DISQUS

Andy Beard - Internet Business Systems Discussion: Sponsored Reviews Now Live – In Depth Review

  • Jarrod Hunt · 2 years ago
    Thx for the great feedback Andy.
  • Jarrod Hunt · 2 years ago
    Thx for the great feedback Andy.
  • VC Dan · 2 years ago
    Nice review Andy.

    As to your PayPerPost pricing question, your foggy memory may be partly due to terminology. SponsoredReviews and some others like to tout their "cut", a smaller % than discussing their "markup". For example, ReviewMe's "50% cut" is really a 100% markup from what the blogger gets. SR's "35% cut" is really 35/65 = 53.8% markup. PPP's 35% markup remains the best in the business, creating the interesting reality that advertisers can pay less AND bloggers earn more in PPP's structure.

    It doesn't really matter whether "cut" or "markup" is used, but apples-to-apples comparisons are always best. That said, it's just great to see the growing interest in our space!
  • VC Dan · 2 years ago
    Nice review Andy.

    As to your PayPerPost pricing question, your foggy memory may be partly due to terminology. SponsoredReviews and some others like to tout their "cut", a smaller % than discussing their "markup". For example, ReviewMe's "50% cut" is really a 100% markup from what the blogger gets. SR's "35% cut" is really 35/65 = 53.8% markup. PPP's 35% markup remains the best in the business, creating the interesting reality that advertisers can pay less AND bloggers earn more in PPP's structure.

    It doesn't really matter whether "cut" or "markup" is used, but apples-to-apples comparisons are always best. That said, it's just great to see the growing interest in our space!
  • Jarrod Hunt · 2 years ago
    I'm not following your math VC Dan,

    In SponsoredReviews if the blogger wants to make $100 for a review, we would charge the advertiser $135. That is a 35% markup not 53.8%.

    That is the same as PayPerPosts 35%. Plus they have a per post transaction fee to boot.
  • Jarrod Hunt · 2 years ago
    I'm not following your math VC Dan,

    In SponsoredReviews if the blogger wants to make $100 for a review, we would charge the advertiser $135. That is a 35% markup not 53.8%.

    That is the same as PayPerPosts 35%. Plus they have a per post transaction fee to boot.
  • AndyBeard · 2 years ago
    I remembered it being reasonable, but just couldn't find a reference. I did glance through the publisher pages and the FAQ for publishers, so maybe the information needs to be made clearer on the PPP site.

    The interesting thing is, and I think PPP need to address is that I don't qualify for any of the higher paying reviews in PPP currently. A lot of that is because this blog is relatively new. Once it hits PR6 I might qualify, but that doesn't address what I feel one of my reviews is worth to a company compared to buzz marketing.

    The reviews I write are more of a demonstration of how a paid review can be legitimate than for the monetary benefit, but I wouldn't spend 3hrs+ on a post for a potential $10-$20 reward.
  • AndyBeard · 2 years ago
    I remembered it being reasonable, but just couldn't find a reference. I did glance through the publisher pages and the FAQ for publishers, so maybe the information needs to be made clearer on the PPP site.

    The interesting thing is, and I think PPP need to address is that I don't qualify for any of the higher paying reviews in PPP currently. A lot of that is because this blog is relatively new. Once it hits PR6 I might qualify, but that doesn't address what I feel one of my reviews is worth to a company compared to buzz marketing.

    The reviews I write are more of a demonstration of how a paid review can be legitimate than for the monetary benefit, but I wouldn't spend 3hrs+ on a post for a potential $10-$20 reward.
  • AndyBeard · 2 years ago
    Jarrod

    I think what Dan is saying is that with PPP, if I was being paid $111, the review would cost the advertiser $150, whereas with SR I receive $98 for the price set of $150

    However PPP currently can't offer me that kind of review opportunity because there is no specific targeting of blogs for a review that I have seen in their interface, and no negotiation facility.
  • AndyBeard · 2 years ago
    Jarrod

    I think what Dan is saying is that with PPP, if I was being paid $111, the review would cost the advertiser $150, whereas with SR I receive $98 for the price set of $150

    However PPP currently can't offer me that kind of review opportunity because there is no specific targeting of blogs for a review that I have seen in their interface, and no negotiation facility.
  • Ado · 2 years ago
    Great post Andy as always you have provided us the readers with a tone of info about SR.

    VC,

    Can you go into detail regarding how calculation for markups? I'm not sure that I follow your numbers there.
  • Ado · 2 years ago
    Great post Andy as always you have provided us the readers with a tone of info about SR.

    VC,

    Can you go into detail regarding how calculation for markups? I'm not sure that I follow your numbers there.
  • Ali · 2 years ago
    Geez, now this just means that my review has to be bigger and better than yours.

    Will be posting it sometime tomorrow, thank god for the 1 - 7 day period. I can't stand the wolf pack jumping on PPP's opps and disappearing as soon as they come live.
  • Ali · 2 years ago
    Geez, now this just means that my review has to be bigger and better than yours.

    Will be posting it sometime tomorrow, thank god for the 1 - 7 day period. I can't stand the wolf pack jumping on PPP's opps and disappearing as soon as they come live.
  • Maki · 2 years ago
    Thanks for the review Andy, I was thinking of writing one myself but you beat me to it :)

    Anyway.. I just signed up for Sponsored Review. One question: How did you get paid $98 for this review when SR has stated that "This advertiser will pay between $5 - $50 for completed reviews."?

    Did you just enter $150 in your "Set Your Bid Price" section and submitted it anyway?
  • Maki · 2 years ago
    Thanks for the review Andy, I was thinking of writing one myself but you beat me to it :)

    Anyway.. I just signed up for Sponsored Review. One question: How did you get paid $98 for this review when SR has stated that "This advertiser will pay between $5 - $50 for completed reviews."?

    Did you just enter $150 in your "Set Your Bid Price" section and submitted it anyway?
  • AndyBeard · 2 years ago
    I am a sales and marketing guy

    You either start from the high ground in a negotiation, or let the other person make the first move, especially when you know you have something of value to offer, and they know they are probably already getting a good deal.

    In this particular case the advertiser approached me to write a review rather than me approach them to accept their offer, which I had actually seen for a few days and not written about it.

    I should also note this wasn't the first mention of Sponsored Reviews on this blog, it was actually the 4th, though this was the first I generated income.
  • AndyBeard · 2 years ago
    I am a sales and marketing guy

    You either start from the high ground in a negotiation, or let the other person make the first move, especially when you know you have something of value to offer, and they know they are probably already getting a good deal.

    In this particular case the advertiser approached me to write a review rather than me approach them to accept their offer, which I had actually seen for a few days and not written about it.

    I should also note this wasn't the first mention of Sponsored Reviews on this blog, it was actually the 4th, though this was the first I generated income.
  • Maki · 2 years ago
    Oh.. so that's what happened... thanks for clarifying. The payout for Sponsored Reviews is definitely attractive, IMO.
  • Maki · 2 years ago
    Oh.. so that's what happened... thanks for clarifying. The payout for Sponsored Reviews is definitely attractive, IMO.
  • AndyBeard · 2 years ago
    The most attractive service will be the one that has enough advertisers to provide someone with one paid post per day, to go along with 3 unpaid at a reasonable rate.
    Things will be mainstream when you can cherry pick between 1000 different advertisers for the product that is lazer targeted to your audience, with all of them having a decent affiliate program as well.
  • AndyBeard · 2 years ago
    The most attractive service will be the one that has enough advertisers to provide someone with one paid post per day, to go along with 3 unpaid at a reasonable rate.
    Things will be mainstream when you can cherry pick between 1000 different advertisers for the product that is lazer targeted to your audience, with all of them having a decent affiliate program as well.
  • Jarrod Hunt · 2 years ago
    Maki,

    I paid Andy his full asking price because I knew I would get my money's worth. I have seen his work in the past.

    The feedback alone was worth the cost.

    This post is also very buzz-worthy. I would guess that at least a few people are going to link directly to this post. In terms of traffic and link popularity there is no better place to be cited.

    -------------------
    My advice to all the bloggers who sign up for SponsoredReviews; Include links to examples of reviews/articles you have written before.

    Smart Marketers are going to comb through the blog profiles looking for bloggers that can write great reviews.

    As a blogger, if you are charging $100 - $500 per review you better explain what it is they are getting for their money.

    Hopefully it is a well balanced, thoroughly researched document that will help the advertiser better understand its audience while at the same time driving direct traffic.
  • Jarrod Hunt · 2 years ago
    Maki,

    I paid Andy his full asking price because I knew I would get my money's worth. I have seen his work in the past.

    The feedback alone was worth the cost.

    This post is also very buzz-worthy. I would guess that at least a few people are going to link directly to this post. In terms of traffic and link popularity there is no better place to be cited.

    -------------------
    My advice to all the bloggers who sign up for SponsoredReviews; Include links to examples of reviews/articles you have written before.

    Smart Marketers are going to comb through the blog profiles looking for bloggers that can write great reviews.

    As a blogger, if you are charging $100 - $500 per review you better explain what it is they are getting for their money.

    Hopefully it is a well balanced, thoroughly researched document that will help the advertiser better understand its audience while at the same time driving direct traffic.
  • VC Dan · 2 years ago
    @Ado: Let me start by saying I think Jarrod has done a great job of watching the leaders and trying to be different. If he's anything like Patrick, it will be fun building this industry together.

    To your request for more detail, I will use Andy's screenshot from above where an advertiser is willing to pay $150 for a sponsored post.

    At RM, that $150 delivers $75 to the blogger and $75 to RM as a 50% "cut" (75/150) or a 100% "markup" (75/75).
    At SR, that $150 delivers $98 to the blogger and $52 to SR as a 35% "cut" (52/150) or a 53% "markup" (52/98). (see "You Get" in first screenshot)
    At PPP, that $150 delivers $111 to the blogger and $39 to PPP as a 26% "cut" (39/150) or a 35% "markup" (39/111). Assuming a sponsor wanted 50 such posts, you should also include PPP's $5 opp fee which would equate to $.10/post across those 50 posts -- a rounding error in these calcs.

    The "interesting reality" I mention is that PPP's structure allows a sponsor to pay less, say $140 for posts on blogs that meet specific, scalable traffic/influence criteria, AND the blogger makes more $104 in the same transaction. Across a 50 post opp that means sponsors save $500 AND bloggers earn $300 more than with competing marketplaces.

    As I said before, it doesn't matter whether you compare "cut" or "margin" -- you just want to compare apples-to-apples. The same holds true for sponsor goals. Therefore, if a sponsor is looking for one or two sponsored posts, the apples-to-apples comparison is RM and SR pricing for selecting a blogger -- although that might be easier accomplished by going direct. However, if a sponsor would like 20, 50 or 100+ sponsored posts, the apples-to-apples comparison is PPP and SR pricing for marketplace opps. If a sponsor wants that many sponsored posts, segmented by traffic/influence then PPP's segmentation interface is probably the way to go.

    I hope this detail on pricing helps. I hesitated laying it out in an SR review because they deserve their time in the launch spotlight. At the same time, having this detail in the comments may actually drive Andy some additional traffic and SR some additional exposure.

    Again, nice review Andy and good work Jarrod.
  • VC Dan · 2 years ago
    @Ado: Let me start by saying I think Jarrod has done a great job of watching the leaders and trying to be different. If he's anything like Patrick, it will be fun building this industry together.

    To your request for more detail, I will use Andy's screenshot from above where an advertiser is willing to pay $150 for a sponsored post.

    At RM, that $150 delivers $75 to the blogger and $75 to RM as a 50% "cut" (75/150) or a 100% "markup" (75/75).
    At SR, that $150 delivers $98 to the blogger and $52 to SR as a 35% "cut" (52/150) or a 53% "markup" (52/98). (see "You Get" in first screenshot)
    At PPP, that $150 delivers $111 to the blogger and $39 to PPP as a 26% "cut" (39/150) or a 35% "markup" (39/111). Assuming a sponsor wanted 50 such posts, you should also include PPP's $5 opp fee which would equate to $.10/post across those 50 posts -- a rounding error in these calcs.

    The "interesting reality" I mention is that PPP's structure allows a sponsor to pay less, say $140 for posts on blogs that meet specific, scalable traffic/influence criteria, AND the blogger makes more $104 in the same transaction. Across a 50 post opp that means sponsors save $500 AND bloggers earn $300 more than with competing marketplaces.

    As I said before, it doesn't matter whether you compare "cut" or "margin" -- you just want to compare apples-to-apples. The same holds true for sponsor goals. Therefore, if a sponsor is looking for one or two sponsored posts, the apples-to-apples comparison is RM and SR pricing for selecting a blogger -- although that might be easier accomplished by going direct. However, if a sponsor would like 20, 50 or 100+ sponsored posts, the apples-to-apples comparison is PPP and SR pricing for marketplace opps. If a sponsor wants that many sponsored posts, segmented by traffic/influence then PPP's segmentation interface is probably the way to go.

    I hope this detail on pricing helps. I hesitated laying it out in an SR review because they deserve their time in the launch spotlight. At the same time, having this detail in the comments may actually drive Andy some additional traffic and SR some additional exposure.

    Again, nice review Andy and good work Jarrod.
  • Paula Mooney · 2 years ago
    Yep, I made my first $16 yesterday form SponsoredReviews.com already. I set my blog review big at 75 bucks. And then I was rejected by one advertiser that I set my bid price at $100 for. Think I'll try again later...
  • Paula Mooney · 2 years ago
    Yep, I made my first $16 yesterday form SponsoredReviews.com already. I set my blog review big at 75 bucks. And then I was rejected by one advertiser that I set my bid price at $100 for. Think I'll try again later...
  • robwatts · 2 years ago
    I signed up on the back of this review. Had I not read this review I wouldn't have known about the site. Looks like a good interface too, albeit similar to another site ive seen out there. ;) Cool nonetheless.
  • robwatts · 2 years ago
    I signed up on the back of this review. Had I not read this review I wouldn't have known about the site. Looks like a good interface too, albeit similar to another site ive seen out there. ;) Cool nonetheless.
  • Jarrod Hunt · 2 years ago
    VC Dan,

    Thanks for the clarification,

    Part of our model does compete with PPP, part of it competes with ReviewMe.

    So in an Apples to Apples comparison, we would be more like a Caramel covered Apple :)
    -------------

    With that being said, you are right, it sounds like we will be good competitors. I've enjoyed a long time friendly competition with Patrick as well. Nothing like good comp to get you up in the morning. Especially when your the bootstrapped underdog.

    I think for my next project though I'm going to focus on raising some cash first. PPP and ReviewMe have us beat in that area.

    If anyone has a few million to spare, give me a ring.
  • Jarrod Hunt · 2 years ago
    VC Dan,

    Thanks for the clarification,

    Part of our model does compete with PPP, part of it competes with ReviewMe.

    So in an Apples to Apples comparison, we would be more like a Caramel covered Apple :)
    -------------

    With that being said, you are right, it sounds like we will be good competitors. I've enjoyed a long time friendly competition with Patrick as well. Nothing like good comp to get you up in the morning. Especially when your the bootstrapped underdog.

    I think for my next project though I'm going to focus on raising some cash first. PPP and ReviewMe have us beat in that area.

    If anyone has a few million to spare, give me a ring.
  • Brendan Monaghan · 2 years ago
    Hi Andy,

    Great post. Seems like a great service. Not having blog for cash before, I'll be interested to see how it does for you.

    I wrote a little ditty on the general questions about blogging for cash
    here
  • Brendan Monaghan · 2 years ago
    Hi Andy,

    Great post. Seems like a great service. Not having blog for cash before, I'll be interested to see how it does for you.

    I wrote a little ditty on the general questions about blogging for cash
    here
  • Garrett Albright · 2 years ago
    SR rejected my blog. It meets all the requirements quite soundly, so I guess it's just because I'm not getting much traffic yet. That was somewhat disappointing.
  • Garrett Albright · 2 years ago
    SR rejected my blog. It meets all the requirements quite soundly, so I guess it's just because I'm not getting much traffic yet. That was somewhat disappointing.
  • Jarrod Hunt · 2 years ago
    Garrett,

    I'm sorry we could not accept your site. Your site has very little traffic and only a few recent links.

    We will be reevaluating sites we rejected every so often and will notify you once your site qualifies.

    Thank you for taking the time to apply.
  • Jarrod Hunt · 2 years ago
    Garrett,

    I'm sorry we could not accept your site. Your site has very little traffic and only a few recent links.

    We will be reevaluating sites we rejected every so often and will notify you once your site qualifies.

    Thank you for taking the time to apply.
  • Chris · 2 years ago
    What a great in-depth review. Well done, Andy.
    Thanks a lot for the info.
    Currently we are still not allowed to refresh the site stats, I wondered if they are going to offer that function.
  • Chris · 2 years ago
    What a great in-depth review. Well done, Andy.
    Thanks a lot for the info.
    Currently we are still not allowed to refresh the site stats, I wondered if they are going to offer that function.
  • Wang Internet · 2 years ago
    What I like about Sponsored Reviews is the 65% cut and there are many advertisers who need their software reviewed. It's good if you have a software review site.

    What I dislike about Sponsored Reviews is the advertisers take too long to approve or disapprove your bid. I bidded for 9 opportunities since 5 days ago and so far only got 1 rejected. The other 8... the advertisers are still sitting on it. Probably the quality of advertisers isn't as good as those from ReviewMe which usually promptly approves your review.

    I guess one improvement Sponsored Reviews could make would be to allow bloggers to write some sort of sales pitch to the advertisers to aid them in making a decision whether to accept a bid. And if more advertisers are actively accepting bids, the chances for Sponsored Reviews to earn more can be improved.
  • Wang Internet · 2 years ago
    What I like about Sponsored Reviews is the 65% cut and there are many advertisers who need their software reviewed. It's good if you have a software review site.

    What I dislike about Sponsored Reviews is the advertisers take too long to approve or disapprove your bid. I bidded for 9 opportunities since 5 days ago and so far only got 1 rejected. The other 8... the advertisers are still sitting on it. Probably the quality of advertisers isn't as good as those from ReviewMe which usually promptly approves your review.

    I guess one improvement Sponsored Reviews could make would be to allow bloggers to write some sort of sales pitch to the advertisers to aid them in making a decision whether to accept a bid. And if more advertisers are actively accepting bids, the chances for Sponsored Reviews to earn more can be improved.
  • tshirts · 2 years ago
    I find something missing from this post, for me at least. You've told me what the system is about, what it does, what the competition is like. But for some reason, I still feel a little bit left in the dark. I mean, seriously, what's in it for me? I can write niche marketing articles all day long about marketing, advertising and building web sites, but when it comes down to it, why would I want to get paid to review a web site? How many of them require you to give a positive rating? How many of them require you to write at least 500 words? I saw the part where you could bid $5 for the post. That seems a little low to me. I make more money writing articles and I get more referrals that way as well. So what's in it for us when we do this? Obviously you're very popular but for someone who doesn't blog full time, this could be a waste of valuable cash-earnings time, which I think all of us need more, not less of, when we're working from home. Don't you think?
  • tshirts · 2 years ago
    I find something missing from this post, for me at least. You've told me what the system is about, what it does, what the competition is like. But for some reason, I still feel a little bit left in the dark. I mean, seriously, what's in it for me? I can write niche marketing articles all day long about marketing, advertising and building web sites, but when it comes down to it, why would I want to get paid to review a web site? How many of them require you to give a positive rating? How many of them require you to write at least 500 words? I saw the part where you could bid $5 for the post. That seems a little low to me. I make more money writing articles and I get more referrals that way as well. So what's in it for us when we do this? Obviously you're very popular but for someone who doesn't blog full time, this could be a waste of valuable cash-earnings time, which I think all of us need more, not less of, when we're working from home. Don't you think?
  • Maxim (VIP SEO) · 2 years ago
    Hello,
    what do I need to do if I want you to review my new project here?
  • AndyBeard · 2 years ago
    Some people just use the link in my sidebar, other people use my contact form and offer me samples to test.
    Others use the Sponsored Reviews or ReviewMe service

    I only review stuff that is of interest to my audience and generally I need to be able to turn the review into some kind of cornerstone content.

    Despite what is stated in the PayPerPost interface, reviews cannot be requested to be positive in tone, though I don't accept reviews to then totally slam them. Expect warranted constructive criticism and advice.

    Links are editorial, not guaranteed.
  • Maxim (VIP SEO) · 2 years ago
    Hello,
    what do I need to do if I want you to review my new project here?
  • AndyBeard · 2 years ago
    Some people just use the link in my sidebar, other people use my contact form and offer me samples to test.
    Others use the Sponsored Reviews or ReviewMe service

    I only review stuff that is of interest to my audience and generally I need to be able to turn the review into some kind of cornerstone content.

    Despite what is stated in the PayPerPost interface, reviews cannot be requested to be positive in tone, though I don't accept reviews to then totally slam them. Expect warranted constructive criticism and advice.

    Links are editorial, not guaranteed.
  • Negotiation Trainer · 2 years ago
    "there are methods to negotiate prices for reviews to have a win/win situation" So care to tell us more about your negotiation for the review Andy? ;o) I'd be fascinated to hear how you determined what value you offer to would be advertisers, and how you persude prospects.
  • AndyBeard · 2 years ago
    Actually most people don't bother, they accept your price. I don't initiate negotiations for reviews with potential advertisers.

    When someone orders a review through Sponsored Reviews, often they also contact me by email. Very few of requested reviews actually happen, I am very selective, and don't write reviews for a living.
  • Negotiation Trainer · 2 years ago
    "there are methods to negotiate prices for reviews to have a win/win situation" So care to tell us more about your negotiation for the review Andy? ;o) I'd be fascinated to hear how you determined what value you offer to would be advertisers, and how you persude prospects.
  • AndyBeard · 2 years ago
    Actually most people don't bother, they accept your price. I don't initiate negotiations for reviews with potential advertisers.

    When someone orders a review through Sponsored Reviews, often they also contact me by email. Very few of requested reviews actually happen, I am very selective, and don't write reviews for a living.
  • art gift portraits · 1 year ago
    We have tried to outsource this kind of work or service to some people. What we usually expect is a positive review. Do you ever give a negative review or something against?

    If we request a review for our site or for one of our products, will you include some of the url or anchor text that we will give you? Do you think that’s possible or should we just leave it all to you?
  • AndyBeard · 1 year ago
    All reviews I now write are blocked by robots.txt

    That doesn't mean they won't rank in the search results, but it does mean that unless the content is syndicated (which does happen) you won't benefit from anchor text links.

    My philosophy on editorial links is the same, if you request specific linking, I am more likely to refuse to review your product, and I am extremely careful over what products I review so that they are suitable for my audience.
  • art gift portraits · 1 year ago
    We have tried to outsource this kind of work or service to some people. What we usually expect is a positive review. Do you ever give a negative review or something against?

    If we request a review for our site or for one of our products, will you include some of the url or anchor text that we will give you? Do you think that’s possible or should we just leave it all to you?
  • AndyBeard · 1 year ago
    All reviews I now write are blocked by robots.txt

    That doesn't mean they won't rank in the search results, but it does mean that unless the content is syndicated (which does happen) you won't benefit from anchor text links.

    My philosophy on editorial links is the same, if you request specific linking, I am more likely to refuse to review your product, and I am extremely careful over what products I review so that they are suitable for my audience.