You wanna' know how to do product reviews?

So, remember when I asked if y'all would be interested in me giving my personal opinion and review on products? That was when I first started doing the fun giveaway thing. It was typically for my favorite items (cleaning products) and I sponsored the giveaways myself at a minor expense. For the fun of it. Everyone needs something to smile about and winning definitely optimizes one's mood to the positive. :-) So, as I joined with twitter, and searched for products for Root & Sprout reviews and giveaways, I found new Mom bloggers who were doing fabulous giveaways and receiving sponsored products -- for their honest evaluation. Before I knew it, I was involved with multiple venues and having many of my own reviews sponsored in that the product was given to me for free -- for me to give my honest opinion. I've also been contacted by a couple of literary PR agents and so I have opportunities to receive many wonderful books of all sorts! Some I keep, many I giveaway because I love to share. :-) So, I was invited to be a review member at "The Product Review Place" during it's Beta release. The Product Review Place was started by Mom of 2 Boys, Wife to 1. I joined up happily and am thrilled that I did. Recently, they did a little diddy survey for those who review and those who want to review products. I thought I'd share. Why review? it's fun. You get free stuff. And, people appreciate a place they can go to and an opinion they trust. Here's what the experts have to say: The experts have spoken! The bloggers writing reviews at The Product Review Place were tasked with coming up with the most useful product review tips. These tips are designed to help those just starting out but can help even the most seasoned reviewers. Read on to learn what the product review experts had to say: I always try to get the company to realize the added exposure by offering a giveaway! If a giveaway is tied into the review ask sponsor to direct ship. I HATE going to the post office and it takes me FOREVER to ship winners their things. Not only is it time consuming, but it can be VERY EXPENSIVE! I am going Saturday to the PO to send off things and I know it is going to cost me about $50! Two words: direct ship Lisa from Mom of 2 Boys, Wife of 1 Be extremely organized. You need to keep track of items that come into your house and when you are going to post. I use outlook to keep everything organized. I organize all my e-mail into sub-folders and place everything I review on my calendar. Louise from Momstart Don't be afraid to ask! The worst they can do is tell you no, right? Angie Knutson from My Four Monkeys When I offer a giveaway along with the review, I always seem to get more hits on the post. If your not organized you won't know what product goes where or find your notes of what you planned on saying. Take notes on the product you are trying to review. Note everything, even if you don't think its important..you can always weed out your notes later. Ask the company if there is anything that they want the readers to know about the product..you never know what they might say. Jo from Jo's Blog Spot I think stats are important. They might want to know: how many people are viewing your blog? your google page rank or how many followers you have? Be prepared with this information. Jaqueline from My Lil Guyz Be detailed in your review. If your review is just 3 lines long with nothing more than general information in it, you're not helping your readers at all. Readers want to know more than what they can just read on the product's website. Plus, companies and PR folks will come back to you with other items in the future if they see you took the time to write a good review. Also, don't be afraid to post a negative review. Make sure you mention that it's your opinion only, but don't be afraid to say why the product didn't live up to your standards. Moms want to know if it is really worth buying, or if it is just going to gather dust or be thrown away! Storm from Confessions of a Psychotic Housewife DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK. My first giveaways came from my persistence. I simply asked and I received. Keonte from The Verdict: Parenting on Trial When approaching a company, include why you're a good match for their company in your pitch. Include specific references to their company and products in your request so that it doesn't seem like a form letter. Katie from Katie's Nesting Spot Request a giveaway and explain that it improves visits to their site. Ask what link(s) the company would like for me to direct my readers to visit. I am always sure to send a link to the company once my post is up. I never, ever ship my giveaways unless I'm running them myself. I once did a week worth of them on my newest blog and let me tell you, I spent way too much money. The other issue I have now, but will soon be over, is that I don't have business cards. Sending items without them seemed so cheesy to me. Connie of Brain Foggles My best advice (and this may not be too popular with the PR people) is to be honest. If you didn't like the product, that doesn't mean you shouldn't do the review. Just give your open and honest opinion. Your readers are intelligent and can decide for themselves if they like it, especially if there is a giveaway attached. Adrienne of Adrienne's House Product Review Tips from the Experts courtesy of The Product Review Place. The Product Review Place connects bloggers and consumers with PR. The Product Review Place *** The Search is Over *** Reviews. Defined. Refined. Just thought I'd share!

You wanna' know how to do product reviews?