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ReviewMe Offers Advertorials

written by John Chow on July 11th, 2007

Logging into my ReviewMe account today, I noticed they’ve started offering advertorials as well as sponsored reviews. An advertorial is the same as a review except the advertiser writes the content. According to ReviewMe, advertorials have the following advantages for advertisers:

  • You can browse our marketplace of top blogs and choose the blogs to run your message which you remain in full control over.
  • Advertorials also feature full impression and click tracking so you can measure your return on investment.
  • Advertorials are a great way to generate buzz and traffic while controlling the message and measuring your results!

You can see an example of an advertorial running on the Text Link Ads blog. It is best to create your advertorials first and then browse the ReviewMe marketplace of advertorials to find the Blogs you would like to publish your ReviewMe Advertorials. The price to place an advertorial is the same as the price for a sponsored review.

From the blogger’s point of view, this has positive and negative points. On the positive side, you don’t have to do any work or research to do the review since everything is written up for you. On the negative side, you have no control over the message. Like all standard ReviewMe reviews, the publisher has the option to accept or reject the advertorial.

So now the question, would you accept advertorials on your blog?

simon said on July 11th, 2007 at 4:04 pm

No, I rather do the review myself if I get one order :mrgreen: But my blog is talking about make money online so whatever can make money it would be worth to try.

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Jarle said on July 11th, 2007 at 4:15 pm

I would not accept advertorials on my blog. I don’t think it would be fair to the readers.

Reply to this comment
Mubin said on July 11th, 2007 at 4:32 pm
a video a day said on July 11th, 2007 at 8:30 pm

hmm, will take a look at it first

Reply to this comment
website copywriter said on July 12th, 2007 at 5:56 am

It would definitely defeat the purpose of the review if you adapt the words of the advertiser. It’s OK to quote some of them, but a review is essentially written in the reviewer’s voice.

Reply to this comment
TextAdSearch said on July 12th, 2007 at 7:29 am

I think they are using advertorials as a new tool rather than trying to replace the existing service.

Advertorials are used widely in print media and they are written by the advertiser rather than the publisher.

Reply to this comment
Goob said on July 12th, 2007 at 7:47 am

If there’s any review going on my sites, it’s going to be done by me or a friend whose objectivity I trust. I don’t want a company plugging their product on my site under the guise of it being a review.

Reply to this comment
Lewis Empire said on July 12th, 2007 at 8:56 am

I agree Jarle. People read a blog for the information it contains. On a blog that teaches you to make money online, I think there should only be reviews of sites that will help me do that.

Reply to this comment
Pam Hoffman said on July 11th, 2007 at 4:07 pm

Will they still require lots of pageviews, vists, etc? I’m still working up to their standards.

BTW, thanks for the help with Kontera - I’m running thru your eBook doing what I can as soon as posible.

pam

p.s. how is everyone getting their pic with their comment?

Reply to this comment
Jarle said on July 11th, 2007 at 4:18 pm

To get your pic with your comment you need to join mybloglog.

Reply to this comment
Goob said on July 12th, 2007 at 7:49 am

You should join it, the personal pics look a lot cooler than the black outlines :)

Reply to this comment
Lewis Empire said on July 12th, 2007 at 8:57 am

No kidding. Makes it more personal too.

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Mybloggo said on July 12th, 2007 at 12:51 pm

U also will get some traffic if u join mybloglog

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BlogaDollar said on July 11th, 2007 at 4:12 pm

Yes I will Accept advertorials on
http://www.blogadollar.com and I hope that
I will be able to submit one here on
johnchow dot com soon. Hey john! I’m
a regular reader and I’ve seen your
price increase and increase ’til this
$400. It would be cool if you lowered
it again so we all could order a review
advert here. Choosing between reviews
or advertorials? mmmm …
For the kind of blogs like mine
http://www.blogadollar.com I would go for
an advertorial. Definitely…
To Be tested though.

Reply to this comment
Steven said on July 11th, 2007 at 5:07 pm

The price increase came because of the increase in traffic and page rank. If you want a review, you’re going to have to pay the $400 just like everyone else, lowering it wouldn’t be fair to those who have already paid the $400 price tag. Not to mention that a lot of blogs at John’s level are probably charging more than $400 so this is already considered a bargain to many.

You might want to consider paying the $400 now rather than wait till it jumps to say $600 then kicking yourself for not doing the review sooner.

Reply to this comment
Kevin said on July 11th, 2007 at 6:20 pm

I have to echo what Steven said, $400 is a bargain when you look at the prices of competitors. There are other blogs with less traffic and less reach who are charging a few hundred dollars more.

Regardless, you cant blame any blogger/website for increasing the price of advertising when traffic goes up. Thats just supply and demand. :mrgreen:

Reply to this comment
website copywriter said on July 12th, 2007 at 6:00 am

True that. It is the reviewer’s prerogative to charge how much they want.

Reply to this comment
Lewis Empire said on July 12th, 2007 at 8:59 am

Can anyone plug their own blog more than this one? I’d like to see you try…

Reply to this comment
Increase WebSite Traffic said on July 11th, 2007 at 4:47 pm

I would still give the better bloggers the opportunity to review the blog themselves, especially if the price was the same.

Reply to this comment
website copywriter said on July 12th, 2007 at 6:04 am

I guess if you’re really after advertising alone, the advertorials would be perfect. But if you’re in it for genuine feedback as well (and sound less repetitive in cases of multiple reviewme orders), then personalized reviews are ideal.

Reply to this comment
Increase WebSite Traffic said on July 12th, 2007 at 9:04 am

true, but if im gonna cough up 400$ for a john chow, id rather he wrote it then me

Reply to this comment
Increase WebSite Traffic said on July 11th, 2007 at 4:48 pm
Goob said on July 12th, 2007 at 7:52 am
Increase WebSite Traffic said on July 12th, 2007 at 9:05 am

sarcastic one arent we?

Reply to this comment
Mybloggo said on July 12th, 2007 at 12:54 pm
Steve's Tech Blog said on July 11th, 2007 at 4:53 pm

I would do it. I would think of it like any advertisement but with more information for the readers. They won’t have to go to another site if they don’t want to. If they do, it’s because they like the product/service. Of course, I will add a category for it.

I don’t think anyone would read a blog full of those but once a week, it would not hurt.

I do free reviews of other services that I was not paid for. With some, I even paid from my own pocket. So, this time I will be paid to test this marketing ideal. Plus, I can accept or not the offer if I think it would be useful to my blog.

So advertisers, make me an advertorial that I would like!

P.S.
I’m on both side of this(advertiser/publisher). See my reviews if your want to know more.

Reply to this comment
Shaun Carter said on July 11th, 2007 at 4:56 pm

I think as long as you can see the advertorial text before accepting I would use them. It is basically an advertised post - how is that different from an adsense unit or a banner ad as long as it is clearly labeled?

Reply to this comment
Terra Andersen said on July 11th, 2007 at 5:14 pm

Nooo, I would probably not want that. :???:

Reply to this comment
website copywriter said on July 12th, 2007 at 6:07 am

Yeah, you really have to keep your blog’s objectives and overall image in mind if and when you decide to take on these advertorials.

Reply to this comment
The Big Fez said on July 11th, 2007 at 5:26 pm

Absolutely. Of course this is provided that I am able to see the copy of the ad first and approve it. I would also like to be able to fully disclose that it is an advertorial out of fairness to the reader.

Reply to this comment
Sam Breadstone said on July 11th, 2007 at 5:34 pm

Takes the point out of review ME to be honest..

Reply to this comment
Garrett Albright said on July 11th, 2007 at 5:34 pm

The question for me is, what advertisers are going to use advertorials? They would basically be the same as press releases, something which companies can already release and broadcast for free. And since most reputable bloggers are going to shy away from publishing them (as evidenced by these comments), advertisers are going to have a hard time finding a well-respected, quality site to place their advertorials on - it’s the ol’ ReviewMe/SponsoredReviews vs PayPerPost divide again. If a company is confident that they truly have a good product and want the world to know, I think they could get a better result from an unbiased review on a large, well-respected site than a press release on an untrusted and forgettable splog.

Reply to this comment
OneYearGoal.com said on July 11th, 2007 at 5:34 pm

Wow. That seems like a great feature for both bloggers and advertisers. It’s like hiring a ghost writer, but getting paid for it :-)

Now I know what to do the next time I take a vacation.
Thanks for the heads up.

Best Wishes,
One Man

One Man. One Year. $100,000 online. How’s he doing it?
http://www.oneyeargoal.com

Reply to this comment
jhay said on July 11th, 2007 at 5:47 pm

I’d stick to writing my own reviews. If I want other user-generated content, I’d invite a guest-blogger instead. :lol:

Reply to this comment
Lewis Empire said on July 12th, 2007 at 9:04 am

Yeah. I’m still debating the idea of a guest bloggger - especially on reviews.

Reply to this comment
Kevin said on July 11th, 2007 at 6:05 pm

As long as the advertorial in question isn’t written like a complete sales pitch, I’d consider publishing one. However, i’d state clearly it was an advertisement :mrgreen:

Reply to this comment
Lewis Empire said on July 12th, 2007 at 9:04 am

I totally agree with Kevin. You should make sure to clearly label a guest blogger or advertisement.

Reply to this comment
Robert Irizarry said on July 11th, 2007 at 6:08 pm

As long as the message is consistent with the blog, I think advertorials are an acceptable practice similar to a guest blogger. However, I would expect that the blogger has final approval.

Reply to this comment
website copywriter said on July 12th, 2007 at 6:16 am

I agree; consistency is a very important aspect to consider. The advertorial has to be as personable as your own style of writing; it must blend into your content fine.

Reply to this comment
The Old Vic said on July 11th, 2007 at 6:12 pm

Hahaha, excuse me if I smile. All you ‘NO’ guys saying NO take the money away - Get THee Behind Me Satan - I have my principles ! Hahahaha - how many of you wear Nike shoes or Calvin Klein underwear or a neat little ‘look at me’ iPhone or iPod or you name it with a little logo - and you pay through the nose for the privilege of advertising some rich guy’s stuff ! Lol ! You guys crack me up. Please don’t put an advertorial on my site - I’ve never done it before please be gentle ! My blog is too pure, my readers’ brain cells might be irreversibly damaged ! Lol ! Too much.

Reply to this comment
Lewis Empire said on July 12th, 2007 at 9:09 am

Are you saying to your readers that you’re more concerned about making a little extra money than giving them great quality information to read?

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personal blog said on July 11th, 2007 at 6:17 pm

Idk, I’d like to write to the readers in my own voice. You post something that’s not written like your voice then it screws things up.

Reply to this comment
free website traffic said on July 12th, 2007 at 6:23 am

It will only distract your readers, I agree. Writing your own review will take a little more time, but at least it stays true to your style and voice.

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Tim Spangler said on July 11th, 2007 at 6:19 pm

As long as advertorials are required to prominently provide full disclosure, sure, I’d run them.

Reply to this comment
Marc said on July 12th, 2007 at 7:21 am

They do require disclosure.

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Hip Hop said on July 11th, 2007 at 7:22 pm

I implemented review-me into my site today :)

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Patrick Curl: Millionaire by 2009 said on July 12th, 2007 at 12:52 am

As a lazy blogger, I sort of like this… I can see where you may lose out, and lose your ‘editing’ power, but my site’s about making money, and the faster I can do that, the better.. . That said, I’m sure they will have, or should have where you can at least choose what sponsors to accept or not, and view their advertorial before hand, to make sure the site at least conforms to your site…

I mean adsense ads though fit into the context of your site, easily enough, I’m sure if you post enough content these will too- as your other posts will drown them out…

Reply to this comment
free website traffic said on July 12th, 2007 at 6:25 am

True enough, it all boils down to your blog’s (and personal) objectives. Clearly, these advertorials should work greatly to your advantage.

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Mybloggo said on July 12th, 2007 at 1:36 am

So sad until now still haven’ get approve by ReviewMe

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2xKnight said on July 12th, 2007 at 2:17 am

There is no way I’d accept one of those. It takes away the one redeeming feature of ReviewMe, honesty. At least normally you can write an honest review, with this it’s just an ad. It would destroy any credibility you might have.

Reply to this comment
Bill Hutchison said on July 12th, 2007 at 6:28 am

I reckon that I couldn’t accept this sort of thing on any of my sites. The idea of getting payed for an “honest” review appeals to me, but to just chuck an advert like up on my blog does not appeal to me at all.

Reply to this comment
Marc said on July 12th, 2007 at 7:24 am

I don’t think I could use them. While I do tons of sponsored posts, they all carry my voice, tone, structure, etc… I don’t think I’d personally be comfortable with an advertorial.

I have seen blogs where they would fit though. One like John’s where he has multiple authors already. It will fit in better in that type of environment.

It doesn’t really matter though since I’ve never had any offers come from ReviewMe anyways. I don’t see that changing anytime soon :)

Reply to this comment
Real Estate Editorial said on July 12th, 2007 at 7:42 am

I think writing your own reviews is the way to go.

Reply to this comment
Lewis Empire said on July 12th, 2007 at 9:13 am

I think I’m in a bad mood today so sorry for the tone! I think people choose to read a blog because they like the content, information and style. If you don’t have a consistent level of each then say good-bye to your readers. Shopping out your reviews and other parts of the blog is fine if there’s significant value in the post TO THE READERS but make sure you balance it out with a lot of great original content of your own.

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chrisblogging.com said on July 12th, 2007 at 12:15 pm

This sounds quite interesting, but I am not sure many bloggers will want advertorials. After all, they do not really have much control over the content…

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Webmaster Money said on July 13th, 2007 at 2:32 am

It might be good in some way. Sometimes you need some fresh content and if they pay you and you like it than you take the money and there is no work involved.

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bob cobb said on July 14th, 2007 at 9:30 am

I’m really not a big fan of reviewme. From a publisher view I get it, but its not really a good thing for readers for the most part.

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