Product Reviews

They typically charge for deeper reviews and placed reviews. Also, they’ll send it out to their list for a fee. It’s a door-opener, Scott.

I would treat this requests like any other business offer.

Check out the person who has approached you.

Visit his/her website.

Ask the person how your products fit into the other products sold by that person.

At any point that something doesn’t look right, walk away.

But there might be an opportunity mixed in with all the junk.

I was actually with a group of reviewers who did this. People with products would approach the ladies who were heading up the group, and based on our (reviewers’) interests, they would either assign certain reviews or reach out to ask if we would be interested in a review. It was a win-win: the person whose product was being reviewed got some mentions on the website and had a review they could post, and the person reviewing the product got to try out a new product. I actually purchased a couple of higher-priced products as a result of getting free products to review, so the seller made some money AND got some good press.

Bruce has some sound ideas about how to evaluate these offers. Always trust your instincts – if you get a weird vibe, chances are there is something amiss that you are picking up on, and you should pay attention to that.

Great info from Suzanne. Here’s one more thing to consider. SEO is a pretty hard ‘game’ but links to your website and product are never a bad thing when it comes to ranking you higher so more people find you. When you get reviewed, just make sure it comes with a link to your site and consider what it cost you to ‘give’ them a review copy (only a couple minutes if it is a digital product). The more you get your name out there the more people will find what you have to offer.

If I received an offer like that, I think I’d look at it as a potentially good business opportunity and not automatically dismiss it. As long as you like their website and you can see that they give fair reviews, it could be a great new way of getting yourself out there as Steve points out.

It’s kind of a double-edged sword. You certainly don’t want to get scammed, but by the same token, you don’t want to give up an opportunity to basically get free exposure.

It’s pretty much like anything else. Do your research and see if it’s going to be a mutually beneficial experience. Can you tell if the person is on the up-and-up? If so, give it a shot. If you’re much more of the cautious type, walk away.

I know this may seem overly simplistic, but you just have to weigh the benefits vs. the potential pitfalls.

If you feel it’s someone you can trust, I’d take the leap and hope for free exposure. Just do your homework on the person first.

This may be a little off topic. I have had products stolen and offered on black hat forums. It would be hard for me to trust someone I don’t know and who I did not seek out, unless they have a great reputation and I have heard of them.

1 user thanked author for this post.

Scott Hogue