Turn your shopping into awesome blog content

• You have a passion for shopping – sniffing out the coolest finds at the best prices

• You have a knack for sharing your experiences in a personable manner– You want others to find what you have already

discovered

“About.com relies on subject-matter experts who can provide a personal, consistent and hands-on

approach to helping readers evaluate products, software and services.”

The personal approach

• You’re a person – not a brochure• You have the freedom to like, love, or hate the

products you discuss on your blog• People identify with your experiences, not

with technical specs

The personal approach

• You have a voice… use it.– Be honest about what you like and dislike

• Your blog is your personal brand.– People find it easier to trust an honest, personal

voice– Learn to speak like a person, not like a press

release

Do your homework.

• Explain your process.• Show how you selected and used the product.

– Where did you find it? – Who recommended it?– What attracted you to it?

• Details about how you tested a product: lend credibility to the review.

Do your homework."I used the Garmin 1390T on an 800-mile vacation trip that included a number of destinations I hadn't visited before. I pre-loaded my key destinations using the send-to-GPS feature Garmin offers in cooperation with Google Maps. I also loaned out the unit to friends for their feedback."

Fred Zahradnik, Guide to GPS

Maintain Balance.

• Always include both pros and cons.– Readers want to hear constructive, balanced criticism,

to find out if a product is "good" or "bad," AND if it'll meet their specific needs.

– Even if you love something, there must be some aspect about it that could be better, or that wouldn't be right for some readers.

– Alternately, even a weaker product might have a niche market.

Maintain Balance."Searching mail for various criteria works nicely in AIM Mail, and you can flag messages for follow-up. Unfortunately, that's about all AIM Mail has to offer when it comes to helping you cope with the daily avalanche of email. You cannot set up labels or smart folders…. AIM Mail compensates for this lack of web-based power with very functional IMAP access."

Heinz Tschabitscher, Guide to Email

Include Enough Relevant Detail.

• Decide on a consistent group of specifications that you think are important to the product, and set them off in a list of bullet points.

• Compare prices across countries and brands• Include images

Include Enough Relevant Detail.

• Don't let the specs crowd out the actual text of your review. – Include only the technical details that are

interesting or significant• Too much mumbo-jumbo can make the review

come across as overly promotional or technical.

As your work grows… organize.

• Build “hubs” – blog posts that collect links to connected product reviews– Products bought from a single outlet– Products from one brand– Products in the same category