Do y'all think leaving an Amazon review is a waste of fourth dimension? Then, an Amazon program that's been around since 2007 might have you thinking twice. Amazon'southward Vine Programme consists of a group of handpicked reviewers who get products for gratis in substitution for honest reviews.

Amazon doesn't requite abroad too much nigh how reviewers are selected, only there are some basic guidelines that you tin follow in an attempt to be one of the lucky ones receiving free swag.

What is the Amazon Vine Plan?

Amazon's Vine Program is an invite-simply group of reviewers that receive products for free in exchange for impartial reviews. They volition often receive products earlier they are released. Amazon explains its purpose:

"[...] to provide customers with more than information including honest and unbiased feedback from some of Amazon'due south nigh trusted reviewers."

Anyone who is a fellow member of the Vine Program will take a badge on all the reviews they go out on Amazon distinguishing them equallyVine Voices.

That doesn't hateful every single review they leave is the event of a freebie. If they received the item as part of the program, that review volition be labeledVine Client Review of Complimentary Production.

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 take access to a rolling list of items they tin can gild at any fourth dimension. Co-ordinate to NPR, Vine members cannot sell or give items received through the program away and Amazon can ask for the items back -- although they don't announced to do that.

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

How Do You Go An Invite?

So how do yous become one of Amazon's about trusted reviewers? Amazon volition accomplish out to you if they feel you are a good fit for the plan but the company does offer some guidance on what it's looking for in a Vine Vocalisation.

Rather than focus on quantity of reviews, they are focused on quality. It's no good if yous're out there on Amazon leaving ane-word reviews left and right. Being a prolific reviewer is no guarantee of joining the Vine program. Amazon'southward guidelines for a Vine Vocalization are:

  • A reviewer's rank, which is based on the overall helpfulness of reviews, while also factoring in the number of reviews.
  • Demonstrated expertise in one specific product category.
  • More than weight is given to contempo reviews. (Rankings are updated every couple of days.)
  • An involvement in products similar to those enrolled in the Vine program.

While an interest in the products enrolled in the plan is key to getting an invite -- aside from looking for Vine reviews on Amazon (which is not an easy task), at that place's no real way to know which products are enrolled. All we know is that vendors pay to take their products included -- a fact that Amazon did not initially disclose, leading to some negative coverage of the plan in the past.

In any example, in its caption of the program Amazon writes:

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

Helpful Votes

And then if you desire to be considered, avoid leaving extremely brief reviews. Avoid complaining about something in the product that is clearly stated in the description. Retrieve most the questions you were asking yourself before you took the plunge and ordered that $200 gadget that you lot knew you didn't need just really, really wanted.

Amazon likely scours the thousands of reviews left on products available on the site and looks at how those reviews are being received by fellow customers.

Reviewers whose feedback is consistently marked as helpful have a ameliorate take a chance of beingness invited to the program.

Stick to One Category

Equally for the second criteria - Amazon looks for your interest and expertise in specific product categories. Anecdotal evidence shows that sticking to one product category, and condign a recognized and helpful practiced in that field gives you lot a better run a risk of condign a Vine member.

There's No Clear Science

Amazon doesn't provide much information on how it makes that decision. For example, we found Vine Voice reviewers who received four,000 helpful votes. Some Hall of Famers accept received over 88,000 votes merely are not a role of the program. In that location is conspicuously no exact science in play here. Ane Vine Vocalization reviewer posted on Quora that he received his invite with over 30 reviews and over 300 helpful votes. In addition to numbers, according to him, it also depends on which categories Amazon is looking to add together new Vine Voices -- in other words -- in that location'south no guarantee.

One major piece of data that Amazon does not share is how often it invites users to the Vine program, so information technology's never really clear if Amazon is actively recruiting new reviewers. So if you want to be considered, y'all'll only have to keep at it. Most anecdotes plant online of Vine members being invited are somewhat dated at this point.

One Reddit user who is too a Vine member claims that Amazon does non add new members unless existing members go out the program.

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 ane review per week. (Some of the acme Vine reviewers wrote as much as i review a day, and sometimes more.)
  • She reviewed products mainly from ane category: kitchen items.
  • She did this for a period of one yr.
  • She speculates that being a longtime, active Amazon member may too have something to exercise with it.

MakeUseOf'southward Bakari Chavanu, a Vine Fellow member since 2010, offers this advice:

  • Y'all need to have been an Amazon member for longer than half-dozen months.
  • Write thoughtful and 18-carat reviews.
  • Prioritize reviews of products y'all really bought on Amazon. (These will be labeled as aVerified Purchase on the site.)
  • Play the long game by updating your reviews after y'all've used the product for a while.
  • Consider doing short video reviews as well.
  • Focus on a product category associated with your profession as this can lend to your credibility and increment 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 order is to pay attention to Amazon'due south ain review guidelines. This is what Amazon suggests when you're about to write a review:

  • Do explain why you liked or disliked it.
  • Do compare to like products or services and share how long yous've used this product.
  • Exercise identify specific attributes (e.g. comfort & fit of a shirt or the battery life of a photographic camera) and whether they met your expectations.
  • Don't draw your seller or shipping feel (you tin can do that at amazon.com/feedback).
  • Don't include promotional content of whatsoever kind or reviews written in exchange for bounty.

You're In. Now What?

Once you're accepted equally a Vine reviewer yous will want to make sure yous follow the guidelines of the program. You lot are express to two products at a time and you must write and post your reviews of received products before you can asking additional items. Exist certain to go out a review within 30 days of delivery.

Only cull products y'all're really interested in, and don't feel compelled to select something but for the sake of a review. If you don't really want or need the particular, you lot can but skip a month or 2.

You'd be surprised only equally with most things online, being a summit Amazon reviewer doesn't come without risks. Ane Amazon reviewer reportedly gets regular hate mail service, among them death threats. Other Vine reviewers say their reviews go negative feedback just because of their Vine badge. And while Amazon vowed last year to crack down on 'incentivized' reviews, because of a drench of faux reviews, the Vine program has continued to operate.

A 2016 study past ReviewMeta found that, while they may not be perfect, Vine reviews are oftentimes better than incentivized reviews.

For all of the criticism that it's received, in that location are some really dedicated reviewers among their ranks, including the current top-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, you tin can't disagree the value of a proficient review when you lot go shopping on Amazon.

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

Image Credit: zagandesign/Depositphotos

Originally written by Bakari Chavanu on Aug 4, 2010

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Nancy Messieh (872 Articles Published)

Nancy is a writer and editor living in Washington DC. She was previously the Center Due east editor at The Side by side Spider web and currently works at a DC-based think tank on communications and social media outreach.

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