frugal underground

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I know that many of my readers are bloggers, too, so I want to tell you about a new site that could make you some extra money.

The site is called ReviewMe, and it’s basically a matchmaking service for advertisers and bloggers. There are a couple other sites out there along the same lines, but ReviewMe has some key differences that make it a whole lot more appealing to bloggers.

A very obvious difference, to start with, is how they’re promoting their service. You’ve heard the term “eat your own dogfood”? That’s what they’re doing. They’re promoting themselves by paying bloggers to review them (like I’m doing right now—I’m making a quick $30, and you can too, if you get on board fast enough). I love this idea, because they are clearly demonstrating exactly what’s so great about their service.

What else is great about their service?

• They encourage good behavior in sponsored posts. Not only do they suggest that you be upfront with your readers about the compensation, they require it. This promotes a trustworthy system based on honest opinions rather than underhanded techniques.
• They compensate bloggers fairly. The other companies I’ve seen attempting something similar pay peanuts. Many bloggers debate the ethics and logistics, but ignore the fact that it’s usually a terrible deal. Not so with ReviewMe. They take a variety of factors about your blog into account (traffic, prominence, etc.) and set a price for your reviews. It reflects the work you’ve already put into your blog, and compensates you fairly for your time.
• They genuinely help advertisers and readers by promoting honest reviews. Some other services reported allow advertisers to require “good” reviews, meaning ones that paint them rosily. ReviewMe specifically wants honest reviews, good or bad. Although some advertisers may balk at that, a truthful review is far more useful to both the advertiser and the reader (not to mention that most bloggers won’t touch “positive-only” with a ten-foot pole—it’s not worth destroying your credibility). After all, how can an business improve their product or service if they only hear what people like about it?

It won’t come as a shock to you that I think ReviewMe is here to stay. If you’re a blogger, I’d highly recommend signing up and taking advantage of their benefits. It’s a great way to make a little extra money.

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