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Review Copies means review copies, not Free hand outs !!

by steven sanderson
33 replies
Hi there Fellow Warriors

Over the past year or so i just want to say that i have been totally amazed by the influx of people wanting to get there hands on free review copies of WSO products.

Now this is all well and good, but the same influx of people do not always come back with their review, clearly looking to take the product and run for the hills with their new found information.

With this in mind i decided to do a little bit of delving only to find that this seams to be a pastime of quite a few members as it is clear to see that they are Free Review Copy seekers and have been for a long time.

I can honestly say that to be honest i have never had a review copy from anyone but if i was to take up such an offer for a product or service i would see it my duty to oblige in providing a review of that product or service.

It would be great to see a turn around and see more people who do want to participate in giving their reviews.

Please remember this !! Nobody, not even the big gurus can teach you how to become successful online, they simply tell you what works for them, it is then up to you to take that knowledge and implement it into your business plan, invest in time and in money, and stick to a strict work schedule until you find success !!

So with that in mind, anyone who simply keeps looking for free review copies with no intention of putting any work in to simply review, well in my opinion they are going to struggle in this game and fall at the very first hurdle.

All the very best to you all
Steven
#copies #free #hand #means #outs #review
  • Profile picture of the author Arief Ramadhan
    When I launch a WSO, I won't give a review copy to anybody that request to me but I offer people that I know to take the review copies and they will happily receive that.

    I scare that people who request a review copy from me will sell them in illegal way even worse they will give my product away on the BH forums. That's why I only choose people who I trust to put the review on my thread.

    And yes, even they get the information from our products they will not be success if they don't put the information to the real action.
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    • Profile picture of the author Chris Silvey
      Hi Steve, A few days back I made a thread that deals with this very same subject called the PreSell method. It's set up to give you more accurate feedback since there is still money involved.
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      • Profile picture of the author Arief Ramadhan
        Originally Posted by Chris Silvey View Post

        Hi Steve, A few days back I made a thread that deals with this very same subject called the PreSell method. It's set up to give you more accurate feedback since there is still money involved.
        Hey Chris, your method looks really great and the fact that I use the same method on my previous launch (but in the different way), it really helps to improve the product quality before it launches and make the launch more successful because some people have tried the product and they will left the feedback.

        The PreSell method is good but thank to god because I have friends that really details in checking my product and I just need to give him review copy and he will give the input for my product improvement.

        But the PreSell method is very useful if you need funds to improve the product, for example if you create the product by outsourcing and you need to pay more for revision or etc.

        Nice method, Chris. Really like it.

        Originally Posted by MikeWike View Post

        Well sometimes the product/service is so BAD that you just don't want to leave that review. I mean, if I don't leave the review the WSO owner will get pissed off and if I leave the review the WSO owner will get even more pissed off and I will ruin all his thread with one single post by saying how sh*t that really was...

        I know, It's ethical to inform other buyers about the product but still.., He was willing to give a free review for a product that costs over $100 and now I'm saying that it was so bad blabla..

        I don't call myself as a review "hunter", I have only got 2 "free" review copies and they are all from SEO services. I have to admit that I didn't leave review for one of the services since it was such a crap.
        Mike, if you received review copy for a crap product, it would be really kind of you to give some advice to the vendors personally to improve the product quality or you can just say to the vendors that you don't want the review copy or perhaps just ignore the review copy offer.
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        • Profile picture of the author Chris Silvey
          Originally Posted by ariefrizkyr View Post

          Hey Chris, your method looks really great and the fact that I use the same method on my previous launch (but in the different way), it really helps to improve the product quality before it launches and make the launch more successful because some people have tried the product and they will left the feedback.

          The PreSell method is good but thank to god because I have friends that really details in checking my product and I just need to give him review copy and he will give the input for my product improvement.

          But the PreSell method is very useful if you need funds to improve the product, for example if you create the product by outsourcing and you need to pay more for revision or etc.

          Nice method, Chris. Really like it.



          Mike, if you received review copy for a crap product, it would be really kind of you to give some advice to the vendors personally to improve the product quality or you can just say to the vendors that you don't want the review copy or perhaps just ignore the review copy offer.
          Thank you for the compliment. When I created that thread I watched it sink in the Waves of the Warrior Forum like the Titanic
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    • Profile picture of the author DeborahDera
      I agree. I think it is better to have a group of trusted friends/marketers you know will actually look at your product. That way you'll not only get reviews, but you'll also get honest feedback (even if it's negative and given in private instead of in a public review).

      Originally Posted by ariefrizkyr View Post

      When I launch a WSO, I won't give a review copy to anybody that request to me but I offer people that I know to take the review copies and they will happily receive that.

      I scare that people who request a review copy from me will sell them in illegal way even worse they will give my product away on the BH forums. That's why I only choose people who I trust to put the review on my thread.

      And yes, even they get the information from our products they will not be success if they don't put the information to the real action.
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  • Profile picture of the author MikeWike
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    • Profile picture of the author steven sanderson
      Originally Posted by MikeWike View Post

      Well sometimes the product/service is so BAD that you just don't want to leave that review. I mean, if I don't leave the review the WSO owner will get pissed off and if I leave the review the WSO owner will get even more pissed off and I will ruin all his thread with one single post by saying how sh*t that really was...

      I know, It's ethical to inform other buyers about the product but still.., He was willing to give a free review for a product that costs over $100 and now I'm saying that it was so bad blabla..

      I don't call myself as a review "hunter", I have only got 2 "free" review copies and they are all from SEO services. I have to admit that I didn't leave review for one of the services since it was such a crap.
      I can understand what you are saying but at the end of the day anyone worth any salt would have no problem receiving a bad review, i always do my best in life but then again i also know i am only human, and i make mistakes, and more importantly i learn from those mistakes, so i believe it is far better to leave a review either good or bad because if its a good review you are helping the product owner to make more sales, yet if its a bad review all be it written constructively then you could actually be the person who helps turn that mediocre product into WSO of the week, or prevent more people waisting their hard earnt cash on some crap product if that product really is very poor

      All the best
      Steven
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  • Profile picture of the author Matt Frost
    hey steve nice post. Also I just wantd to ask someone in this thread instead of starting a whole new thread just to ask one simple measly question. Mainly since were already on the topic

    How do I become eligible to giveaway/ sell WSO's and like basically WSO's of the day?

    appreciate the replies. thanks
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  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    There's a whole bunch of people who just go around and request review copies on every WSO they see. They never leave reviews, or they leave unbelievable reviews.

    I don't give out review copies of products/services. I haven't really needed reviews until the real reviews start coming in.
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    • Profile picture of the author marciayudkin
      anyone worth any salt would have no problem receiving a bad review,
      This sounds logical but it is not what happens in real life.

      I twice have received vehement threats of bodily harm for telling the person politely, privately, that I was unable to give them a positive review because the product did not meet my standards. And these were not lowlifes but respectable and established authors/businesspeople.

      A few times I have experienced someone taking criticism with good grace. However, that is rare.

      When someone has the mindset of having finished their product, they are usually not open to hearing anything bad about it.

      So I totally understand the person who ducked out of posting a bad review.

      Marcia Yudkin
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  • Profile picture of the author Bill Hugall
    I grabbed a review copy the other day of a terrible product!!! I left a quick email for them telling them why it sucked. The bottom line is that giving out review copies to people who are struggling to make money online is not the best idea.
    Free info to shinny object chasers usually gets lost in their computer like all the paid resources. I say if you want to give out review copies to these exact people that is what you are opening yourself to. We all know this happens and yet we do it anyway. I believe that the person giving out the review copy is just a responsible as the person taking it.
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  • Profile picture of the author ot
    A lot of reviews are utterly worthless anyway.

    Many WSOs are methods that need time to show a result yet all the reviews are 'I just bought this/got a review copy and it looks great!!!111one!' - nothing about whether it actually works or is just fluff because they haven't put it in to practice. You wouldn't value a car review written by someone that looked at the car through the showroom window and never drove it.
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  • Profile picture of the author David Sieg
    I don't produce WSO's so maybe my comments are off the mark. But I do produce a number of info products, and a lot of people ask me for review copies. The way I've dealt with them is to let me know ahead of time, that it is a REVIEW copy, and I expect an HONEST review in return. I expect a return email with acceptance or rejection of the terms. They don't have to love my product, or gush positive, but they do have to give me feedback within 4 days. I then give them a copy with disabling software attached. If I don't get a review within the time period, they get a polite email letting them know I'm waiting. No reply in 24 hours, the product is disabled.

    Does it work like a charm every single time? Nope. But it does eliminate 90% of the scammers.
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  • Profile picture of the author Chri5123
    Hi Steven,

    I hear you on this.

    Had a few review copies before I send a product to my list to check out the quality etc... but I see what you are saying.

    Those members with 11 posts odd that say "Review copy please."

    I wonder if there was some ticket system that we could integrate into WSO Pro that had a ticket system for review copies and a pending or delivered system?

    Might help but essentially some people are looking for freebies.

    In actual fact they don't bother me too much because MOST of them will not take action.

    They will just think "Damn that was not the golden ticket" and go off and read another "review copy"
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    • Profile picture of the author Michael Oksa
      Originally Posted by steven sanderson View Post

      So with that in mind, anyone who simply keeps looking for free review copies with no intention of putting any work in to simply review, well in my opinion they are going to struggle in this game and fall at the very first hurdle.
      Yes, thievery is a tough profession. I meant that. If they have no intention of keeping their end of the bargain, then they are thieves. Plain and simple.

      Originally Posted by MikeWike View Post

      Well sometimes the product/service is so BAD that you just don't want to leave that review. I mean, if I don't leave the review the WSO owner will get pissed off and if I leave the review the WSO owner will get even more pissed off and I will ruin all his thread with one single post by saying how sh*t that really was...

      I know, It's ethical to inform other buyers about the product but still.., He was willing to give a free review for a product that costs over $100 and now I'm saying that it was so bad blabla..

      I don't call myself as a review "hunter", I have only got 2 "free" review copies and they are all from SEO services. I have to admit that I didn't leave review for one of the services since it was such a crap.
      In my opinion, if you aren't willing to give a "bad" review, then you shouldn't be asking for review copies. The trick is to stick to the facts of what you didn't like and why. Do not attack the seller, and don't make it personal.

      You agreed to do a reivew, so do a review. If the product or service doesn't warrant a good reivew, then that's on the seller, not you.

      All the best,
      Michael
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  • Profile picture of the author repstein
    What if the reviewer doesn't like the product? Do you want a bad review? I once read a WSO that involved unethical behavior, so I didn't want to help the author promote his work.
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  • Profile picture of the author Dennis Wagoner
    I would prefer a bad review over getting stiffed for a promised review.

    Sometimes things happen and people lose track, so a nice reminder of "hey Dude, where's me review, eh?" might help.

    Works for me.

    Your mileage may vary.
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    • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
      Originally Posted by Dennis Wagoner View Post

      I would prefer a bad review over getting stiffed for a promised review.
      Careful what you wish for, there Dennis Wagoner...
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  • Profile picture of the author laurencewins
    I only ask for review copies if I think the material will be useful to me but I also ALWAYS write a review because that is the deal. We both benefit and that is a fair arrangement in my opinion.
    I agree that the people who only grab copies and never write reviews are more like leeches and deserve to fail.
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  • Profile picture of the author SeoDemon
    oh, i hate those review copies hunters, once you make a sales thread, they spam you to death asking for reviews, no matter how many times i said that no more review copies left, they still insist, such a headache.
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    • Profile picture of the author Lance K
      It is against the rules to ask for review copies unless the seller has offered them.

      (Use the 'report post' button)
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      • Profile picture of the author Tom Burlingham
        I feel like we owe to each other to leave honest reviews even if they are less than glowing. It dilutes the usefulness of the whole community if negative reviews are routinely left out.
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  • Profile picture of the author contentwriting360
    Banned
    We never gave out anything for free when we started here. Whenever we ask for review copies, we tell the provider to post it on his/her thread or just give us a screenshot.

    Perhaps, freebie hunters are just part of any IM forum.
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    • Profile picture of the author therichb
      Originally Posted by contentwriting360 View Post

      We never gave out anything for free when we started here. Whenever we ask for review copies, we tell the provider to post it on his/her thread or just give us a screenshot.

      Perhaps, freebie hunters are just part of any IM forum.
      I do agree with the points written above as no one with a new presence or without a good image establishment on the forum will be entertained for free stuff in the form of Review Copies.

      Only those who are well privileged members & are keen towards making the WF, a place to discuss business must be taken into consideration by people who have something to offer.
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  • Profile picture of the author WillR
    If I ever give away free copies of my products they are not looked at as 'review' copies but 'feedback' copies instead. I don't give away free copies of products to get reviews. I give them away if I need honest feedback on the product... and I will welcome and listen to all of that feedback because that's the whole point of asking for feedback in the first place.

    If you never want to hear a bad word said about your product then never sell it. The fact is no matter how great your product is you can never please everyone. The best you can do is to please most of the people most of the time. It's a lesson you will learn very quickly if you ever sell anything online.

    I welcome feedback. It means I can make small little tweaks to my product that will ultimately result in more sales and more happy customers.
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  • Profile picture of the author oniram
    Asking someone to do a product review can be very beneficial to the seller. You need to find the right person to write a review. The feedback can help you tweak your product and make more sales.
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    • Profile picture of the author agmccall
      Review copies should be reserved for the professional reviewers.

      You know the ones. They are in WSO after WSO starting their thread by telling us "How fortunate they are that they received a review copy" and how they promise us that they will use any and all techniques in the WSO.

      Although they never seem to use it.

      Boy, this information is invaluable.

      So, stop asking, you are not qualified, you are probably the type of person that might actually try the product and give an honest review, and we can't have that

      al
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      • Profile picture of the author ot
        Originally Posted by agmccall View Post

        Review copies should be reserved for the professional reviewers.

        You know the ones. They are in WSO after WSO starting their thread by telling us "How fortunate they are that they received a review copy" and how they promise us that they will use any and all techniques in the WSO.

        Although they never seem to use it.

        Boy, this information is invaluable.
        Haha

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  • Profile picture of the author Robert M Gouge
    I think the main problem is that, somewhere along the lines, "Giving out review copies" turned into "Giving out my product in exchange for positive reviews."

    Both the vendors and the review copy seekers are at fault for this mentality as the vendor expects good things since they are providing their product for free and the reviewers feel morally obligated to say something nice since they received the product for free.

    Unfortunately, the true nature of a review copy has been lost imo.

    Perhaps better would be review copies at 25% off or something similar.
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    • Profile picture of the author MattStefanik
      Originally Posted by Robert M Gouge View Post

      I think the main problem is that, somewhere along the lines, "Giving out review copies" turned into "Giving out my product in exchange for positive reviews."

      Both the vendors and the review copy seekers are at fault for this mentality as the vendor expects good things since they are providing their product for free and the reviewers feel morally obligated to say something nice since they received the product for free.

      Unfortunately, the true nature of a review copy has been lost imo.

      Perhaps better would be review copies at 25% off or something similar.
      Excellent point, Robert. Agreed.
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  • Profile picture of the author Geordie John
    Reviews ought to be done BEFORE the product gets launched - that way there is time to do something about the feedback if necessary. You can always ask for permission to include the review as a testimonial.

    Reviews don't have to be public, most people are more likely to tell you what they think in private anyhow. Giving reviews on the active sales thread just helps promote the launch, and typically offers little-to-no value on the product itself because changes are often not made.

    People feel obligated to leave a positive review because they were given the product for free, and don't want to alienate the giver.

    That's my two cents.
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    • Profile picture of the author AgileWarrior
      Objectively, sometimes review comments would be needed to get the discussion-thread-snowball rolling, especially for good, but not super great products. We see this all over the place, not just the WF.

      Great products are desired by "a lot of" consumers. They would rave and freely share their great experience. Apple products are an example. These sell without any reviews.

      Good products on the other hand is not as extreme. They may be desired by "a lot of" consumers as well, but these consumers are not as passionate about these products. These products may sell more when there are reviews (hopefully many more good ones than bad ones).

      Realistically, there are a lot more of the good than great products, so reviews are absolutely a staple of its marketing. Especially with the emphasis on social proof nowadays. That's one of the reasons for big G's Panda, Penguin etc. and recent move from Google Places to Google Plus Local.

      If you are known to post objective reviews, you may be found and asked to do more.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kragsig
    Nice point you got there, but I cannot see anyway to reduce those "freebie review seekers"; The only way is to give away reviews to warriors you already trust.

    Also I think that some of the people getting review copies maybe do not qualify for giving a reasonable review. I mean maybe they get it, try it, and don't understand the quality of it and just gives up. Or there could be other reasons.. In those cases I think it's better they don't make an official review and affect other warriors decision of buying.

    BUT... At least they can write you a PM and tell you why they're not providing a review...
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