How We Pick Our Partners

We’re picky about who we partner with… no, seriously. Every sponsor you see in our newsletter is there because we chose them, not just because they wrote a check.

So, if you have a bad experience, let us know (news@thepourover.org). We’ll help resolve it.

We have one guiding question.

When a new sponsor comes our way, our team asks a simple question: “Would we recommend this product to a loved one?” 

That kicks off the conversation. Has anyone on the team used it? Do we believe in what they do? Would we be surprised if someone had a bad experience with them? We also look at product quality, branding, and reputation—online and behind the scenes. If something feels gimmicky, overly political, ethically sketchy, or just doesn’t sit right with us, we pass. (And yes, we’ve said “no thanks” to plenty of brands.)

Then, we actually try it.

We used to just accept free samples, but ended up promoting a couple companies with good products but scammy/bad checkout experiences and post-purchase marketing tactics*.

Now, we buy every product before we promote it. 

So if we say we love something, its because we’ve actually gone through the experience you’ll go through and we recommend it. Some sponsors (like LMNT) are daily staples for our team. Others, (like hear.com), aren’t things we need/use personally, but have vetted as best we can and would recommend to a loved one (like you 🙂).

(*We still accept free samples… because we love the products we promote. We just also buy the product.)

Our “Nope” List

We say “no” more often than you might think; on a normal month, only 20% of brands that reach out pass these tests. 

Here are some reasons we might not partner with a brand:

• Their product or site feels scammy or confusing
• There’s a pattern of poor customer experience
• They rely heavily on political divisive language or controversial celebrities
• They’re a Christian organization that has sketchy/confusing/odd theology or values

Why We’re So Particular

The Pour Over started with Jason sending an email to a few of his family and friends. He loved summarizing the news in a Christ-first way, as if he was sitting at a coffee shop, chatting with a friend over a pour over. 

We carry that with us today. 

Our mission is to be a trustworthy news resource, and one of the biggest areas we see other news organizations be untrustworthy is in the products they “genuinely recommend.” 

So, if you have a bad experience with one of our sponsors, let us know (news@thepourover.org). Hold us to a high standard. And thank you for trusting us to help you navigate the news and which products are worth your time. 

We’ll keep being picky so you don’t have to,