I had the privilege of interviewing Joe Auer from another mattress review website, Mattress Clarity. Joe has been reviewing mattresses for years and brings a unique perspective to the process. Make sure to check out his site for his take on popular online mattress brands.
How did you get into the mattress review business?
I had interned at an online mattress company (Saatva) back in the day, so when I was graduating school I had a feeling that the mattress world was about to explode. I teamed up with a friend who knew the web part of it, and we launched the first review on mattressclarity.com a few weeks later.
What’s the worst part about reviewing mattresses?
Definitely moving them. I live in New York City, so it’s incredibly difficult to move them around and store them. For a while I was doing it in a 5th floor apartment (with no elevator), so I had to develop some serious muscles to even get the mattresses up to my apartment.
What do you do with them once you’re finished reviewing them?
I started out by giving them to friends, but after a while I ran out! Now I have a connection to a social worker that knows a lot of families in need in the area, so she makes sure that they find a good home.
Do you run Mattress Clarity full time?
I do work for myself full time, though I run a few other review sites as well in different areas. I think Mattress Clarity probably takes about 80% of my time though.
What do you tell people your job is?
It really depends on who I’m talking to. Girls at bars in NYC are not so interested in a mattress reviewer, so I’ll say “entrepreneur” or “digital marketer.”
What’s the best response people have when you tell them?
Responses range from celebration to disgust haha. I have a lot of friends that are consultants and financial professionals, so they really have a hard time comprehending what I do with my days and why.
What mattress do you sleep on in between reviews?
At this point I am almost always rotating the mattress, pillows, and sheets. If I were to settle down, I would probably edge towards an all-natural latex mattress because I love the natural aspect and like the feel.
What are you excited about in the industry?
I feel like the industry is changing so fast, so I’m just having a fun time being a (very small) part of it! I think we’ll see some pretty innovative sleeping solutions and definitely some very innovative marketing over the next few years.
What are the funniest questions you have gotten from your readers?
I recently got a question from an older woman who had slept on a water bed for 30 years (the same one), and three weeks earlier it had sprung a leak and so she’d been sleeping on the floor. She was wondering if I thought it was time for a new mattress. I told her yes ;).
What’s next for Mattress Clarity?
Our goal has always been to help people sleep better. But that goes so far beyond mattresses! I’m really hoping we can expand what we write about to become a resource looking for people to improve their sleep in multiple ways. I hope Mattress Clarity can become a resource people come back to for the latest in sleep science and tips, not just a site with great mattress reviews! I’m also toying with the idea of bringing on another reviewer with drastically different preferences. Time will tell!
