Pickleheads currently makes money primarily through our affiliate marketing program. In the future, we will have advertising & sponsorship revenue, along with subscriptions.
This means we get paid commissions on products you purchase through our links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
However, this does not mean manufacturers get a say in how we test. Nor does it mean we pick products based on our commission structure with brands. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.
All Pickleheads reviews are done independently, by our staff through our own product testing process. This means taking paddles out on the court, over weeks and months to form our own opinions. Nearly all our paddle reviews are done by Pickleheads co-founder Brandon Mackie, a 4.0 player and experienced reviewer. And all of our “best of” guides are just that - the absolute best products you can buy, regardless of our relationship with the brand.
And besides, we know that if we recommended an inferior product, you would just return it and we wouldn’t make any commission.
Our goal is to always to provide unbiased content created by our team. But we need to pay our staff, pay for gear and pay for content creation. Our affiliate relationships allow us to keep bringing you content, but the way we make money does not impact how we produce content.
Editorial Integrity
Our editorial decisions are based solely on merit. We rank products by their performance and never allow brands to pay or influence our review and rating process.
This includes negative reviews. You won’t find just positive reviews on our site. If we review a paddle and think it’s a pass at 2.5 stars, we’re going to publish that. Even if the manufacturer doesn’t like it.
We do this because we believe having honest, unbiased reviews is good for everyone pickleball. They help you, the player, make better buying decisions.
And by holding manufacturers to a high standard, it motivates everyone to make better and better gear. Which is only a good thing for us – the players!
We regularly speak with as many brands in pickleball as possible. Our aim is to get our hands on as many new product releases as we can. We also know the value of a good deal – so we’re always pushing brands for exclusive discounts that we can pass along to you, readers of Pickleheads.
If you have any questions about our affiliate program or product review process, we’d love to hear from you! Send us a note at [email protected]
