My policy on freebies and PR invites:
For full transparency
It’s important to be clear if something you write about has come via a PR invite or freebie. I find myself repeating my stance on this in my regular posts, so I have put this policy here for full transparency.
I don’t ask for freebies from restaurants - I only accept invites that come to me, and I do so sparingly.
I do not promise coverage in return for a PR freebie.
I might write something or make a reel if I think it’s especially good and my readers will want to know about it.
What I write is at my discretion. I don’t change anything if a PR or restaurant owner tells me they don’t like what I said, unless it is a factual error.
If I don’t think something is good, I don’t write about it. Sometimes, I criticise, but I am not currently paid to be a critic, so I prefer to praise or ignore.
On Substack, I will tell you if my meal/dish was comped.
I see PR freebies/invites as professional development to help me know what I am talking about without the privilege of a big bank account.
As there is no prior content agreement between me and any venues I visit, I don’t include #ad on socials. I don’t currently do ads, but if I ever did, I would declare it.
I do my best to ensure there is balance in what I write about between PR-comped visits and ones I paid for myself, but (and see the separate article I wrote about this), I have limited funds.
I usually tip (so many people don’t do this, especially when the meal is comped).