In my previous post 7 Types of Review Posts You Can Use to Increase Conversions I talked about some different ideas for types of reviews that other marketers may not have thought of. In this post, I expand on that theme with 11 more ideas you can use to make your site stand out from the crowd.
Review a Product Your Readers Have Asked About
Write a product review based on something your readers have inquired about. If you don’t have a target audience yet, you can go to a forum or social media post where someone is asking a question about a specific problem and whether or not it was a wise investment.
If you do have an audience, make sure you are listening to their requests and providing guidance on their purchasing considerations. Don’t just toss a link at them that will earn you the most in commissions.
When you write your review, make sure you point out the question that was asked, because it shows that you are listening to your audience and addressing their needs on a personal level.
Unboxing Video Included in a Review
Another idea is to write a product review and include an unboxing video. This is done with a tangible product in your niche. If you are uncomfortable being on camera, this is a great way to include the video media format without having to be on screen.
Consumers love seeing products arrive in a box, being opened on camera to capture your true reaction and see it and a pristine state. If you haven’t ever seen an unboxing video, make sure you go watch several different ones from your niche or others to help you get ideas of what to discuss and how it should unfold.
Typically, you discuss your purchase and why it was made, showcase the box it came in, and film yourself taking the item out of the box while discussing each element you are removing.
Then, you can show and discuss the product features that you are seeing and test everything out to see if it meets your satisfaction. For example, if you ordered some survival MREs, you might show whether or not the packaging held up well and then actually eat one of the meals to discuss the quality of it.
Write a Review of a Product for a Specific Demographic
Think about a specific demographic in your niche audience. You can base it on age, gender, geographic location, or any other number of factors. Write a review that specifically presents a product for that demographic.
For example, you might review a digital product about Internet marketing for seniors. Or, you might review a set of golf clubs for women. You can even combine the two to make a demographic of its own, such as senior women or senior men.
Write a Three Option Price Point Product Review
For many consumers, the benefits and features of a product can be quite similar, but it’s the price that determines what they can afford. Today, write a product review post that highlights three different tiers of pricing.
You want to provide similar product options, but choose one for those on a budget, one for those in the middle tier, and one for those who spare no expense and who can spend a lot of money on what they want.
For example, if you are reviewing bug-out bags for the survival niche, you want to select the best product for people who don’t have a lot to spend, such as those under $50. Some sites, such as Amazon, make this easy by giving you the ability to filter products according to price.
So you can choose a middle-tier bug-out bag between $50 and $200, and a high-end bag that costs over $200. The difference between the bags may mean the high-end one comes pre-packed with survival gear, while the budget one is empty.
Review a Replacement Product for Something Outdated
Choose something in your niche that has become somewhat outdated and replace a recommendation for it with something else. For example, if you recommend some technology like a gaming computer, there will be updated and newer versions that are better than those from a year ago.
The same can be said for digital info products. Information is always changing quickly in many niches, and even steps such as how to install WordPress or how to set up a blog will vary from one year to the next.
“If You Like This, You’ll Also Like That” Review
Choose products that your customer will like based on things you already know they want. For example, if you know your marketing audience loves using social media, then you can present them with a product that will help them achieve more with it.
You can also do this based on previous success you’ve had with certain reviews. For example, if you had recommended a certain anti-wrinkle serum that went over well with your audience, and you find another one that you believe in, you can say, “If you loved XYZ serum, you’re going to love this one!”
Just because they’ve already bought something once from another brand doesn’t mean they won’t buy or try another one. Many consumers like to experiment with different products for the same purpose just to figure out which one they like best.
Review Add-Ons or Accessories
For this angle, write an add-on or accessory review. For example, if you are in the cooking niche and you reviewed a KitchenAid counter mixer, you write a review for an attachment or accessory that goes along with it and that is sold separately.
Not all products automatically have a different accessory line that goes along with them. Therefore, you sometimes have to think outside the box and brainstorm a list of additional items they may want with their original purchase.
For example, if you reviewed the anti-wrinkle serum, you might also recommend a jade facial roller they can buy separately that will help infuse the serum deeper into their skin upon application.
Maximized Usage Tips
Even if a consumer knows that they want to purchase something, that doesn’t mean they always understand how to use it correctly. There are all kinds of tips online in customer comments and FAQ as well as in forums or on social media that will help you gather information about the best way to use a product.
Sometimes these are innovative hacks that consumers have come up with, and other times they’re recommendations directly from the manufacturer themselves. If you have personally used a product, you may have tips of your own that you want to include, but if you don’t, you can always curate them from other sources and credit the original author.
Write a Review for Little-Known or Overlooked Products
In just about every niche, products get overlooked because they are in the shadow of more popular bestselling items. Take some time to seek out and find a product you feel doesn’t get enough fanfare and write a review post highlighting the importance of this product and why you feel your readers should invest in it.
Best Products By a Brand
For many consumers, brand loyalty is a very important part of how they make their purchasing decisions. This is true in many niches, such as the parenting niche, cooking, and even digital niches such as personal development or online marketing.
If you know there are certain brands or vendors that your target audience trusts and appreciates more than others, write a review of the best products available from that manufacturer.
You can do as many as you want, whether it’s a top three list or top 100. If you go on Amazon, you will be able to look up a product and click on the brand’s name to see which products they are selling.
For example, if you look at baby toys on Amazon, in the left-hand sidebar you will see a list of brand names. If you want to see all of the products that Baby Einstein offers, you can click on their brand and see the results.
You can then sort them by price point, average customer reviews, or newest arrivals. You may even want to slant your post for the newest Baby Einstein toys or just pick the ones with the most reviews.
Write a Product Warning Review
This type of review is not necessarily to bash a product, but to issue a firm and ethical warning about a product that you feel will not be a good purchase. It could be based on the durability of a tangible product, or even the fact that a digital course is misguiding your readers.
Before you do this, you need to temper your tone so that you don’t initiate any sort of online war of words with the company or vendor whose product you are warning against.
Don’t write this type of review just to have one on your site. It needs to be fair and ethical and honest and in the end, you need to redirect your audience to a proper product that would be suitable for their needs.
I hope this has given you some more ideas about the different types of reviews you can use on your affiliate sites.
