At the heart of any solid consumer electronics public relations strategy is the review program. Media, influencers and bloggers are given early access to a product or service and asked to share their unbiased assessment with their loyal followers. It’s the “unbiased” part of the review that can be tricky. Receiving unbiased, third-party validation for your product or service provides incredible value to your brand, but this comes with inherent risk that a reviewer may share negative aspects of their experience as well.
While you can’t control the outcome, there are a few simple steps you can take beforehand to set your product or service up for the best possible outcome.
Media Beta Test
Want a sneak peek at what a review might look like? Before you begin, enlist the help of a critical reviewer. A critical reviewer is a writer, often a freelance journalist, who has reviewed products or services in your category and is tasked with delivering a never-to-be-published review of your product or service in exchange for a fee, essentially allowing for a risk-free “test run.” The reviews that are delivered give brands a preview of what to expect when sending products or services out for review and offer notes on everything from unboxing and ease of use, to competition and price.
Custom Reviewer’s Guide
With the review in hand, brands have the opportunity to make tweaks to the product or experience, and your PR strategic advisors can recommend the best approach for a review program. These learnings can then be applied to developing a custom reviewer’s guide, which can take the form of written, video or graphic guides that are shared with reviewers to walk them through their own review process under the best possible conditions.
Here are some examples of how results of a Media Beta Test can impact your custom reviewer’s guide:
- Reveal new use cases and audiences
- Highlight a feature more valuable or competitive than expected
- Reveal additional content, educational materials or data points needed to shape the story
- Inform additional products or conditions that might be needed during the testing period for a more positive review
While you can’t control the outcome, you can ensure you present your product or service in the best light possible. Working with you PR agency to gain early insight into how your brand will perform in most reviews and developing custom materials to assist the reviewer along the way, is the best way to set your product or service up for a successful reviews program.
Looking for help on your own review program? Reach out to bizdev@maxborgesagency.com.
