7 Confessions of a Product Review Blogger
1. I started my product review blog to get free stuff.
After I had Jude we decided it was best if I stayed at home to take care of him. Going from a double income home to single was tough. I started entering giveaways because we couldn’t afford to buy anything other than essentials. I thought it would be a cinch to start my own blog and do the reviews and giveaways myself. Boy, was I in for a surprise. I’m on my 2nd year with this blog and am working as hard if not harder than I was when I started.
2. I have no idea what I’m doing.
Everything about The B Keeps Us Honest has come about through trial and error. From the design and SEO to my pitches and ad pricing. I’ve learned it all through research and trying it myself. I’m still tweaking and learning what makes a good blog so I don’t think I’ll ever really know exactly what I’m doing.
3. I stalk other product review blogs.
Stalking might be a harsh word but I like to know what is going on in the blog world. Knowing what kind of products others are reviewing, the way they run their giveaways, the networks they join are all ways I stay in tune with readers.
4. If a company treats me well I am more likely to buy their product.
Of course, the product has to be decent too. When I work first hand with representatives from companies it gives me more pros and cons as to whether I should buy their product. If they treat me with respect and have an awesome product I am going to talk up their product as much as possible. Likewise, if a company has an awesome product and treats me like scum I will not be buying anything from them anytime soon.
5. I was excited when I became pregnant because of all the review opportunities it opened to me.
True story, before I became pregnant with #2 I started a Baby List, a list of products I wanted to review when I had another child. Some products I could justify because I had a toddler and he was still able to use them, but for others I just had to wait. When I became pregnant with #2 my mind went immediately (well, after the shock wore off) to all the great things I could do on my blog now.
6. I stalk my own blog.
I love to see how many people have entered certain giveaways. What posts are most popular. What products people like. How many new followers I have. Etc… I probably visit my own blog at least 20 times a day.
7. When I really need something I look into reviewing it before I look into buying it.
Like I mentioned in confession #1 we don’t have a lot of money so when we have need for something I try my hardest to get it free for review. I’m not one to ask for handouts but I will work in exchange for the product. That is how people did things back in the day, trading goods and services. It apparently still works pretty well today.
