I've talked with the Hero people before, and they were going to send us some stuff, but that was months before 5th edition came out and I think our request got lost in the shuffle somewhere. I should write them again.
As for requesting free stuff, the only advice I can give you is not to do it unless you deny all ties to TWG. Everything we get goes through official channels (ie, me) and is then distributed out to whoever asked first. If anyone who wants to write us an article could just use our name and start begging game companies for handouts, TWG would lose its credibility (such as it is) very quickly. If you can think of a good excuse to get free stuff that doesn't involve TWG in any way, go for it. On the other hand, if you want me to try to get you something, send incredibly detailed notes on what it is and who to talk to, and I'll try to get it for you.
By the way, Prometheus requested Hero stuff months ago (that's why I talked to them in the first place), so if I end up getting any he has first dibs.