Content Upgrade Ideas

[KevinOH]

Hi Everyone, I'm trying to brainstorm content upgrade ideas for my sites.

What kind of content upgrades would work well for a site reviewing different types of guitars?

So far, I'm thinking of videos. But creating videos will be kinda difficult as I'm just an affiliate and don't have access to the instruments.

Any ideas?

 

[Calamari]

Can you play the guitar? I would buy them and return them if I couldn't afford to buy one to properly review it.

 

[Ryuzaki]

You don't need to have them on hand to put in the manufacturer's demo videos, all of which have several per pedal. Youtube is chock full of their own demos and those of a million other sites and buyers. The manufacturers might be happy to send you their floor models to try if you send them back though. Sounds like a pain in the ass.

But as far as other types of "upgrades" (you're talking about "enhancers" right, not like "share this on social media to unlock the demo video?) , you're right. It's hard to think of much other than doing audio comparisons and shoot outs, which will take a lot of time too. It might be worth it to some degree if you have the traffic to justify it.

Maybe another option would be to create custom graphics displaying the pics with their tech specs on them, just to spruce things up a bit.

 

[Potatoe]

I think affiliates need to take themselves more seriously, especially as publishers. There are responsibilities that we have to accept if we want this to be more than a quick cash grab.

Imagine looking for a review to help you decide on a purchase and the outlet you're turning to doesn't have access to the thing they're reviewing because they're "just an affiliate".

That's like saying "I don't have access to these instruments, because I'm getting paid to review them."

In an ideal situation for the customer who wants great info before spending their money, the reviewer would have access to what they're reviewing and wouldn't be paid for promoting it. You're the opposite of both of those traits right now, so the problem to solve is how to get access to the instruments that you want to review.

Call up or go visit some music stores near you, they might be willing to let you borrow or rent some gear in exchange for plugging their store, especially if they have used stuff. I'd be surprised if they wouldn't lend you a pedal or two overnight, at least with a deposit, or let you do your review in-store when they aren't busy.

I would be surprised if they'd let you take guitars right off the bat, but I'd also be surprised if they wouldn't let you test them out in store. It's pretty standard for people to sit around in music stores playing instruments, and I don't think recording yourself would stand out that much. Even if you don't do the full review in-store on the spot, you can always edit things later, dub over the store-footage, etc.

If you visit a couple stores, try out 5-10 guitars in each one, grab 5-10 minutes of footage each, you'll have the foundations for a ton of content including all the different amps you used, pedals, straps, picks, tuners, chairs... I think, even if you don't approach them ahead of time, you'd be able to get a fair amount of footage before being kicked out.

Another idea would be to start with a less expensive product (Even something you already own maybe?), make the BEST most in-depth review of it that you can, and use that as a vehicle to reach out to the brand that made the product to see if they'll send you more to review, and to reach out to their competitors, etc.

 

[bernard]

Yeah, I think "hands on" is definitely going to be a requirement for affiliates going forward.

I'm launching a fitness blog, where I will go test each and every thing, I recommend, from diets to indoor rowing machines. Yes, that means testing the diet for a few weeks. Each. It also means doing video and pics of equipment. I'm not going to be talking over the video, but I am going to film the equipment, while on it. I am going to take pics of it. This is easy in this case, cause the vendor I'm working with, has a physical showroom. If they don't, you might still be able to get products, as long as you're professional. Either a new product or a used product, either given it outright or as a loan for a purpose. I began doing this and was frequently simply sent products worth >$150 without issues. I did bribe them with a dofollow link.

I am going to add a "Hands On Guarantee" badge to my site, which I will put in the beginning of every blog post that features it. I think consumers are getting wiser, not all, but will eventually.

Of course, some things are not possible to do the above. Like a $10K garden tractor or something. Not sure how you want to do that. In those cases, I try to bring in as much as I can from actual users, forums, social media, get those user reviews into my review. This is so old school, I remember it from years back, but it still works and most important - it is VALUE ADDED - which is what I want to do with everything I add to my site.

 

[ryandiscord]

Go to a shop and instead of plugging into an amp, get a DI (Direct Input with no effects, overdrive or filters) signal on an ipad using something like jamup pro. They probably wouldn't mind especially because this would be significantly quieter than cranking a tube amp. Grab some video of each guitar. Then take your DI signal and run it through a variety of different amp models and settings for comparison.

 

[Tao]

Why not try to strike up a relationship with your local guitar shop?

With what you know about IM, social media, content etc, you could help them and they could help you by letting you review and demo their guitars/kit.

Look at what Rob Chapman did for Andertons - and I should know, my son stalked Rob for a number of years and made me drive him to Andertons (although, he did get to support Rob's band and play with him on stage in the end - so allllls good ).