How to Get Paid for Writing Amazon Reviews
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Summary:
If you do a lot of online shopping and enjoy sharing your honest opinion with others, you could be making money reviewing Amazon products. But it’s important to first understand the legalities involved with writing reviews. Once you’ve built credibility by writing good Amazon reviews, you may be able to join legitimate paid review programs.
Do you love shopping on Amazon? Like most people, do you always read product reviews before making a purchase? Do you also like to provide feedback and leave reviews of your own? If you answered yes to these questions, perhaps you have wondered if you could make extra money by writing reviews.
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How to get paid for writing Amazon reviews
If you are looking for an at-home side job or a way to earn money online, reviewing products may sound like a great option. However, it is important to be aware of the guidelines and restrictions related to getting paid to write reviews on Amazon. This article will provide a step-by-step guide to becoming a credible Amazon reviewer and will also highlight how to find legitimate ways to get paid for writing reviews.
Step 1: Create an Amazon account
How can you start to get paid to write Amazon reviews? If you have not already done so, creating an Amazon Prime account, which includes free shipping on many products as well as access to Prime Day deals, costs $14.99 per month or $139 per year. Senior citizens who are enrolled in a qualified government assistance program like Medicaid or SNAP are eligible for Prime Access, which reduces the price to just $6.99. Paying extra for Prime will be beneficial if you plan on ordering many products.
Step 2: Start reviewing products
Improving your reviewer ranking can take time, and if you only write a few reviews, you likely won’t get noticed or offered the opportunity to write paid reviews. A good place to start is to review products you already purchased and received. To find those, log in to Amazon and go to Your Account > Orders. You will see that each product you have purchased and not yet reviewed has a button for “Write a product review.”
You will want to strike a balance between quantity and quality. If you really want to start earning money for your feedback, writing too many reviews that are short, general, and superficial won’t help. Below are a few tips on how to write reviews for Amazon that will build your credibility.
Be honest
Many review websites, including Amazon, understand that honest feedback can make a big difference in a customer’s decision to purchase a product or not. This is why their guidelines and policies for writing reviews prioritize honesty and transparency. An honest review is a good review. “Amazon supports customer reviews that are based on actual interactions with products,” said Jessica Watson, who writes an Amazon review after every purchase. “For the purpose of supplying customers with useful information and assisting them in making educated purchasing decisions, they appreciate the honesty and trustworthiness of evaluations.”
Think of the unbiased reviews you’ve appreciated reading and that tipped the scales for or against buying a certain product. Likely they shared the reviewer’s genuine experience and offered valuable feedback highlighting both the positives and negatives. Reviews like these help potential buyers assess the quality, reliability, and value of a product.
Pro Tip
Aim to provide honest Amazon reviews that express your unbiased opinions. This will contribute to a positive online shopping environment, benefiting both consumers and sellers.
Be compelling and trustworthy
To attract paid review opportunities, it’s essential to also write good reviews that are compelling and trustworthy. Aim to post reviews that you yourself would want to read.
- Be thorough. Provide a helpful, detailed description of the product, its features and uses, and its benefits and drawbacks. Providing accurate information will help others to make informed decisions.
- Use multimedia. Include high-quality photos (avoid grainy, low-resolution photos that are either too close or too far to show the product or feature properly) or upload a video review. These can enhance your review’s visual appeal, and also add trustworthiness to your feedback.
- Offer comparisons. If you’ve used similar products, provide useful comparisons to give readers a broader perspective and help them consider multiple options.
Increase your reviewer ranking
If you follow the recommendations described above, in time you will establish yourself as a credible Amazon reviewer and hopefully start getting helpful votes. Here are a few additional things you can do to increase your reviewer ranking:
- Be consistent and post regularly.
- Maintain a high standard of quality.
- Try to develop a unique writing and reviewing style that reflects your personality and resonates with your readers.
- Engage with the Amazon community by responding to questions and comments on your reviews.
If you’re looking for other work you can do from home, check out our list of 15 work-at-home side jobs and read reviews of potential employers.
Step 3: Learn and follow Amazon’s guidelines and policies
There is a lot of contradictory information online about whether or not it is allowed or even legal to receive free or discounted products or to get paid to review items on Amazon. However, Amazon’s policies clearly state that offering or accepting free products, discounts, or money online in exchange for reviews is not allowed.
Amazon review guidelines for sellers
Amazon has specific guidelines regarding incentivized reviews to maintain transparency and to protect the integrity of the platform. Per the guidelines for Amazon sellers, the following are in violation of the customer review policies:
- Offering a financial reward, discount, free products, or other compensation in exchange for a review. This includes using services that sell customer feedback, websites, or social media like Facebook groups.
- Offering to provide a refund or reimbursement after the buyer writes a review.
Types of reviews that are not allowed
Amazon does not allow and will remove:
- Reviews by anyone who has a direct or indirect financial interest in the product.
- Reviews by anyone perceived to have a close personal relationship with the product’s owner, author, or artist.
- Multiple negative reviews for the same product from one customer.
- Reviews in exchange for a monetary reward.
- Reviews of a game in exchange for in-game credits.
These guidelines also apply to book reviews. If you receive free books, you can review them on Amazon (or other book review websites). But an author cannot request a review in exchange for the book. That would be the same as getting paid to write reviews.
Pro Tip
To ensure all your reviews are in line with Amazon’s policies, read the “Customer Reviews” guidelines and the “Community Guidelines,” which can be accessed when you are logged in to your Amazon account.
Fraudulent offers
Even if there are people or businesses who assert they will provide rewards or benefits for Amazon evaluations, taking part in such activities might have negative effects on both the reviewer and the product seller. To maintain a fair and reliable review ecosystem, it's critical to put honesty first and adhere to Amazon's rules.—Jessica WatsonClick to Tweet
Maintaining integrity as a reviewer is paramount to establishing credibility and trust, and it provides value to both the sellers and the consumers. However, some companies selling stuff online may offer to pay Amazon reviewers for positive reviews, even if they did not purchase, use, or like the product.
This may seem like a quick and easy way to make some extra cash or get free items, but writing a dishonest review as a way to earn money is unethical and also violates Amazon’s policies. Building trust and credibility as a reviewer takes time and effort, and dishonest practices can tarnish your image in the eyes of sellers and buyers.
IMPORTANT! Writing a dishonest review on Amazon for money can have several consequences, including:
- Account suspension. Amazon has the right to suspend or terminate any account if they determine that their policies have been violated.
- Removal of reviews. This would undermine your credibility as an Amazon reviewer.
- Legal implications. Misrepresentation, false advertising, and other forms of fraud could be subject to legal action.
- Reputation damage. Writing dishonest reviews can damage your personal reputation and affect your future opportunities as a reviewer.
Step 4: Find legitimate paid review programs
Now that you’ve laid the foundation as a trustworthy reviewer and are familiar with Amazon’s policies and guidelines, you can explore legitimate avenues to get paid to provide reviews.
Join Amazon Vine
This is one of the most reputable ways to get paid to write Amazon reviews. Amazon Vine is an invitation-only program through which experienced and trusted reviewers receive free products in exchange for honest and unbiased feedback. Focus on building your reviewer reputation to increase your chances of being invited to write paid reviews via Amazon Vine.
Sign up for product-testing websites
Various Amazon review sites and product-testing websites (Snagshout and Vipon) connect reviewers with brands looking for honest reviews. You would then get paid for your review directly by the company (via your Paypal account or another way).
Work with review and feedback companies
Several companies (including ReviewMeta, ReviewKick, and FeedbackExpress) specialize in connecting reviewers with sellers and manufacturers who are seeking genuine and quality reviews.
Become an influencer or blogger
Ernests Embutnieks, a digital marketing specialist and founder of WolfofTablet, recommends:
- Creating informative and valuable content through a dedicated blog.
- Producing compelling content on YouTube to reach a wider audience.
- Developing concise and engaging videos specifically for the Amazon Influencer Program.
Pro Tip
If you create your own blog, it helps to focus on a particular niche or product category that resonates with your interests and expertise. As your following grows, brands may contact you for sponsored reviews or partnerships.
Monetize your website
If you already have your own blog, website, or YouTube channel with a dedicated following, consider incorporating display advertisements, sponsored content, and affiliate marketing on your blog post.
Join the Amazon affiliate program
Through the Amazon affiliate program, called Amazon Associates, you can earn a commission for referring customers to products through your own affiliate websites. Onur Ozkan, a financial advisor and co-founder of Hipcall, recommends that you “start reviewing the products of your niche on your blog or video YouTube channel. This way you can leave the link to the product for your viewers. When they buy through your affiliate link, you’ll get a commission,” he says. He also suggested joining Amazon Mechanical Turk, which is “a marketplace for small tasks that can be completed online. Some of these tasks may involve writing product reviews.”
Start reviewing the products of your niche on your blog or video YouTube channel. This way you can leave the link to the product for your viewers. When they buy through your affiliate link, you’ll get a commission. -Onur OzkanClick to Tweet
Freelance
Some companies have their own review programs and are open to working with independent reviewers. Look for contact information on their websites or reach out via email to express your interest. You can create a portfolio of your past Amazon reviews and reach out to potential clients or freelance platforms to offer your services as a professional reviewer.
Key takeaways
- Writing helpful reviews can be a way to get free stuff and even make some extra cash, but it’s important to be aware of the legalities involved.
- You will not get paid by Amazon to write reviews, but sellers may offer compensation for you to review their products (often in the form of free or discounted products or sometimes cash payments). This is against Amazon’s policy.
- To build up your reputation as a credible reviewer and potentially get paid to write reviews, post only legit product reviews that are honest and compelling.
- Legitimate ways to get paid to write Amazon reviews include joining Amazon Vine or the Amazon Associates program, working with product testing websites, or monetizing your blog or other websites.
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