Are product reviews allowed or are they too commercial?

1. 70

   john.jacksonposted 11 years ago

   Are product reviews allowed or are they too commercial?
   
   I would like to write a product-specific review and was wondering whether such commercial topics were allowed under the publishing rules.

   replyreport
2. 0

   JThomp42posted 11 years ago

   They are allowed as long as you are not promoting a product or business that benefits yourself.

   replyreport
3. 86

   suzzycueposted 11 years ago

   They are allowed. I have wrote a few myself. Try to give the pros and cons of a product and I think it will do better.

   replyreport
4. 84

   JoanCAposted 11 years ago

   I've written some. They're fine as long as you're not promoting your own product.

   replyreport
5. 81

   heidithorneposted 11 years ago

   I've seen many hubs, and even some suggested titles, that review specific products. JThomp42's advice about reviewing those that don't specifically benefit your offerings definitely applies.
   
   I've considered doing them, too. However, since products can change rapidly, your hub may be irrelevant within a short period of time. I did a video review on video cameras about 3 years ago on YouTube that did very well in terms of traffic. Today, both cameras are not even in the market.
   
   From an HP income standpoint, you might be better off sticking the "evergreen" hubs.

   replyreport
6. 92

   Just Ask Susanposted 11 years ago

   Yes product reviews are allowed. HubPages had a contest six months ago called "Rigorous Review Contest". It was a lot of fun and a great way to showcase products that we liked and knew about. Here's the link if you'd like to check it out.
   http://hubpages.com/forum/topic/105632

   replyreport
7. 74

   d.williamposted 11 years ago

   good question.  By the looks of all the comments below i would guess you have gotten the correct answer. 
   the most important to remember is that it is OK as long as you are simply writing a critique on something (whether good or bad)  and not 'selling' the product for profit

   replyreport
8. 71

   SidKempposted 11 years ago

   I'll build on this. There are a lot of product reviews on HubPages. Unfortunately, most of them seem to me to be low-quality. They present info available elsewhere on the Internet.
   
   If you want to do great product reviews, I suggest one of the three following:
   - genuine personal experience
   - in-depth research of the product *and* the  company (see my review of the Jitterbug cell phone service for an example)
   - comparative reviews of multiple product lines or competing products that really help people understand which choice is best for them
   
   Then make them stellar hubs, too!

   replyreport
9. 0

   chrisinhawaiiposted 11 years ago

   As mentioned, product hubs are allowed...technically.  But sometimes product hubs get shot down by cynical hubbers in the hub hopper and won't even get featured.  I've had well-written, balanced, useful, no-hype product hubs that didn't even get featured because some hub hopper folks voted it down.
   
   How did I get it featured?
   
   I switched the photo at the top (the professional quality pic of a pretty Chinese model) with the photo at the bottom (the low quality snapshot of some white girls) and VOILA!  It got featured.
   
   The self-appointed HubPages police can be irritating sometimes, but just roll with it.
   
   Good luck!  Writing thorough product hubs is definitely a great way to take your HP income to the next level.

   replyreport
   1. 79

      AlexK2009posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      So just changing a picture? wow

      replyreport
   2. 0

      chrisinhawaiiposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      @AlexK  yup.  And I didn't ADD or REMOVE any pictures...just put the Chinese girl at the end and put the American girls at the beginning.
      
      Keep in mind...we're not talking racy stuff.  Just clean cut pics that complement the article.

      replyreport
10. 80

    janetwritesposted 11 years ago

    Though it is allowed to write product-specific reviews I think that Squidoo would be a better place for writing reviews as you are also allowed there to put in 3rd party affiliate links, zazzle and cafepress products and so on. I would also say that evergreen articles are doing much better here. I have only been a member of HP for two months so others that have been here for a longer time have more experience. These are only my personal thoughts on this question.

    replyreport
11. 84

    Dorsiposted 11 years ago

    Product reviews are allowed and encouraged, You can also add a rating capsule to your hub to rate the product. I have written many reviews on things that I like - laptops, books, shoes, services....

    replyreport
12. 95

    mary615posted 11 years ago

    I agree with the other answers here.  I've only done two  product reviews,  and as a result have sold a couple of the items I reviewed.  I actually purchased the products and took photos of a family member using one of them.
    I'm tempted to write some more.  Right now, I try to stick to "evergreen" Hubs.

    replyreport
13. 80

    lovebuglenaposted 11 years ago

    You can write hubs that review products...but the language should not be one that becomes too commercial...

    replyreport
14. 72

    NMLadyposted 11 years ago

    I've done some....it is important to NOT be a paid shill though.  Generally, I do not talk about a product that I do not like as any publicity is considered good publicity......

    replyreport
15. 60

    JP993posted 11 years ago

    Review articles are a great way to make money online and you'll find many use this approach on Hubpages. Sidkemp is right, a lot of reviews don't have the oooomph that they need to attract traffic and buying customers.
    
    A great way to start is by review items you already own. This is something I do. If I buy something and it's worth a review I'll review it. I even wrote a hub on how to do this.
    
    The best in the business build niche sites and buy the products their reveiwing first. It cost you money to begin with but over time they'll pay for themselves.

    replyreport
16. 72

    thranaxposted 11 years ago

    I strongly recommend them! Under the terms of being original, helpful, and informative and not stale, old, and repetitive!
    
    ~thranax~

    replyreport
17. 57

    liamhubpagesposted 11 years ago

    Of course they are allowed, actually they are also very much appreciated.

    replyreport
18. 78

    Diana Leeposted 11 years ago

    I have wrote a few here on products I use myself.  If I find something extraordinary I truly like using I'll write a review. I haven't written any bad reviews on anything, however I am considering it.  The public should be aware of rip offs as well as a good product.

    replyreport
19. 65

    jepstorylineposted 11 years ago

    I think that we are overloaded with commercials in general. However, some products or services deserve a good shout out.

    replyreport
20. 77

    Rob Wintersposted 11 years ago

    Absolutely they're allowed John but you can't link to certain things such as affiliate links or clickbank products.Linking to most amazon products is fine however so that can be a safe bet.
    
    I've only written one product review myself but as others have advised it was for a product i actually own and use making it much easier to genuinely review (for someone who doesn't specialize in product reviews at least).I also did research to ensure i was providing comprehensive info on product variants etc.
    
    The hub ranks well for my keywords and gets modest but consistent and regular daily traffic and also results in occasional amazon sales - win, win really. I should actually do some more of them now that i think of it I say go for it.
    
    You can also post a link to your hub in the 'Improving Your Hub' section under the HubPages Community section of the hubpages forums and people will give you constructive criticism and feedback. Hopefully some 'review hub' specialists will be amongst them.GL

    replyreport
21. 79

    Express10posted 11 years ago

    Reviews are allowed and one common difficulty is that the review hub may simply be too short or overly glowing. These can definitely raise red flags, so be careful to ensure that you don't have these issues. I have published a hub about my personal experience with 2 hair care products and am thinking of writing an absolutely blasting review about the Eureka 5400 vacum. Warning, do not buy. As long as you are not trying to sell something within your hub and have a true and personal experience that others may benefit from or find interesting, it doesn't seem that HP considers that that too commercial.

    replyreport
22. 64

    Duchessoflilac1posted 11 years ago

    I've seen some on hubpages. I don't usually read them. It would have to be a product I was particularly interested in. Good luck

    replyreport
23. 65

    shielamaeparrenoposted 11 years ago

    No I don't think product reviews are considered too commercial (unless promotion of a certain product is your intention). In fact those can be very helpful to some readers. I'm actually thinking of doing book reviews myself...

    replyreport