Getting paid to provide an opinion sounds like a dream for most of us. Thankfully, the internet has opened up possibilities worldwide for people to do just that. However, with so many people attempting to become the next big reviewer, how do you stand out in a saturated marketplace?
How do you find your niche?
Where do you even broadcast or submit your work?
This handy guide will go over the basics of reviewing for extra cash or as part of a full-time career.
Getting Started
First off, you need to find something youre interested in and would like to review. Finding an area that has a broad product list or newly developed technology is ideal because it will keep you fuelled with potential content to create. For example, reviewing microbreweries and their craft beers is fantastic at the moment thanks to rising trends.
Reviewing camera gear can come at a greater expense, but might draw a larger audience thanks to the relative inaccessibility of the items in question. They might not be released as often as movies for example, so keep this in mind.
Putting Thoughts To Paper
OK, so youve identified your niche and are well stocked with the products, materials or memories of experiences youd like to review. What next? Well writing a script, a blog post or article, or shooting a video essay is a great place to start. Just get your thoughts down on paper, your word processor or the SD card that records your footage. Note every thought that comes to your head when reviewing your item, as you never know what you might want to use when it comes to the editing process.
Where to post it?
Youve written your content piece, youve edited your YouTube video or youve written your witty review song. Now where to post it? Well there are many possible options, but these are the best three:
- Your own website.
This can be a great way to claim ownership of the content you post, and the best place to draw your audience. If youre posting opinion editorials in long form text you can host without having to worry about higher-ups, but you also might overlook certain flaws in your writing. In any case, a website is a great place to keep your personality unfiltered, and that can draw an audience in itself. For great professional review site examples visit: https://www.workbootcritic.com.
- YouTube
YouTube is where the action is these days, and the visual factor is a nice touch. Here you can actually show you using/consuming the item in question, and the potential for off-the-cuff commentary that works is more likely. The fact is YouTube is the first place people will go when looking for a review, thanks to the sites commenting culture.
Once youve established these two, keep making content until your audience grows. Once you hit a certain threshold you will be able to draw in advertising and before long have a real grounding to approach your chosen companies to provide you with review copies of the products in question. Depending on the cost of the item, there might be a higher bar for entry in this. Keep rational with what you could offer, focus on quality content over quantity, and should build an audience in no time.