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Our commerce guidelines: How products get the seal of approval

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HELLO! strives to provide our readers with unbiased editorial content with helpful suggestions including items or services to purchase. We may use affiliate links to products and services on retailer websites for which we can receive compensation.

You'll find these across all verticals on the website or on our social media platforms. It works like this: If a reader clicks on one of our affiliate links, we will receive a small fee.

An example of this may be clicking on an affiliate link from a celebrity style story that directs you to the exact item of clothing Holly Willoughy has worn so you can recreate the look yourself. It could also be a story serving you links to a royal favourite handbag. You might also click on a story about a TV series or a trending movie with a link to watch, or a feature about a book we think you'll enjoy on your holiday. And on the subject of holidays, you might discover an affiliate link on a travel review or a travel feature on HELLO!

It's important to stress that these links do not add any cost to you as the consumer, but the company it links to may pay HELLO! a commission for the referral of your business.

Our goal at HELLO! is to save you time and take away the stress of shopping, whether you're on the hunt for an air fryer, a garden egg chair, an all-inclusive holiday or a special gift to cheer up a loved one.

What we choose to link to is decided by the editorial team and no one else, and our articles only link to products and services that we believe in. 

It's worth noting that not all of the links we include are affiliate links, many of the links to products and services are not affiliate links and we make no money from them. 

Plus, if a reader returns their purchase because they're dissatisfied, HELLO! makes no affiliate commission on that purchase.

How we test products

We don't take 'the best' lightly, so when we write a roundup of the best products on the market or the best Disney+ shows to watch, we aim to test out as many products as possible across our many features - even if it's spending countless hours watching that latest TV series or test out the must-have fans during a heatwave.

While HELLO!'s commerce team strives to test out as many products as we can, it's not possible to test out everything. If we're recommending something that can't easily be tested, the writer or editor will heavily research the topic area. We pore over authentic customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the things we're assessing. We will also focus on price range and nationwide availability. 

When it comes to fashion and beauty items, our team might not be able to try on every pair of shoes, lipsticks, wedding dress or body moisturiser, but the writer will be an expert and the items will have been picked using a rigorous, unbiased process. Our team have been writing about fashion, beauty and lifestyle products in market-leading publications for years and are using their key eye for style and knowledge of trends as a major decision-making factor for inclusion in these roundups, they also add styling tips and ideas for added value. 

Thanks to brand press days, the team also gets to look at products and discover the way various brands make their products, so we always take this into consideration prior to including.

Why you should trust us

The HELLO! team is full of experts in their field. At the top of every article you will see an author's name and photo, and if you click on the author you can then read about that person's background. In addition to relying on our own editorial expertise, we seek out some of the top experts in the industry like celebrity stylists, home decluttering experts and makeup artists to inform, and empower HELLO! readers to make the best purchasing decisions.

Brand representatives often send out products for editorial consideration, but we will never accept a product in exchange for positive coverage - our thoughts and opinions are entirely our own. Our recommendations are purely editorial and we aim to be as transparent as possible. In fact, a lot of products are sent back once they've been trialled. 

ChatGPT may be a big talking point right now but all of our articles are written by humans and those humans are fully committed to offering the highest quality content. 

It's important to us to include a wide range of products for our diverse audience. We strive to be inclusive of various body types, skin tones, abilities, and budgets.

Travel reviews

Our travel journalism is written and edited by our expert writers to inspire readers. Hotel reviews have been independently reviewed by our expert writers who are usually hosted on a complimentary basis, but this never affects our review process.

How we find deals

Our shopping editors are in the know about new products and the best online sales from brands both big and small. You can trust that we'll tell you when Kate Middleton's go-to handbag is on sale, or when Meghan Marke's mascara is on sale. 

We also cover popular sale events like Prime Day and Black Friday, and we work hard to gather the best deals out there - the ones we'd share with our family and friends. Who doesn't love a bargain? 

How we make money

There will also be occasions when we publish advertorials (paid-for editorial content) and sponsored content. When this is the case the content is clearly marked as sponsored or promoted, so you'll always know which content is editorial and which is not. These articles are checked for editorial suitability by a senior editor and they may contain links and messaging from commercial partners that are not chosen by the editorial team.

How to contact us

If you have any questions regarding the information above, please feel free to contact us here

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