For those of you not "in the know" about Houseparty.com, let me talk a bit about it.
The best way to describe what Houseparty.com does, is they connect companies with a product up with people who are interested in trying that product out- for free.
Different companies will sponsor parties to get the word out about their product. Sometimes it a new product, other times, it's an older product. So, what is involved with these parties? Free stuff. My favorite price!
Parties will each be different, depending on the product (which ranges from TV shows, to Fantasy Sports Leagues, to Food, to Makeup, and more), and the company.
For instance, right now you can apply to be chosen as a host for the following parties:
Shrek McDonalds McNugget Party, which includes:
For the host:
•A McDonald's Arch Card® to purchase Chicken McNuggets for the party
•Shrek Collectable Glassware*
•Shrek-branded party supplies
•Shrek the Third® DVD
•Shrek Movie Poster
For everybody to share:
•Coupons for a free McFlurry®
•Coupons for a free Minute Maid® Apple Juice
•Shrek Happy Meal Toys*
•Shrek Happy Meal Watches*
•McNuggets of Fun Coins*
*Additional quantities available exclusively at participating McDonald's restaurants for a limited time, while supplies last.
Aquafina Flavor Your Day Party Includes:
For every partygoer:
A touch of lip-smacking flavor — Aquafina FlavorSplash Lip Balms
FREE bag of Stacy's® Pita Chips
eMusic Cards — download 35 songs for nada, nothing, free!*
Two FREE Aquafina FlavorSplash 6-pack coupons
A Photo/Note Clip Holder to give your pics a little splash
FREE bag coupon for Stacy's® Pita and Bagel Chips
$1.00 Off Aquafina FlavorSplash coupons
Hasbro Game Night Party Includes:
If selected, you’ll be opening up a FREE party pack with great stuff like
The latest version of Trivial Pursuit
Two other great Hasbro games
Coupons
1 bag of candy
Each party is different, but each one includes at least 1 item to pass out to 15 guests. In the past, I've hosted parties for TV shows (two different parties for Life of an American Teenager, Hawthorne RN, and two different Nickolodean cartoons), candy (two years ago, we got chosen for a Hershey's Bliss party- OMG, was I in LOVE- we did that for my daughter's 12th birthday, complete with a chocolate fountain we borrowed!), snack foods (Ritz 100 Calorie packs, South Beach Living foods), and many more.
Most recently, we did a party for DiGiorno pizza. It included 6 free pizzas, plus 15 coupons for $4 off a pizza and breadsticks combo.
All in all, this is a fantastic site, but it can be hard to get started. Not everyone who applies to a show is accepted. Here are some of my own tips- I'm typically chosen for 3-5 parties a year.
- Apply to as many as you are interested in every time. Sometimes, the site has 1 or 2 parties that are scheduled for the same time frame. Othertimes, they'll have 5 or 6. From my experience, though, the site will only chose you to do 1 party at a time. Applying to more will give you more chances to be picked.
- In the application, they typically ask what you'll do to make your party more special. Be descriptive! Today, I just applied for the Hasbro Game Night, and to give an example, I told them what all I would do to plan the party, including having small prizes on hand for the game winners, having a candy buffet for snacks, and decorating soda bottles in the themes and colors of different games. I try to theme what I'll do around the product and type of items that come with the party- such as a picnic, or a barbeque, or a movie night, sleepovers if it's a kid oriented one, etc.
And don't skimp out when they ask how much you'll spend on the party- that is to say, include all costs. Invitations, additional food, decorations, drinks, etc. While you can certainly host the party with out having to add in any costs, I like to make the party a bit more full.
Last- make sure to check your email the day that you apply, because they will ask for confirmation of your application. If you don't confirm, you won't be entered as a potential applicant.
Keep an eye on the site. I go about once a month and check on new parties. You can also view your dashboard, which will show all the upcoming parties you have an application in for.
If you are chosen, you'll receive an email inviting you to join the party, and instructing you to go online and "set the party up" on their site. Do it! I learned the hard way 1 time- if you don't log into the site and start the set up process, you might not actually be chosen.
They send out more acceptances than what they actually accept- from there, it's first come, first serve in signing up for the party. Sometimes, they are filled up within hours. One time, I saw the email 3 hours after it was sent, and wound up being too late. Another time, I didn't see the email till the next morning, and was still accepted.
Once you get an email, check it, and sign into the site. You will (sometimes) get an email if you were NOT selected, but I've found I don't always get those. You can check the party status from the dashboard on the website, as well.
A yellow dot means that you are an active applicant.
A red dot means that you were not chosen as a party host for that party.
A green dot means that you were chosen as a party host for that party.
Lastly? Enjoy your party!
Good luck!
