What is it with affiliate product reviews?

They're so good for your site.

But they're just so damn hard to write.

And, it's frustrating.

Because they should be so straightforward, shouldn't they?

You're just giving your thoughts on a product.

But then your inner marketer climbs out of the woodwork.

Should you say this?

Should you talk about that?

What can you do to get the best return from it?

Which leaves you somewhere between writer's block and fear.

And you have no idea what to say.

Don't worry, with this article, that's about to stop.

What You'll Learn

• The 5 star mistake almost all niche marketers make
• The simple formula you need to create a perfect affiliate review every time
• How to use free graphics to create reviews your audience will devour
• Why it's more important to be honest than nice

(P.S. If you'd like to download a free list of 101 expensive affiliate niches click here or the image below)

What Is A Product Review (And Why Should You Care)?

A product review on a basic level is sharing your thoughts about a product and the benefits of using that product.

So when Curlytops bought an Amazon Echo for her husband and fell in love with it, she wrote this product review that gives some reasons why people should buy it too (even without meaning to):

She explains that it’s great for older people and young children and it’s handy to have around the house.

If someone with those requirements reads it, they’re going to be interested in it.

Alternatively Nicholas expresses his dissatisfaction for people in the UK and his review turns them away from the product:

These are two basic examples but they have a powerful influence.

In fact, as Business2Community writes here, 88% of consumers trust an online product review as much as a personal recommendation.

Yeah, they’re that effective.

But this doesn’t just have to be product reviews on the sites that they’re bought.

The power extends to all types of content.

For example, BestVPN have created an entire business model around the concept of sharing reviews of the best Virtual Private Networks people can buy:

Okay so that’s what a product review is, but what are the benefits of them?

What Are The Benefits Of Writing A Product Review?

A lot has been written on the benefits of having your products reviewed.

From the fact that 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. Through to the way that they can give you up to an 18% rise in sales.

But not a lot has been said on the benefits of writing a product review.

Let’s take a look at why you should be writing product reviews then:

• Money: I’ll cover this a little more in depth next. But, you can make affiliate sales quite swiftly from product reviews.
• SEO: You can target more long-tail keywords and drive more specific search traffic from people looking for the product. (If you're a beginner at SEO, check out this guide)
• Authority: By reviewing products, and having people engage with them, you can create more authority in your niche. Because you must know what you’re talking about if you have a platform to speak from.
• Free stuff: A lot of people will give you free access to their tools and products too. Meaning that, even if you don’t get paid, you have a new toy to play with.

Which, no matter where you are in you niche site journey, you can always benefit from.

One thing you will need is a steady flow of traffic, so if you’re still building up your traffic don’t forget to check out Stuart’s 101 Traffic Hacks.

Even well established Pro’s like Matt Woodward still review affiliate products on their sites to reap these benefits:

In a moment I’m going to show you the exact checklist you need to follow to write affiliate product reviews that convert.

But before I do, I want to show you one of the biggest mistakes niche marketers make and what you definitely shouldn’t do.

The 5 Star Mistake Most Niche Marketers Make

When you sit down to write your review you feel drawn to give the product a five star rating. Why?

Because you want to make money and you feel that anything less than five stars is going to turn customers away. It’s a natural and understandable thought process.

But this is also dangerous territory.

If you rate everything five stars - especially products you haven’t used - your site is going to look a lot less trustworthy.

Not every product in your niche can be that good, can it?

And as eConsultancy found, bad reviews can increase your conversions by up to 67%. Which makes perfect sense when you think about it.

The problems of one product can be the feature or benefit someone else is looking for.

For example Benny Lewis is a language learning blogger who often reviews products and tools.

In this review he gave Rosetta Stone, one of the best known products in this niche, a two star review.

Because for his method of language learning it’s completely incompatible.

He wants to get out on the streets, talk to people and learn the language in that style.

But someone who feels more comfortable sat at home and wants to a simple program to learn a language through their computer could read that review and go, “Man, that’s exactly the product I’m looking for!”.

In fact if you take a minute to go through your latest purchases on Amazon you’ll find products that you’ve bought despite the fact they had one and two star reviews.

One of my favourite books, A Walk In The Woods, is a masterpiece in travel writing for me. But there are those people out there who hate it:

But the reasons they hate it are probably the reasons I love it.

So don’t worry about writing three or four star reviews of products. When your reviews are:

• Honest
• Easy to read
• Informative
• Relatable

People will convert to the products no matter whether they’re five star, one star or anywhere in between.

Okay now we’ve got that out of the way let’s look at the checklist of how to write the perfect product review…

The 5 Point Checklist For Writing Successful Product Reviews

Checkbox #1: Use The Product

Nothing makes a product review sound more authentic than actually using the product.

So do everything in your power to get your hands on a product. Why?

Because it allows you to create content easily by simply writing about what you see and do.

Plus, it give you the opportunity to add unique elements to your content like images and videos.

For example what makes this SEMRush review from Authority Hacker so good is that you can watch Louis use it for himself:

It gives the user an insight into the product before they’ve even bought it.

Even if this is the first time he’s ever seen the product you can still go along for the ride. It feels authentic and trustworthy.

Spend a few hours playing with a product and doing your best to break it.

Find the good points, the bad points and see how it feels.

You’d be amazed at how often people will let you try products, too.

By just asking the question you can often gain access to:

• Review copies of a product
• Premium access for a month
• A free lifetime copy of a tool

Or just go ahead and jump onto the free trial that they offer (if they offer one).

Checkbox #2: If You Can’t Use It, Hack It

Let’s be really honest.

An awful lot of the people reading this article - maybe even you - are going to write a review about a product that you’ve never used.

Sadly, that’s just the nature of the beast.

And while I don’t condone this type of marketing, I’d be an idiot if I didn’t show you how to do it effectively.

For example, I doubt 10Beasts have ever actually seen all of their products in person.

And according to Gaps they cleared $80,0000 last year.

So how do you write a review about a product you’ve never used?

Simple.

You take information from other sources and then add your own opinion on what you think it might be like.

Let’s say I was writing a review for GermanPod101, a language learning tool in my niche. I’d first head to their homepage that looks like this:

On this page there is more than enough information to start writing a product review.

I simply watch the 47 second video and take notes.

Then all I need to do is answer the questions:

1. What benefit does 1230 Audio lessons give me?
2. What do I think about the hosts? (This is a throwaway comment that makes it seem more honest)
3. What benefits do flashcards and spaced repetition give me?
4. What benefits fo PDF lesson notes give me?

By answering those questions alone you’ve got more than enough to structure an entire review.

One extra step you can take - especially if you’ve got writer’s block - is to steal ideas from other reviews.

Simple perform a google search for reviews of the products and find some results:

Find their opinion on the product and combine it with how you feel about that feature and how you’d react.

As I mentioned earlier, what someone dislikes might be the benefit you’re looking for, so don’t be afraid to flip it on it’s head and go in the other direction.

This also works for Amazon products because you can just dive through the user reviews and build up a picture of:

• What people have said is good about it
• What people have said is bad about it
• Their reasons for buying the product

And then write a review from that data. Simple, easy and effective. (If not a little sneaky).

Checkbox #3: Frame It For Your Audience

For this stage it’s important to ask why people like you would (or would not) buy this product.

Products come with a lot of features and instead of covering them all, you need to cover the ones that are relevant to your audience.

You know, the ones that will really make them tick.

So why would your audience want to buy (or not buy) this product.

Do they:

• Want to save time?
• Want to save money?
• Want to learn a specific lesson?
• Want to feel a certain way?

Once you can hone in on this - the 20% of a product that will convert 80% of people - you’ll be able to give your readers an honest review and still make them convert.

Checkbox #4: Have You Mentioned The Downside?

I don’t care how good a product is, there is always a drawback.

As I mentioned earlier these bad parts of a review and drawbacks can still have a positive effect on the sales through a review.

So be sure to include them in your review and be honest about your experiences.

• Does the interface suck?
• Does it cost too much?
• Is it slow to load?
• Is the customer support useless?
• Was there a product upgrade you weren’t aware about?

By preparing people for these crap parts of the product, they’ll go into the product purchase with more knowledge and with more trust in you.

They may even return for future reviews of different products!

One of the best sites for being honest and showing the drawbacks is PCMag.

Their product reviews can often be quite critical, such as this camera lens that was only described as ‘fair’:

Checkbox #5: Get Visual

There’s one truth about the internet you need to understand as a niche site owner:

People are always ready to stop reading.

So by stacking information you’re able to give people the information they need without them having to dive through the article. Making it more attractive to impulse buyers, or people who just want to confirm it's the right purchase.

Someone who has this down to a perfect art is Robbie Richards.

Take a look at this recent review he did for Thrive Leads...

All of the important information is in the first few seconds you’re on the page.

You can see what he thinks of the products.

The features you need to know about.

The benefits to the potential customer.

And, why you should carry on reading.

There’s enough information here to help you make a decision on whether to buy the product alone.

Never mind when you delve into the extensive review beneath it all.

You should look to include:

• Your star rating of the product
• The stand out features of the product
• The people it will benefit most
• Best places to buy/save money (if it’s relevant)
• Picture of the product in action

Like this review for a Dyson Hoover:

You can easily use a free tool like Canva to create these reviews as well.

I made this spoof image to review Stuart in under 5 minutes:

Okay, I’m a writer not a designer.

But you get my point.

Even a dodgy image like that is easy to process and adds a lot of value to a reader before they’ve even got into the main content.

(P.S. If you'd like to download a free list of 101 expensive affiliate niches click here or the image below)

Checkbox #6: The Simple Content Hack To Create Epic Reviews Every Time

This is a copywriting tool I learned from a great copywriter called Andy Maslen in his book Write To Sell.

But I’ve adapted it slightly to make it fit product reviews a little better.

The original is a little acronym called AIDCA:

• Attention: Grab your reader's attention and hold it

• Interest: Build their interest in buying the product

• Desire: Make them want it

• Conviction: Give social proof of why they need it right now

• Action: Give them a simple, powerful, call to arms

And you can read more about that one in this post I wrote right here.

But for Affiliate reviews, you’re going to alter it to AIDACA:

• Attention: Grab their attention and hold it.

• Interest: Explain what makes the product interesting.

• Desire: Explain the interesting pro’s and con’s of the product.

• Alternatives: What else is available out there.

• Conclusion: Your final verdict of the product.

• Action: If they want to buy it, here’s a powerful call to action.

This template is a little more flexible and suitable to different product reviews.

Because this isn’t a sales piece, it’s a review.

Here’s a short examples of how this might look for a product to give you an idea of that in action:

Duolingo: Online Language Learning Software

Attention: Have you ever wished for free language software you could take anywhere in the world? Well, now you have it.

Interest: Duolingo brings together all the tools you need to not only learn, but remember, a language. Spaced repetition, speech, translation and context. And it does it all in one beautiful desktop, mobile and tablet compatible app.

Desire: The smart software constantly combines different aspects of the language, and pools them together, to give you a true real world feel of using the language.

But, like any online software, it has it’s bugs. There are occasionally inconsistencies and bugs that get in the way. Which can mean you learn the wrong word or spelling from time to time.

Thankfully there are community threads for each individual question or task on hand for those instances to help you along.

Alternatives: Other products in the market, like Memrise, do a better job of providing you with ways to to remember words - using mnemonics and images - but don’t have the same ‘game’ element that Duolingo has perfected. So if you’re looking for a mix of entertainment and education, I’d say Duolingo is your better option.

Conclusion: I’ve been using Duolingo to teach myself spanish for a number of weeks now. And, while I’m not as far along as I thought I’d be, I’ve made much better progress remembering the basics than I expected.

The game element is actually more addictive than I expected. And, wanting to continue my daily ‘streak’ made me study on the days I’d normally have slacked off.

The process has been frustrating at times, but like any game, it’s always fun in the end. And this is a great way for anyone on any budget to learn a language.

Action: Memberships have, and always will be, free for Duolingo. So you can sign up right here.

It’s a simple formula that you can check through and create perfect body copy for your reviews. And, you can expand it however you want by:

• Including images
• Case studies
• Experiment results
• Comments and feedback from people you shared it with

The list really is endless. But even if you wrote one sentence for each of those points you’d still have a product review people want to read.

(P.S. If you'd like to download a free list of 101 expensive affiliate niches click here or the image below)

Here's A Sample Review Of A Random Amazon Product

Now I’ll walk you through this tutorial while pretending to review a digital kitchen scale.

At the time of writing, it was the #5 best seller in the Home & Kitchen department on Amazon.

So it seems like it’d be a worthwhile product for a food or cooking niche site to review.

This is what it looks like:

DISCLAIMER: I don’t actually own this product or any other related products if mentioned. I've also never used this product or any of the other ones mentioned. The example product description and the claims I make may not actually be my true opinion of it—they’re just examples. They may not even be factually correct. Again, this is just an example and not a reflection of the featured product or the seller.

Remember: A Great Product Review is NOT a Sales Page

As a niche marketer wanting to make money from your website, it’s natural to want to highlight only the best aspects of the products you’re reviewing.

But I’d challenge you to not let yourself do that.

Because the thing is, when people search for product reviews, they want to know the good and the bad.

They know that true perfection doesn’t exist in this world, so any product review claiming that is going to be inherently suspicious.

Features

What does this thing do?

For example:

This kitchen scale by Ozeri weighs powders, liquids, and animal and plant-based ingredients—even in large pieces—up to 11 pounds.

It’s designed primarily for home kitchen use, and it’s super light-weight.

It’s 1.15-pound frame is 8.25 inches wide, six inches long, and just under two inches high.

Who It’s For

After you give the basics of what it is, describe the ideal user.

Example:

This scale is for people who care about extreme accuracy in cooking… even if it’s just a meal at home for themselves. People who prize precision in their recipes.

So if you’ve read some posts on my blog before, you know that I appreciate a good, accurate recipe, but for me, cups and teaspoon amounts are easier to deal with than weighing.

Though I’m not much of a baker, I did try a few ultra-specific baking recipes with this scale, and I have to say I was quite pleased with the results.

Pricing & Purchase Details

How much the item costs and where it’s available for people interested in buying it.

(Yes, this is where you can provide an affiliate link.)

Example:

Normally, this scale costs $34.95 on Amazon, but right now it’s on sale, which is more or less the expected price range for this type of product and functionality. *

*NOTE: Amazon does NOT allow you to use a fixed price in your reviews or affiliate content as prices change constantly. You must use Amazon's API to display dynamic pricing that updates automatically when the price on Amazon updates. 

Pros

Here, of course, is where you talk about the benefits of the product.

Example:

The really cool thing about this kitchen scale in particular is that it calculates the weight of your net ingredients and automatically detects and subtracts the weight of any bowl or container you’ve got them sitting in. This is awesome for measuring liquids, and means there’s WAY less cleanup involved in between ingredient chopping, saving you tons of time in the long run.

And since it’s digital, the makers put on a unit button that’ll convert grams to ounces and pounds to kilograms.

Hint: the way something looks usually isn’t a pro.

People can see what it looks like in the picture and decide for themselves how nice they think it looks.

So writing things like “chrome finish and two large buttons” in this section is just redundant.

Cons

And PLEASE, do not write out cons that aren’t really cons.

You readers are looking for actual, useful advice, and the entire point of a cons section is to be useful.

Example:

I’d imagine that the reason someone would buy such a seemingly detailed scale is to be incredibly accurate in their cooking.

Unfortunately though, this scale seems to have a tendency to only measure in even numbers, or to jump between even numbers when weighing ingredients.

It also doesn’t seem to pick up on added weight if you add it slowly, so if you don’t know how much of something is the right weight, it’s best if you keep taking it off and adding it on the scale as you adjust amounts. If you’re not using a dish to hold the ingredients, this can get really annoying.

Alternative/Similar Products

Here’s where you can promote other products that are similar to the one you’ve just reviewed.

Example:

If absolute accuracy is important to you, I’d actually recommend this kitchen and postal scale, which gets raving reviews for its accuracy, though it is a bit heavier and not as wide.

Another good alternative is this Weighmax scale, which doesn’t seem to have problems measuring the tiniest little added increments of ingredients.

Your Final Opinion

Here’s where you give your opinion on the product.

And yes, it does need to be a biased opinion… this is why people are reading your review.

If all they wanted was generic info on specs and what other people were saying, they’d just look at Amazon and its reviews. Make it memorable.

Here's what I wrote for the kitchen scale:

For me, I’ll be sticking with my measuring spoons.

Like I’ve said though, I’m not much of one for precise accuracy in cooking and I don’t bake, so I’m not exactly the target customer for this product, though I do appreciate what it’s capable of doing.

And honestly, with a sale price point of less than $14 and free shipping? I think dealing with some of the cons are totally worth it.

Add an Intro

Now that you’ve got all of your information gathered and your product review almost completely written, you need to write an intro to draw people in.

Example:

When my sister in law saw me struggling to get a cake recipe just right and recommend the Ozeri Pronto kitchen scale, I wasn’t sure if it was something I’d actually need. (I’m kind of a minimalist and like to keep counter space—or any—clutter to a minimum.)

She saw me hesitate and offered to bring it over and let me use it for a week while she was on vacation. And use it I did. Here’s the rundown on the product itself and what I thought about it:

The Full Review

Now that I've shown you how to write the different pieces of a review, here's the full thing put together:

When my sister in law saw me struggling to get a cake recipe just right and recommend the Ozeri Pronto kitchen scale, I wasn’t sure if it was something I’d actually need. (I’m kind of a minimalist and like to keep counter space—or any—clutter to a minimum.)

She saw me hesitate and offered to bring it over and let me use it for a week while she was on vacation. And use it I did. Here’s the rundown on the product itself and what I thought about it:

Features

This kitchen scale by Ozeri weighs powders, liquids, and animal and plant-based ingredients—even in large pieces—up to 11 pounds.

It’s designed primarily for home kitchen use, and it’s super light-weight.

It’s 1.15-pound frame is 8.25 inches wide, six inches long, and just under two inches high.

Who It's For

This scale is for people who care about extreme accuracy in cooking… even if it’s just a meal at home for themselves. People who prize precision in their recipes.

So if you’ve read some posts on my blog before, you know that I appreciate a good, accurate recipe, but for me, cups and teaspoon amounts are easier to deal with than weighing.

Though I’m not much of a baker, I did try a few ultra-specific baking recipes with this scale, and I have to say I was quite pleased with the results.

Pricing & Purchase

Normally, this scale costs $34.95 on Amazon, but right now it’s on sale for only $13.95 plus free shipping, which is more or less the expected price range for this type of product and functionality.

Pros

The really cool thing about this kitchen scale in particular is that it calculates the weight of your net ingredients and automatically detects and subtracts the weight of any bowl or container you’ve got them sitting in. This is awesome for measuring liquids, and means there’s WAY less cleanup involved in between ingredient chopping, saving you tons of time in the long run.

And since it’s digital, the makers put on a unit button that’ll convert grams to ounces and pounds to kilograms.

Cons

I’d imagine that the reason someone would buy such a seemingly detailed scale is to be incredibly accurate in their cooking.

Unfortunately though, this scale seems to have a tendency to only measure in even numbers, or to jump between even numbers when weighing ingredients.

It also doesn’t seem to pick up on added weight if you add it slowly, so if you don’t know how much of something is the right weight, it’s best if you keep taking it off and adding it on the scale as you adjust amounts. If you’re not using a dish to hold the ingredients, this can get really annoying.

Alternative Products

If absolute accuracy is important to you, I’d actually recommend this kitchen and postal scale, which gets raving reviews for its accuracy, though it is a bit heavier and not as wide.

Another good alternative is this Weighmax scale, which doesn’t seem to have problems measuring the tiniest little added increments of ingredients.

My Final Opinion

For me, I’ll be sticking with my measuring spoons.

Like I’ve said though, I’m not much of one for precise accuracy in cooking and I don’t bake, so I’m not exactly the target customer for this product, though I do appreciate what it’s capable of doing.

And honestly, with a sale price point of less than $14 and free shipping? I think dealing with some of the cons are totally worth it.

(P.S. If you'd like to download a free list of 101 expensive affiliate niches click here or the image below)

Writing A Review For A Digital Product

Now I'll show you how to write a review for a digital product so you can see the difference.

The Product: Yeast Infection No More

The Intro

The intro is what draws people in, which is why it’s such a good idea to start with a story.

Example:

Guys, I hope you don’t mind if I get a little real for a minute.

Until last month, I’d been dealing with the most annoying, uncomfortable yeast infection for at least two years running.

I suspect it might have been as long as three years, but at some point I just stopped counting so I wouldn’t feel so depressed about the situation.

I spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars on doctors’ appointments, lab tests, antibiotics, anti-fungals, vitamins, and holistic treatments before I ever saw any progress.

Thankfully, my last burst of tests and treatments (that cost me well over $600) finally did the trick.

But not without having a serious impact on my bank account.

Note: If this isn’t your story, tell it in third person.

Features

After you tell the story that gets readers hooked into what you’re about to tell them, you can go ahead and introduce the product.

Example:

That’s right. $600. And only in the span of a few months.

Which was why when I discovered this product just two weeks after finally clearing up my own yeast problems, I instantly wished I’d come across it sooner.

The list price for this product is only $97, and right now it’s on sale for only $39.97.

Which is an incredible deal, considering it includes all the information and help you need to get rid of your yeast overgrowths once and for all.

At it’s core, it’s an ebook that features different holistic remedies to try alone or together to reduce your yeast problems in as little as 12 hours.

But in addition to the ebook, you get 24-hour support from the author until all your yeast problems are solved.

And personal coaching based on your own unique situation… at a much better price than any doctor’s fee.

(P.S. If you'd like to download a free list of 101 expensive affiliate niches click here or the image below)

Who It’s For

After you talk about the basics of what’s included, it’s time to describe the ideal customer so readers can get a clearer idea of whether or not this product is for them.

Example:

The cool thing about this ebook is that it isn’t just for vaginal yeast infections like most other yeast infection products are created for.

It’ll help you clear up a vaginal yeast infection, but since it targets the core issue of intestinal yeast overgrowth and not just the symptoms of a localized yeast infection.

It’ll also help men and women with all kinds of yeast-related problems like:

• Thrush

• Digestive problems

• Allergy sensitivities

• Mood swings

• Insomnia

• Low energy levels

• Rashes

• Vaginal or penile yeast infections

Pricing & Purchase Details

The price and where to purchase.

Example:

Normally, the cost of this ebook is only $97.

Which is a bit pricey for an ebook, but considering the fact that you get personalized coaching and 24-hour support until you solve your yeast problems, it’s an incredible deal.

And especially considering the fact that I readily dropped over $600 to solve my yeast problems in the last few months alone, it’s worth it.

Plus now, it’s on sale for only $39.97, so you really can’t beat it.

Pros

This is where you talk about the benefits of the product. (Warning: this is not a sales page. You want to be short and sweet.)

Try something like this:

The best thing about this ebook (at least for me) is that it focuses on holistic remedies to bring a balance to your intestinal yeast and flora.

Because believe it or not, you do need some yeast to be healthy… so killing it all off with traditional anti-fungals really isn’t the best solution.

A lot of the traditional medical treatments I tried were all about killing off the yeast fungus.

Which just took one imbalance and created another one… putting me right back at square one with a brand new problem to solve.

And when I did finally solve my yeast problems? It was via natural, holistic remedies.

Cons

Get real here—it’s the reason your readers trust you and are reading your review instead of just the sales page.

So focus on something that actually makes the info product less useful than it could be.

For example:

With balancing, holistic remedies, most people don’t see results overnight. In fact, you could go for weeks following the suggestions in this book before you know if you’re achieving any actual results.

Plus, this ebook is only focused on curing Candida overgrowth. This is the most common type of yeast overgrowth, but some people have yeast symptoms caused by other types of yeast. These people will have to get a culture test from their doctor to find out the real problem before they can treat it. 

Side Note: How to Find Pros & Cons for Info Products You Haven't Used

Okay, so finding pros and cons for digital products you haven't used isn't as straightforward as finding them for Amazon products you haven't purchased.

On Amazon, all you have to do is look up positive and negative reviews.

But for these products, it takes a little more mining.

The pros though, were pretty easy.

They're highlighted in the sales page copy and in the customer testimonials.

And if you notice, in my pros section, all I did was latch onto one aspect of the product—that it was focused on holistic remedies.

And I turned it into a pro by down-talking traditional medicine.

Re-read it and you'll see what I mean.

The cons though, are tough.

Honestly, I had no idea what I was going to write for the cons section of this article, so I started scrolling through the sales copy and t