Will you pay for review and promote?

Nope.

I actually pulled out of a planned ad on another site, when they informed me that the "package" included a review of my app.

The moment you decide to "sell" space for reviews you lose all integrity. Even if the reviews are "fair" the money decide which apps are featured. There should never be any connection between advertising and editorial material...

 

If I've paid you to a review of my game, why would a punter reading that review trust your review to be unbiased. If the punter won't trust your review, why is it worth me paying for it?

 

Agreed. Church and state dude!

Paid reviews aren't worth the type face they are written in.

 

Dunno why anybody in their right mind would even consider paying for a review of their iPhone game when there are so many sites out there that work tirelessly to offer 'em absolutely free of charge. Also, as mentioned, by their very nature paid reviews and those that write them are untrustworthy. An exercise in pointlessness if you ask me.

 

All respect is lost when a blog or journalist is paid for a "review". And if they claim they will truly give you an honest review...why would you want to pay for something where your work could get slammed?

Sucks no matter which way you think of it.

 

Hmm, perhaps this is my marketing side coming out, in fact it is... And this is perhaps one of the core issues that holds many an app developer back from marketing their game well.

As a professional full-time blogger and marketer, I don't understand why you wouldn't pay for a review. It takes time, energy, and effort to write a review of a game, and I for one don't see an issue with paying a blogger to look at my game, whether or not the review is good.

You are essentially paying the blogger for their time, and in return you are getting publicity and exposure. That's standard operating procedure in advertising, and it's how you get the word out. Integrity and "selling out to the man" has nothing to do with it.

Yes, you can debate Earned vs. Payed exposure tell you are blue in the face (like this: in fact here's a link for you to get started: http://davefleet.com/2010/12/bloggers-money-posts-game/) but, in the end, exposure is exposure, and the more eyes you get on your app, the more sales that will turn into.

End of story. Marketing 101 and Common Sense 101.

 

Because if a site has to charge for reviews, that means they can't make money through advertising. If they can't make money through advertising, that means they don't have a big audience. If they don't have a big audience and nobody really reads the site, you are in fact not getting any worthwhile publicity or exposure by getting a review on their site.

 

That's a very good point. Thanks for clarifying that. One needs to do their due diligence on the site to make sure the review is worth it for sure. However, for $5-$10 to get a review on a website, that's chump change in the marketing industry and the ROI on that would almost always come out in your favor.

My point is- do your due diligence of course and work within whatever kind of budget you have. But don't cut yourselves off at the knees by outright refusing to pay for any exposure.

 

Yes exposure is great, but once the readers of the blog find out, they are less likely to act upon the reviews, so at the end of the day the developer isn't benefiting.

I mean, would you buy the new Kenmore fridge if the review you're reading in a magazine was sponsored by Kenmore? It's like seeing the Audi in 'The Transporter' movie, after jumping off ramps and speeding through the city the vehicle is spotless, do you think Audi wants them to show any damage or scratches on the vehicle if they're paying to be featured?

Once a blog goes that route the actual review is irrelevant and the website is more or less a place to see a listing of new apps.

 

I think you give the average website visitor too much credit. However, your point is also valid which is the other side of the earned vs paid media argument.

In a perfect world, the website would be highly trafficked and your review would be seen by many different eyes. Also, in their mission statement, the blog would state that some reviews are sponsored but all reviews are unbiased and honest. You would only be paying the blogger for their time and the exposure it would get you (perhaps something like above-the-fold placement or a spot on their "featured reviews" list), you would not be paying for a positive review.

This would be the ideal setup to make a paid review worth it.

 

I work in ad sales for a major publication (I do this marketing and PR stuff for apps as a side gig for my developer husband) and I know this for sure. People will absolutely pay for good reviews or editorial, but the moment the public gets whiff of it they will no longer see you as a credible source.

There has always been cross dabbling, and it's a grey zone, but money in exchange for editorial is a doomed model. You need to have advertising or other streams of revenue to support the hours it takes to write, edit and publish.

There is much I don't know, but this I know.

 

so far, no site with paid review has the good visibility to iPhone customer, just don't waste your money on that, focus on your game until they want to review it by themselves.

 

The difference is negligible. The one positive thing about "sponsored features" is that at least the reader is informed about the fact that the particular feature has been paid for...

 

I don't think the average joe visiting a site is going to necessarily know the difference between a site that carries paid reviews vs. one that doesn't.

People like to see reviews of games that interest them, that don't read like puff pieces. Paid reviews open the door to apps that were reviewed only because the site was bribed to mention them.

 

There's nothing a vanity promoter (which is what print publishers call these paid reviews and "exposure") that you can't do yourself. All it takes is time and effort. I view paid reviews with the same scorn as writers and devs who have friends/family/whoever leave these 5 star reviews on the app store, Amazon etc. I can't speak for devs, but in publishing, any imprint that does that is treated as a pariah, and they don't stay in business very long.

 

Well to each his own I suppose. In the end, the proof is in the pudding. mmm pudding...

 

Pretty much all print magazine who are game related are paid somehow to review product x.

Does it make a difference if someone pays them money instead of inviting the press to their headquaters, pay all the travel expenses, feed them with quality food and giving them a nice time so they can check out your new game.

So will they not write about product x if they got sugar blown up their arse?

Does it make a difference if you are literally thrown at with gifts.
All this sneaky tactics is called pr i call it bs, thats the same as putting money on the table for a review. The only difference is that one is straight foward and the other one is not.

I think there is quite a difference between paying for a review spot than paying for the review outcome. And all you need is enough money and you can have both on any website.

Game developement and anything around it is a business. If anyone thinks any review is 100% unbiased is just naiv.

Its starts small with developer giving out promo codes for reviews..thats the same as paying for one, no difference, just that you paid like a dollar or two in most cases. I dont start will all the free promotion stuff.