Review from the top

Alex By Alex

Whether we like it or not it is less than four months until Christmas – despite the general lack of sunshine, we are apparently at the back end of summer! From a product PR perspective it is one of the key times of the year as getting great product exposure in the lead up to festive period can lead to greater consumer interest and ultimately sales.

Clearly product reviews play an important role in this, yet they can be easily dismissed by some people as they think it is the process of simply managing the logistics of getting a product from A (client) to B (journalist).  Of course managing the logistical side of things is important, especially when having to rectify the failings of individual couriers!  But there is a lot more that should go into running a successful reviews programme:

  • Positioning – Who are your competitors and how can you use their strengths and weaknesses to your advantage?  If you are cheaper be upfront about it, at the same time if your product costs more explain why.

  • Product – Clearly the product itself is important, so it is vital to think like the reviewer and look at the product in terms of what will excite them (and their readers).  Product samples are no different from press releases in this regard, as journalists will be dealing with multiple items at one time so the best ones need to stand out from the crowd.  Reviewers have a passion for products and there may be small things about your product that you don’t think of initially that they will really love or hate!

  • Preparation – It’s not rocket science, but understanding the product and knowing the relevant reviews media is vital.   Being able to push the right product features and being able to resolve product queries quickly can go a long way with a reviewer. Also make sure that you have good-quality print and web images to hand as not all publications take their own product photography.

You should never underestimate the benefits of ‘hand-holding’ – it can sometimes mean the difference between a poor and an outstanding review.  Certainly as my other half can testify a good review can lead to sales (see Nexus 7, PS3, iPhone, new TV… the list goes on!).