Writing unbiased reviews??

by Breezy1 Banned
9 replies
Can anyone tell me if writing honest unbiased reviews is actually proven profitable??
#reviews #unbiased #writing
  • Profile picture of the author Soulofinfamy
    To answer your question, I feel as though anything can be profitable as long as you're making more money than you are spending doing it. But it might take a lot of reviews to actually begin making money.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3422201].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author TeamGlobal
    Originally Posted by Breezy1 View Post

    Can anyone tell me if writing honest unbiased reviews is actually proven profitable??
    Yes, they have frequently proven very profitable.

    An honest unbiased review can take on several basic forms:

    1 - A glowing review of a product that you absolutely love
    2 - A middle-of-the-road review of a product that is just average
    3 - A negative review of a product that simply does not deliver on its promises

    (Please note that I am using the term "unbiased" in the same manner I would use the term "fair")

    By writing honest reviews you are really doing your readers a great service. You will build what I like to call "trust equity" with your audience and become known as a credible source of quality information in your chosen niche.

    I've always found it useful to include some negative reviews. This adds some contrast to your review mix and sets you apart from others who only have great things to say about every single product in their niche.

    All The Very Best,


    Tony
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3422689].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Barry Unruh
    May I ask you a simple question...

    If you review something which is truly horrible, wouldn't you tell your readers what their better option is?

    (I think that might answer your question...)
    Signature
    Brain Drained...Signature Coming Soon!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3423046].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author markowe
    If you are just trying to snipe products in the search engines by writing 'reviews' then you are going to avoid writing anything negative of course.

    If you are trying to build a long-term readership (surely the better option) then you would have the freedom to be objective and build trust with your readers as a result.

    Trouble is, most people would rather take the quick buck, even if it means recommending a product that is provably bad. Everyone's got their ethics (or lack of them), I know what mine are, you have to decide on yours.
    Signature

    Who says you can't earn money as an eBay affiliate any more? My stats say otherwise

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3423061].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author RichKent
    I don't go into a market unless I can find a product that is worth selling.

    If you give crappy products great reviews to 'make a quick buck' you're going to end up with a lot of refunds.

    I review the good and the bad, and simply push people toward the better product. There's a right way and a wrong way to do it though. I would never say that a product is BAD, just discuss what it's missing, or where it could use improvement, and then point to a product that does a better job in those areas.

    For example, if I had a great coffee maker that was $80, and I knew was great because it had tons of 4-5star reviews on Amazon, I might review a cheaper model and point out that it makes decent coffee and is a reasonable price, but it doesn't have a water filter, doesn't have automatic shutoff, and doesn't last as long as Model X (your $80 model), so if you can swing it I'd get model X instead..

    Make sense?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3423278].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author LymeJosh
    I believe when he's referring to unbiased, he's obviously talking about being honest. Recommendations would definitely be your best bet, but if you're looking to denounce a product you're trying to sell, then I'd think carefully about what/how you criticize.
    Signature
    The True Boutique Affiliate Network!
    Any offer you need, with consistent one-on-one assistance. We're affiliates too, we WILL help you succeed.
    LymeAds Affiliate Network
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3423626].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Frank Marker
    People take a look at two kinds of product. Ones that have great reviews and ones that have really bad reviews. If you give something a really bad review people will want to take a look for themselves. While they are reading the sales copy - even though there are there because you said it was rubbish - they get sucked in and buy.

    I know this is true because my competitors have written bad reviews of my products and I know this not because I chanced upon the review but saw a sudden increase in sales and googled the name of that particular product and found the review.

    Experienced saboteurs know that a luke warm review harms their competitors much more than a bad one. Say something is quite good or OK and people can't be bothered to check it out.

    All this means that if something is bad just say it's bad. People will still check it out and you'll get some sales. You don't have to put as much effort into the bad reviews either.

    Alternatively, you can always take the Stephen Fry approach and only review things you like.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3423700].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Rikki_Fawkes
    A. Review a product that has proven sales and that you know people like. Generally these don't have that many drawbacks, or people wouldn't buy them.
    B. Highlight the benefits of the product, but don't neglect the downfalls. However, you should probably try to downplay the drawbacks and play up the benefits as much as possible.
    C. There is no such thing as being completely unbiased, to my knowledge. But if you're writing about a product that you don't own and don't have much of an opinion on, you'll probably sound unbiased by nature, unless you're really using a lot of promotional language.
    Signature

    Learn how you can get paid writing online with NO startup money! I will help you make part-time or full-time income as a freelance writer at http://getpaidwriting.org. No previous writing experience necessary!


    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3424105].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Kierkegaard
    There is unbiased and disinterested.

    If you're are biased you put foward one view at the expense of another (equally valid) view.

    If you have an interest in people listening to one view at the expense of another it is because you get some kind of benefit from readers listening to this view (and not the opposing one).

    If you are writing a review of something that you hope people will buy (because you will earn money if and only if they do buy) then you have an interest in them hearing things positive that will encourage them to make a purchase. It is not in your interest to tell them things that put them off buying.

    If you want people to trust your reviews and consider all the reviews on your website to be useful then you still have an interest in reviewing products in a particular way. It is in your interest for people to beleive that your reviews are honest and fair (or you won't get repeat visitors and fewer visitors potentially means less money for you).

    The only way you could write a completely disinterested review would be if someone paid you to write a review (good or bad) for a particular product with no promise of extra work and without your name written on it (you may really enjoy the film "Dude, Where's My Car" but think it against your interest to let people know this, so you slate it in your review).

    Bias is more natural than interest. There are things particular to you that will naturally incline you more towards some products and away from others. No-one can be completely objective. We can see with film critics, once we get to know them, that they have certain biases and when it comes to particular films we need to factor this in to get the most use out of the review.

    Johnathan Ross, for example, usually gives me a good idea about a film but I'm careful if the film dresses up the characters in brightly coloured, unsual costumes, that I know Ross has a weakness for. Other critics I know will be biased towards adaptations of comic books, or towards English period dramas, and so on.

    If you build up regular readers, they will come to learn your biases and will take this into account when reading your reviews.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3425381].message }}

Trending Topics