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Outsourcing product reviews?

by Curtis2011
8 replies
I have outsourced plenty of written content before, including product descriptions, but never product "reviews" per se.

Can someone who has actually made money by selling products via outsourced reviews, explain to me what sort of parameters I should instruct the writer to follow?

Does the product review that you outsource actually outright lie ("I used this product and it's great" even though the writer never used it) or is it more of just a description with "This product is designed to do [x] very well and has excellent ratings."

If someone could give me an example of an outsourced product review that has generated sales, that would be excellent. Also I am looking for what sort of instructions I should give to a writer before they begin writing product reviews. The products I'm trying to sell would all be from Amazon, if it matters.

If you feel uncomfortable sharing your examples in public then an IM would also be appreciated.
#outsourcing #product #reviews
  • Profile picture of the author Ross Cohen
    Hi Curtis,

    I have one piece of advice, and it should guide you in the right direction.

    Imagine yourself considering the purchase of a product or service. You search Google for reviews on it... ratings... what people think about it. What would YOU read that would convert you into a sale? What would YOU read that would convince that that the product or service is worthwhile?

    Whatever it may be that would make you a happy reader, chances are there are many others that feel the same way. People don't just want to read specifications, but rather opinions. Human opinions... not a robot yapping back what others have already said.

    There's somewhere to start, right?
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  • Profile picture of the author kc33
    The thing with outsourced reviews is that the writer has obviously never used the product before. The only way you could get away with it is by asking them to "rewrite" a real review that someone else has already done.
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    • Profile picture of the author Curtis2011
      Originally Posted by kc33 View Post

      The thing with outsourced reviews is that the writer has obviously never used the product before. The only way you could get away with it is by asking them to "rewrite" a real review that someone else has already done.
      I know this is an issue, which is why I am here asking for advice.

      Originally Posted by Benjamin Ehinger View Post

      I have written hundreds of Amazon product reviews for clients and they convert. My advice is not to ask your writer to act like they used the product. Instead, have them do a few paragraphs introducing the product, what it does and how it benefits the user. Then, do a bullet section of the main features. Finally, wrap it up with another paragraph pointing out the main benefits to the user and a section summarizing what real reviewers are saying.

      Benjamin
      Thanks for the solid advice. Can I ask what you normally charge for a product review?
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  • Profile picture of the author Prateek Dwivedi
    Well, I have been here before. There is no point in outsourcing review.
    The strategy which works is, write a lot of reviews yourself and outsource them such that they are posted from different accounts. But do understand its against the TOS and is somewhat Blackhat-ish.
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    • Profile picture of the author Tina Golden
      Originally Posted by Prateek Dwivedi View Post

      Well, I have been here before. There is no point in outsourcing review.
      The strategy which works is, write a lot of reviews yourself and outsource them such that they are posted from different accounts. But do understand its against the TOS and is somewhat Blackhat-ish.
      You are not talking about the same thing. The OP wants reviews to post on his site.
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  • Profile picture of the author Chris Thompson
    I've done this plenty. Never lie about using a product that you haven't used. You don't need to. Simply write reviews (or teach your writers how to do this) that genuinely halo a reader by summarizing good and bad reviews and making suggestions based on those reviews.

    Just think about the reviews from real customers and put some thought into what they mean for various customer types. Example: a coffee maker doesn't hold much water. So it's not great for big coffee drinkers but perfect for a single person who has a couple of cups per day.
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  • Profile picture of the author Benjamin Ehinger
    Originally Posted by Curtis2011 View Post

    I have outsourced plenty of written content before, including product descriptions, but never product "reviews" per se.

    Can someone who has actually made money by selling products via outsourced reviews, explain to me what sort of parameters I should instruct the writer to follow?

    Does the product review that you outsource actually outright lie ("I used this product and it's great" even though the writer never used it) or is it more of just a description with "This product is designed to do [x] very well and has excellent ratings."

    If someone could give me an example of an outsourced product review that has generated sales, that would be excellent. Also I am looking for what sort of instructions I should give to a writer before they begin writing product reviews. The products I'm trying to sell would all be from Amazon, if it matters.

    If you feel uncomfortable sharing your examples in public then an IM would also be appreciated.
    I have written hundreds of Amazon product reviews for clients and they convert. My advice is not to ask your writer to act like they used the product. Instead, have them do a few paragraphs introducing the product, what it does and how it benefits the user. Then, do a bullet section of the main features. Finally, wrap it up with another paragraph pointing out the main benefits to the user and a section summarizing what real reviewers are saying.

    Benjamin
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  • Profile picture of the author Jasonsc
    Just one thing which you mentioned ... I would advise you to never use a writer for a review who will write it as if they have actually used the product (unless they have). But, most people offering review services won't have used any of the products.

    And that's fine. The way I see it is just taking the opinions and reviews which actual users have provided and re-arranging them into an easy to read format - and that's where the value is. Taking a mass of information, taking out the important points and re-arranging it with a unique style of writing so that a person interested in the product can easily get all of the information the need in one place.

    Pretending to have used the product, offers no value at all as it is a lie pretty much and I would wager it to be less accurate and so offering less value. Generally, in my opinion, this is sort of an underhand way of trying to make a quick buck. As with most things, honesty is the best policy.
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