one (1) Instant Win chance. There is a limit of one (1) Grand Prize Sweepstakes Drawing entry and one (1) Instant Win chance per day via the quiz method of entry, regardless of the number of times you complete the quiz. To receive additional entries into the Grand Prize Sweepstakes Drawing, use the online refer a friend form to submit the names and email addresses of friends who you think will be interested in the Sweepstakes. For each unique friend who subsequently opens the email he/she receives, you will receive one entry into the Grand Prize Sweepstakes Drawing. Limit five (5) Grand Prize Sweepstakes Drawing entries per person per day via the refer a friend method of entry. There is an overall limit of six (6) Grand Prize Sweepstakes Drawing entries and one (1) Instant Win chance per person per day, except for your registration day when there is a overall limit of six (6) Sweepstakes Drawing entries.

Prizes: Grand Prize (1): A 6-day/5-night trip for five (5) to Yellowstone National Park. Trip includes a Yellowstone National Park vacation package including select activities which can be coordinated by a Sponsor-selected agency, five (5) nights Sponsor-selected hotel accommodations, use of a Sponsor-selected car rental for duration of trip and a $3,000 check (ARV: $8,000). Instant Win Prizes: (279 – 3 per day): A $25 Visa gift card (ARV: $25 each). Limit one (1) instant win prize per person/email address.

photo credit: Country Crock Calcium Quiz Sweepstakes