Since joining ReviewMe back in November, I have done nine reviews. After talking to a few ReviewMe publishers, I discovered I’m among the most requested blogs to get reviews on. Most of the other publishers I talked to said they haven’t received a single ReviewMe request since they reviewed ReviewMe.
That brings up the question; how do you attract more reviews to your blog?
Write Good Reviews
This should be obvious but you’ll be amazed at how many blogs can’t write a good review. When I say good reviews, I don’t mean being positive about the product or service. You can positive or negative and still have a bad review. A good review will explain to the reader what he needs to know about the product/service and aid him in making a decision to use it or not use it.
Getting a ReviewMe review does not mean, “Hey! I’m getting money for writing 200 words!” If that’s the way you look at it then you’re in the wrong business. I’ve read more than a few ReviewMe reviews where the author even wrote, “Is this 200 words yet?” What they may not have realized is that most ReviewMe advertisers buy reviews based on your past reviews. And if your past reviews sucked, there’s not much incentive to buy from you.
ReviewMe kick started their program by spending $100,000 to buy reviews from publishers in their network. Many publishers saw that as free money and just wrote the bare minimum review requirements. Some even boasted that they got $20 (which is fine) for five minutes work (which shows they don’t care).
The main reason ReviewMe spent that money was not just to bring in a lot of buzz (it did that), but it was also to showcase the review quality of their publishers to potential advertisers. If you’re a ReviewMe publisher wondering why you haven’t received any new review requests, go read you own review of ReviewMe and ask yourself; if you were an advertiser, would you buy from yourself?
Think Value For Money
Unlike PayPerPost, ReviewMe is used for more than just getting backlinks. Reviews on ReviewMe cost a lot more than PayPerPost and advertisers need to justify this extra cost. I am very mindful of the fact that advertisers are paying $100 for a review on this blog. I don’t need to be positive about the product or service, but I do owe the advertiser a good review that is worth at least $100. After all, he paid good money for it and should get value for that money.
A simple test is to ask yourself, “Would I pay $100 (or whatever your ReviewMe price is) for this?” If the answer is no, then your review isn’t good enough.
Show a Case Study
This only works if you have done more than one review. Contact the advertiser, ask how the review performed for them, then post the results. I did that in my ReviewMe Case Studies post. After making that post, I received a string of ReviewMe offers. When you demonstrate results, advertisers will buy.
ReviewMe reviews offers more than just backlink and SEO benefits – advertisers can actually make money on the deal. For example, thanks to my review of Net Business Blog, Matt told me he sold 20 ad links at $10 each – $200 extra income per month – not a bad return on investment. My review on AdVolcano got picked up by ClickZ, one of the biggest interactive marketing news site on the Web. Before the review, AdVolcano had one page of publishers. Now they have five pages.
When advertisers see real-life example on what your reviews can do, they are much more likely to buy from you. Seeing the kind of results the blog can produce, I think $100 is a steal for the advertisers. I really wish ReviewMe would correct my pricing (it should be $250).
Don’t Be Afraid To Reject Reviews
I have only posted reviews that are related to what I write about and what I think my readers would be interested in. Don’t be afraid to reject a review if it’s not related to your blog or you don’t think your readers would be interested in it. Making an extra $100 isn’t going to make a huge dent in your lifestyle (at least I hope not). Your readers are worth far much more than that so they have to come first.
Rejecting reviews can make your blog more valuable. By maintaining a clear focus on your blog’s area of interest, you get better Google indexing, command a higher price, and maintain the loyalty of your readership because you’re not a sellout.