Writing product reviews is one of the most common ways affiliate marketers promote products online. And for good reason too. Often times people searching around for a product review are a little closer to the buying stage. In addition, the format of a product review allows affiliates to provide their visitors with the necessary information to convince them to buy a particular product.
By providing a compelling and informative product review, you can both provide something of value to your visitors and make affiliate sales at the same time.
It’s a win-win situation!
Having been a full-time affiliate marketer for about a year now, I have written a lot of product reviews. I have also read a number of product reviews as well (as I do my research). I find that a large proportion of affiliate product reviews I come across are ineffective in a number of ways. Many affiliates make the mistakes of writing product reviews that are either too salesy, too disorganized, or that simply provide no value to the reader. What this ultimately means is that the affiliate is not making as many sales (if any) as he/she could be.
The purpose of this training resource is to help members of the WA community write the best possible reviews for the products they promote. All the information in this resource is based on my own experiences over the past year.
By providing a compelling and informative product review, you can both provide something of value to your visitors and make affiliate sales at the same time.
It’s a win-win situation!
Having been a full-time affiliate marketer for about a year now, I have written a lot of product reviews. I have also read a number of product reviews as well (as I do my research). I find that a large proportion of affiliate product reviews I come across are ineffective in a number of ways. Many affiliates make the mistakes of writing product reviews that are either too salesy, too disorganized, or that simply provide no value to the reader. What this ultimately means is that the affiliate is not making as many sales (if any) as he/she could be.
The purpose of this training resource is to help members of the WA community write the best possible reviews for the products they promote. All the information in this resource is based on my own experiences over the past year.
Join the Discussion
gshep51
Premium
Hey Joseph,
This is really impressive and makes affiliate marketing much clearer to me. I just joined WA and new to all this but want to learn as much as I can. My only question is"and I hope this doesn't sound dumb" how do you connect your website to the product to make a commission?
Would much appreciate the help,
Gary
This is really impressive and makes affiliate marketing much clearer to me. I just joined WA and new to all this but want to learn as much as I can. My only question is"and I hope this doesn't sound dumb" how do you connect your website to the product to make a commission?
Would much appreciate the help,
Gary
Reply
DanielLara
Premium
Hey, gshep51! I believe you have probably figured this out by now, but basically:
1) First, you join an Affiliate Program, which will generate a personal weblink for you to link to;
2) You insert the link into your site, either linking an image or text to the personal link provided by the Affiliate Program.
This information may be seen in much more detail on Level 3 of the Certification Course - try here first: Online Entrepreneur Certification - Making Money! (Level 3) .
1) First, you join an Affiliate Program, which will generate a personal weblink for you to link to;
2) You insert the link into your site, either linking an image or text to the personal link provided by the Affiliate Program.
This information may be seen in much more detail on Level 3 of the Certification Course - try here first: Online Entrepreneur Certification - Making Money! (Level 3) .
gshep51
Premium
Haha, my apology for that Daniel.
Not sure where I got that name, I think it was from someone below me and I thought they where addressing you.
Gary
Not sure where I got that name, I think it was from someone below me and I thought they where addressing you.
Gary
gshep51
Premium
Hi Daniel, You said I could ask for help if needed. I'm just not clear on something, I've read your post and I completely understand it if it pertains to one product. I've been in touch with other members but just can't get a clear answer on this. You seem to have a lot of experience on this so I thought I would ask you.
My niche is Art/painting and Art supplies. I have read 2 affiliate Artist websites and they don't focus on one particular product. They write about many things about art. So they don't have a product review. Should this niche be done differently than others?
I would appreciate your feedback cause I'm not sure what I should do. I started by writing about art supplies and trying to focus one product such as paint. Very hard to do, only so much that can be said about paint etc.
I would very much appreciate your feedback...
Gary
If you'd like to check them out and my website, here they are...
my website-artistpaintssupplies.com
http://www.art-is-fun.com/
http://guidetooilpainting.com/
My niche is Art/painting and Art supplies. I have read 2 affiliate Artist websites and they don't focus on one particular product. They write about many things about art. So they don't have a product review. Should this niche be done differently than others?
I would appreciate your feedback cause I'm not sure what I should do. I started by writing about art supplies and trying to focus one product such as paint. Very hard to do, only so much that can be said about paint etc.
I would very much appreciate your feedback...
Gary
If you'd like to check them out and my website, here they are...
my website-artistpaintssupplies.com
http://www.art-is-fun.com/
http://guidetooilpainting.com/
DanielLara
Premium
Wow, Thaneeya..!! That's a tough one. Tell you what.. Give me a few hours to work on the reply. I have some suggestions for your websites, but let me digest things a little bit. I took a quick look at your Art is Fun page, and it is astounding! Great info and visuals in there. The first thing that strikes me, though, is that you are throwing absolutely everything you've got on a single blow. I think you will be able to retain more traffic, monetize better and "generate" more content with very little work simply by spreading out the information a little more.
Like I said.. Give me some time and I'll cook something up. I think you've got a great thing going, you just need some hints to clear things up a bit.
Like I said.. Give me some time and I'll cook something up. I think you've got a great thing going, you just need some hints to clear things up a bit.
DanielLara
Premium
OK, got a little more time to reply now. First of all, I will answer in public so that other people may benefit from whatever they find interesting. Also, what I understood from the links you posted is that your site is http://artistpaintssupplies.com/, while the others you have mentioned are for reference. If this is not the case let me know. Finally, I am not an expert by any means; I am just starting out, and whatever previous experience I have is with general sales and common sense, but take my opinions like you with very involved doctor advice: always seek a 2nd opinion ;-)
What I said in my previous reply referred to http://www.art-is-fun.com/ (this is why I called you Thaneeya, as I initially thought the site was yours). I think it is beautifully laid-out, but the information is crammed in a single space probably to make the best use of the number of words in the article/post. Even though this helps with rankings, you miss out on the opportunity to have inter-site linking (when you link from within your site, one page or blog post to another) and it dilutes information in such a way that it makes it hard for people to focus. My personal opinion is that if you break the information down to people and feed them one thing at a time it makes it easier for them to follow a single recommendation and increases your chances of them buying something. For instance.. If I do a product review for a camera lens (my niche is photography/travel), I might make a citation and link to other lenses in my post, but I would not review all of them on the same page. These would be used as a means to justify what I am trying to tell the customer, but not as an opportunity to sell all of them. At the end of the article, you might mention other reviews, especially for products that are direct competitors of the one you are marketing (obviously, if not your own). In the same lens example, if I am reviewing a 50mm lens, it would be natural to review other brands, or approximate focal lengths.
In your specific niche, when you mention "Tools for specific techniques". Now, please bear in mind I am not familiar with painting, so forgive me if my jargon is off. I think you have a world of options when it comes to different techniques. I would make a blog post about technique (a particular one), linked to product reviews which in place link to particular tools one can purchase (linked to affiliates of yours). The more believable and trustworthy your review is, the greater the odds someone will buy stuff based on your review. You can review paints, brushes, canvas, books, university programs... I'm sure you can think of other things. Anything that you buy related to your niche, somebody else buys. Think about yourself as a customer and how you would like to be sold to, what are your pain points and what are the things you value. You are bringing them the benefit of the trouble you already had to decide on which supplies to buy, and providing them a valuable good - time - so that their decision is easier.
Finally.. You are an artist yourself. Why not sell your art on your website? What greatest gallery in the world can there be than the internet? All you have to do is take good pictures of your work and offer them online. I am not sure how easy or feasible it is to ship art, but I'm sure it can be done and you can find a way. I will eventually implement in my website the possibility for people to buy my pictures. I haven't reached a conclusion on how to do this yet (whether by providing a direct access to a framing company, by selling the files, or a mix of both), but in the meanwhile I am working on the content and bringing an emotional value to each one of my pictures. If you would like to check my website, please feel free to visit http://gettingtoknowbrazilinpictures.com.
I hope this helps you and sheds some light in ways you can monetize your site. Also, don't forget to watch Levels 2 and 3 of the Certification Course. These will be essential for you to get fresh ideas and work on your content. Building Your Own Traffic Producing Website Level 2 Online Entrepreneur Certification - Making Money! (Level 3)
What I said in my previous reply referred to http://www.art-is-fun.com/ (this is why I called you Thaneeya, as I initially thought the site was yours). I think it is beautifully laid-out, but the information is crammed in a single space probably to make the best use of the number of words in the article/post. Even though this helps with rankings, you miss out on the opportunity to have inter-site linking (when you link from within your site, one page or blog post to another) and it dilutes information in such a way that it makes it hard for people to focus. My personal opinion is that if you break the information down to people and feed them one thing at a time it makes it easier for them to follow a single recommendation and increases your chances of them buying something. For instance.. If I do a product review for a camera lens (my niche is photography/travel), I might make a citation and link to other lenses in my post, but I would not review all of them on the same page. These would be used as a means to justify what I am trying to tell the customer, but not as an opportunity to sell all of them. At the end of the article, you might mention other reviews, especially for products that are direct competitors of the one you are marketing (obviously, if not your own). In the same lens example, if I am reviewing a 50mm lens, it would be natural to review other brands, or approximate focal lengths.
In your specific niche, when you mention "Tools for specific techniques". Now, please bear in mind I am not familiar with painting, so forgive me if my jargon is off. I think you have a world of options when it comes to different techniques. I would make a blog post about technique (a particular one), linked to product reviews which in place link to particular tools one can purchase (linked to affiliates of yours). The more believable and trustworthy your review is, the greater the odds someone will buy stuff based on your review. You can review paints, brushes, canvas, books, university programs... I'm sure you can think of other things. Anything that you buy related to your niche, somebody else buys. Think about yourself as a customer and how you would like to be sold to, what are your pain points and what are the things you value. You are bringing them the benefit of the trouble you already had to decide on which supplies to buy, and providing them a valuable good - time - so that their decision is easier.
Finally.. You are an artist yourself. Why not sell your art on your website? What greatest gallery in the world can there be than the internet? All you have to do is take good pictures of your work and offer them online. I am not sure how easy or feasible it is to ship art, but I'm sure it can be done and you can find a way. I will eventually implement in my website the possibility for people to buy my pictures. I haven't reached a conclusion on how to do this yet (whether by providing a direct access to a framing company, by selling the files, or a mix of both), but in the meanwhile I am working on the content and bringing an emotional value to each one of my pictures. If you would like to check my website, please feel free to visit http://gettingtoknowbrazilinpictures.com.
I hope this helps you and sheds some light in ways you can monetize your site. Also, don't forget to watch Levels 2 and 3 of the Certification Course. These will be essential for you to get fresh ideas and work on your content. Building Your Own Traffic Producing Website Level 2 Online Entrepreneur Certification - Making Money! (Level 3)
gshep51
Premium
Hi Daniel, I see you figured after woods that this is not my website, haha. I sent this as an example, This website has been around a while and from what I understand she is doing very well.
So assume you start small like promote one product and then work your way up to this point as she did, am i right?
Thanks so much for your in depth explanation...As for selling my work on my website, that is one of my goals. But to be honest, that is not easy, I have been trying to do that for years. I have had professional websites before and also have tried many other things.
I sell mainly through galleries, back in the day I was very successful but that has gone by the wayside. That's what brought me to online marketing to try and make an extra income.
I want to stay within my niche of Art but I want to promote it in a different way and link it to Art supply companies etc. for a commission. At the same time I want to promote myself as that artist Thaneeya did.
I also like this Bob Martin website, did you see this one?
http://guidetooilpainting.com/
Hope this gives you a better picture of what I'm shooting for.
I am looking forward to reading more of your training posts.
Regards and thanks again,
Gary
So assume you start small like promote one product and then work your way up to this point as she did, am i right?
Thanks so much for your in depth explanation...As for selling my work on my website, that is one of my goals. But to be honest, that is not easy, I have been trying to do that for years. I have had professional websites before and also have tried many other things.
I sell mainly through galleries, back in the day I was very successful but that has gone by the wayside. That's what brought me to online marketing to try and make an extra income.
I want to stay within my niche of Art but I want to promote it in a different way and link it to Art supply companies etc. for a commission. At the same time I want to promote myself as that artist Thaneeya did.
I also like this Bob Martin website, did you see this one?
http://guidetooilpainting.com/
Hope this gives you a better picture of what I'm shooting for.
I am looking forward to reading more of your training posts.
Regards and thanks again,
Gary
TJ Books
Premium
You worked your butt off on this tutorial. I thank you! I expected a table comparing products. This was more comprehensive. But when you compare products, you give a potential buyer more choices which can be good in some ways and bad in others.Good luck to you. Keep improving everyday and you will do very well in this business. John
josephthl
Premium
Thanks John! I did indeed put a fair amount of time into this tutorial. There are definitely pros and cons with using a multi-product review vs a single product review. I've learnt that which approach you use has a lot to do with the market and the keywords you are targeting. I'm looking to release another training module in the coming weeks about writing a multi-product review as these are especially helpful around Christmas time. Joseph
Scott W
Premium
Many so called trainings on WA make me go "What?" I have no idea why anyone would feel compelled to publish such a "training" resource.
This training, on the other hand, is a true resource for anyone still learning the ropes. It is insightful, well organized, clear, and filled with VALUABLE content.
Thanks for this, Joe. I look forward to reading more from you.
This training, on the other hand, is a true resource for anyone still learning the ropes. It is insightful, well organized, clear, and filled with VALUABLE content.
Thanks for this, Joe. I look forward to reading more from you.
