How to get paid to write reviews

Do you enjoy sharing your opinion? Do you have an opinion about books, movies, TV shows, apps, food or anything else that can be reviewed? If so then this blog post is for you. 

It’s not uncommon for people to get paid to write reviews these days. It seems like everywhere you look, there are companies looking for people with the skills and time to write honest reviews of their products.

This blog post will provide some tips on how you can start getting paid to do this too. You’ll learn what kind of sites offer jobs, how much money you might make writing reviews, and what websites are worth checking out if you’re interested in making money writing reviews.

You might not know it but there are companies who will pay people to write reviews on their products. It’s a fun way to make some extra money and get free stuff in the process! This blog post will give you all of the information that I’ve learned from doing this job as well as tips for finding these types of jobs. Let’s start with why reviwing things is such a great gig!

There are many reasons that someone would want to review things – maybe they just love talking about what they’re passionate about or maybe they need

Caveat: your review is only good as your reputation

The key to getting paid to write reviews is not the writing part – it’s the promoting part. You need hustle and persistence, an ability to drive traffic to your content, and self-awareness of what you’re able to do though.

It starts with a product you absolutely love so much that you’d be willing to promote for free for as long as needed; then create a blog or website that exclusively covers that topic; then build up social media numbers by whatever means necessary until people recognize your name and transform yourself into an authority figure who’s worth paying money at other times too (lunch date with other bloggers about their interests should do it); finally apply those skills towards getting paid reviewing

Getting free stuff on social media

A while ago I photographed a friend of mine. She’s a model and she was kind enough to let me photograph her.

We did some photography and then I sent her the photos.

She posted it on her Instagram and tagged the bikini company.

That’s when I realized how to get the attention of people.

Here’s an outline of how to do that.

1. Review a product that you love

First, choose a product to write about. What are the benefits? Then, explain what attracted you to it. Tell readers how you feel now that you have it or if you could change anything about it, what would it be?

It could be a movie review. You could be a software judge. It could be a book review. It could be an app review.

Whatever. As long as you love it, you can keep it honest which is quite important.

Of course, the type of product that you are reviewing also has implications on your revenue… some products are more valued than others. Such is life.

If you want to write a good review, then focus on the benefits of your product. For example, “This car has great gas mileage,” is a good way of stating a fact, but in order to relay the benefit of the product, you should also add “therefore it will save you on gas costs.”

It’s important to make sure the “you” word is there when writing about the benefits.

2. Write about your experience with the product and why it’s so great

Yeah, you’re going to need to write about why you love the product so much.

3. Include photos of yourself using the product, if applicable

A photo speaks a thousand words and no review could do without it. Photos are particularly important if you are trying to review a product. There’s always photos to be had on products but when it comes to services, it depends. Still, an image of yourself is always good to establish that you’ve used the product and that you’re the real deal.

4. Share your review on social media channels like Facebook or Instagram

The more eyeballs you can attract, the more likely your review will gain traction. That’s why they call it influencer. It’s like the flu, some are stronger than others.

5. Contact the company to let them know you wrote a review for their product and they will usually offer some sort of compensation in return (cash, free products, etc.)

Yep, this is the big step.

You can be as direct as you want.

Ultimately, it comes down to the prep you’ve done. If you have a big following, use the right hashtags and present the products well, then you’re going to have a much easier time getting the business’s interest.

Freelance review writing on blogs

1. Figure out your niche. 

Before you create a blog, it is important to figure out your niche. This will help determine how much work it takes to get started and what products you should review.

Start looking for blogs in that field. If I’m interested in clothes, then gaming laptops! There are plenty of blogs focused on gaming laptops. You’ll start noticing that they have a certain methodology of reviewing. In this niche, all seasoned reviewers will do performance benchmarks, for example.

Whereas in another niche, say bicycles, people might be more interested in ride quality or traction. Those two are a bit harder to measure so you’d have to be better at explaining what’s good or bad about the saddle/frame material/etc.

2. Write. A lot.

When it comes to Google, might is right. The more you write, the more might you have.

So if you are looking to start a niche blog that reviews products, you’d do well to know that you’re going to have to invest a lot of time into creating content.

Like I said, the first step is to figure out your niche. I found a niche that I am really interested in and so I can write for DAYS without even tiring.

I really enjoy doing product testing. The key as to why I enjoy doing it is really in the fact that I enjoy the products, so it all makes sense when you think about it.

It does cost a bit, though, since I have to buy the products beforehand. Then, I do the product test and then write a product review.

The good thing about this approach is that you can make all your money through display ads, and if you want, affiliate marketing to gain some extra revenue.

The cycle repeats when a new product comes out. It’s back to review writing.

Honestly, there are so many people out there who have achieved this by writing online reviews on their blog. Article after article, the reviewer pumps out content that help people make sense of the product that they potentially want to buy.

Over time, it’s possible to get a free product to review, once you have gotten enough weight with the website.

3. Profit

The great thing about owning a blog is that you might be able to sell it one day. That’s great because that’s when you get the lion’s share of the profits. The month-to-month profit is great because that serves as a barometer of the value of your website.

It’s also passive income for a while.

Having a continuous income stream also allows you to be able to consider reinvesting the income into hiring some help whether it’s SEO help, virtual assistants or people who can write content.

Other sources

If you’re interested in working from home and want to get paid for your opinion, check out these sites. They offer a variety of ways that will allow you to make money by reviewing products or signing up for samples. You can also sign up to be an affiliate which would give you the opportunity to earn commissions on sales generated through your site.

Amazon Vine

Amazon Vine invites the most trusted customers of Amazon to post opinions about new and pre-release items so that their fellow shoppers can make informed decisions. The company selects members based on their reviewer rank, which is a reflection of how helpful the reviews are judged by other consumers.

In order to qualify, you have to review products on Amazon frequently and your reviews must be valued. So if you have written a good Amazon review and keep doing it, you might soon be invited.

They elaborate on their selection criteria, “A reviewer’s rank is determined by the overall helpfulness of all their reviews, factoring in the number of reviews they have written. More weight is given to recent reviews. … Ultimately, Vine Voices become eligible based on the value and trust other Amazon.com customers place in the Voices’ ability to provide helpful and insightful reviews. In addition to the reviewer rank, we also weigh customers’ demonstrated interest in products similar to those enrolled in the Vine program. This facilitates product reviews by people who are familiar with the category they belong to. For example if a Vine Voice mostly purchases and/or reviews home and garden products, it is more likely they will be offered similar products.”

Vine provides free products to its members and lets those people leave reviews, as long as they follow certain guidelines. The products that you will get are from manufacturers that are participating in the program.

And best of all, you can leave an honest review. You don’t have to leave a positive review and there are no penalties if you do as long as your review continues to be helpful to other people.

UserTesting

UserTesting is platform where people can do app reviews and software reviews for companies.

UserTesting says it pays anywhere from $4 to $120 depending on how involved the tests are. According to their website,

“Short tests which usually take 5 minutes pay $4 each. Whereas a 20-minute test involving screen and audio recording and up to 4 follow-up written questions pays $10 USD. Live Conversation tests, which require joining a scheduled video conference call, offer reward amounts between $30 to $120 depending on the duration of the conversation. Payments for completed tests are sent 7 days later.”

They pay by PayPal only so you will need a PayPal account.

There are some hardware requirements that are listed on their website about what you need to start becoming a contributor.

ProductReportCard

ProductReportCard lists three areas of product reviews you can qualify for. They test products and grade them in the area of kitchen, bed & bath and fitness & sports.

Kitchen includes appliances, wine clubs, faucets, knife sharpeners and food processors.

Bed & bath includes facial treatments, wrinkle cream, bathroom scales, acne treatments and more.

Fitness & sports include weight loss programs, tents, ski helmets, running shoes, dumbbells, binoculars and more.

Their website lists three steps to get paid including signing up, taking surveys and getting rewarded via Amazon gift codes.

Tryazon

There’s a three step process to joining Tryazon including signing up, applying to host a party or TryaBox and then trying and sharing the products.

Beyond signing up, you’d have to browse through the opportunities to get these products and apply. If you qualify, they will send you a box that you can try and share with others.

Products include Razor kick scooters, chocolates, puzzles and board games with brands such as T-Fal, Crayola, Silk’n, Razor, Disney, Discovery and Barilla.

Here’s how they describe their party packs: “The party packs provided by our brands include samples, exclusive offers, and often freebies for your guests.”

McCormick Consumer Testing Program

McCormick is a food company and they have a testing program open to Americans, Canadians and UK residents.

You can test products at their Hunt Valley, Maryland location or you can test it at home. Your role would be to test a range of foods, snacks and beverages during the day or evening.

You an participate up to four times a year and once every three months and each test varies in what you do and how long they last.

They do screen their candidates. As they put it, “we pick consumers from our database who meet the demographic requirements for the product we’re testing. If you’re chosen, you’ll receive an email inviting you to answer a few questions about an upcoming test. After you answer them, our system will let you know whether or not you qualify for that test.”

Friends & Neighbors

If you are 18 years or older, you can sign up for Friends & Neighbors which is Johnson & Johnson’s product testing arm.

After you register, you will receive study invitations. There are two kinds. Activities are a ” list of studies for which you have already received emails plus other types of studies selected specifically for you,” while Spotlight are “opportunities to participate in other types of surveys and quick polls.”

There are a few types of studies including product testing where you test the products that haven’t been released onto the market. These studies may include smelling fragrances for a new body wash line, evaluating a new lash lengthening mascara, or testing types of dental floss, just to name a few. This may be Home Use Studies or studies conducted at our local facilities. Participants will receive compensation for their time and participation after the study has been completed.

There are also online surveys, discussion groups, focus groups, consumer panels and sensory panels.

The last one is a bit more unique and they describe it as “Do you think you might have a greater than average ability to assess the appearance, feel and performance of skin care products? If so, you may be interested in training for one of our dedicated sensory panels. This panel usually requires a long term commitment, e.g. weekly sessions on an ongoing basis at our Skillman, NJ facility.”

At the end of the program, you will receive an honorarium through their JP Morgan Chase Payment System.

BzzAgent

Get free products for review!

In order to do this, you will have to sign up, tell them about your interest and then share your experience across social media.

If you qualify for the tests, you will get the products and you get to sample what you have received. There will also be a list of activities that you will have to do including posting to social media or submitting a product review. Then, you must post it on social media with a “honest review to influence your friends, followers and other consumers.”

Finally, “be sure to include the required hashtags and @mentions to get credit for your posts. “

Conclusion

Reviews are a tough gig and it’s not for everyone. If you’re looking to make money as an online writer, but don’t want the hassle of buying products or signing up for samples, then review writing may not be your cup of tea. The best way to know if this is something that will work well with your personality is by trying it out!

In the end, it isn’t as easy to get a free product for reviewing. You have to sign up and qualify for samples or buy them yourself. It’s not all that bad though if you eventually get enough eyeballs on social media or your own blog, you might get enough critical mass to get reviews for free.