You can't buy or join everything you review so just base your review on the research you have done and what you know to be correct. If your research is done right it is unlikely you will misrepresent the product. Going to the manufacturers or distributors site often helps and see what they claim about the product. You can use phrases like " According to the distributor's website the widget has......."
Geoff

Hi, Rick.
I agree with you about the integrity of the review and the necessity of its being honest and believable. I have struggled with the same issue of having difficulty writing a review of something I don't actually own and use.

I am putting information about different brands of ballroom dancing shoes on my website, and there is no way I could afford to buy each style of each brand.

So I have been doing more of a description of each brand and of course utilizing the customers' comments and ratings from their websites instead of a true product review. I say things like "according to Capezio's website, their customers state that...." And I'm not calling my posts on each brand reviews, because it really aren't.

Carol

I guess you need to disclose how you did the review. If you own the product you share your experience with the reader. If you do not own the product but a member of your family or friends have it, just say that. Same goes with your reading. Give references. You will not get into trouble that way. I did not get into reviews yet but I have worked as a quality Assurance rep for a Navy company and I know when you say something, you need to back it up with evidence.

There is some great advice found here from others that have commented. I would just like to add a few things because I was once in your boat.

The first and most important thing in my opinion is to make the review helpful. If you have not or can not get the product, Do Your Research. Then you can write the review as the experience of others.

For example I recently did a review on a diet program that I did not try. After researching the product thoroughly. I wrote the review as though my sister had tried it and she experienced this or that.

While some may disagree with the practice, it is an effective way to do a review on a product you can not use. There is no way I could try every diet out there, although I still want to help my readers make the right decision for them.

You MUST however try to keep your readers in mind and make the review helpful. As with the diet example, while I myself did not use it, I was able to find many that have, it was a great product overall, so naturally I wanted to share it with my readers.

If you are review a physical product, you can easily go to a store that sells the product and actually get your hands on it. I know of a lot of people that do product reviews in this way.

Another thing I would like to point out. If you have used or reviewed a similar product. You could then use your experience and knowledge of that product, combined with your research of the product you want to review to write a good useful review.

While your goal should always be to help your readers and provide true and accurate information. You also must understand that you are a marketer, and your job is to sell. After all that is the point of starting an online business in the end.

Think of the car company Fiat as an example. For a year or two they ran adds using Jennifer Lopez as their spokesperson. I may be wrong, but with the money she has, I do not believe you would ever find her driving a Fiat. Its all about marketing...

If you think about any major retailer in your town or city. It would be impossible for a store owner or manager to know everything and have tried everything they sell in their stores. We do very much the same thing.

Use your best judgement, do your research and be sure your content is helpful. If you doubt or question the quality of a product you are providing, don't do the review. Also always protect your readers, be sure if you are selling them a product, that is has a refund or guarantee backing it up.

At the end of the day you are a marketer. Whether on line or in the real world you goal is to make sales that make you a profit. Don't be misleading and rip anyone off, but also don't be afraid to use a little smoke screen once in awhile.



Cheers,
Brendon

I always try to buy the product or at least study it on display at a store. Doing so ensures that I have complete information on the product, which means that I can wrote a better article and likely sell more.

If you live in the US and you buy something for this purpose it is tax deductible, and you can get a credit if you donate it too.

Rick, I know where you are coming from. So far my Reviews have been on products I've purchased myself. I agree that it seems a little "wrong" to review a product you haven't even touched. But I do agree that thorough research should help greatly with doing a review of a product you haven't touched. That's what I plan to do.

Recently I signed up on Clickbank to be an affiliate for the Back to Life system and I didn't purchase the video product myself. However, I did go to Amazon and purchase the author's companion book for myself and read it (cheaper for me). I'm doing research now on the full product that I'll be promoting. I'll be writing a review and also telling how the exercises from the book have affected my own back pain. (I'll promote the book from Amazon also). - Shirley

It's difficult to write reviews without the product in hand, but you can always research the product and read testimonials from people who have used the product. After this I guess it's more like a review from another's perspective, but based around your own judgements of what was shown or read.
It kinda sucks to do it like this, but it works. And the more you do and the more you learn about some of these products you can sometimes reach out to the company yourself and explain that you do product reviews and you have a blog or website and would like to showcase one their products. If you get one to test you can then make a video review!
I wish you the best Rick, your friend, Aaron G

it s a conundrum and hard to compete with companies that have big budgets to do product reviews like America's Test Kitchen.
You just have to do your research and add whatever insights you can. Then, when we're making a lot of money at WA buy and test everything we want to review.

I have struggled with that myself. To date, I have only done 1 review on something I didn't purchase and spent 2 days trying to get it right because it ended up being a negative review.

I spent hours researching and finding out every possible positive and negative piece of info out there. Before actually writing the review, I wrote 2 lists--one with things I could know for sure because it came directly from the company and 1 with things that I could reasonably know from all of the research I did online. When I knew I had enough valid information to write an accurate review that I could stand by, I felt comfortable writing it.

Reviews are the most time-consuming articles for me because I know the integrity of my site depends on accurate information.

I agree with you, Rick! I am the same way.

I like to review things that I use and believe in. On my reviews, I give personal experience with the product because I actually own and use it. My conversions are better too.

Now, that does not mean we can't review without owning the product, but like you stated, it so much easier to write the review. Plus, you can add a video of you playing with the product which adds to the trust factor. Or at least have photos.

I also think people can realize that a review is fake compared to someone who writes one and actually uses and likes, or dislikes, the product once they have had personal experience with it. They see the review is legit!

Just my thoughts, at least for me and how I operate my business. The word ethics comes to mind.