--Down in girlie's post Paul22xx says to offer a special to TER members willing to post a review for you.  But Swim says don't offer a discount for reviews cause TER will ban you.

I've been scared to offer ANYTHING (yanno, 'cept my charming personality) to TER members cause I don't want to get banned or offend them or make myself look like an ass.  However, Swim you intimated it's okay to ASK the gentleman if he'd mind.  Is that okay?

I wanted to put a discount/special offer on my site and say I could use reviews... but I read so many conflicting posts about it now I just don't know.

What's the real answer?  I don't want to burn anyone or anything like that.  Just want my guy to have a good time, a good roll in the hay and post his honest opinion of how I did for the edification of myself and others.

Thanks again, guys.

If you offer a discount in exchange for reviews, it makes it look like you are "buying" the review.  Even if you aren't.

You are just starting out and trying to get yourself established as a reputable provider, right?  Well good reputations take time.  It is that simple.

Be active on the national and your local boards.  Offer a "I'm trying to get established" special.  After the session is complete and only after it is completed, feel free to tell the gent that you'd love a review if he wouldn't mind writing one.

That is about all you can do.  Ask I mean and be patient.  Very few hobbyists actually write reviews.  Kinda sucks I know especially when those same guys won't see a gal because she doesn't have reviews.

So don't trade service or discounts for a review, just give great service to every client as if they were going to be writing your most important review.  Do this no matter how many reviews you have.  You will build a reputation and establish yourself in time.

Any business takes time, be patient, it will happen for you.

Offer a discount to *all* TER reviewers and White List. The logic behind this is you are offering a discount to *all* reviewers in hopes that one of them will decide to review you. Just because a gentleman is a reviewer does not mean he will review you, thus you are not buying his review.

What you cannot do is only offer a discount to those who will review you. That is buying a review.

Do you get the difference?

So you can post, "I am running a special for *all* TER reviewers and White List gentlemen." (One of these gents are bound to review you)

Do not post, "I am running a special for someone who writes a review for me."

I hope you see the difference. As long as you see the difference, you should be a-ok on TER.

Best wishes!

Xoxo,
Gia

Sometimes you gotta talk to me like I'm a two-year old, heh.  THANK YOU, hon.  That's way clearer.  I appreciate it!!!

which rightfully frowns on such a practice.

If a hobbyist likes you, he will write a review of you with some prodding.  Just ask sweetly.

If he doesn't like you, then, you're just as well off.

Now, if you want to offer discounts to TER members once in a while, there is no harm in that, but do not connect it to a review.

The truth is, clients don't like to be pressured into doing something wrong.  They will think less of you for doing so and you never want that to happen.

I hope this helps.

I did this when I first started to get reviews. I wrote something like "TER members get a 200$ discount". As long as you don't say "I'll give you a discount if you write me a review, I think it should be fine"