Writing product reviews can be tricky. You don’t want to be too pushy, but you don’t want to lose your audience, either. Most people find a formula that’s middle of the road. You might have a formula like that yourself.
Although smart, formulas only work for a little while. Then, they start to lose their grip on your customers. They all start to sound the same, and soon… they look like everything else on the internet.
Unless you change things up, your funnel quickly becomes stagnant. Your product reviews go from effective to harmful, and one day it dawns on you — you’re stuck.
In this article, we’ll go over some ways to supercharge your product reviews so you never have to fear getting caught in a rut. Once you break that formulaic cycle, you’ll be making more money. Your customers will trust you, remember your offer, and get clicking.
1. Increase desire by comparing your product to similar alternatives
You might think that a review doesn’t need to talk about any other products. After all, you’re reviewing this particular product, not the competition, right? Wrong. Today’s customers make more comparison-based decisions than ever. They read reviews, ask for recommendations on social media, and look at comments on the product before anything else.
When your review only talks about one product, your readers stop trusting you. They start thinking you’re only after their wallet. This won’t just turn them off to the product you’re reviewing, but to your whole brand.
Instead, include comparisons of similar products. What does this product offer that the others don’t? Comparisons of several products in one location adds value to your readers’ search. They no longer have to go looking for individual reviews — the information is already there.
Your readers will stop clutching their wallets when they see comparisons. They see that you’re confident in your product. You’re not afraid to show them what your competitors offer. What’s more, you’ve clearly done your research. Your readers feel you’re genuinely trying to help them solve this problem. They see that you’ve put in the time to know what problems the competition isn’t addressing. Seeing that you address those problems builds trust, and encourages them to buy.
2. Use clear CTAs to increase affiliate marketing revenue
It can be tempting to only place one call to action (CTA) on your page. Usually, people will put this at the bottom of the article. This way, after customers are done reading, they can click the link to buy.
While you don’t want to litter your review with CTAs, you’re losing money by only including one. If your reader decides they like what you’re selling after your first paragraph, why make them wait? Don’t give your customers a chance to think, “I’ll come back to this later.” They probably won’t come back to it. Even if they do, it won’t be through your review.
Worse, making them wait for a CTA encourages them to change their minds. They start wondering if they want to buy it badly enough to invest more time into it. People are more liberal with their money than their time. They can justify the cost, but it’s harder to justify putting extra time into something. Don’t drain their time once they’ve decided to buy.
Instead, place 2 to 3 CTAs throughout the article (beginning, middle, and end). As soon as your reader makes the decision, have a CTA nearby. This will take them quickly through the funnel. No matter where they are, they won’t have to hunt down how to buy your product. It’ll be right there, ready for them to grab.
3. Use a consistent rating system to engage readers
Which is a stronger recommendation?
- “That restaurant is great!”
- “That restaurant is so good, 10 out of 10!”
The second is objectively stronger because it provides a benchmark. Your readers are used to having a benchmark, too. A 5 or 10 point rating scale grades everything in our lives from movies, to food, to vendors. Using one in your reviews will give your audience a concrete idea of just how good your product is.
Placing a grade like this at the start of your review instantly makes it clear. It also piques interest and encourages your audience to keep reading. It begs the question, “Why is it 10 out of 10?” Your audience will want to stick with your review to find out why you chose the rating you did. This gives you plenty of opportunities to highlight your product.
You can even supercharge this step further by using something other than stars or points to communicate it. For instance, a reviewer in the hair care niche might use “4 out of 5 combs”, using a simple graphic of a comb instead of a star. This gives your review extra personality by standing apart from other reviewers using classic methods.
Rotten Tomatoes has embraced this concept by rating movies “Rotten” or “Fresh”. Rather than saying “53% of audiences dislike this movie”, they say “53% Rotten”. It communicates the same idea succinctly and uniquely, which is the whole point of using rating systems.
4. Reach out to a broad audience using several different platforms
Most reviewers stick to one platform. Just blogging or just videos, for instance, or only using a social media channel. This can be a mistake. While it’s good to focus your efforts on one platform at first, you shouldn’t stay there. Once you get the hang of your initial platform, start branching out.
This accomplishes three crucial goals. First, you’re giving people options. Readers who already trust your blog will be happy to also watch video reviews from you. If they don’t feel like reading, you’re there with a video or podcast to give them info. If they don’t have time to watch a whole video, your blog post is there to skim through.
Secondly, you’ll be reaching a broader audience. Some people spend time exclusively reading blogs, but others only watch videos or follow social media channels. By diversifying your platforms, you’ll reach audiences that stick to one channel.
You’ll also encourage your audience to share with more of their friends. If you have a reader who loves your blog, but their mom/partner/best friend exclusively watches YouTube, starting a video channel encourages them to share.
Finally, you’ll be able to put out more reviews. You can put some on your blog and some on your YouTube channel. If you release one of each every week, you’ll cover double the ground in the same amount of time.
Say No To Boring Product Reviews
The bottom line is that your audience is tired of reviews that are a list of benefits. They want a review, not a product description, and you can give that to them. After all, they would just go to the product page if they wanted a product description.
Think outside the box. Stay up to date on what your competitors are doing. It’s a perfect window into what you need to do next. What are they not doing that you could? What are they doing that you don’t need to?
Don’t be afraid to take risks. There’s an undeniable element of risk to putting your competitors in front of your audience. There are risks to starting on a new platform. But without taking those risks, you won’t get the payoff.
It can be daunting to deviate from something that’s working alright. The question is, do you want “alright” or do you want “amazing”?
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