Well, it’s exactly what it sounds like - you test sex toys and review them. This can happen in one of two ways: a review of the toy in exchange for the toy itself (free sex toy for a review) or a review of the toy in exchange for a one-time payment. Most of the time it’s the first option, and since these toys can be rather pricey, mostly it’s a wonderful deal!
From a way to earn extra cash (or have some pleasure-filled nights) during COVID lockdowns to really wanting to learn more about the sex toy industry, there are lots of different reasons people enjoy sex toy testing.
Now, I am a sex toy reviewer here at Sofia Gray - having reviewed toys like the Satisfyer Penguin, the Lovense Lush2, and the Kiiroo Pearl2. Getting into the sex writer industry, my goal was to write honest and relatable content about sex - from communication to fantasies to erotica and beyond.
Sex toy reviewing, for me, came as an added benefit to writing about sex. It seemed like a natural next step, so when the chance came to review sex toys here at Sofia Gray, I jumped at it. It’s been so fun, getting to know all the different brands, the functions of certain toys, the technology that’s gone into years and years of building up the teledildonics industry. It’s fascinating (and I get to have plenty of amazing orgasms, so there’s that).
There are a few ways people get into this kind of work (I’m using that term loosely here because this is definitely the kind of work many of us are more than happy to do).
While your mind may immediately go to dildos and vibrators, there are all kinds of different sex toys that need to be reviewed: from cock rings and masturbation sleeves for men to bondage rope and double-ended dildos. There is a whole world full of toys out there, and lots of companies who need user input on how the toys work!
If you’re interested in becoming a sex toy reviewer, there are a number of companies that are willing to give free sex toys in return for customer feedback. Oftentimes, reaching out to these companies is quite easy, as they will have a “testers wanted” set of instructions on their website. If not, you can always send their customer service an email explaining who you are and that you are interested in reviewing their toys.
Below are some of the more prominent companies that accept feedback in exchange for a free sex toy.
The WOW Tech Group (Womanizer and WeVibe)
The WOW tech group is responsible for companies like Wevibe and Womanizer (two juggernauts in the sex toy industry) and currently, more than 1000 wanna-be sex toy testers from across Europe have signed up for their new MasturbaTEAM service.
When a testing opportunity arises, the members of the team get notified via email. After receiving the sex toy, you will be required to fill in a survey and to provide honest feedback on the toy and their experiences with the toy. As a reward, testers get to keep the toy. The company then proceeds to evaluate the results of the surveys in an anonymous way.
You can learn more about joining the WOW Tech Group MasturbaTEAM here.
Lovehoney
Lovehoney describes themselves as the “sexual happiness people” - and you don’t get all of that happiness without some honest feedback from users. Lovehoney has a sex toy testing system where, every week (yes, that’s right!) they send out free sex toys, lubricants, and other tester products for review. You get something free to keep and they get an honest review of the product which ultimately helps them either create better products or boost the sales of products that are well-reviewed. Everyone wins!
The process is fairly simple:
Lovehoney suggests that you keep your wishlist up to date, adding in new choices often to increase your chances of being picked. If you are chosen to receive a review from Lovehoney, you will be sent an email and your product will be shipped. Reviews must be submitted one month after receiving an item.
For more information, check out their Toy Testers info page.
Dame
Dame is a sex toy company that I absolutely adore (check out my review of their Dame Fin finger vibe) and I was so happy to hear that they have a whole lab dedicated to sex toy testers. Dame Labs was created to conduct much needed people-centered research on how Dame products work. You can provide your input and feedback based on personal experiences with Dame products, and through a collaborative effort, you can help strengthen Dame’s commitment to creating amazing toys for vulva-havers everywhere.
Joining Dame Labs and becoming a sex toy tester:
Dame Labs has an entire FAQ article dedicated to the process of sex toy reviewers - check it out here.
Lovense
Lovense has an affiliate program and you can also test their sex toys - from BETA testing their browser to testing out their remote-controlled toys, there are lots of options with this company. They even have a blog post on how to be a sex toy tester!
How do you become a sex toy tester for Lovense? According to one commenter on their post, “cold calling agencies is one of the best ways for beginner reviewers to get started.” If you’re unfamiliar with cold-calling, it’s essentially sending a company a polite email explaining who you are and what benefit you could provide from providing them a service, along with information on how to contact you if they are interested.
Treediride
Treediride is an online adult sex toy shop that is constantly looking for sex toy reviewers. You’re eligible to review their toys if you have placed an order on Amazon to review one of their products before, if you are a long-time professional and honest reviewer, and/or if you are keen on exploring a wide range of sex toys.
You can find more information about becoming a Treediride sex toy reviewer here.
In addition to reaching out to the above brands, you can also keep track of any “sex toy testers wanted” ads that may pop up online. How?
There are plenty of sex toy brands out there (far more than the few I’ve mentioned above) who, at any given time, might be looking for sex toy reviewers. How do you find them? Google! Searching for keywords like “sex toy testers” or “sex toy reviewers”, you will not only find articles jam-packed full of information (like this one, hi there!) - but you will also see the latest news on who is searching for reviewers right now.
Are you a big fan of Lovense toys? Maybe you buy from Bondara or WeVibe all the time. If you have a few select companies you trust when it comes to adult toys, sign up for their newsletters and follow them on social media so you can be alerted to any openings for jobs or sex toy reviewer slots that may become available!
While many companies are just looking for customer reviews, some are looking for promotions and collaborations. This is where the line between “customer asking for a sex toy to give feedback for” and “influencer looking to review and promote said sex toy” clash.
If you’re someone who has an online following and knows the ins and outs of the sex toy industry online, your opinions (and your words) can hold a lot of value. There are actually ways of figuring out how much a “sponsored post” or “review” is worth based on your follower counts on various social media platforms - one of which is Social Bluebook.
If you’re looking to do an in-depth review of a higher-end sex toy, you may need to have some pretty stellar social media numbers to make it worthwhile for the company. If you’d like to incorporate sex toy reviews into your business or brand in the long-term, slowly work at building your social media accounts to give companies an idea of what you can offer them (exposure, potential buyers, etc).
When it comes to collaborations with sex toy brands, marketing yourself as someone who will give them a review that they can benefit from is absolutely essential. If you’re a real estate agent, they may be interested in your customer-based review, but maybe not enough to actually send you a free product. However, if you have a large online following in the sex work/adult entertainment industry, the benefit of having someone like you review their toys shoots right up and you’re more likely to be sent something.
Many companies are looking for smaller brands that they trust for long-term partnerships, either affiliate-based or sex toy review-based. Either way, make it known that you’re open to these long-term partnerships!
So - you’ve been sent a free sex toy! Now what? Aside from actually using the toy (fun!), you have to review the toy and follow the proper guidelines for that review.
While there may be some basic guidelines the company would like you to follow in writing your honest toy review, for the most part, it will be left up to you to include what you think is relevant information on how the toy works and who should be interested in buying it.
A good sex toy review should include things like:
When unboxing, I highly suggest either creating an unboxing video (these types of videos are super popular on Youtube) or simply taking photos of the toy (the box, the toy in the box, and then the toy itself). Companies may be interested in using your photos for promotional purposes.
There is so much to know about sex toys - from how to clean them to what materials are commonly used to how motors in vibrators work. Getting to know different brands and companies will also help in your quest to test our high-quality sex toys. Then, once you’ve been sent a toy for review, you will need to do some research on the toy.
The most important thing you can do is ensure you’re complying with the rules that the company who has provided the toy has set out for their reviewers. If this is a one-to-one partnership, you will likely get an email from them explaining things like the timeline of which you have to review their toy and how to submit your review. If this is more of a “broad sex toy tester” partnership (for example, with Lovehoney where you’ve been randomly sent a toy to review), comply with the list of guidelines for sex toy reviewers on their website.
You’ve been sent a free toy - and yes, you need to write a review, but you also want to make sure the company is pleased with sending you their toy and that they get a good end of the bargain as well.
Depending on the various features of the toy, you can adjust the time you give yourself to review it. For more complex/interactive toys like the Lovense Lush2, I gave myself around 5 weeks of testing it out. For toys that are more “basic” like the WeVibe Tango, I gave myself 3 weeks. This allows you to get used to the toy, allows you to test the playtime and charge, and gives you a bit of room to incorporate it naturally into your sex life.
An important note: As I’ve mentioned, you need to follow the company’s rules. This means you may have a set amount of time in which you have to test and write a review for the toy.
While my more recent sex toy reviewer experiences have happened here at Sofia Gray, I have previously worked in a sex toy shop for over 2 years where I also sold (and often reviewed) toys - and I have something of an understanding of how the industry works. When it comes to reviewing sex toys, there are a few things you should know before signing up.
Testing sex toys doesn’t always end in orgasm. If you’re lucky (as I have been), it will result in many orgasms and potentially long-term collaborations with companies you love. However, if you’re sent prototypes of toys that aren’t yet ready for the market (think sex toy BETA testing), then you may not get the orgasm you’re counting on.
Going into this, you need to think of it as an “I’m reviewing a toy and may have some fun” and not “I’m going to have fun reviewing this toy” - having the right mindset going in is essential.
Sometimes you have to pay to ship the toy (if you live in a place where they don’t typically ship sex toy testers), sometimes you have to send the toy back for disposal (if it’s a prototype of a toy that’s not been released yet), etc. Sex toy reviews don’t always mean you end up with a new toy for your collection.
I was once sent a toy that had very clearly been an “Amazon return” (the packaging was taped back together), and I’ve also been sent a toy that smelled HORRIBLE coming out of the package. As they were both internal toys that I was supposed to use to penetrate myself with, it was a hard pass and the companies I worked for at the time totally understood that. If you don’t feel safe or comfortable using the toy you’ve been sent, don’t. Simply explain your reasoning and offer to send the toy back to the company.
Not only are you testing the toy, but you’re also testing the company. After you’ve tested a few toys from the same company, you will have a better understanding of how the company works, what their toys are like and the quality in which they design, create, and sell them. This makes it easier to make recommendations to friends and readers alike.
Of course, depending on the situation/circumstances, your review for the toy may be strictly for the company to establish how to improve their toys, but if you’re writing a review on a blog that has your name on it or creating a review video on a Youtube channel that’s yours, the “sex toy reviewer” label may be associated with you. Additionally, details you share about using the toy (by yourself and with a partner if you’ve done so) will be public.
For example, I often list “best sex positions for this toy” in my reviews. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that I’ve tried this toy in those positions with my partner IRL. While I don’t have any problem sharing this information, some people might - so just be aware that sex toy testing may require you to share some intimate details.
A note: if you have used a sex toy with your partner and are planning to incorporate that or mention it in your review, consider asking their permission or thoughts on that first. While you are the person reviewing their toy, if you’ve shared the experience, they might like to know if you’re talking about it online.
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