I Tried the New PaperPie VideoAsk Referral Link, and Here’s How it Went
Interested in trying the new PaperPie referral link through VideoAsk in place of a Facebook party? Check out my experience trying the new referral link.
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PaperPie (formerly known as Usborne) is trying a new method for party hosts and brand partners (consultants). It is a referral link through VideoAsk, which allows users to browse new titles on their own time.
Rather than inviting all your friends to a Facebook party, where everyone is supposed to gather at a specific time, the idea is to simplify the process and make it more convenient for party guests and shoppers.
So, how did this experience compare to my experience hosting Facebook parties? Read on to find out!
(Check out this article on my experience hosting two Facebook Usborne/PaperPie parties)
Quick Links:
Why I Tried It
As I said in my previous article about hosting an Usborne/PaperPie party, I love books, I love reading books to my daughter, and I love the quality of Usborne/PaperPie specifically.
PaperPie has all sorts of books that are educational AND entertaining and engaging, and a lot of them have unique qualities that you won’t find elsewhere. (I’m not getting paid or rewarded in ANY way to say that–I just really do love the books).
Plus, the possibility of earning free books doesn’t hurt.
It had been a while since I purchased any new books, and since Usborne rebranded to PaperPie, they’ve released a lot of new titles.
Since I was planning on purchasing some books anyway, I thought it might be fun to see how this new referral method worked, in hopes it felt less invasive, pushy, and sales-y than hosting a Facebook party.
The Invites
At first, I was under the impression that the idea was to just send the referral link to close family and friends.
I was like, why not? If I’m wanting to buy some new things anyway, why not share the new titles with family and friends who also like books?
So, I sent out a small handful of links to only close friends and family.
I was told to personalize the message sent with the referral link, and mention the person I was texting, along with their kiddos by name.
Cool, I can do that.
So I reached out to my brand partner to let her know I had messaged a few people. She let me know that the basic plan was to message 10 people a day for the next 5 or so days.
That was a wee bit more than I bargained for, seeing as how I had just planned to message close friends and family.
Anyway, I did reach out to maybe 20 or so people total, people I knew had either hosted or attended PaperPie or Usborne parties in the past and who loved reading books to their kids.
I did the whole ‘using their first name and mentioning their kid’s names’ thing. I did feel a bit icky about it though, since I didn’t talk to many of these people on a regular basis, so it was an obvious MLM sales pitch (which gives me the ick).
Waiting
I sat back and waited a few days, not expecting a whole lot.
At one point, my brand partner (PaperPie consultant) let me know that I should follow up with those that initially replied to my message and said they were interested in viewing the video link.
I asked for a message I could just copy and paste, and it went something like, “Hey, no worries at all if you’re not interested, but the link is still good for a few days! Did you still want to take a look at the new titles?”
So, I messaged the people who initially said they were interested.
I felt a bit icky about that too.
Again, it was an obvious sales pitch, and felt a bit like I was asking for them to shop so I could get free stuff (which, essentially, I was).
To be honest, this cringey feeling was what I was hoping to avoid with this new referral link method.
I was kinda hoping the video would do all the “sales pitch” work for me.
Results
The results?
Drum roll please…
$5.
A total of $5 was spent on books.
Honestly, based on my past experiences hosting these parties, I knew to keep my expectations low.
In order to start qualifying for ANY host rewards, your guests have to spend at least $100.
At least $100.
Needless to say, no host rewards were earned.
So, all in-in-all, I didn’t get anything out of messaging all of those people, except the experience, and the ability to write this article and share my experience with you.
Referral Link vs. Facebook Party
While I’ve said before that I don’t plan to do another Facebook party for PaperPie, I do think the Facebook parties are much more effective.
I would guess that the reason is the video links are very easy to forget about or blow off. The idea is for shoppers to view the video in their own time, but what mostly happened, I believe, was people forgot about it, or it was just a lot easier to brush aside and say no to.
Facebook parties, on the other hand, require Facebook friends to “gather” at a set time online, where they are encouraged to interact with each post.
There’s also incentive with Facebook parties. Each interaction with posts earns party attendees “raffle tickets,” which encourages them to participate more, and in doing so, learn more about the products.
Facebook parties also allow for more opportunity for brand partners to market the books and really rally around them and build excitement.
So, while the video referral link might be more convenient for shoppers, it’s also not as effective at racketing up sales.
Would I Do It Again?
Nah.
Truthfully, I felt all the same icky sales pressure of hosting a Facebook party without the perk of actually getting any free (or even discounted) books.
Was it worth my time?
Nope.
Check out my experience hosting two separate Usborne/PaperPie Facebook parties for more information.
Related:
- PaperPie (Usborne) Book Party Hosting Review: Is It Worth It?
- How to Find FREE Children’s Books for Your Child’s Home Library
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