amazon problems

no the website is hand coded by me. its simple in design with photos and words.
i have two reviews and combined must be around 8K words.
i don't think they've even read my reviews yet and have just jumped at the amazon part.
there does seem some interest in the product i'm promoting but forum very confused by the redirecting links as apposed me selling direct. my site does state its a affiliate site and that the links link to amazon.

in terms of value i've broken my reviews into apx 10 chapters covering topics like new features, do, don't get, what have to buy to complete order, customer experiences, info on using the product. i feel i've covered the main areas but i could go deeper in some places.

i'm not really sure how to go about added more value. i can't read the buyers minds but it seems like they would just buy direct off shop yet many forums have dozens of people asking for info about the products i'm promoting.

i would of thought my review site would be more liked, seen as a central hub containing info. i'm a little stuck what to do.

thanks mate. i was going to get round to doing this. there certainly are a lot of repetitive questions being asked all the time. so i think a FAQ would be an excellent idea.

i just also checked back to the forum. i think there is also general confusion about my site. they don't seem to be much bothered with content, jumping evil eyed straight at the amazon links/photo links with AZ logo. it seems they would want a review but expect me to sell and not to redirect to a 3rd party.

i have stated its a review site and you can buy through my site at amazon.

Then you just let them and thank them for visiting your site. The more I read this thread the more I tend to believe that the problem lies in your reviews themselves. Or the way you are posting in the forum.

Maybe you could provide a sampling of some of your forum posts where you are promoting as well as one of your reviews

al

Probably because it is against Amazon TOS

al

thanks the repiles

i'll try not to take one person comment too seriously. i'll just have thank people for visiting my site.

i joined the forum and spoke with the administrators who said it was ok for me to post links and advertise my site. i've posted in the trade section of the forum where people go to buy stuff. i've not been pushy in anyway.

update:
i've just been rejected by affiliate window for not having enough content.
i've got apx 30 pages, 8K words for two reviews.

would adding a couple more reviews and some embedded youtube videos be enough to get me approval?

thanks for your reply. I've got an idea of how i'm going to rewrite my review now. Shorter, more facts and to the point.

Whats your opinion on needing to buy the actually product your reviewing?
is it absolutely necessary for beginner to need to do buy or can i get away with a well researched review?

just seen your reply. sounds like a really simple and very useful approach your using. thanks for sharing. what you've said really does help. helps me understand more of how i should consider writing my reviews.

If they feel like it's in their interest to have you better informed about the products they make, they certainly will. But as you say, getting them to see that it's in their interest is going to depend on your track record. It also depends on the product. For instance, it's going to be much easier to get Harper Collins to send you a $20 book than have Tesla give you an $80,000 car -- though they might be willing to let you test drive it.

Honestly, it's probably not something you'll be able to do right now. But if your site is successful enough it may be an option in the future.


I find myself saying this over and over again here: The Amazon Associates program is just a monetization method. It is not a business model.

And there are many, many, many ways to use the Amazon Associates program to build a viable business.

For instance you could:

• Create a so-called "review" site. (Such as the one I mentioned above: Toaster Oven Reviews | The 3 Best Toaster Ovens 2015.)
• Create a more in depth review site. (Like Rockwell's site that I also mentioned above: KenRockwell.com: Photography, Cameras and Taking Better Pictures)
• Create a curated shopping page. (Such as ThisIsWhyImBroke.com :: The Internet's Mall)
• Create a social network. (Share Book Recommendations With Your Friends, Join Book Clubs, Answer Trivia)
• Create a blog or other news site and include affiliate links there (e.g., Amazon reveals its 2015 Black Friday deals - CNET)
• And many, many others!

Moreover, there's nothing to stop you from combining these models -- or inventing completely new ones. Creativity guided by your understanding about what your customers really want is the key here. Because if you're the new kid on the block and your site doesn't offer any compelling reason for people to visit you over the sites that they already know and trust, they simply won't visit you.

All that said, I'm not saying that you should or shouldn't drop your current review site model. I already explained why I don't like review sites in an earlier post, but if you think that a review site is what your customers want and if you think you're the right person to do it, go for it. But I do think if you've implemented a business model for the sole reason that you're under the impression that it's the "only way to go", it's probably worth thinking about and at least tweaking in whatever ways most make sense to your situation. There is no such thing as a one-size-fits all business model that works for all niches, all businesses and all entrepreneurs. Even if you're doing something that a million people have done before, to be successful you've got to make it you're own.

Here's the thing: most entrepreneurs fail. Look at Silicon Valley. You have teams there made up of really, really smart and talented people who are backed by millions of dollars in VC money -- and even then as many as 90% of startups fail. (Source: https://www.theguardian.com/technolo...e-success-myth).

So if you're starting a business because you're looking for a low-risk way to make money, I think you might want to re-evaluate.

Real entrepreneurs know the risks, understand the risks and jump in anyway. They're convinced -- rightly or wrongly -- that they've got something different and that they're going to beat the odds.

I'm not saying you should be foolhardy. And I'm not saying you should waste your money. If you don't need the products, I'm sure you can think of plenty of other good uses for that money whether it's paid traffic, hiring a graphic designer, or buying lots of coffee to keep you alert while you're burning the midnight oil.

At the same time, I think that if your attitude is that you're afraid to invest because you might fail, you're pretty much setting yourself up for the failure you fear. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I'll also add that even successful entrepreneurs fail constantly. In fact, if you're not failing, you're not experimenting enough. For instance, if I were on the fence about whether buying a product would be helpful or not, I'd probably shell out for one of the cheaper products on my site, use it, test it, write about it and see how helpful it was to have it. Maybe I'd discover I didn't need it after all. Great lesson learned. Maybe I discovered it was essential. Also good to know. Maybe I discovered it was essential, but that given that my site has over 5,000 products on it, I really can't afford to buy everything. Also good to know: I either have to change my business model so that I don't have so many products to buy -- or I need to change my business model so that in depth reviews of the products isn't so important. But no matter what happens, I've learned a lot for that $100 or so.

Lastly, I want to leave you with a note of encouragement. Most entrepreneurs do fail. And while the odds are against you, you should take some solace in knowing that you're on the right track. I'm not necessarily talking about the plan you've outlined above. That may work. It may flop. You won't know by posting it on a forum; the only way to find out is to implement it and see how your customers respond.

But that said, I like your questions. They're good questions. You're thinking about the right things. And you're out there hustling for customers instead of just waiting for them to come to you. I personally don't do forum marketing, but if that's where your customers are, go get them! And I also really like that you're engaging with your potential audience, talking to them and listening to them. Feedback is crucial -- even if you don't always know what to do with it. So yeah, it can be discouraging to hear that someone doesn't know why they should buy from you instead of going direct to Amazon or that they don't trust your affiliate links. But now you at least are aware of some of the problems you need to solve. You can think about how to add more value. You can think about how to build trust.

Too many people put up a crappy website, wait for Google to send them hordes of traffic and don't try to (or don't know how to) get feedback from their target customers. Though it may not feel like it, you've already made progress on all these fronts. And while all that is still no guarantee of success, it certainly helps the odds. So good job!

P.S. I have nothing to add, but John makes some great points above!