Creating Copy vs. Writing a Review

In talking with my mom today, we had a discussion that naturally turned towards blogging. Full disclosure: Mom and I have been freelancing for over a decade. Mom got her start with AC a long time ago and got me started there as well. While our paths have taken different roads, she's always enjoyed blogging and her natural style is to talk about the stuff she uses and how she feels about it. For her, product review blogging is a natural extension.

Myself? I've gone down the Digital Media Management/Social Media Strategist road. I love blogging - don't get me wrong. I'm a Leo and a theater kid, so talking about myself is one of my favorite hobbies - but I tend to fall into a more "copywriting" voice compared to other bloggers.

Anyway, back to what this was about. We were discussing Google Analytics (GA) and the dependency that these product dealers have on it. In the Social Media Strategy (SMS) world, GA is really seen as an iffy indicator of the actual pageviews. Blogger/Blogspot is notoriously raked by spam spiders, and the majority of PV's on GA are from bots.

Something that we've observed in the time that we've been doing this is the slow shift of advertising. I discussed this briefly in this post, but it's something I think is worth covering a little more in-depth.

Again, it's no secret that the face of modern advertising has changed crazy fast since the advent of American internet usage. Nearly 3/4 of all households have access to the internet, and with the increasing affordability of smart phones and data plans, that number is rising even faster. This means that while in 1999 - 2002, the internet and home computers were limited to a certain income demographic as the cost of entry was much higher. The fact has changed, however, and it's for the better.

Marketing professionals and advertisers know this, which is why they reach out to bloggers for product reviews. People don't trust advertisements anymore, and they are blind to them. Additionally, "paid promotional consideration" is a death knell to youtubers all over the place. Remember the uproar when people figured out that Microsoft was secretly paying youtubers to create videos praising the XBone when they completely booted the launch last year? Many trusted and popular youtube personalities lost viewership and their channels by violating FTC guidelines that say that a blogger is supposed to disclose if something is a paid advertisement.

This brings us to the point. A lot of bloggers will get asked by promoters to remove a negative review of a product. They'll threaten blacklisting, or send passive-aggressive "But No one else has EVER had an issue" type emails. They'll flag your reviews on Amazon and use every trick in their books against you.

So what does that mean? They really aren't looking for a review, but rather copywriting.

Copy writing is a very valid form of advertising and advertisers have been using it for decades. Unfortunately, promoters say they want "real" feedback from bloggers in order to build brand loyalty and promote transparency, but they don't. They want to bribe bloggers into writing copy for the cost of a product.

This leaves you in a precarious position. How does one give negative feedback and still maintain their integrity, compliance with FTC laws and regulations, keep their followers happy, and of course the promoter?

Well, first and foremost, there's nothing wrong with providing feedback. I personally use a 2:1 type ratio. I'll compliment the packaging, customer service, and then name an issue. Or, you can write about the positives and then write about the negatives.

What about a package that just sucks? Or an experience that was horrible from start to finish and there are no positives whatsoever? It's gonna happen.

The best way to do this is to remain neutral. Remember, you're not ranting to your facebook friends, but rather fulfilling a professional contract. The language should indicate this professionalism.

For instance, a review like this:

"I HATE THESE PEOPLE!!!!!!This product was NOT as advertised, was SHIPPED BROKEN AND THESE IDIOTS REFUSED TO FIX IT!!!!!!!"

is going to be flagged and asked to be removed.

However, something like this:

"I got a chance to try this product and was very disappointed. It's advertised as a 2.5 oz jar but I received a broken 1.5 oz jar. I tried to contact customer service to get the issue fixed, but there wasn't a positive resolution. Buyer beware of the possible problems you might encounter!"

hits professional language, is reasonable in tone, and says the same things as above. For someone to ask for this review to be removed gives you traction, because of the very nature of how it's written. It also fufills your agreement with the promoter, which is to provide an honest account of the product and your experience in exchange for the product. By giving your HONEST feedback, this counts as a review.

Once you start changing your language to suit the needs of the promoter, you're writing copy and not only in violation of the FTC rules, but endangering your reputation as an honest blogger, further blurring the lines of what counts as an advertisement and what counts as a paid or compensated review.

5 Things for Product Review Bloggers to Remember

It’s not a secret that a lot of beauty blogger/vloggers get free products in exchange for honest reviews. This has been going on since advertising has been created. With the change in trends of advertising (as in, people ignore ads on websites, people ignore commercials on t.v., people trust recommendations from humans over a commercial), companies have to become more creative with their advertising dollar.

Something that I have started doing recently is reviewing products.

Something  that I’ve noticed is that companies are absolute pricks to bloggers. They look at the majority of people who blog as bottom feeders grubbing for free products and abuse them. There’s a notorious character called “Amazon James” who treats people on his facebook group like absolute scum. He’s a prick. Flat-out. He seems to take delight in humiliating and demeaning people. Yet, people still go to him because they want to review and don’t know how to get started elsewhere.

People think that “mommy bloggers” are idiots that can be pushed around because they are desperate for products and an urgent need to be the next “Pioneer Lady”.

So here are five things I think that should be discussed when we talk about reviewing products in exchange for product and the advent of “Mommy Blogging” as a career.

 Your time is worth something.

I know that it’s very easy to think of blogging and reviewing as a hobby, and therefore it’s a hobby and if you don’t make any money at it, so be it. But your time IS worth something: Even if it’s a 5 dollar bottle of moisturizer – if you write something, you deserve to be compensated.

A disturbing trend that I’m seeing is a lot of product people are saying things like this:

“Okay. So We'll do only non-purchased reviews from now. I'll be needing honest reviews on all products. no freebies or giveaways. So you can leave the group if you are not ok with non-purchased review.Why i'm doing this: Because we given away lots of products and ended with getting most of the reviews removed. So We only lost our product and what we got in return?? NOTHING. I know its not your fault neither its mine. So its a final decision. you are free to go if you don't want to do non purchased reviews here.”

Let’s get past the unprofessionalism of this post and look at the heart of the matter. This person is asking you to write copy for them, for free.  The professional copywriters’ network in the UK and US suggest rates at about $150.00 per piece for copy.

Obviously a new copywriter is going to earn less than a seasoned one, but remember the next time a company wants you to give them free reviews, testimonials or descriptions: That review is worth an average of $150.00 if they were paying an advertising company for it.

  Know what is legal and illegal, and don’t take a supplier’s word for it.

The FCC has very strict guidelines regarding promotional considerations in writing and blogging. Ever wonder why some manufacturers ask you to publish a review for a product you’ve never even touched? Because the FCC won’t come after them – they’ll come after you. And it’s YOUR livelihood that is on the line.

 Here’s the thing: Not every product review is a promo. Sometimes we pick up a cleaning product at the store and it flat-out SUCKS, so of course we’ll bitch about it on our blog. The problem is that these posts can tend to blur together with sponsored posts, sponsored vlogs, promos and other types of considerations. Suppliers take this fact for granted and ask for reviews that promise compensation after publication.

If you’re ever unsure of the legality of what you’re being asked, reach out to your network and find out. Look up the FCC rules (in fact, those should be bookmarked!!!) and if something doesn’t fall into line with what you’re reading, ask the promoter if it’s legal. Their response should let you know if this is something you should continue to do.

If it falls into a grey area, it’s your choice to do something or not, but that leads us to the next point:

 Your integrity is everything – don’t compromise it.

Take any sort of market survey now and many will include a line of questioning about your preferred advertising:  Are you more likely to buy a product based on your friend’s opinion?

That’s right – “friend’s opinion”. People who come to these blogs and are loyal followers of you really do build a connection with you. They enjoy the rapport of speaking with you in comments or watching your interactions on social media. Like it or not, they think of you as a friend. Not just that, but as someone they can TRUST.

Let’s say you’re looking for a new vacuum cleaner. You mention this to your friend, who tells you about the CleanLady3000XLB. She tells you that this vacuum is well worth the expense, better than other vacuums on the market, and cleans like a dream. You go ahead and purchase it, but alas, the vacuum is crap. It’s terrible. It breaks almost the minute you  get it, and you spent what equals a few car payments on this thing because of what your friend said.

Then you go back to your friend and ask them why they would recommend something like this to you! Your friend tells you, “Well, I never actually USED it before, but I have read reviews about it online and the company told me they’d give me a free one if I got you to buy one first.”

I can do an entire series on ethics in blogging and reviewing, but I won’t do that in this post. I will leave this be, with a final thought: How trustworthy is your friend to you now, especially since you have that behemoth of a vacuum in your closet rotting away?

It’s okay to not like something – and talk about it.

That’s right: You can hate a product. You can be frustrated that something doesn’t do what it should. You can express that the price for something is too steep for the quality. You can talk about the disgusting brown color it comes in. Just because you got a free product doesn’t mean that you don’t get to talk about the downsides of a product.

Everyone that has been doing this has a tale about a company who got upset with the blogger when the blogger had to post the negative review.

This goes back to the ethics thing again. If a company has a sucky product, you have a job to say why it sucks. There’s a polite way to do it and of course, a company is within its rights to try and resolve your issue to change your negative into a positive – but you certainly have no obligation to automatically struggle when you get a product and realize it’s not what you were hoping for.

Yes, you’re a blogger. That doesn’t mean you’re dumb. Don’t be minimized. 

I can’t stress this enough. Remember at the end of the day, companies are using you as an alternative to advertising budgets and traditional venues of marketing. The trick is to remember that they need you more than you need them. You’re not a vapid, vain person simply because you found a loophole in the system that allows you to get free products . You’re not selfish because you are selling your time in exchange for copy. You’re not dumb because you are a SAHM who does this, or a professional who does this on the side. Don’t let them treat you like shit. If you come across a seller who likes to treat you or a group of bloggers poorly, fuck them. Free stuff isn’t worth getting demeaned or looked down on. You get to set the terms of engagement with yourself, NOT a seller.

It’s worth repeating: You’re not dumb. Don’t be minimized. They need you more than you need them. 

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Agree? Disagree? What are some things you wish you were told when you first started out? Feel free to discuss below!