How to Write Product Reviews That Convert
Since our recent blog post detailing our November income from Amazon, we have had a number of requests from people asking us to provide more detail on what we did to actually achieve that amount of money. So I started to write up a blog post for it last week but it turned into a bit of an epic….I am at over 3000 words so far and I haven’t even scratched the surface.
So we’ve come to the conclusion that it really needs to be put into an ebook. However, we realise that many of you would rather not wait around while we do that and would prefer to get into it and start making money with Amazon as soon as possible. So we have put together this blog post to tell you how we structure our reviews for maximum conversions to help you achieve the same success.
Value First…Money Second
Now many of you who are regulars to this blog will know that I do tend to go on about providing value to your readers. With product reviews it is even more important. If you want to convert your visitors into sales you need to provide as much information as possible to help them make an informed decision as to whether the product you are promoting is the right one for them.
People want to be told what to buy and most don’t want to do the research themselves so they love it when they see a page of content that concisely puts together everything they need to know about that product.
So here are the steps we use for creating quality product reviews that convert. Bear in mind, that at this point we assume you already have a product in mind for review.
Step 1: List the features of the product
The first thing we do with any product we review is to list the features and functions of the product. So say for instance we are going to review the iPod Touch (my favorite toy at the moment) – these would be at least some of the features/functions:
- on/off button
- sound control button
- earphones
- colors available
- technical specifications
- password protection
- battery life
- apps store
- watching videos
- using the internet
- touch screen control
- using email
- itunes
- listening to music
- clock/alarm function
- settings
- Google maps
- calendar function
- contacts function
- notes function
- photos
Try to be as detailed as possible when you are writing up the list, even if it seems trivial. Remember that when buying online, a person can’t physically hold the product so detail is important.
Step 2: Add Content
Now take each of the features/functions in your list, create a heading for each and write a paragraph or two about it. This is where your research comes into play. Remember that you don’t need to own the product to write a good review (although it helps) but you really need to research, research, research. This means scouring the net to see what other people have to say about each of those features. The best place for this is Amazon and in particular the reviews left by real people who actually use the product.
It can also mean contacting the manufacturer for more detailed information.
At this point, you may be thinking that this is all going to take time and just seems a little like hard work….BUT, just remember that you only have to write the review once and it could potentially make you money for years to come.
When writing this sort of content you don’t want to just rehash the features and benefits that can be found on any website. You really want to get into as much detail as possible.
The trick with writing these reviews is not to write it like you are trying to sell something. To start with we wrote a lot of reviews like this and they were really not that effective. Instead we find the best way is to write the review as if you were telling a friend about the product.
Step 3: Add Your Introduction
The goal here is to get your readers to read your entire review and the introduction is critical to that success. You could start your review off by saying “Today I am going to review the iPod Touch…but that’s kind of boring. Instead try using a real life story.
For instance I might write something like: ” When Wanda and I were in the US attending a conference, we happened upon the Apple Store in New York. If you’ve ever been there you’ll know what an experience that is, but we happened to be there the day after the iPhone was released to the world, actually we were on a hop on hop off tourist bus and when the guide pointed out the iPod store – we hopped off.”
I would then go on to say how great I thought the iPhone was but since I didn’t want to buy into a phone plan I waited and eventually ended up buying an iPod Touch instead. That would then lead me straight into the review.
You’d have to agree that it sounds a little more interesting than simply saying “Today we are going to review the iPod Touch”.
Step 4: Add Your Affiliate Links
The final step is to add affiliate links. This simply means finding about three or four spots in your review to add a link. We generally add the first link in the second or third paragraph of our content. So for our iPod Touch review we might add an Amazon link when the phrase ‘iPod Touch’ first appears in the second paragraph.
The second link may appear somewhere around the middle and the third right at the end of the review. This final link would be part of a sentence that tells the reader where they can purchase the product. You can do this in a couple of ways:
- Provide a list of merchants who sell the product so that the reader can do their own price comparison. Note that you wouldn’t actually add the prices here as they can change and you would be forever updating the page – just list the merchant names and a link to each.
- Provide one link to one merchant – we always use Amazon as they generally have the best prices.
Although we do use both options, we tend to go with the second option more often as Amazon convert extremely well for us.
Some final tips…
- Although you want to be completely honest with your review, you don’t want to focus too heavily on the negatives….after all, your goal is to make sales. To avoid this, try and choose products that get excellent ratings so you don’t have to worry about the negatives.
- Don’t ever make things up. In other words, don’t say the product is good when it clearly isn’t. Your goal is to get your readers to trust your opinion. And don’t say you have the product if you don’t. Your readers will pick up on this sort of thing and you will lose their trust.
And finally…
One thing to remember is that a majority of the reviews on the net are of poor quality and lack the detail that most people look for in a good review. Just try and add as much value as you can to your reviews and you will be streets ahead of the rest of them.
FINALLY RELEASED - Our complete guide to making money online by promoting Amazon products. Head over to the AMAZONIAN PROFIT PLAN website for all the latest info.
Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!
We are
Wanda & Paula - 2 friends who successfully operate a number of online internet businesses. In fact we have over 20 blogs and websites making money. We have learnt a lot over the years particularly in the area of natural search, SEO
and traffic generation. If you want to make a living online then we are here to
help. 









Looking forward to reading your e-book on this topic. Very good information you got here so far!
Thanks for visiting Stefan. Hopefully the ebook won’t be too far away. It’s just a matter of finding the time to complete it.
This is a great, very informative post on review writing. I haven’t done too many of them because I wasn’t sure how to do it correctly and I didn’t want to sound pushy. Thanks so much for posting this.

Melinda´s last blog ..Snipsly – Make Money Writing Content
Glad you liked the post Melinda. Reviews are a great way to generate some income so well worth pursuing.
I think it is also helpful to mention that a good review can also help drive traffic.
I’ve done some very detailed reviews over a year ago that are still bringing in nice traffic every single month.

Steven Richardson´s last blog ..Be Careful Of Unsolicited Link Requests Through Email
Very true Steve. As with any content that you add it will help to bring in traffic. That’s why reviews are so beneficial as they can generate income AND traffic.
traffic, traffic, traffic – but how? from where? Please Paula give us some traffic tips
You could sign up to our newsletter Jen and you will receive a free ebook with 7 methods we use for generating traffic. Sign up is on the right side menu bar.
Paula,
Awesome post. Of course, now I want the ebook.
I’m never satisfied.
Thanks for these tips. I’ve added a few affiliate links in my blog lately, but I think I still can do it better.
I am excited to start my own product site soon. Thanks again for the information and inspiration.
Brad
Brad Harmon´s last blog ..All I Want for Christmas is Your Blog Engage Votes
I think I will be making the ebook my priority. We have so many people wanting to learn how to do this. When people find out how much they can earn from this business they get all keen. We have lots of family and friends who want one-on-one training but it’s difficult to teach that many people without neglecting our own business. So the ebook needs to be done I think.
What a wonderful post! I’m bookmarking it right now!. Thanks so much.
Julie @ Write for eHow´s last blog ..November eHow Earnings: Still $200+
Thanks for visiting Julie.
Thank you for providing this follow-up post. I plan to start doing some reviews on products in 2010 and these tips will be really helpful.

Ms. Freeman´s last blog ..3 Essential Elements Needed for Entreprenurial Success
Glad I could help Ms Freeman.
Excellent tips Paula, and I too will wait patiently for the ebook to arrive.If you seek proofreaders/idea bouncers, let me know if I can help.
I’ve heard from more then a few people that do excellent reviews, that video whenever applicable works WONDERS in reviews.
If perhaps you can show yourself using the product for example, or actually detailing features/benefits right on video, etc., etc.
I’ve heard from more then I’ve seen from, but I do know Lynn Terry is a master at the video reviews.
Dennis Edell´s last blog ..Pick My New Domain Names With A chance To Win $10!
We have only just dabbled in video. We keep telling ourselves that we will get around to doing more but it’s just a matter of finding the time.
Thanks for the tips. We are just starting to branch out into product reviews and it’s nice to know that our style of writing is similar to someone who has being doing this a lot longer than us.
I look forward to your eBook. Your information is always incredibly helpful.
I’m working on the ebook as we speak. It’s going to be quite detailed as I want it to be useful for both beginners and those who have been around for some time.
Hi Paula,
Thanks for the post – great info. I can see that you always recommend on Amazon. Don’t they pay really a low commission rate?
Amazon pay anywhere from 4% to 8.5%. It just depends on how many products you sell each month. We regularly hit 8.25%.
Amazon also has amazing conversion rates. If they go to Amazon, they’re very likely to buy. Plus, they are upsell experts. When was the last time you went to Amazon and only bought what you planned to buy? You get the commissions on the whole order, not just the original click-through. Amazon is great!
Julie Anne´s last blog ..Miele Rotary Iron Saves You Time and Makes You Money
That’s so true Julie Anne. Most of the products we sell have nothing to do with the products that we promote on our websites.
Excellent post!
This is so true – It’s way much more interesting reading a story than being set up for “Today we are going to review product x!”
You also mentioned one of the most important pieces of all that can sometimes be overlooked – Does a merchant have high conversions or not? It’s easy to get caught up on commission rate and cookie durations and not consider – Conversion Rate!
Thanks …Wish you the best!
Robert
Robert Avila´s last blog ..Tony Robbins Interviews – John Reese, Frank Kern & Eben Pagan
Exactly Robert. We just weren’t converting with a lot of our merchants. It was only when we moved to Amazon that our conversion rate shot through the roof.
When you put in an Amazon link, do you do it for Amazon US or for a local Amazon?
Pearson Brown´s last blog ..Some random thoughts on forums
We use Amazon US but I don’t think it would matter what country you use. I just find that in the US they are more confident to buy online so it’s more likely you will get a sale.
Found you via “Code my Own Road”… will certainly hang around a while! Thanks.
Thanks for visiting Michelle. Hope you enjoy your stay.
Hello Wanda and Paula, Great Blog! Congrats for having your story on max blog press. I am a full time IM’er as well and agree that you need to provide value to people first, then the income follows.
Although I do well building highly keyword optimized sites with amazon products, like the one I linked to this comment. Have a good weekend! Randal M
Randal@Summer Purses´s last blog ..Oversized ”Kudreau” Satchel – Black, Brown, Purple or Navy Blue
Thanks for your comments Randal. I just took a look at your site…very nice.
I just have one suggestion…just my thoughts so ignore it if you like, but I just thought that you might improve your click through rate by adding a READ MORE link at the bottom of each post.
I know you have a MORE link but it is hard to see. A much larger and bolder READ MORE link might grab peoples attention and force them to click through to Amazon.
Hi Paula and Wanda,
Thanks for the post. I have several product review posts, but will use your advise and jazz them up. Some other super affiliates like to tell stories as their hook, and since I have used most of the products I sell, I can definitely tell how the product helped me, in addition to the features.
With Blessings,
Ken Weiss
It always helps if you own the product as you can really make it personal. People love it if they know you own the product and they are more likely to trust your opinion.
Hi guys!
Congrats for having your story on max blog press.I’m looking forward with the results in getting traffic with my site using the tips you shared.
Royal
royal´s last blog ..How to Find an Auto Car Loan
Yes, it’s all about the traffic. No point having a really good review without any traffic. So spend as much time as possible working on traffic building and backlinking.
Hey Paula,
Do you use raw affiliate links in the post or do you mask them with (for example) something like a PHP redirect?
We don’t use any redirects. We just write a review and add affiliate text links within the review.
I personally would like to see a sample review for me to study and see how you would do it. That way I can apply what I’ve studied into my own review.
Great article nonetheless but I would like a sample.
Biggy Fat´s last blog ..My WorxEco WG780 Hands On Review – The Best Mower On The Market Today!
Some good examples of how a review should be written can be found on the review pages at http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/ and http://www.cnet.com/. Look for reviews that are long and detailed giving lots of product information. Its the well written content and informative details that help your visitors to decide to buy.
I started Amazon affiliate marketing last year but gave it up for a while. Just starting off again and was just thinking about improving my conversions and writing better reviews. I was about to come here and ask for an example myself but you beat me too it, thanks Wanda.
Thanks for the solid information. With this new MayDay mayhem from Google I believe it has become more important than ever to separate yourself from the others.
It appears that Google is making quick work of the thin content, one theme fits all sites, not to mention scraped content. Writing a thorough 500-1000 word review sets your site apart from the rest. And I believe it will also set your business apart from the rest as well.
Thanks for writing this and best of success in the months to come!
Yes I think Google are really pushing for quality content. But that’s a good thing I think. All the better for the rest of us that are producing good content.
Do you add a picture of the product and if so do you make it a clickable affiliate link?
Cathy´s last blog ..I Found a Cool Free Productivity Tool
Yes we do add an image and we make it a clickable affiliate link. I think a picture is definitely necessary as some people are more visual than others.
Hi Paula. Thanks for the wonderful and detailed post. I have limited success with Amazon but looking to do more. Did you ever finish your ebook on the subject?
Cheers
Inger
We’re working on it Inger. I am hoping it will be out within the next 3 or 4 weeks. If you sign up to our newsletter you will be the first to know.
Hi Paula
I just stumbled upon your site and its a great resource so thanks so much for sharing. Its fortunate I came across this blog because I am still trying to make it with about 10 sites of mine and my model is starting with amazon but was planning on going to dropshipping but not so sure now. At this point none of my product sites have stayed in the top 3 of google for long enough for me to know your kind of success…..I know now how to confirm my keyword traffic through adwords and actually have 2 full time SEO staff in the philippines (1 new guy 4 weeks ago) but my sites are jumping all over the place back and forth in last month or two. Most are 3-4 months old. We started with link wheels and now profiles and UAW. Now I have changed tac and decided we are going to focus on 4 sites mainly on profiles, fresh daily content and UAW. Does it sound like I am on the right track? I just dont know whats happening with the SEO side, I outsource SEO and have a great guy but am wondering whether we have been running too hot on links as I am surprised we are not ranking yet……
Thanks so much and great to hear a fellow aussie doing so well online!
Cheers
Manny
Google has done some major changes lately so your sites could be caught up in that.
Try not to think too much about where you are ranking. I know that’s hard to do but if you just keep doing what you’re doing it will eventually settle down and your rankings will be a little more stable. Your sites are still relatively new so rankings will fluctuate constantly.
Paula,
As per usual your comments are always useful and practical. Much appreciated. When you link to Amazon in your content how are you doing it? Are you logged into you Amazon affiliate account when you link to a particular product so you can be credited for the sale or how are you doing it? Thanks.
We use text links to link to Amazon. We don’t use widgets. We found they don’t work as well as simple text links.
You need to log into Amazon Affiliates to get the text links. You can register for Amazon Affiliates here – https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/
Hello I have been following your blog for few days on the way to develop an affiliate business site in one of my sub-domain. Now some questions are in my mind such as:
a) do I need to find an affiliate site builder program?
b) is this program free? If not would you please gimme info of a free one.
I made few sites using wordpress CMS but what I found the affiliate sites are different in getup; such as the reviews generally provides ratings and also comparison between many products where user has to choose the products from the list to get the detailed comparison. Are these done by wordpress plugins or by site builder program?
Finally thumbs up to your honest work.
blues´s last blog ..Study in Thailand with Scholarship
I’m not sure what you mean by affiliate site builder program so I’ll just answer no to that one.
We mostly use Amazon. You need to register with them first – it’s free – and once registered you add affiliate links to your website. You can sign up with Amazon here – https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/
You can use Amazon plugins like ReviewAzon and WPZon Builder to add products to your website but if you do use these it’s best to change the content that comes over from Amazon so the content is unique.
Hi,
Thanx alot for this post. You’ve pretty much solved problems I’ve been having concerning writing product reviews. THANX A MILLION!
kwasi kisiedu´s last blog ..Review Of Self Improvement Millionaires
Hey Paula,
If you don’t mind me asking, what type of link building do you guys focus on for your Review sites?
Thanks
Anthony
Our main method for link building is to offer articles to other websites. In the articles we add a few links back to our product review pages. We don’t really use article directories – we focus more on other bloggers and just regular websites when we submit the articles. The links are a lot stronger. If you are going to submit to article directories then stick with ezinearticles.com and articlebase.com.
Hi Paula,
On your reviews, do you put a text link or a link showing the pic with the Amazon info?
I am experimenting with both, but as an experienced Amazon affiliate, I am interested in which tends to convert better for you?
Thanks, Ken
Ken Weiss´s last blog ..By- Ken
I assume you mean using an Amazon ‘click here’ type image link..yes?
If so we have used those but we pretty much only use text and image links. So we will have the main product picture at the top with an Amazon link behind it and then a number of text links throughout the review.
To be honest we haven’t done a lot of split testing so haven’t been able to compare the two.
Hello Ladies,
My partner and I found you in the Warrior Forum. You have given a lot of great info. We are in the process of creating an affiliate site based on your model. I completely understand everything you suggested in writing a review that converts. There is just one bit I am not sure how to do properly. You said to start the review with a personal story. My problem is we do not own the product we want to sell. How do I incorporate a story with a product we don’t personally own.
Thanks in advance for your help,
Becky
Becky Rhone-Nowlan´s last blog ..Ease your frustration with iEarned That
This is going to be the subject of our next blog post. We’re just in the process of releasing our ebook on how to promote Amazon products so we are a bit behind with our blog posts but it should be up next week.
You might want to read this one first:
http://www.affiliateblogonline.com/2010/06/22/how-to-write-a-product-review-when-you-dont-own-the-product/
I did read that and realized that I was actually doing that already. In fact I have done that with the products I have actually tried. It is this one last thing that I am working to figure out.
B
Hi Wanda & Paula,
I am wondering what are the importance in having your keyword in your domain? Thanks for the many advises you gals had given.
We personally don’t worry too much about getting just the right domain name. If you can get the keyword in the domain name that’s great but we don’t worry too much if we can’t.