Do y'all think leaving an Amazon review is a waste of time? And then, an Amazon program that'due south been effectually since 2007 might take you lot thinking twice. Amazon's Vine Programme consists of a group of handpicked reviewers who become products for gratis in exchange for honest reviews.

Amazon doesn't requite abroad too much about how reviewers are selected, but at that place are some basic guidelines that you lot can follow in an attempt to exist one of the lucky ones receiving free swag.

What is the Amazon Vine Programme?

Amazon's Vine Program is an invite-just group of reviewers that receive products for free in substitution for impartial reviews. They will often receive products before they are released. Amazon explains its purpose:

"[...] to provide customers with more data including honest and unbiased feedback from some of Amazon's about trusted reviewers."

Anyone who is a member of the Vine Program will have a badge on all the reviews they leave on Amazon distinguishing them equallyVine Voices.

That doesn't mean every single review they leave is the consequence of a freebie. If they received the item as part of the programme, that review volition be labeledVine Customer Review of Free Product.

While Vine members used to receive a monthly newsletter featuring books and other products they chose from to review -- with products valued at anywhere from a few dollars to shut to $1,000 -- they now accept admission to a rolling list of items they can order at any time. According to NPR, Vine members cannot sell or requite items received through the program abroad and Amazon tin ask for the items back -- although they don't appear to do that.

Amazon says that Vine reviewers are not expected to leave positive reviews and that writing a negative review will have no impact on an Amazon user's ranking.

How Do You Get An Invite?

So how practice you become one of Amazon's almost trusted reviewers? Amazon will reach out to y'all if they feel you are a practiced fit for the program but the company does offer some guidance on what it'southward looking for in a Vine Voice.

Rather than focus on quantity of reviews, they are focused on quality. Information technology'southward no good if y'all're out there on Amazon leaving one-word reviews left and right. Being a prolific reviewer is no guarantee of joining the Vine program. Amazon'south guidelines for a Vine Voice are:

  • A reviewer'south rank, which is based on the overall helpfulness of reviews, while too factoring in the number of reviews.
  • Demonstrated expertise in 1 specific production category.
  • More than weight is given to recent reviews. (Rankings are updated every couple of days.)
  • An interest in products like to those enrolled in the Vine program.

While an involvement in the products enrolled in the program is key to getting an invite -- aside from looking for Vine reviews on Amazon (which is not an easy task), there's no existent manner to know which products are enrolled. All we know is that vendors pay to have their products included -- a fact that Amazon did not initially disembalm, leading to some negative coverage of the program in the past.

In whatever case, in its explanation of the programme Amazon writes:

Ultimately, Vine Voices get eligible based on the value and trust other Amazon.com customers place in the Voices' power to provide helpful and insightful reviews.

Helpful Votes

So if you want to be considered, avoid leaving extremely brief reviews. Avoid complaining virtually something in the production that is conspicuously stated in the clarification. Retrieve most the questions you were request yourself before y'all took the plunge and ordered that $200 gadget that you knew you lot didn't demand merely really, really wanted.

Amazon probable scours the thousands of reviews left on products bachelor on the site and looks at how those reviews are beingness received by fellow customers.

Reviewers whose feedback is consistently marked every bit helpful accept a amend chance of being invited to the program.

Stick to One Category

Equally for the 2d criteria - Amazon looks for your interest and expertise in specific production categories. Anecdotal evidence shows that sticking to i production category, and becoming a recognized and helpful expert in that field gives you lot a better chance of becoming a Vine member.

In that location'south No Clear Science

Amazon doesn't provide much data on how it makes that determination. For case, we found Vine Voice reviewers who received iv,000 helpful votes. Some Hall of Famers have received over 88,000 votes but are not a office of the program. There is conspicuously no exact science in play here. One Vine Voice reviewer posted on Quora that he received his invite with over xxx reviews and over 300 helpful votes. In addition to numbers, according to him, information technology too depends on which categories Amazon is looking to add new Vine Voices -- in other words -- there's no guarantee.

1 major slice of data that Amazon does not share is how ofttimes it invites users to the Vine programme, so it'due south never actually clear if Amazon is actively recruiting new reviewers. So if you want to exist considered, you'll but have to keep at it. Virtually anecdotes establish online of Vine members beingness invited are somewhat dated at this indicate.

Ane Reddit user who is as well a Vine member claims that Amazon does not add together new members unless existing members go out the programme.

Tips from Vine Members

Vine Member Laura Knights offers some details on what she did prior to existence invited in 2009:

  • She aimed to write one review per week. (Some of the top Vine reviewers wrote as much equally i review a day, and sometimes more.)
  • She reviewed products mainly from one category: kitchen items.
  • She did this for a period of 1 yr.
  • She speculates that beingness a longtime, active Amazon member may besides accept something to practice with information technology.

MakeUseOf'due south Bakari Chavanu, a Vine Fellow member since 2010, offers this communication:

  • Y'all demand to have been an Amazon member for longer than 6 months.
  • Write thoughtful and genuine reviews.
  • Prioritize reviews of products you actually bought on Amazon. (These will be labeled every bit aVerified Purchase on the site.)
  • Play the long game by updating your reviews afterwards y'all've used the production for a while.
  • Consider doing brusque video reviews also.
  • Focus on a product category associated with your profession every bit this can lend to your brownie and increase the likelihood of helpful votes.

Tips for Writing Reviews

The last thing to consider if you're trying to get an invite to the Amazon Vine lodge is to pay attention to Amazon's own review guidelines. This is what Amazon suggests when y'all're about to write a review:

  • Do explain why yous liked or disliked it.
  • Do compare to similar products or services and share how long you've used this product.
  • Do place specific attributes (due east.grand. condolement & fit of a shirt or the battery life of a camera) and whether they met your expectations.
  • Don't describe your seller or shipping experience (you can exercise that at amazon.com/feedback).
  • Don't include promotional content of any kind or reviews written in exchange for compensation.

You're In. Now What?

In one case you lot're accepted as a Vine reviewer you volition want to make sure you lot follow the guidelines of the program. Y'all are limited to two products at a fourth dimension and yous must write and post your reviews of received products earlier you can request additional items. Exist sure to go out a review inside 30 days of delivery.

Only cull products you're really interested in, and don't feel compelled to select something just for the sake of a review. If you don't actually want or need the item, you lot tin just skip a calendar month or two.

You'd be surprised merely as with most things online, beingness a pinnacle Amazon reviewer doesn't come without risks. One Amazon reviewer reportedly gets regular hate post, among them death threats. Other Vine reviewers say their reviews go negative feedback just because of their Vine badge. And while Amazon vowed final year to cleft down on 'incentivized' reviews, because of a deluge of faux reviews, the Vine program has connected to operate.

A 2016 report by ReviewMeta found that, while they may non be perfect, Vine reviews are oftentimes better than incentivized reviews.

For all of the criticism that it's received, there are some really defended reviewers amongst their ranks, including the current summit-ranked Amazon reviewer, who has written 3,451 reviews and received over 84,000 votes from other Amazon users for the helpfulness of her reviews. And, y'all can't disagree the value of a good review when you go shopping on Amazon.

Do you regularly write reviews on Amazon? Are you a Vine member? Tin can you share any tips or tricks on how to get invited into the program? What has Amazon sent you lot to review? Let us know in the comments.

Image Credit: zagandesign/Depositphotos

Originally written past Bakari Chavanu on Aug four, 2010

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Nancy Messieh (866 Articles Published)

Nancy is a writer and editor living in Washington DC. She was previously the Centre Eastward editor at The Side by side Web and currently works at a DC-based think tank on communications and social media outreach.

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