Learn How to Write a Product Review, and Make More Money as an Affiliate

Want to get into affiliate marketing? If you’re a good writer, you’ve got a huge advantage because you can handle all the writing for your website. You’ll need to learn how to write static pages for your site, blog posts, other sites, and email marketing messages to send to your list. But there’s another skill you’ll want to master: how to write a product review.

Reviews are a superb form of content for affiliate marketers to produce. By design, they offer benefit to a prospect and they’re a natural piece to include links to the affiliate product’s sales page.

However, in order to write a review that actually motivates click-throughs, there are a few steps and secrets to know. Here’s what you need to keep in mind:

1. You’re not selling in a review, you’re providing information.

Present the information honestly and accurately. Tell readers what the product is and what it does. You’ll also give your own experience of using the product (it’s always best if you HAVE used the product!). But you’re not writing an ad or sales letter. If your review sounds at all like a Ginzu Chopping Knife infomercial, you did it wrong.

2. Stress the benefits.

Break out your very best storytelling skills. It’s always best if you can paint a picture or create sort of a mind movie that helps your readers picture themselves in the situation, using the product. What makes the product different? Who benefits from the product? Talk about a situation where someone used the product and what they gained. A story like that gives an odd sense of social proof – even though your reader doesn’t know the product user. Remember that people are most motivated buy products and services that solve problems. In fact, we tend to be more motivated to escape pain than to move toward what we want.

3. Present yourself as an unbiased reviewer.

Point out any drawbacks to the product or service you’re reviewing. However, be sure to counter those drawbacks subtly. It’s like when you go to an interview and they ask you to tell them your weaknesses. You turn them into strengths, right? Do the same with any drawbacks the product might have. For example, if it’s more expensive than other comparative products, that’s a drawback. But it may also offer more in-depth information and strategies – this would override the obvious drawback.

4. Include the product details.

While some buyers are already halfway sold before they read your review, just because they are already excited about the product, some need more. In other words, subjective information is great but people also want to know the details. What does it cost? Where can they purchase it? And are there any promotions they should know about that can save them money? Remember that there are different types of buyers out there. Some take nothing more than an enthusiastic suggestion. Others need to see how what they’re about to buy can help others. Some are motivated by competition, as in “your competitor is using this, so why aren’t you?” And others want to gather as many facts as humanly possible before hitting the buy button. Keep this in mind and write to all of your potential readers so no matter what their buying style is, they can get what they need from your review.

Tips from the Affiliate Marketing Pros

• Your goal in a review is to presell the product or service subtly. Take care to watch the language you use. Stay away from the hype. And make sure to present yourself in a credible manner if you want to present yourself as a legitimate expert on your topic.
• Always be honest about the fact that you’re an affiliate for the product. Most people don’t care and they may respect your honesty. The FTC requires this disclosure now, too, so it’s not optional. Authenticity and transparency are more than the latest internet marketing buzz words. It’s the law. It’s also good to include a blurb that reassures your readers that when they buy through your link, they won’t pay extra but they will help to support your blogging efforts.
• Combine reviews of several like products in one article or post. You can be an affiliate for all the products or only some of them, the choice is yours. This is a good opportunity to do a round-up or top 10 list where you compare and contrast similar products.

Reviews are a great form of content for an affiliate marketer. They provide value and offer all the benefits content offers for business growth and profits.

Just Be YOU

No matter what topic you’re writing about, at this point in the evolution of the Internet, you’re probably not the only one. In fact, if you are the only blogger writing about that product, that’s a red flag. We all fall prey to Imposter Syndrome, where we wonder why anyone would possibly listen to little old us. But that’s baloney. People prefer to buy from people they know, like, and trust. If you can build a relationship with your readers that helps them feel connected with you, there’s no reason they wouldn’t rather buy through your link than anywhere else.

Learn how to write a product review and you can help a whole bunch of people all at the same time. Buyers get the information they need to make a buying decision. Sellers get to make more sales. Affiliates get an easy way to add content to their sites and provide value to their readers.

Want to Master Affiliate Marketing?

Learning how to write a product review is just one way you can make money as an affiliate. It used to be a pretty straight-forward way to make money online, but it’s gotten a bit more complicated as Google and social media got more sophisticated. Some say affiliate marketing is dead as a doornail. As usual, others are too busy making money to get into that argument.

Theoretically, you can get all the information you need for free by researching affiliate marketing online. However, that puts the task of sorting through what’s good or bad, current or dated squarely on your shoulders. As a rule, my preference is to learn from someone who KNOWS what works now. By getting expert guidance, it’s easier to skip right past tactics that worked years ago but that will get you shunned by Google now. Learning takes time! Trial and error can work, but it’s probably one of the most expensive ways to learn. That’s because of the time component.

Instead of going all mad scientist on your own, trying to crack the code and make some money as an affiliate, I’d recommend getting this course. It’s got lots of tools and training, and best of all, you can start for free.

And yup, you guessed it… I’m an affiliate for this course. So, if you try it out (for FREE!) and then buy it, they’ll send me a little bit of bacon money.