To start with, till date I haven’t reviewed any products sent to me by PR. And, this post has been written in general.
Moving further, I’m in two minds about this.
From one point,
I don’t think it’s necessary for bloggers to disclose. I mean, there are a few blogs that I follow really closely and whose opinions I do even trust. And, if they disclose or don’t disclose that the product has been sent by PR, it doesn’t matter to me. If I’m reviewing any product sent by PR and making a disclosure for it, it’s like saying “Yes, this product has been sent by PR; so you are free to think that there might be some chances of me lying here”. It’s because if your true readers have been following you from a long time and trust your opinions, it’s not going to matter for them.
But from the other point,
I have seen a few blogs that blog so much about the products been sent by PR. That sometimes irks me. To see too many product reviews provided by the PR.
So, I have two questions to ask :
For bloggers:
Do you have a disclosure policy for PR sent items?
For our valuable readers:
Does it matters to you that “Disclosure is made for items sent by PR?”
P.S. : In USA, it’s mandatory to disclose this while in UK, it isn’t. Anyone has any idea with respect to India’s blogging policy?