How to be a Better Review Blogger
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I’m a review blogger, but I hate reading other review blogs. It makes me frustrated.
Perhaps the swag and big dreams is the lure. The idea of getting free stuff (which is really anything but free) and trying to build up traffic has gotten in the way of providing the service that all review blogs should be providing to readers. It is our readers that we should be building our blogs around.
Please consider these tips that will help you stand out and keep me from pulling my hair out when I read your blog.
Include photos you’ve personally taken. Avoid using only stock images.
This is my number one complaint. You can take a picture of almost anything and provide great value to a reader as long as the picture is large enough so it can really be seen.
As a reader I want to see how clothes fit. I want to know what that fabric really looks like close up and how it drapes on the body. And I want to see it on a real body, not some airbrushed model. I want your pictures, and not just those taken by professionals for websites to make a product look perfect. I want to see it in use. I want to feel what it would be like to own it. Don’t just tell me, show me!
Why should you care?
It gives a review credibility. It shows that you really did use it. It gives a better understanding of the product that you just can’t get with words alone. It draws me as a reader in and makes me care about what you are saying. Isn’t that the whole point?
Be thorough and honest in your review.
Please don’t use one or two lines of generic text about what you think of the product and call it a review. If you can’t take the time to create at least a full paragraph sharing your thoughts, you aren’t providing a service to your readers.
If you don’t like something about the product don’t be afraid to say. Just try to keep your criticism constructive and professional.
Why should you care?
Again, it goes back to credibility and giving something to your readers, not to mention earns respect. If you can’t be specific, I don’t know if I can believe a word you are saying. And as a sponsor, I’m not going to be thrilled with the effort. Perhaps I won’t come back to you next time I’d like a review for another brand I represent or another product in my line.
Keep the amount of entries for giveaways within reason.
I enjoy giving my readers additional chances and it is a win for all parties involved. However, it should be within reason. Five entries for every single extra entry adds up fast. Creating even ten different comments for each extra entry is very annoying, even to the entrant willing to take the time to do it.
Also reconsider giving many entries for voting in some contest that you are desperate to win. It not only cheapens whatever contest you are up for, it makes for an extremely lopsided giveaway. If an entrant passes on that entry they’ve greatly limited their chances to win, and it almost seems like you are “buying” votes.
Why should you care?
You don’t want to annoy your readers and turn lots of people off to the contest. And while you might get more entries and inflate your numbers, at a certain point you will turn people away. Sponsors may not appreciate you using their giveaway in such a way.
Create an easy to read and inviting blog.
This means avoiding extremely busy backgrounds, crazy colors and hard to read fonts. Keep your sidebars as uncluttered and least distracting as possible. And definitely stay away from music on your blog.
Why should you care?
While some readers may appreciate it, you still need to appeal to the majority and frankly, the majority won’t. I don’t care how good your taste in music, it can be startling and annoying to find the mute button. Many readers will immediately close your page. And if it is hard on the eyes or takes forever to load, most visitors won’t come back.
I don’t consider myself a perfect blogger by any stretch. I do work hard to put out quality posts and I like to think it gets noticed. Sometimes it can be frustrating to see other bloggers who seem to have great success yet constantly publish bare minimum posts. Maybe I could too if I just didn’t care about my quality over quantity philosophy. Aw, shucks.
My advice:
There will always be sponsors who care about numbers alone, but many people notice when you take the time to write a thoughtful review. When you put your readers before what benefits you, your blog will blossom. Some day that hard work will start to pay off. You’ll notice that sponsors will keep coming back to you, because they know you do quality work. You’ll build relationships with reps who are thrilled with the service you’ve provided. Other potential partnerships will open up because no matter what post a visitor clicks on, it will reflect what you can do for brands.
And most of all, your loyal readers (and that random person searching for a review on Google) will thank you.
Thanks for the good advice. And you are right about free products being anything but free. Oh the time that goes into a single review from start to finish!
Emilie, I agree with you 110% on everything you stated since I am also a review blogger. I wanted to add a few things! I see a few other bloggers making 10+ review and giveaway posts a day and I personally feel that is way too many. Readers can not keep up with 10+ giveaway posts a day and I certainly can not see how those reviewers are adequately reviewing and using products if they are posting 10+ a day! geesh. I also gripe about review blog’s loading time. Way too many bloggers are junking up their blogs with too much fancy dancy stuff and readers are getting 4+ minute page loads which is a HUGE turn off. I know I personally will not sit and wait for 4 minute page loads and I certainly wouldn’t wait for 4 minutes between entering each entry into a giveaway aka comments. I also do not like seeing review bloggers bashing other review bloggers by name or by blog name on their blogs…I feel that is unprofessional to say the least.
Great points! I laugh because I could have easily kept going (and going) with this post but realized when I hit over 1k words I was going to have to trim it down! 🙂
I forgot to add a big one! I also think it’s unprofessional for review bloggers to email a giveaway sponsor from another review bloggers blog and tell them the following “My blog is bigger, better and gets more traffic, would you consider sponsoring a giveaway on my blog because I will do a better job than XYZ’s blog”. That totally irks me!
No way! Do people actually do that? That is HORRIBLE!
People do that? Ew.
Obviously, I think it’s great to pitch a company you know is blog-friendly, but I would NEVER mention another blogger’s review unless I was specifically referred.
Oh my! That’s terribly tacky and unprofessional!
Oh wow! that is really tactless! I mean, I’m sure many blogger think those things, but to approach a PR person/company rep in such a way?! yikes!
You bet they do! I had 3 sponsors email me copies of another blogger’s emails to them as they also thought it was unprofessional. I then emailed this blogger and confronted her and told her she is not welcomed at our blog again and to knock it off as it’s unprofessional and our sponsors reported it to us, etc. She still comes to our blog…but I haven’t gotten any more emails from sponsors about her emailing them. I was told that she still does it but does it to other bloggers now. She happens to be the same one who posts 10+ giveaways a day LOL
Wow…the nerve people have…and what do they get out of this in the end.?.?? I never tell a company. Who gave me their contact unless I get specific instruction, after all we all are like family and have/should respect each other….just my 2cents….great post…..
Great post, Emilie!
This is a great post! What you said last is so true. I’ve been passed up for blogs with bigger #s, who may not have great content or reviews. I think that’s the sponsor’s loss!
Amazing post! Agree 100%
Thanks for the info, it will help a lot of us who wonder what we could be doing wrong or better.
It’s great to know what not only sponosors but other bloggers and readers think;}
Thanks for sharing!
Great post! I agree and also love see photos.
You do great photos! Loved your ones today for Tea Collection! 🙂
This is all great advice!
Thanks for the post. As i know i can use the help. Still learning about blogging.
Yes, great advice! Thank you.
Thanks for this post. I’m trying to be better at posting my own photos – if it’s objects I can do it alone, if it’s stuff I’m wearing then I have to enlist my husband’s help and we both work full-time opposite schedules. I also worry about people seeing my clutter laying around in the background 🙂
I agree with many of your points and see some room for improvement on my own blog. If you don’t mind, I’m going to link to your post in a scheduled post I have for tomorrow.
Awesome advice Emilie! I agree about the photos. If I use stock photos I explain why in my post. For example, I was given a shopping cart cover to review. But I am not going to use it for another 3 months when baby girl will be big enough to sit up and the company wanted a post NOW. So their problem.
I have not been to your blog in FOREVER. I love how clean your layout is now! Going to go browse around! Take care!
GREAT post, Emilie! I’m not a review blogger, but I DO post product reviews on occasion. I can always use some tips to help me provide the best information and experience for my readers!
Your blog design is great, BTW!
Great advice! You should have this post as a sticky so every visitor gets to read it! Thanks so much for putting this into a post.
Thanks for this advice and I’m bookmarking this page. I’m just starting out so this is some awesome info!
Thanks
Pam
This is fantastic, Emilie. My absolute number one thing is yours too. I just don’t give weight to a review that doesn’t have personal pics. Now on occasion, the product is such that you can’t and I understand that, but for the most part…they need to be included!
Great post Emilie! You are one of my favorite review bloggers, and one that inspired me to get started in product reviews. I totally agree with everything you said!
I can’t tell you how many times I have been turned down by a company because I still have a GPR of 0. I have no idea why that is the case, but that’s a different gripe for a different day. Anyway, it frustrates me to no end to see reviews of the very product I was denied for that are horribly written. I once saw one for a $300 Britax car seat that had no personal pictures! But some companies just want their SEO links, and don’t really care about the review itself. I was recently contacted by a company to be one of 5 bloggers to review a brand new product because they liked a previous review I did for them. Finally! Someone actually noticed and appreciated my hard work.
Keep on doing what you’re doing, because you’re awesome at it!
Aw, LeeAnn. You are so sweet and totally made my day with your comment.
And yes, I completely understand your frustration. I can’t figure Google PR out either. My other blog OMSH has been around for over 6 months and has amazing traffic (Often times higher than this blog) But it too is a PR 0. It has higher ranking sites linking to it. I remember when BLM was out within 2 months of blogging I went from a 0 immediately to a 2 and then a 3 shortly thereafter.
I would say keep your chin up. I’ve gotten to work with amazing brands like KitchenAid because of the way I think. I know I’m Wilton Mom Ambassador because of this as well and my relationship with them thrills me to no end. It will be the same for you, I’m sure! It just sometimes takes a little longer to see the fruits of our labor. 🙂
This is such a great post. I am still new to reviews and giveaways and am definitely taking these into account! I always try to use photos along with sponsor photos ; ) I asked for feedback on my blog from my readers and took my music off!! I am still in the process of cleaning it up… making pages and reader friendly!! It’s a shame that some bloggers feel the need to be so competitive in such a negative manner!! We should all try to support one another we have the same goals!! I am a new follwer & subscriber : ) Thanks again for the info.