Gift recommendation sites have a trust problem. Too many are just affiliate link farms with generic descriptions pulled from Amazon listings. We wanted to be different, and that requires being transparent about how we actually work.
We Buy Everything Ourselves
Every product reviewed on PRESENCE is purchased with our own money. No free samples, no "loaner units," no manufacturer relationships that could bias our opinions.
This is expensive. We've spent thousands of dollars on products, some of which ended up being duds. But it's the only way to maintain genuine independence.
We Test in Real Relationships
Our team includes people currently in (or recently graduated from) long distance relationships. When we review a touch lamp, we're not just plugging it in and seeing if it works—we're using it to communicate with our actual partners over weeks or months.
This takes time. A product might seem great on day one and tedious by day thirty. We need that time to give honest assessments.
Our Testing Criteria
Every product is evaluated on five dimensions:
- Setup Ease (15%)
How frustrating is unboxing and configuration? Can you get it working in under 20 minutes? Is the app reasonable? - Reliability (25%)
Does it work consistently? What happens when WiFi is spotty? Does the app crash? Are there ongoing bugs? - Emotional Impact (30%)
The most important and hardest to measure. Does this actually make you feel more connected? Do you think of your partner when you use it? - Daily Usability (20%)
Do you keep using it after the novelty wears off? Is it integrated into your routine or sitting in a drawer? - Value (10%)
Is the price justified by the experience? Not about being cheap—about being worth it.
Emotional impact gets the highest weight because that's what actually matters. A product can be perfectly designed and still fail if it doesn't create genuine connection.
How We Handle Our Own Products
PRESENCE makes products—specifically, time-released digital postcards. This creates an obvious conflict of interest. Here's how we handle it:
- Disclosure is mandatory. Any page featuring our products includes clear disclosure of our relationship.
- Competitors are featured equally. We recommend alternatives, often prominently, when they're better for certain use cases.
- We don't fake rankings. If a competitor's product genuinely outperforms ours in certain scenarios, we say so.
- Trust beats sales. We'd rather lose a sale and maintain credibility than push a product that's wrong for someone.
Update Policy
Products change. Companies update features, raise prices, or stop supporting their devices. Our guides are updated:
- Quarterly: Full review of all recommendations to catch any changes
- When major changes occur: Price changes, new versions, discontinued products
- When we discover issues: If we learn of problems after publishing, we update immediately
Every guide shows its last update date. If you see something outdated, let us know.
How We Make Money
Transparency about revenue:
- Our own products: We sell time-released postcards. This is our primary business.
- Affiliate links: Some product links are affiliate links (we earn a commission if you buy). This doesn't affect our recommendations—we recommend products whether or not we have affiliate relationships.
- No sponsored content: We don't accept payment for reviews or placements. Ever.
The site exists primarily to support our product business by building trust and authority in the long distance relationship space. That only works if our recommendations are genuinely helpful—so our incentives are aligned with yours.
Questions?
If you have questions about our methodology or want to challenge a review, email hello@presence.co. We take feedback seriously.