Give Pros and Cons in Affiliate Reviews

There is, however, a real downside to presenting only the "pros".

Offer your readers a review stuffed with nothing but glowing tributes, and you haven't given them a review at all - you've hit them with a sales letter. Since they were expecting an honest, unbiased review, they're going to like this even less than people usually like sales letters.

Your reader is trusting you to present them with a realistic evaluation of the product in question: Make it obvious you're more concerned about pushing through a sale, and that reader is going to instantly lose all faith in you.

In fact, he's going to be gone before you can do more than the proverbial blink.

Show him the product, warts an' all. Tell him why the product is good for him - or not. Point out flaws, if you think the flaw is something your reader will need to carefully consider.

Gaining your reader's trust is not the only consideration here. You're also preventing your vendor's refund rate from climbing. And refunds can not only mean chargebacks for the vendor (each costing about $20) but holdbacks on your affiliate commissions too.

But What if you Never Purchased the Product?

How can you present pros and cons when you’ve never actually purchased the product you’re promoting… er, I mean, reviewing? How can you ethically do that?

Quite simple. Don’t pretend. Instead, take a different approach.

Present your review as more of a “profile” – actually a pre-sell. Let your reader know upfront that she’s reading facts you’ve gathered together from sources other than personal experience.

Better yet, contact the vendor and “interview” him, and present that interview as part (or all) of your product review. Ask the vendor questions dealing with why his product would be ideal – or not – for your list or market.

Ask him what he thinks the “pros” and “cons” to his product might be. And finish off with a “call to action” instructing readers to find out more by visiting his sales page.

One of two things will happen: Either his answers will help you disqualify a portion of your readers – they’ll realize from the comments you’re faithfully reporting that the product actually isn’t right for them – or you’ll be the helpful “go-to” person who brought them an expert, “insider” peek into an exciting new product that’s going to be just right.

Either way, you’ve just built up your reader’s trust in your ethics and expert status.

And there are no “cons” to doing that!