I admit I’m a huge fan of Amazon. I have been a member of Amazon Prime for over a decade, and almost embarrassingly spent so much one year that I even got a handwritten thank you letter from a customer service person at Christmas. The convenience of shopping online through the web, Android/iOS app and smart speakers enable me to shop from home, the office, the gym or basically anywhere I have a data connection. Combine the ease of shopping with great prices and free two-day shipping keeps my loyalty going strong despite Walmart’s best effort to steal me away. Amazon Prime Video, Music and all of the extra goodies are just icing on the cake. What really sets Amazon apart from all other sellers are its customer reviews of products listed in its marketplace. I, like many of you, read reviews of any unfamiliar products I might be interested in purchasing. They help me make educated decisions and prevent me from buying something I do not want.
Manufacturers and resellers know all too well how product reviews have dramatic effects on sales numbers. It’s why Amazon had to ban product reviews, and even some unethical reviewers, of products exchanged for favorable commentary. Amazon went as far as suing some of those unethical individuals who attempted to game the system. It knows how valuable its review system is and wants to keep it as impeccable as possible to ensure high customer satisfaction.
Several years ago Amazon created the Amazon Vine Program to help connect top reviewers to free products in exchange for unbiased reviews. In turn, these reviews would inform consumers about the product as well as give the manufacturer extra exposure.
What is Amazon Vine?
Amazon Vine invites the most trusted reviewers on Amazon to post opinions about new and pre-release items to help their fellow customers make informed purchase decisions. Amazon invites customers to become Vine Voices based on their reviewer rank, which is a reflection of the quality and helpfulness of their reviews as judged by other Amazon customers. Amazon provides Vine members with free products that have been submitted to the program by participating vendors. Vine reviews are the independent opinions of the Vine Voices. The vendor cannot influence, modify or edit the reviews. Amazon does not modify or edit Vine reviews, as long as they comply with our posting guidelines. A Vine review is identified with the green stripe Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program. – Amazon
In a nutshell, if you write quality and honest reviews, there’s a chance Amazon will add you to its Vine program for your thoughts on products provided free of charge.
Beyond Amazon Prime, if you read reviews to make informed decisions you should consider doing the right thing and return the favor. Reviews don’t take an excess amount of time to write, so consider contributing to the same people who help you.
Be authentic
Reviewing products is as simple as speaking from the heart. There’s no need to over indulge or exaggerate in hopes of becoming a higher rated reviewer. People are smart and can mostly tell if you aren’t being honest and upfront. In the same light, there’s no need to give a product a poor rating because it was delivered later than expected or even if the product failed. Most sellers have no intention of selling you bad products which is why they offer warranties or satisfaction guarantees. Contact the manufacturer directly and there’s a high chance they will do everything in its power to remedy your situation. Speak to the product – when you write, simply convey your thoughts like you’re speaking to a friend.
Lastly, don’t plagiarise. It’s unethical to use someone else’s work and take it as your own.
Don’t rush to be the first reviewer
Being the first reviewer will usually get your review more exposure. However Amazon has a system that focuses on quality over everything else. There have been several reviews I’ve written on Amazon that are months behind hundreds of others, but later moved to the top three spots because I focused on the quality of the review above speed.
Take high-quality pictures
Photographs are an excellent way to support a review. I highly recommend supplying photos to support your review. The idiom “A picture is worth a thousand words” still holds true to this day, especially in reviews. If you use a smartphone to take pictures, make sure to clean your lens and to use as much lighting as possible. Pictures in daylight come out clearer and sharper than pictures in the dark. Take pictures of your product from different angles to give different perspectives. If it’s a food product, you can take a picture of the nutritional label to let others read it on their own.
Even still, bad pictures are better than nothing in most cases. Pictures are also a great way to differentiate your review from the hundreds of others. Check out the Amazon Echo Dot Cover reviews as an example. Currently, the I’m the top reviewer and it’s mostly because I took the time to take quality pictures. I’m in no way a photographer, however I do use a Sony a6000 on the Auto mode, as well as a cheap photography lamp. The lamp will improve your indoor photography immensely and you really don’t need to invest in a dedicated camera, especially for Amazon reviews.
Stay consistent
If your goal is to break the top ranks of reviewers, you need to review products consistently. It doesn’t need to be everyday, but it should be one review every two weeks. However, if you have time to do more, it will help you get more “Helpful” votes than less reviews.
Use proper grammar and spelling to the best of your abilities
Very few people have the time or commitment to write with perfect grammar. However there are tools like spell checkers that can fix spelling errors. While most people don’t care about proper spelling, it will go a long way in making your review easier to understand. If you have a problem with grammar, there are tools like Grammarly which can fix a good majority of those problems.
Following these five steps won’t guarantee you’ll be a top reviewer on Amazon, but there’s a good chance they will get you into the top 10,000 in a matter of months. Writing reviews is a great way to return the favor to the community that provides reviews you rely on to make educated purchasing decisions. It’s also a great way to learn to communicate better and that’s an invaluable lesson. Lastly, if you’re lucky, Amazon might select you to join its Vine Program so you can get free products in exchange for your opinion.
I’m in no way a perfect reviewer, but the more I do the better I get at it. In the last six months, I’ve gone from outside the top 10,000 reviewers to break the top 2,000 last month.