Compensated Reviews: Amazon Early Reviewer
Well it looks like we’re getting to this entry just in the nick of time. I’ll get to the elephant in the room straightaway, then we can safely move past it.
As of writing, the Amazon Early Reviewer program only has a shelf life of about another month. Applications to the program will not be accepted past April 10th, 2021, and the program will in effect be cancelled April 25th.
But hang on, that doesn’t have any impact for you, does it? How can you mourn what you don’t yet know? You’re absolutely right, that’s poor plotting on my part, it makes no narrative sense. Amazon Vine Voice we know, but Early Reviewer? What even is that?
What it Is, or What it Was
Just like the Vine Voice banner, the Early Reviewer label is something you may have spotted yourself, out in the wilds of the Amazon review pages. And also like Vine Voice, it’s neither too pronounced nor too understated:
Nice, trusted Amazon colors, leading the way. That What’s This? link takes you to a page that explains these reviews, from the consumers point of view. (Time will tell if that link stays alive).
In case we need to quickly rehash why reviews are important, well, how do so many of us choose where our desired dollar ends up in these internet-obsessed times? We read those reviews. So it makes sense that a seller wants positive reviews on their products to draw eyes. We’re trained to look for high review counts, high stars, and happy, descriptive reviews. Those inform our decisions and help us spend our money wisely.
So a business wants those reviews. But how do you sell when you don’t have any? Vine Voice is a program that a seller signs up for, allots a number of products to give away for free, and Vine Voice buyers get the products free in exchange for their reviews. But before Vine Voice came on the scene, there was Early Reviewers.
In this program, a seller pays a fee to be included, then Amazon contacts people who have already purchased a product, but haven’t left a review. They offer a small gift card ($1-3) in exchange for a review, and everybody leaves happy.
Or that’s the idea.
The obvious drawback is that to get the review, the product needs to already have been sold. And products won’t sell as quickly without any reviews. Additionally, while Vine Voice reviewers are selected by Amazon based on their preferences and the helpfulness of their reviews, Early Reviewers are selected by… what they just bought. So there is no standard to hold them to on their reviews, which more often than not leads to terse, one liners with no details. And that doesn’t help push products.
It’s starting to become clear why the Early Reviewer program is getting the axe, isn’t it. It sounds like a worse deal for the sellers and the buyers, and who’s to say how it works out for Amazon. Even if they are the “house” in this situation, they’re cancelling the program for a reason. Vine Voice, in addition to One Tap Reviews (where you simply tap a star rating), and emailed review requests (you know you’ve gotten them), have led to more reviews being generated, such that Early Reviewer can be phased out.
So see, you didn’t need to know who Earl E. Reviewer was after all. He was just the best option for a little while and then better things came along and showed how mediocre he’d been the whole time. Don’t weep for the mediocre. Say no words at his funeral. Just give him two stars and move on.
