Originally Posted by Ber2dca

You don't necessarily have to sponsor or pay for good reviews. I've seen people in my own line of work practically act as advocates of other companies, and all that's needed is regular lunch between them and the account manager at that other company. Several years back I worked for an online media outlet that did reviews, and I vividly recall the very chummy atmosphere between some writers and some liaisons from some of the companies that provided the products to be reviewed.