As I told you here, there are exciting things afoot over on the Netmums website, where they've just launched a Parent Bloggers Network. I'm honoured to have been asked to come up with a blogpost giving you a masterclass on writing reviews, but there will be many more topics covered over on the Netmums site, as well as a series of guest posts from other lovely bloggers. Make sure you head over to check it all out and, if you've got your own parenting blog, sign up yours too. My "How to write a review" article will be posted over on Netmums in a couple of weeks but you can have an exclusive sneaky peek here.
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Online reviewing is the new mummy-blogging. It seems as if just about everybody is jumping on the bandwagon and manufacturers and media comapnies alike are starting to realise just how much influence reviews blogs can have. So where do you start if you want to get in on the action ?
1) Honesty - From a legal point of view, you need to have "disclosure" somewhere on your blog or in your reviews which states that you have been paid for writing a sponsored post or that you have received a product for free. It doesn't need to be complicated and if you look at a few reviews blogs, you'll get a good idea of what to write.
2) Balance - Try to give a balanced view of the products you're reviewing. Just because somebody has sent you a product for free, that doesn't mean you have to just say nice things about it if you weren't entirely happy with it. Manufacturers love feedback that can help them make improvements so they'll respect you for being honest. If you really didn't like something, it may not be to your tastes but that doesn't mean it's an intrinsically bad product though, so try to point out the positives too.
3) Individuality - If a company or PR person send you a press release or information sheet with the product, use it as research and feel free to quote extracts (pointing out that this is what the manufacturer says) but don't just copy and paste the whole thing into your blogpost. It will be obvious so your readers won't trust your reviews and it's boring when you google a product and read ten almost identical reviews on different blogs ! Don't plagiarise other people's reviews either - it's your personal views that are the most interesting.
4) Trustworthiness - If you promise to write a review for a company, make sure you actually do it. Remember that PR people have deadlines to work to and small companies need all the help they can get to get their products showcased in the media, which includes reviews blogs. It may just be a hobby for you but it's their livelihood at stake so don't just go grabbing freebies if you're not willing to put the effort in afterwards as promised.
5) Patience - Don't expect it all to happen immediately. Instead of spending hours putting out pleas for review products on twitter, put in the groundwork and get your blog established ! Fill it up with reviews of things you already use around your home, make sure you leave a contact email on your blog and eventually the manufacturers and PR people will start contacting you directly. It's not a competition so don't get obsessed with comparing blog stats and Klout scores and numbers of followers. It's supposed to be fun, remember ?!
(sponsored - but nevertheless totally honest ! - post)
for more information : http://www.netmums.com/bloggers
for more information : http://www.netmums.com/bloggers
Bloggers Disclosure
By joining the Netmums Blogging Network, the bloggers have agreed to the following:
I am a member of the Netmums Blogging Network, a unique community of parent bloggers from around the UK who have been handpicked by the Netmums team to review products and brands on their behalf. I am paid an expenses fee to cover my time (and childcare if the fee is big enough!) but Netmums have no editorial control whatsoever about what I blog about. Being a member of the Netmums Blogging Network means that I get to try out products and brands and get my expenses covered but that I retain full editorial integrity.
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Really good tips thank you! I have been worried that I have done something wrong when everyone around me seems to get loads of reviews to do, but i will take your advise and get established first. x
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