How To Write Affiliate Product Reviews That Rank & Convert

You’ve added affiliate links to your blog, but nobody seems to be clicking them. Or maybe you’re trying to write affiliate product reviews that actually generate sales, but you’re wondering why your affiliate links aren’t converting.

The problem might not be the affiliate program or the product, but the review itself.

A good affiliate product review is more than a list of features and you telling your readers why you like something. It should help them decide whether the product or service is right for them. It does this while giving them enough useful information to feel confident about clicking your affiliate link.

Repeating information from a product page isn’t enough, especially when readers can find a dozen product reviews or ask AI for a recommendation.

In this guide, I’ll show you how to write an affiliate product review that is useful, trustworthy and optimized for search. You’ll learn what elements can help drive readers to click and purchase.

Let’s get started.

The best affiliate product reviews don’t simply promote a product. They help readers decide whether it’s right for them by combining firsthand experience, useful product information, pros and cons, alternatives, pricing, answers to common questions and a clear recommendation.

DISCLOSURE: This post contains affiliate links, meaning if you click on a product or service, and decide to purchase it, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. All recommended products and services are based on my positive experience with them. For more information, please read my Disclaimer.

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Before You Start To Write Affiliate Reviews…

Have you read up on how to get started with affiliate marketing first?

I’ve run through the essentials in my ultimate guide to affiliate marketing for bloggers.

Before you read further, this is a prerequisite post:

READ: The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide To Affiliate Marketing For Bloggers

READ: A Guide To Getting Started With Affiliate Marketing

What Is An Affiliate Product Review?

An affiliate product review is a blog post that evaluates a product or service and includes an affiliate link that can earn the publisher a commission when a reader makes a qualifying purchase.

Now that we’ve got this confirmed, let’s look at how you write product reviews for affiliate marketing.

How To Write An Affiliate Product Review

Before you start writing, remember what your reader is actually looking for.

They’re looking for more than a product description. They can get that on the brand’s website. What they are looking for is an opinion and insights from a real person. Not AI!

They’re trying to answer questions like:

• Is this product worth buying?
• Will it solve my problem?
• What is it actually like to use?
• What are the pros and cons?
• Is there a better alternative?
• Is it worth the price?
• Would you recommend it?

Your role is to help them make the decision to purchase the item. This is what makes your affiliate review post more than just a product description.

What Makes A Good Affiliate Product Review?

A good affiliate product review includes your personal experience with the item, product information, pros and cons, relevant alternatives, pricing information and answers to frequently asked questions that readers have before buying. A great affiliate product review will help the reader decide whether the product is right for them.

1. Choose Affiliate Products And Services You Already Use And Love

Use products or services that you truly know and love to use. It makes it much easier to write an affiliate product review when you are passionate and would willingly recommend it to others.

Ideally, you’ve purchased the product yourself, used the software, taken the course or otherwise experienced what you’re reviewing firsthand.

This gives you an actual experience to write about. If you have photos or a video, it’s even more powerful content that is more likely to drive a purchase.

Think about it: you’re more likely to provide personal stories, anecdotes and examples if you’ve tried something.

You can share insights such as:

• What surprised you?
• What worked better than expected?
• What didn’t?
• Was it easy to set up?
• Did it solve the problem you bought it to solve?
• Would you buy it again?

If your readers trust and know you (work on that personal branding!), they will find your feedback credible. That’s a powerful psychological driver when it comes to affiliate link conversions.

Google’s recommendation for creators is to show firsthand, real experience and provide evidence of how a product was tested or evaluated.

Want To Go Beyond Writing Product Reviews?

Writing a good affiliate review is only one part of being successful at affiliate marketing. You also need to understand how it works, how to use affiliate links correctly, and how to get people to click them.

That’s what I cover in my Affiliate Marketing 101 course – a beginner-friendly course that shows you how to find affiliate programs, add links to your content, and promote them effectively.

Ready to get started?

Shop Now

2. Identify the Problem the Product Solves

Before you start to write a product review, consider what the core problem your reader is trying to solve.

This problem should be referenced throughout your review.

For example, don’t just simply write:

“This SEO tool gives you keywords, competitor analysis and rank tracking.”

Write this instead:

“If you’re tired of guessing which keywords to target, the keyword research feature helps you find the right keywords in a matter of minutes.”

Speaking to the benefits of the product makes your writing persuasive but not salesy.

3. Research The Keyword And Search Intent

You want your affiliate product review to be discovered by the right reader. So your next step is to determine exactly what the reader is searching for in regard to this product.

Begin your research by brainstorming and reviewing potential searches. Like with any blog post you write, start with a long-tail keyword.

Use KeySearch or other keyword analysis tools to see which ones have the best low-competition and high-volume status.

For a specific product, the obvious starting point might be:

[Product Name] review

You need to go further. Look for related searches such as:

• [Product Name] pros and cons
• Is [Product Name] worth it?
• [Product Name] review for bloggers
• [Product Name] alternatives
• [Product Name] vs [Competitor]
• How does [Product Name] work?
• Is [Product Name] good for beginners?

These searches help you determine what the reader is looking for before they make a decision. These insights give you the questions you’ll need to address when you write a product review.

PRO TIP: Search out the “People Also Ask” section of a Google search result. It often provides insights into related questions.

4. Create an Affiliate Product Review Outline

Developing an outline helps you organize your thoughts, so you don’t forget to include important information readers expect from you.

Create an outline that covers the essential information and has a natural flow:

• What the product is
• Who it’s for
• The problem it solves
• Your experience using it
• Key features and benefits
• Pros and cons
• What could be better
• Alternatives
• Pricing and value
• FAQs
• Your final verdict
• Your affiliate CTA

I also like to write down my own personal experiences and thoughts on the product or service. I include things such as:

• What did I like about it?
• What annoyed me?
• How would I describe it to a friend who was considering purchasing it?

These questions take a simple affiliate product review and makes is conversion-worthy.

5. Create A Search-Friendly SEO Title

You should be applying SEO best practices to any piece of blog content you publish. However, with affiliate product reviews, there’s usually way more competition.

So your SEO title – the one that shows up in search engine results – needs to:

• stand out with dynamic, powerful words that relay a benefit if possible
• be short & sweet
• accurately speak to the content of the post

Here are two SEO titles. Which one would you click on?

You’re probably more interested in finding out why I’m saying it’s going to be your favourite.

Want to make the title even more compelling? You can do it by adding the question or benefit behind the search:

• [Product] Review: Is It Worth It?
• [Product] Review: Pros, Cons & My Experience
• [Product] Review: Is It Right For [Audience]?
• [Product] Review: What I Like — And What I Don’t
• [Product] Review: Features, Pricing & Alternatives

| RELATED: How To Write Blog Post Titles That Consistently Get Clicks

Use Keywords And Related Keyword Variations Throughout Your Post

When you’re writing your affiliate product review, remember to use phrases and questions with keyword phrases and questions related to your primary keyword.

These related keywords could be:

• [Product Name] pros and cons
• [Product Name] alternatives
• [Product Name] pricing
• Is [Product Name] worth it?
• [Product Name] for beginners
• [Product Name] features
• [Product Name] review for bloggers
• [Product Name] vs [Competitor]

Don’t overstuff and force them into copy! If they work naturally and genuinely help you answer the reader’s question, add them in.

6. Grab Their Attention And Build Credibility In The Intro

When you write affiliate product reviews, the best thing you can do is to grab the interest of the reader within the first two paragraphs of your blog introduction.

• Make it relatable to their problem. What is the core problem the product/service solves?
• Position yourself as a credible reviewer. You’ve actually used the product/service to solve the same problem for yourself!

This means the content in your first few paragraphs needs to be carefully written. You have to include the keyword in there too for good on-page SEO.

Let’s say we’re talking about that kitchen gadget again. Here’s what my intro would be:

“Nobody loves peeling potatoes. I sure don’t! So when I was searching for a potato peeler that worked at making peeling faster, I checked out many. This ABC Potato Peeler review tells you exactly why I think you should make it your choice for peeling potatoes – quickly and easily.

I purchased the ABC Potato Peeler last winter, as I was constantly making hearty potato-based comfort food meals like Sheperds Pie. They’re time intensive recipes, and peeling potatoes is always an extra time suck. With the ABC Potato Peeler I cut down my peeling time for six medium sized potatoes from 15 minutes to 5 minutes.”

I did a few things with this intro:

• Noted the problem: peeling potatoes is tedious and time-consuming
• I reviewed many options, so you don’t have to
• I’ve found the solution in ABC Potato Peeler that has greatly reduced my peeling time for six potatoes (by 10 minutes!)
• I used my personal tone of voice to build the credibility factor

Spend time carefully crafting your affiliate product review intro. Edit it and re-read it before publishing. Does it invite the reader to continue reading?

7. Show The Proof

Go beyond a generic affiliate product review. Show. Don’t tell.

Before you write the pros and cons part of your affiliate product review, and the product features and benefits, show the proof. Give them the evidence based on your personal experience.

Depending on what you’re reviewing, this could be:

• Before and after screenshots or photos
• Examples of work created with a product (e.g. a SaaS product)
• A video walkthrough of the solution happening in real time
• Social media posts from others remarking on your experience (e.g., If you’re reviewing an at-home hair colour product and others are thinking you went to a salon to have it done, since it’s looking so good.)
• Your testing process

Visuals are an excellent way to illustrate the capabilities of a product or service.

For example, in my Podia review, I included visuals of the Confident Blogger Academy site I created using it.

That gives readers something they can’t get from the manufacturer’s website: proof that I actually used it.

You don’t need to go into in-depth testing for every product review you write. However, look for opportunities to show your experience, rather than just simply telling your readers it’s “great” or “worth the money.”

Specific details are much more convincing, leading to a click and a conversion.

8. Add A Features And Benefits Table

People want to know what they’re getting for the money they’re spending.

When you write affiliate product reviews, you should lay out all of the key features and benefits. You may want to do this in a table format, as they’re easily scannable.

Include the price points if there are different options that your audience would be most interested in. For example, if you’re writing for bloggers, not large businesses, you don’t need to add a column for what’s featured in the business enterprise option.

TIP: Try Lasso Affiliate plugin which gives you the power to create beautiful product displays, grids and lists.

Here’s an example of what one of them looks like:

9. Share The Pros And The Cons

The best way to write affiliate product reviews is to balance them with the good and the bad.

People know that no product or service is going to be perfect. They’re expecting to hear your critical opinion of it.

However, how you write each requires a bit of finessing.

Tips For Writing Pros

• Think features and benefits – what the great feature is, and why it’s beneficial
• Start with the things that solve the big problems first
• Add the extra “nice to have” features next
• Don’t be too “salesy”

Tips For Writing The Cons

No product is without flaws. Perfect reviews are unrealistic. So you’ll need to add a few negatives, however, remember:

• Don’t create a negative just to appear balanced
• Don’t hide a real limitation because you’re worried about losing a commission
• Explain who the limitation matters to
• Distinguish between a deal-breaker and a minor detail that can be annoying
• Explain whether the downside changes your overall recommendation
• Use the Oreo cookie method used in constructive criticism: the good stuff, what could be better, and then overall, why it’s still a great product/service.

10. Tell Readers Who The Product Is And Isn’t For

Don’t keep your reader guessing. When writing an affiliate product review, tell them who it is or isn’t for near the top of the post.

Not everybody who’s reading your affiliate product review is a potential buyer.

The best way to determine who it’s for is to ask yourself:

• Who will get the most value from this product?
• Who probably shouldn’t buy it?

For example:

This product may be a great choice for a beginner blogger who wants an easy-to-use platform without a steep learning curve.

It may not be the best choice for an experienced blogger who needs advanced customization and a large set of technical features.

Being honest about who that affiliate product is for isn’t limiting your affiliate marketing. It’s building trust in you. Your goal is to help the right reader make a confident decision.

11. Speak To The Alternatives

Your readers will want to know about their options. Showcase 2 to 5 alternatives and their key differences in a brief chart.

Explain how the alternatives differ and which type of reader each one may suit better. This makes the review much more credible.

For example:

And then add:

Which one would I choose?

This is where you share your personal opinion, which plays on the trust factor.

12. Add “Pricing & Value”

Your readers who are interested in purchasing want an idea of the price point and value. Adding a table with this information is valuable.

Give your readers answers to these questions:

• How much does it cost?
• Is there a free trial?
• Is there a free version?
• What do you actually get?
• Are there additional costs?
• Is it worth the price?
• Which plan makes sense for your reader?

NOTE: When you update an old review blog post, you will need to pay attention to pricing, features and terms every time.

13. Add A Video Featuring Key Benefits & Your Commentary

This is a bonus. If you can create a video that walks through the key features and benefits, add it!

Keep it short and to the point. I’ve seen long, rambling reviews of online platforms, with lengthy intros that aren’t relevant to the review itself.

Make it easy for your viewers to get the information they need, quickly.

Here’s an example of a video walkthrough that I did for my Fathom Analytics review:

.

14. Add A FAQ Section

You want your affiliate review post to be found in Google searches, so when you’re writing your product review, there’s one thing that helps greatly.

For an SEO boost, add a FAQ section.

• Google long-tail question keywords people use with your product or service
• Use the “People also ask” section questions for your FAQ questions
• Create an H2 header with “FAQ”
• Add the questions as H3 headers.
• Use paragraph text to answer the questions succinctly.

These questions I found for “Podia review” as my keyword, and I can add them as an FAQ for my review.

15. Create A Call-to-Action Ending

The final step when you write affiliate product reviews is creating a call-to-action.

This, along with a general summary of key points, is a final push to get the reader to click your affiliate link.

You may want to add a button for this section to make it stand out.

Always note if there’s a free trial. Trying something for free, especially online platforms and services often leads to an easy purchase.

Reiterate the benefits and how it’s worked to help you, with a positive – it may be exactly what you’re looking for too.

| RELATED: 7 Powerful Ways To End A Blog Post To Boost Engagement

Make Your Affiliate Product Review Easy To Read

Like with any good format for blog posts, your formatting for affiliate product reviews should be easy to read.

Many facts and features about a product can get lost in paragraphs.

These are some ways I like to make my reviews an easy read and a great visitor experience:

• Use bullet points where you can
• Tables and columns are perfect for comparison and organizing lists
• Remember white space. Keep paragraphs short.
• Break up copy with visuals and examples of the product in use.

Adding a table of contents (there are free plugins for this), at the beginning of your post lets readers jump to the area of most interest.

Make it EASY for them to find the relevant information in your post.

Don’t Forget Your Affiliate Disclosure

Don’t forget to include this when you write affiliate product reviews! Make your affiliate relationship clear before readers encounter your recommendation or affiliate link.

You’ll want to add it BEFORE your first affiliate link.

The FTC says affiliate relationships should be disclosed clearly and conspicuously, and the disclosure should be close enough to the endorsement/link that readers understand the connection.

Read my guide to affiliate marketing for beginners for more information on how to properly add this disclosure.

| RELATED: How To Fix Your Blog Posts So They’re Irresistibly Readable And Shareable

Frequently Asked Questions About Affiliate Product Reviews

Help Your Readers Make Decisions With Your Affiliate Review

What is of most importance, information-wise, about the product or service you are reviewing?

Personally, I always consider my blog reader. What are their main challenges, and how does this product help solve them?

By using subtle sales techniques when you write affiliate product reviews, you can greatly influence a click on a link.

Now you know how I like to write affiliate product reviews with this easy formula:

• Choose products you already use and love
• Create a short, enticing keyword-rich SEO title
• Make it relatable and credible in the intro
• Show the proof of your use
• Share the pros and the cons of the product/service
• Include a features & benefits list/table
• Briefly speak to alternatives
• Add a video if it makes sense
• Add a FAQ section
• Summarize in the end with a call-to-action

That’s it! See what works for your niche, products and audience.

Need more affiliate marketing tips?

Wondering if you’ve chosen the right affiliate programs? Read up on how to choose the best affiliate programs that work for your niche.

You’ve written your affiliate review post. Now it’s time for people to discover it. Check out my post on where to add affiliate links on your blog, social media and in other places you may not have thought to use.

QUESTION: What works for you when you write affiliate product reviews?

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