Blog reviews: To pay or not to pay?

Photo credit: pneumatic.transport
Review You, Review Me - Part 2

Paid blog reviews for the majority of bloggers will not come to fruition in a big way.

That's a bold statement. Here's why I'm sticking my neck out: Many bloggers are keen to have their sites reviewed but they're not willing to pay for such reviews. Why should they when there are blog review sites offering free reviews with links thrown in for good measures?

Likewise, there are plenty of blogs doing voluntary reviews of other blogs. Usually they will pick on blogs that they feel are similar to theirs. Or for the simple reason that a particular blog has great content and information that makes you want to write about it. I'll call this "goodwill gesture" and it'll also help to build links and traffic.

It does not matter whether one writes a short or long review. What's important is that people want to build bridges (links) and, as a blogger, this is a good, friendly gesture towards your blogging neighbour.

In a nutshell, here are some of the reasons why a review is written:

• they like the content posted on your site
  
• they have a kind of rapport with your blog
  
  
• they hope to get tit-for-tat links, a reciprocal etiquette in blogdom
  
  
• they want to create good karma and get the same back

Link Love vs the Money Factor

I have every reason to believe that doing free reviews is more gratifying. Everyone can do it without considering the money factor. It's gratifying because you're giving out link love without putting a price on it. You'll be getting the same from those blogs that you have tagged. It's an investment that will boost the "friendly neighbourhood" concept and has a more lasting value in terms of your blogging experience.

As a reminder, we are not really talking about writing reviews of commercial products or services via sponsoring companies like PayPerPost, ReviewMe, Sponsored Reviews and others.

No doubt, this particular aspect of money-making opportunities has received tremendous response from publishers (bloggers) and advertisers. It will remain popular as long as advertisers want to promote their products and services and willing to provide these opportunities to bloggers.

And just to put a few things straight, I'm fully aware of money bloggers who move in the fast lane. It's their choice to charge as high as possible for a review based on the rankings of their blogs. And there are also the price under-cutters who will charge less for a review without using a middleman.

But you can bet there's not going to be many paid review offers from individual bloggers coming your way like a cattle stampede if I may make a parody of this statement. When reality sets in, you'll realize these offers are few and far between.

A blog that's not in the top half of the PageRanks can forget about advertisers coming to you for a review. Most bloggers are not advertisers, so paying for overpriced review fees has never been an issue at all, it's just not on in the first place.

Here are some reasons why most bloggers won't pay:

• They are basically blogging hobbyists
  
• They don't see a need to pay for a review and it may not be worth the price
  
• There are other ways to get links and traffic without parting with your money
  
• They are not in the same league as so-called probloggers in the fast lane

Why paid reviews did not catch fire?

It was considered cool to write paid reviews when the idea was first introduced but it has fallen flat. Look around your blogging neighbourhood and see how many review posts you can find that really look like a paid review. Maybe a few, maybe none at all. While you can get a viral buzz and exposure, paying for hundreds of dollars for publicity is out of reach for many bloggers.

The problem with paid reviews is that it can be a dicey proposition. There's a kind of uncertainties about them.

• Will it get you a sudden spike in traffic following a paid review especially from a high-ranking blog?

Yes. It can help to kick-start your blog but there's no guarantee.

• Will the traffic juice continue to flow or die off over time?

That depends on the flavor of your posts and how you keep up with your blog. A continuous flow of good, informative content will help to attract readers. But if you slack, the juice will start to dry up.

• Can you do all the above without paying for a review?

Yes, so many blogs have succeeded without going down that path.


"Hire Me for $xxx" Widget: Eyesore or Decorative Device?

Did you notice that nowadays, most blogs don't show the amount of money that they want to charge for a review, especially if they are using a PayPerPost widget? All you can see is that "Hire Me" widget. Some bloggers, including yours truly, have taken the widget off completely.

Has the truth sunk in that there's hardly any taker despite these widgets?
Well, it's plain to see that these widgets are starting to make us look like duds. Even a beggar standing on the corner will have better luck with people dropping coins into his cup.

If you're still hoping to do some paid reviews from advertisers (that includes me), then it's better just to indicate that you're available by showing this as a text link on your blog's sidebar. Don't have to shout or moo about it.

Advertisers will know where to look. If they feel that you're up to it as a reviewer they will contact you in their own good time. They can tell by reading your blog posts. They don't need some silly widgets to make them jump.

Isn't there a better way around the paid review syndrome?

Yes. Write a post to let visitors know that you'll be willing to do reviews, not for money, but for a fair exchange of links. Specify that blogs wanting a review must have content that are relevant to your own blog but, sometimes, this is not necessary. You can also state the number of words for the reviews. It's your call.

Better still, just go ahead and write a review of any blog you have come across that catches your fancy. You can read two of them which I did here and here.
You have the freedom of choice and you're not obliged in any way to sugar-coat the review. Just do a fair and honest assessment of the blog, highlighting some interesting aspects of its contents, layout and design and point out certain weak points and so on. And don't forget to add a link or two in your post.

As pointed out earlier, if the blogger understands blogging etiquette, he or she will link back to you unless you chew up the person's blog so bad that any reciprocal action will be thrown out of the window.

The best approach is to be a little picky about a blog. Pick a blog that is readable with good content which will put your mind in a positive frame when it comes to writing about the site.
Or you can seek out those specialized review sites where you can get your blog reviewed for free. Some will require you to do a reciprocal review of a blog that did a review of yours. You are required to link to their site and you get a backlink from their review of your blog.
Here's a site that provides free reviews not only for blogs but also for those who want to promote their websites, businesses, and organizations. I found this in a post at Hong Kiat's blog.

ReviewBack is a free review swapping and exchange network. You can say it's a marketplace and trading ground where bloggers and copywriters alike can get in touch with one another and help each other increase their exposure.
Another site that provides free reviews is Bloggeries.com which is also a blog directory. They will accept donations to be used for compensating their reviewers for their time.




Of related interests:
Review You, Review Me - Part One
Blogging With Amazing Grace
Are You One Of Those "Bad Apples?"

Review You, Review Me - Part One

Blog or website reviews have come a long way with more and more bloggers jumping on the bandwagon. The monetary aspects of it as propagated by ReviewMe, PayPerPost and a host of other Internet establishments have lured bloggers into this area of making money online.

In no time, some individuals have even bypassed sponsoring companies to offer reviews directly to any taker who's game for it. But in this case you have to establish or hype yourself as someone who can do the job well. Your credentials depend on the posts that you write on your blog. A certain Japanese woman blogger has done quite well so far by striking out on her own to do these paid reviews.

To be frank, it's easy to offer to do paid reviews but it's NOT EASY to get customers. Why? Because it's not cheap to get your blog reviewed by someone who's gonna charge you from $400 to $1,000. If you charged $40 for a review, it sounds like a fair deal, but still not everyone is going to beat a path to your gate no matter how good you claim yourself to be. And for much, much less you may go for it but there's no guarantee that you will get a quality job done. It may turn out to be a crappy review.

Paying to get your blog reviewed is fundamentally a way to publicize your site, especially for large companies, and hopefully turn your ROI (return of investment) into more inbound links, viral buzz, feedbacks and traffic. That's about the main reasons for doing this. When the idea was first mooted, it sounded like a great, cool idea.

Some individual bloggers who can afford "big bucks" will paid for a review from some high-ranking blogs. They will come back and do a review of their reviews and, usually, the conclusion is that they have seen an increase in traffic and are happy with the results. Well, to me, it smells like BS although it's correct to say they have gained extra visitors. But how will this stake out farther down the road?

In the early days of blogging, as far as I know, those who have reached big time today did not pay for any reviews. It's the content they wrote that pulled in a huge stream of followers to their blogs. Maybe some of them may have slacked a bit today in their blogging knowing they have already captured an audience, but that was how they did it without paying for a review. With a huge following today, these big-time blogs are getting reviewed in some form almost everyday by their blogging fans or otherwise - for better or for worse.

For most bloggers, you can bet they're not going to pay for any kind of reviews whatsoever - whether it's only for $4 or $400. Isn't there a better way around the paid review syndrome? I'll write about this in another post soon. Meanwhile, your feedback will be appreciated.
Of related interests:
Writing paid reviews: How is it going?
How cool or uncool are these "Hire Me" widgets?