In affiliate marketing, high ranking quality content does not matter if customers are not enticed to click the affiliate link. At the end of the day, affiliate marketing is about making sales and earning commissions to compensate for the effort you put into building a website, promoting it to the right audience, and producing compelling content.
The problem is that it is not always easy to include an affiliate link in your content without being spammy or sounding salesy. Remember that you need your content to flow naturally; abruptly adding an affiliate link can disrupt the reading experience of your audience and cause them to lose trust.
However, by writing product reviews, it is a lot easier to include affiliate links naturally. After all, reviews are built specifically to encourage readers to check out the product for themselves. But you need to write convincing reviews that will spark the interest of your readers. Below are some strategies that you need to remember in order to write effective product reviews.
Be as Exhaustive as Possible
One of the biggest mistakes in affiliate marketing is adding the affiliate link too early or not having enough content to “warm up” readers. First of all, remember that more content means higher rankings in SERPs. According to research done by serpIQ on the average content length of the top 10 search results, the 1st place usually has 400+ more words than 10th place.
The reason why is that, on top of providing quality content, the highest ranking pages have a lot more to offer web crawlers. Web crawlers are bots that search engines such as Google send to index web pages.
From the point of view of your readers, learning more about a product increases their confidence in making an investment. You need to build value with your content first if you want people to be interested in you and be more likely to convert. Furthermore, providing in-depth details about a product shows that you know what you’re talking about and improves your credibility.
Empathize with Your Readers
Remember that the actual product review must be relatable and believable to your audience. Put yourself in your customers’ shoes and write about the problem the product is trying to solve—not the product itself. Focus above all on building trust, keeping in mind that your job is to write a review, not an endorsement.
It is a good idea to test out the product yourself so you can offer personal insights and share your firsthand experience with it. Don’t forget to include practical, out-of-the-box tips to further increase the authenticity of your review.
You should not be afraid to use a conversational tone since your audience wants opinions from an actual person. Try not to obsess over formality and just write as you would when writing to a friend.
Be as Objective as Possible
Millennials, and particularly members of Generation Z, can tell from a mile away if a review is biased. That is why your review needs to be as objective as possible. Talk about the product in detail, rather than making shallow descriptions taken right from the product page. Stick to the point and avoid making side comments about the seller.
To stir up interest in your product, focus on its benefits and what they mean for your audience rather than reiterating specific product features. But remember, there’s no such thing as a perfect product, and your audience knows that there isn’t.
Mention ALL the Pros and Cons
When it comes to being objective, you should leave no stone unturned and explore every possible aspect of your product. For example, which specific group of users benefits from a particular feature? How can a certain con affect the overall performance of the product and what can users do to avoid that problem?
A good example of this kind of impartiality is this SiteGround review from Marketever. Aside from thoroughly discussing the pros and cons of SiteGround, Marketever also did a wrap-up that lists the key takeaways from the entire review. This strategy is an excellent way to end a review since it helps readers with the decision-making process. You can achieve this effect with the use of online marketing tools.
Use Add-Ons or Plugins for Conversion Optimization
You need to be familiar with all the tools required to create actionable reviews. As in the example above, you need to make conclusive summary boxes that give the audience a quick recap. A good call-to-action in popup form may also make the difference between a visitor and a buyer, providing that extra “push” your audience needs to convert.
Keep in mind that most affiliate marketers build their sites with WordPress to access a wide selection of tools and plugins. These tools maximize functionality in order to improve user experience and increase conversions. You can refer to this post to learn more about the best affiliate marketing plugins for WordPress.
Now YOU Can Write Effective Product Reviews
At the end of the day, writing product reviews is only another content strategy that must prioritize user experience. To be successful as a marketer, you need to acknowledge your obligation to provide relevant and useful information to the online audience. In return, people will turn to you for insights and reliable data that will empower their online purchasing decisions.