Product reviews and previews are the bread and butter of making money online through affiliate marketing and SEO.
If you’re not creating product reviews with the right flow and sales strategies baked in, though, you could end up giving your visitors just enough info so they can go searching for the product somewhere else -- which is exactly what you DON’T want!
We want to make sure any visitor that lands on your site is going to stay, read through the content and reviews you’ve posted, and then take your recommendations.
That’s why we’ve put together this guide teaching you how to build the perfect product review.
By the time you’re done reading this, you will have the full paint-by-numbers template you need to start creating winning product review after winning product review.
Let’s dig in!
What Your Product Review Should Accomplish
At the end of the day, there are 6 things that your product review should accomplish.
You want to work down this checklist from top to bottom, to ensure you’re going to get maximum mileage from the reviews that you write.
Keep each of these 6 things in mind while you’re writing, to make sure you are covering every base.
Answers To Their Problems
The biggest, and most important aspect of your product review is providing the answers that people are looking for when they’re searching for your content.
Most times, these questions (and other question-style keywords) are going to be the keywords that convert the best on your website, so it’s critical that you take the time to answer questions people are asking.
If you can’t figure those questions out, type your keywords into Google and then scroll to the end of the search results. You’ll see “People also searched for…” that will have quite a few different keywords people are using, which can help you guide the content as you’re writing it.
SEO Traffic
Google’s algorithms are funny… when you give their readers the answers they’re looking for, they want to continue sending you more and more traffic.
Not only does getting those questions answered in your content help you with your readers (and converting them into an affiliate commission or sale) it gives you plenty of weight with the search engine algorithms and makes it easier for you to rank for other keywords in the future.
As you’re writing the review, keep your SEO in mind.
You don’t want to over-optimize the content but you also want to make sure that you’re getting keywords where they need to be and are using relevant media, like pictures and videos.
Authority In Your Niche
Alright, so you know that answering your reader’s questions and helping them solve the problems that they’re having when they’re searching for your product review is the most important aspect you need to keep in mind.
But there’s another angle you’ll need to be thinking about as you are writing the review -- becoming an authority in your niche or your industry.
Authority figures are linked to more often, and cited as the expert more often than webmasters and marketers who haven’t yet established themselves as the authority. You can accomplish this by creating product reviews that are as good, or better, than what your competition is currently producing.
And if you’re getting into a niche that doesn’t have a lot of competition… you’ll have an even easier time becoming an authority!
There are a few quick hacks you can use to set yourself apart and help the world view you as more than just another affiliate marketer, which we’ll dig into more as we get further into this guide.
Money In Your Pocket
Nobody can deny the giant elephant standing in the corner of the room… you’re doing this to make money, and your product reviews need to be written in a way that is going to make you money.
At the end of the day, if you’re not making money from the reviews that you create, is it worth creating them in the first place?
You may have passion about your topic, but making some money from that passion is why most of us are here!
Free Stuff To Review
Each product review that you write should be a shining example for companies who may want to do business with you in the future, and for those companies who do not yet know about who you are -- but will after a short time.
When you create product reviews that are informative and honest, companies are going to take notice and will begin reaching out to send free products to you for more reviews in the future.
This is a huge perk that comes along with being able to successfully craft a good product review (which you’ll be able to after reading this!) and one that causes many affiliate marketers and entrepreneurs to jump into doing product reviews altogether.
People love free stuff!
If you have a chance to get more of it, why not take full advantage of it and reach out to more companies, showing them your portfolio of reviews, and asking them if they want to see one of their products featured on your site or blog.
How To Write A Product Review
Now that you understand what your review needs to accomplish, and the factors you need to be thinking about while you’re writing it, it’s time to get down to actually creating the content!
There’s a (simple?) 8-step process that you can run through to craft the perfect product reviews every single time you write one.
It’s built using proven strategies that bring a visitor from being aware of their problem to accepting the product you’re recommending as the solution.
In other words, they convert at crazy rates!
Step #1: Using It Or Hack It
To write a product review, you’re either going to have to own the product yourself (which can get incredibly expensive!) or you’re going to need to start hacking other reviews and testimonials left from previous customers.
One of the best ways to do this (if you don’t own the product) is to go through the reviews left by Verified Purchasers on Amazon.
These reviews are usually in-depth and give you all the information you need to put together the perfect pros and cons style review post.
Step #2: Identify The Problem
While you’re reading through the reviews you’ve found or you’re putting together the plan for writing the review on the product you own, you’re going to need to identify the problems that your reader’s are having that the product will solve for them.
Going one step deeper, you will also want to help them visualize how the product will help them solve those problems. Telling stories and tying the product into various different situations that the reader would find themselves in is a great way to do it!
Step #3: Present Your Promise
After you have identified the problems that your readers are having, or the results that they want the product you’re reviewing to deliver for them, you’re going to want to start the review off by presenting your promise.
Show them that you understand the problems, and then let them know that the product will specifically solve those problems. Take it one step deeper by painting them a picture of how life is now, and how life is after the product has been used.
The key here is to remember that people landing on your page are searching for a solution to a problem their having (that a product can solve), or are looking for new results that the product you’re reviewing should be able to deliver.
When you talk about both in the beginning of the review, your bounce rate will go down and your conversion rates will go up.
Step #4: Describe The Product
Once you have identified the problem and solution, and your reader has been captivated by your understanding of what they’re currently dealing with and searching for, you can begin to describe the product itself.
You can pull the product specifications directly from Amazon or the product manufacturer’s website, and then dig deeper into what these specifications mean to your reader -- and why these specifications make this product better than the competition’s.
Step #5: Mention The Downsides
Not every product that you review is going to be perfect, and if every review that you write gives a glowing recommendation about the product -- and fails to mention any faults -- your conversion rates are going to drop.
Your readers will stop trusting you.
What you can do, though, is downplay the downsides. You can compare the downsides to those from other products and show how the product you’re reviewing is still able to do a better job.
You can also paint scenarios that might never happen, while showcasing the downside, so your reader feels they would never find themselves in that situation and the downside isn’t really that big of a factor, anyways.
Step #6: Deliver Your Verdict
This is where your review can finally start making money for you.
Whenever you deliver your final verdict, you’re going to need to sum up the entire review. You want to go over the introduction, remind them why they need the product, and then touch on the pros, and lightly touch on the cons, then give your final summary.
In your final summary, state who this product is for, why they might need it, and why you’ve decided it’s the best “product keyword” for them. Include links for them to find prices on Amazon and remind them about Amazon Prime -- where they can receive products the same day.
Your call to action is important and needs to remind them why they are buying it.
Here’s a quick example “Click here to see prices on this amazing underwater basket weaving set, and start building new beautiful masterpieces in your local waters, too!”.
Step #7: Get Visual
Now that the content is written for your review, it’s time to start baking in some visualization.
Helping your reader see what having the product could look and feel like goes a long way towards converting them into a sale.
It also helps you with the search engine algorithms -- who deliver that oh-so-profitable organic search traffic. They love seeing that people are sticking on your page and that you’ve included relevant media that can also be found in other ways.
Step #8: Keyword Research
Now comes the final step, finding keywords that your guide should be ranking for. Most marketers and SEOs would do this part first, but there’s a reason to do it after…
When you’re writing a post, review, or article around keywords you are going to run the risk of stuffing those keywords into random places.
When you do the keyword research after the fact, you already know the context of the article and can go back to refine different sections to add in keywords -- while making them make sense.
Writing The Review
If you get stuck, there’s an old formula that you can follow to touch on each of the first 8 steps.
- 1Attention
- 2Interest
- 3Desire
- 4Alternatives
- 5Conclusion
- 6Action
First, capture your visitor’s attention and then build their interest by letting them know they’re going to see how the product you’re reviewing can improve their lives.
As you’re working through the review and painting a picture for how your review is going to help them, they’ll begin to desire the products you’re recommending.
Next, you will want to introduce alternative products. These can be presented around the time you are giving the cons of the product you’re reviewing, so you have an extra chance to convert a visitor that may not be interested in the product you’ve chosen.
Finally, wrap your review up with a conclusion of the biggest key takeaways and a call to action that lets them know they can check prices or get their own by clicking on your link.
This is a proven, crazy simple and highly effective formula that works across the internet.
P.S. It’s Not a Sales Page!
One thing that you need to keep in mind with your reviews is that you’re not creating a sales page -- people want to believe you are providing them with unbiased information and if every review they find on your site looks like another sales page, you’re going to lose them.
Keep your reviews short, simple, and to the point, and you will always make more money -- especially if you can add in great, custom visualization and unique insights into the products you’re reviewing.
Introduce your visitor to the product and then run through the features. Tell them who it’s for, who it’s not for, and the general price range -- as well as how to buy it.
Then go into the pros and cons of the product while you’re giving your reader alternative solutions that they can also buy through your links.
Summarize the post with your final opinion on the product, who can use it, who can’t use it, and why you believe it is the “best product keyword” currently available.
This is the foolproof system for writing perfect product reviews that decrease your bounce rates and increase your conversions!
Great article Andrew. I specifically like the ideas around telling a story. Nobody likes to be sold but everyone likes to buy. The best way to capture someone’s attentions is through a story. If the review tells the reader the issue, how the product can solve the issue through it’s benefits and features in a story telling manner – then it’s done it’s job as far as I’m concerned.