There are lots of ways to do affiliate marketing online. One of my favorites is by doing product reviews. If you create product reviews properly, it can be very lucrative and a great way to make affiliate commissions.
The problem is that most people do not write product reviews properly and give up on the whole idea because they are not making the level of affiliate commissions that they desire.
If you search on Google for a popular Clickbank or JVZoo product, you will find many similar reviews. It is a sure bet that most of the authors of these reviews did not purchase the product themselves and have never even used it.
How can they write a convincing review if this is the case? They can’t – they just rewrite what others have written.
And that presents a great opportunity for you to differentiate yourself from the pack!
Instead of using the same approach as this and leaving your visitors unimpressed and not buying from your link, you have an opportunity to gain a follower AND a commission – buy doing a REAL review.
After all, there is no such thing as the perfect product. Everybody knows that (including those that are looking to purchase) but the same old 100% positive reviews keep being written. You need to obtain the product (some vendors will supply it to you for free if you tell them that you are writing a review), use it and then record your honest experiences about it.
When you write a review, the first thing that you must do is to build trust with your visitors. Do this with honesty. Then you will want to bridge features and benefits with real-life examples that you can tell your story about.
One thing that will make your review stand out from the rest is to include a summary of the product at the beginning. You can use stars to rate the performance of the product but don’t overdo it. In this summary, give a short critique on issues such as:
- Does the product work as promised in the sales letter?
- Is the price of the product low enough to give good value?
- How easy the product is to use?
- How good is the training and support?
These are the issues that people are interested in. Don’t give every section 5 stars; this just looks false. Be honest and tell it warts and all. If the support was slow in responding, then say that. If the product is expensive, then say that too.
Then do a “pros and cons” summary. Tell your readers what you liked and what you didn’t like. You can make these one-liners that tell the story well. Then add a summary and a link to the product. Add the price at the bottom of the summary.
A good summary will convert really well. Many people do not have the time or the patience to read a full 2000 word review. There will be others that want to know all of the details, so the rest of your review needs to provide this.
In fact, the longer you can make the review, the better. Google loves 1000+ word reviews and you’ll have a better chance of getting search traffic with longer reviews.
Another important step too many product reviews skip is showing empathy with your readers. Tell them whether the product will solve their problem or not. Anyone can put a list of features and benefits together, and this is unnecessary as these are on the sales page.
Use a friendly voice throughout your review and share your reasons for buying the product. Emphasize pain points such as “do you spend too much time setting up WordPress” (or whatever your product does). Speak in the first person and refer to the reader as “you”.
Next, clarify if the product really is for the reader. Just because the product was a good fit for you does not mean that it will be for them. Find something in the product that determines this. If the product is for advanced marketers, then say this.
Now presell the solution. Tell your readers what the product is about and the results that they can expect to achieve from it. You want to answer all of the potential purchaser’s questions in this section.
Tell the reader about the results that you achieved by using the product. If you can add some screenshots or a video at this point, then do it and you can almost certainly count on increased commissions.
Next, you want to explain how features turn into benefits by using real-life experiences. You want to demonstrate that the product really works in real life. When you do this effectively, the reader will be more compelled to make a purchase and use your affiliate link to do it.
Are there alternatives to the product that you are reviewing? There usually are so tell your readers about these and explain why you still favor the product you are reviewing over those other products.
For a real-life example of how to do this, see my review of Thrive Landing Page Builder. When you do this, you will be giving your readers more choices, and they may buy one of the alternatives instead (whether it’s through your affiliate link or not, you’ll be building more trust!)
Reviewing products and services online is fun. If you focus on posting comprehensive, original, honest reviews that really help people make an informed decision, you can’t help but grow a following and earn regular commissions.
And remember, all those products and services you test can be helping your own business grow too!
To your success,
Jim Daniels
Note: I created today’s article in 5 minutes flat, starting with content from this PLR pack. If you need great Internet marketing related content, I recommend you get this package.
Hi Jim,
Must say you do a fantastic job of coming up with this help and any one looking for relevant and authentic information can always turn towards you
Hello Jim,
Thanks for laying it all out on how to do an authentic product review.
I cannot tell how many time I have seen reviews that just is not credible.
Too much hype and not enough of the information points like the ones that you list in this article.
For instance, not comparing or mentioning alternatives to the product being reviewed is silly and unrealistic.
Thanks Jim for always keeping it real and honest.
Enjoy your time away!
Yvonne Finn