Am I right or wrong?
REVIEWS - Boot Camp sites
That's the dreaded buzz word on WA. I have read a lot of blogs and posts from WA members that are having major difficulties with creating product reviews for their sites. I am one of them...
Most online reviews are done by people that have never actually bought the product or even tried it (for free) mainly because we know they are scams and the last thing we want to be doing is giving them money.
It is an inherent risk doing product reviews of this nature!
Therefore, a lot of the online reviews done by people are in actual in actual fact "research" reviews and not firsthand reviews. Do I want to take the advice from someone that hasn't even tried the product? Not really! I have never been comfortable with reading up on what other people are saying about a product and then 're-structuring' it into my own words - making it look like I have used the product when I haven't.
Duplication
Another issue I have with reviews is content duplication and template duplication.
Nowadays, for any given product there can be a thousand or more reviews - making your review un-unique. Unless you've actually used the product all of the information you get for your review will be from the thousand plus other reviews on the internet. A lot of those reviews will be very, very good and almost impossible to improve upon.
A lot of the WA product reviews are done using templates, whether you are using your own or not is besides the point. Kyle does say in his training videos not to "handcuff" yourself to templates which is certainly a good piece of advice as a template-framework is a type of duplicate content.
What am I saying then?
Creating a product review is very time consuming and highly competitive. I ask, is there any point in adding to all that "noise"? Can reviews be done in a more 'unique' way? Or is my time be better spent else where on my site?
I don't know the answers but what I am starting to do is to move away from product/scam reviews and more towards tips and advice about money. I have just started a new section in my Boot Camp website called 'Smart With Money' and I plan to fill it will articles, reviews of things I have used, and host of other miscellaneous stuff.
My question to you
Is it a good move or not to essentially give up 'product reviews' as this generally is the bread & butter of a WA website?
Recent Comments
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I find doing reviews time consuming also. I read as many reviews as possible and then write either a positive or negative review. I also always try to sign up but don't spend any money. I have recently started doing some reviews in real time. When I get an email of a product with a sales video I put it on my phone and type as fast as I can about what the video is saying. Then I start my investigation. This way I can start my review with an open mind about the product. Then it's a lot of editing. Always looking for better ways to do it without spending money. Keywords are of course important and that is what I will be working on tomorrow.
Hi, thanks for your feedback. Just one question though. Do you think a person writing a review should state whether or not they have actually used the product or not somewhere in the review?
I have not done many reviews but the ones I have done I have tried out and spent some money to do it.. but I understand where your coming from, I am working at bootcamp and on a new site have some idea's to build on.. wish you every success with it
Your points are exactly why I have not created a site to promote WA. I am planning on doing the affiliate bootcamp (I have completed all the other training and have my niche site up and running), but I still don't know about starting a "work from home" or "make money online" site.
I know that I will not be paying for the programs I would be reviewing, so I would have to spend a lot of time researching the reviews of others.
However, there are so many people out there doing this. So my site probably would not be anything that special.
But I have seen sites that talk more about other things about blogging and affiliate marketing. I guess I could go that route.
Hi, I wasn't really sure if I should write this blog or not as it is kind of negative and complaining. But in a way I'm glad I have because I can now see that people are of the same view as me.
Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy with WA and its training and other stuff. But I do think I wasted my time learning about the value of creating reviews for my site.
Thanks again for your time taken out to read my blog :-)
I don't think you are being negative or complaining. Just stating some obvious points. And it helps me with what I have been thinking.
The web is indeed getting saturated with 'me too' sites. Back when the number one search (for years it seemed) was Britney Spears there were hundreds of thousands of sites about her, or with a mention of her, or a picture. It was as ridiculous as it was useless. It's getting to be the same way now with "make money online" or "scam review" sites.
What a visitor does not need is a pot luck stew of left over crap harvested from random sites around the web and rearranged to appear unique. That isn't fooling anyone. It's obvious that the site has nothing unique, nothing of value to share.
A visitor comes to a website for one simple reason: they have a feeling that there is something there of value for them.
That thing of value could be almost anything.
It could be:
1. The value of your experience, such as a review of a product you have used.
2. The value of your knowledge on a particular subject, and your advise regarding that subject.
3. The value of your opinion if you have wisdom to share.
4. The value of humor. Sometimes we need a good laugh to make it one more step down a rocky road and that one funny thing on your site brightens someones day.
5. A pretty picture, especially one that embodies a powerful message.
6. A story, real or fiction, that fills the mind with new thoughts to ponder.
7. News of what is happening in the world, and your thoughts about it.
8. A collection of links (shares) to interesting stuff around the web.
9. A product that you make and sell on your site that fills a niche.
10. The results of your research that saves them hours and hours if they had to do the research themselves, even if they could, which many cannot.
... and countless other things of value.
There is no limit to the value you can program into a web page, and no limit to the countless visitors that may need just that thing to complete their day.
Creating a site of value is no guarantee than any visitors will ever see it. A site of value, however, is much better than having thousands of visitors being drawn to a site of garbage and having to bounce out.
Hello, you have a lot of great stuff here to get me thinking about my sites - I have two. You are right that re-cycled reviews is not the way forward which is why I am turning left now and not right.
Thank you for your time reading my blog and writing your great response.
I know how you feel personally I only do reviews of products I have used on my site for the very reasons you have given above . I tend to just write articles about the how's and how nots of affiliate marketing and blogging and try to involve products I use in these articles . I guess it's just down to the individual in the end and how comfortable you are in promoting products you have not used
Nice blog and thought provoking
Tim
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I don't like to do product reviews, so I have to change my marketing strategy, and writing more of other internet marketing stuff. :). Thanks very much for sharing, Dilon. ;))
Hi, I have decided to only do a product review if I have actually used the product as this is the best selling point. I emailed a chap the other week about his product review (not a WA member) and asked him if he had used the item, but he hasn't replied back (asked him a few times actually, other peoples comments are getting listed but not mine) so I guess he hasn't and doesn't want to admit it. My point is that it is making him feel uneasy which does go to show that doing a product review without actually trying it out yourself (but making out you have used) it is wrong.
The problem with saying in your review article that you haven't used the product but you have 'thoroughly' researched it immediately kills the credibility of the review. The way Kyle says in his training that for all your reviews "don't leave money on the table" suggests that you should try it out yourself first and become an affiliate of that product.
The route I am now going down is the 'How to' channel.