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Is It Necessary to Compare Products in Affiliate Product Reviews?

by mrniceguy321
10 replies
I just put together a review for the affiliate product that I'm promoting on my website.

I've decided to revamp it, and while doing some research online on how to create effective affiliate product reviews, I've found that a lot of people recommend doing comparisons.

My question is:

Do you think it's possible to have a solid, convincing product review without comparing it to other comparable products in the marketplace?

After doing research, I understand that my current product review needs a lot of work. As you might have noticed, it only addresses one product, and I need to decide whether or not I'm going to add more products to the page to compare my affiliate product with before I put in all of this work to revamp that review page.

I'd prefer to only have to speak on my affiliate product if possible, however I do understand the benefits of adding comparable products on the same page.

I think it can keep them from leaving the review page to search for alternatives.

(did I just answer my own question? :rolleyes: )

Thanks in advance for your time and consideration.
#affiliate #compare #product #products #reviews
  • Profile picture of the author myob
    I don't write "reviews", per se. What converts best for me is to offer compelling reasons why a particular product is best for specific solutions. Of course, this requires more product research and an understanding of the needs of your target market.

    A very powerful approach is to position yourself as an "expert" within the niche, and recommend one product's features/benefits as the best match for prospects' application requirements. Comparable products can be recommended one at a time in seperate niches or for different applications.

    The upshot here is that if prospects are given choices, they may go somewhere else where decisions are easier. IMO, "reviews" in general (whether or not it's comparing one or more products) most often are weak in conversions due to credibility perceptions.
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    • Profile picture of the author mrniceguy321
      Originally Posted by myob View Post

      I don't write "reviews", per se. What converts best for me is to offer compelling reasons why a particular product is best for specific solutions. Of course, this requires more product research and an understanding of the needs of your target market.

      A very powerful approach is to position yourself as an "expert" within the niche, and recommend one product's features/benefits as the best match for prospects' application requirements. Comparable products can be recommended one at a time in seperate niches or for different applications.

      The upshot here is that if prospects are given choices, they may go somewhere else where decisions are easier. IMO, "reviews" in general (whether or not it's comparing one or more products) most often are weak in conversions due to credibility perceptions.
      Thanks for responding.

      I understand the needs of my target market, because I work with them everyday in my job, plus I used to personally be in the target market myself.

      I think I'm fairly credible due to my experience in the target market, as well as my profession.

      So in my case, being that I already have a "review" page (that I choose to keep), do you think it's necessary to add other products to the review page?

      I know you don't "do" reviews, however I value your opinion nonetheless.
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      • Profile picture of the author myob
        Considering your bold claim at the top of your site and credentials, there is no need to even acknowledge other products as "comparable". I would also ditch all of the "Con" statements; they seem insignificant and distracting. And take off that silly "Pros" label above the benefits bullet points. Otherwise, great job.
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        • Profile picture of the author mrniceguy321
          Originally Posted by myob View Post

          Considering your bold claim at the top of your site and credentials, there is no need to even acknowledge other products as "comparable". I would also ditch all of the "Con" statements; they seem insignificant and distracting. And take off that silly "Pros" label above the benefits bullet points. Otherwise, great job.
          I was under the impression that it's important to list the Cons, as they build trust with the viewer/visitor.
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          • Profile picture of the author myob
            Originally Posted by mrniceguy321 View Post

            I was under the impression that it's important to list the Cons, as they build trust with the viewer/visitor.
            It's perhaps more of a matter of personal choice. And as I mentioned, doing "reviews" is not my style. You seem to have already established credibility and trust within your niche. Leverage that advantage to the max by strongly "recommending" the product and emphasizing your reasons why. IMNSHO, listing the "Cons" (and even the so-called "review" format in general) is a wimpy marketing method, in contrast to an authoritative style.
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            • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
              You don't always have to compare apples to apples, or in this case, Clickbank product to Clickbank product.

              And you are right in wanting to revamp what you have now - it's not really a review. It's a collection of fair-to-wimpy bullet points with no context.

              You have something most affiliates lack - credentials and expertise. Use them.

              Instead of trying to duplicate some pro forma review structure, draw on your experience to tell people why this product is worth their while. If you have to compare it to anything, compare it to other things that athlete could be doing - expensive private coaching, random drills found on the Internet, something recommended by a 'friend of a firend who knows someone who...' and so on.

              You want to build a logical case for people to buy this product. By trying to compare products apples-to-apples, you may be encouraging your prospects to put away their credit cards and go back into research mode - especially if the product you are using for your comparison is one they've not heard of before.
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  • Profile picture of the author mrniceguy123
    Why do you feel it's "wimpy?"

    From the research I've done, the review method is a fairly standard way of pre-selling an item, so that the visitor is encouraged to visit the official salespage.

    For the record, I'm not offended in the least bit, however I'm always open to healthy discussion/debate if it's something I can learn from.
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    • Profile picture of the author myob
      Originally Posted by mrniceguy123 View Post

      Why do you feel it's "wimpy?"
      It's a relative term, in the context of its notoriously low conversion rates. As far as I know, the "review method" seldom converts beyond low single-digits. And that's assuming it even ranks in the SERPS.
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      • Profile picture of the author kaellyn
        I follow Tiffany Dow's advice in doing reviews: I use/implement the product and talk about the process, including the good and bad that I find. (An example can be found here.) There's no need to compare products when you do this -- although you certainly could -- because you've got plenty to say about your main product.

        Looking at your site as a consumer, I'd like to see more explanation of what the product is before seeing pros and cons. Also, if you're going to put cons, I'd like to know how much of an impact this is going to have on my success if I buy the program. Basically, tell me why the pros and the cons are important to me.

        (PS, if you don't mind a friendly nitpick -- you don't need an apostrophe in "Pros".)
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  • Profile picture of the author emini_guy
    Find the best ones and explain whey you consider them the best. Ignore the rest.
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