Is it whitehat to offer products for a review & link?

[inhouseseo]

It seems to me that if you can offer content for a link back, you should be able to offer a product for a review and a link. Any thoughts?

[Tonyy3]

You should giveaway products to relevant sites anyway.

1. You're getting the product reviewed and if people search for said product, they will see the pros/cons.

2. You're getting exposure. (Pick the right sites to give the products too)

The link if considered "white hat" would be a bonus, in my opinion.

[donford]

It is just never cut and dry

Right so, asking somebody for a review is the first half, offering free; points, merchandise, credit, discounts, or a super nice product for the best "review" contest style, would be a creative way to develop unique content and thus I would say 100% white hat.

The second half, asking for a link and offering the same sort of incentives is kin to buying a link, and IMO black hat. In this sense you are trying artificially inflate your ranking by "trading" something for a link. In this case somebody linking to you is by no means saying I like this site, they are saying I like the free stuff they give.

Your question coupled the two together, but I thought it best to look at each case individually.

Hope it helps.