Why I Use Amazon Affiliate Links When Reviewing Items

I love this:

"Seriously, if you’re still not sure whether or not I’m steering you straight, get the hell out."

My sentiments exactly. Well done.

Chris, people absolutely should be compensated for quality recommendations of products and services. No one respectable, least of all you (and I know you so I say this with a high degree of confidence) is going to risk his reputation by recommending junk.

The little bit of money that you'd get for the affiliate payment would never come close to covering the damage to your reputation. Therefore I don't see how the fact that you might make a buck or two in any way diminishes the quality of the review.

You've worked very hard - for years - to earn our trust. Don't feel any guilt for using an affiliate link when you have something you think is cool to recommend to us. You've earned it and then some!

I'm not being compensated for the review. I wrote the review for free. I write every review for free (unless disclosed otherwise). The links are an easy way for people to get more information. If they choose to buy it, I'm compensated for their purchase by way of the link.

See the difference.

I don't feel guilty. That's my point. I'm perfectly pleased with what I'm doing.

However, should people question my reputation after all these years, simply because I use (very well disclosed) affiliate links, I'm not interested in defending that any longer.

Does that make sense?

I get that. And I agree with you, Chris. Really I do.

Didn't mean to say you were compensated for the review. Just for the "referral" of the affiliate link. IF someone clicks through AND makes a purchase.

It's totally above board and any cash that you happen to get as a result is a fraction of what I think you deserve for steering folks like me to quality products. Anyone who has a problem with THAT has bigger issues in my mind.

Not to mention, I'm very interested in what you have to say about pocket video cameras. With my new video site I know I'll be buying one soon. :)

Chris -
Since one can assume from your writings that if you were compensated to review a product and the product was poor you would still post it with disclosure (and let the provider of said product know) one should not have an issue with you having affiliate links. Those that are shills for a product will, over time, be found out and it's their credibility. Use the links. Beer money is always good. There's nothing wrong with that. It's a choice.Your disclosure list is really well done; you don't hide it in small tiny print - it's out there. If someone feels you are being "paid" to review a product then they don't understand you. I used to be accused of the same thing when I wrote for the paper and did product reviews - even on reviews which panned a product! There are always going to be people out there who think that way. Throw the negativity out of your life and let it skid like water off your back.
Cheers.

Sorry - just re-read my post. I meant if the product was poor you'd post a poor review...

Stuff like that usually doesn't get to you, Chris, but sometimes you need to respond to losers out there who have nothing better to do than be trolls.

Ctr + Ignore!!!

Isn't it interesting that few people questioned the integrity of traditional print media, which was largely funded by overt advertisement, but have to wonder about an individual who does the same?

And the difference is what gets people's panties all tied up. They see this as a "editorial vs sales" conversation, circa old school journalism.

1.) I'm not a journalist.
2.) I use full disclosure.
3.) I'm not funded by affiliate ads, but I use them for their ease of use.
4.) I refuse to STOP using them, simply because someone wonders if $4 will sway my take.

Just gets to me, is all. Not for the ME thing, but because of the larger story.

Chris,

So many review posts all over the internet are paid reviews. NOT SAYING ANYTHING ABOUT YOU.

So the huge amount of fake reviews will ruin it for the honest reviews.

When I go and google up reviews, I can see so many fake ones. I am sorry but no product out there is completely perfect.

It would be nice if those PAID TO REVIEW/POST networks would shut down and ruin it for the rest of us who give honest opinions. There are other ways to make money.

Chris, I have no issue with the links as used, keep using them!

Wow Chris...I'm at a loss for words that people can be so ignorant. There are so many blogs out there that are full of shiny trinkets and flashy buttons to sell things...whereas you're kickin' quality info...whether it's from this review on your experience (and why not be able to monetize when you're sharing something) or you're giving the peeps KNOWLEDGE to improve their business...which correct me if I'm wrong, but a large portion of your readers want to earn a living from social media? This is but one of a myriad of ways a blog can generate income!

Beer money is good...and so is the review of your experience in this post. Sheesh...

@TimothyCarter

I don't think a professional like Brogan needs to cop a review for a few bucks.
He sure doesn't need to justify the link.
Enough people have asked over the years; 'can I buy it through you?'
When you blog professionally, and pour in the time, energy, effort, expertise- then offering an affiliate link is fine. In fact it's not enough.
Anyone who benefits from a blog like this, over and over again, should be looking for a way to give back.

It's not a requirement; no one forces the blogger to blog.
And it's also the home property, the shingle, adjacent to Chris'
corporate network.

But this generation is cheap.
We're in the middle of the "free" debate, because everyone
is used to getting mountains of free content.

Adding affiliate links on this blog should go like this:
"Chris, over the course of a year, I purchase a lot of the books
you recommend. Instead of buying it directly, I'd really like for it to benefit you.
I'm on your blog constantly, and see countless beneficial things you share/teach/point to on Twitter.
I wish you had a straight up
$100 'buy me a coffee" button, so we could all hit it at least once per year."


PS- I have been helping people on Twitter for nearly 3 years.
I've received several thousand thank you's from followers,
and Twitter HQ. Less than 1/10th of 1% of my links are affiliate links,
and yet people who have followed me for 500-1000 days,
and benefited, flip out over it.
Guess what? I'm done worrying.
Stop resenting the other guy getting petty $

Oh, brother, seriously people question your credibility because you use Amazon affiliate links? How empty are some people's lives that this is the important stuff they rail against?

If it bothers them that much, they can go to amazon.com and search for the book, by-passing your affiliate link and have the last laugh. It takes more energy to rail against a blogger who may make .20 on a book referral than to just bypass the link. Or is THEIR time so worthless they have to spend it on telling you how to blog ethically?

Forget these people. They are already living a nightmare worse than they are inflicting on you with their comments. Posting a comment takes a minute or two; they have to live with their angst 24/7/365.

Chris... I really wish Jon would post. But he hasn't, and... well, this is absolutely one of those times when getting on the phone would show all sides of a situation so quickly, but being tossed about in 140 (or even here) leaves so much open to misinterpretation.

My take on his point is that he thinks some things should be ad free. And, for some reason, when they're not, it bothers him. And whether I'm 100% spot on about his point or not, at the end of the day, his thoughts are about *him*, and not about *you*.

Just sayin' :)

Understood, and yet, the swipe was at me. "Huxter-ish" was one quote and "disappointed" was the other.

People seriously are flaming you over this? You make 3-5% on a $20 book sale and people are pissed?

I love your reaction. Well stated.

Warmest,

Jonathan
http://www.ThreeMoneyMethods.com

I think 95% of people agree with you completely. Most readers want to easily be able to click to the product they are reading about, and you might as well be rewarded for bringing those potential customers to Amazon. I don't understand how someone can believe you are going to be influenced by a possible small % of sale on reviews you are choosing to write.

"Seriously, if you’re still not sure whether or not I’m steering you straight, get the hell out."

Best. Line. Ever.

People get all bent out of shape about affiliate links; personally, I don't understand why. It's only with the internet that people get nuts about advertising. When Ford buys time on NBC television for one of their new vehicles, nobody *ever* thinks that NBC is endorsing Ford or that there should be disclosure about whether or not, or how much, Ford paid for the spot - but put an ad, or an affiliate link, on a site, and some people assume that the webmaster is crooked or is being bought off in some way. Ridiculous.

I wrote about this a few weeks back when the FTC-going-after-bloggers news broke at danielmclark.com. It's lunacy. Great post, Chris.

I guess I'm walking into someone else's fight here.

I do think that any blogger with any audience has an ethical responsibility to disclose who is paying for his opinion. I think Chris does a good job of that.

I don't think that affiliate links, specifically Amazon affiliate links, detract from a blogger's credibility as they are added after the fact and represent no contractual commitment on the part of the blogger.

I have no problem when a blogger adds affiliate links to a piece. I am less keen when a blogger points to his affiliate links and asks readers to click them, but I think this is just 'poor form' rather than full-on immoral.

Whether they like it or not, bloggers should be held to some kind of journalistic standard, but let us not forget that the primary object of journalism throughout history has been to fill the space between the ads.

Yes! Chris your ending here is abrupt and surprising - thoroughly effective. Thank you.

And the thing is, I don't even mean it in anger. I just don't have time to convince people whether I'm the right guy for them. As one of my favorite bosses ever said to a girl who was threatening to quit, "There are no bars on the doors."

If you wrote about a product that I thought may be useful, If you didn't provide a referral link then I should try to contact you to see if you have one. I mean we're all in this online thing together, If we can't help each other make a buck we all go down with the ship.

The occasional aff. links are a good way to earn a little compensation for quality information while still allowing all of us free access to this valuable resource. Right on Chris!

Chris- that is what I love about your blog and site. You have a disclosure section and you tell us each time there is an affiliate link! What is wrong with having someone else buy the beer every once in a while?

This post really irritated me. I belong to a group called LeTip (www.letip.com) and I pay a lot of money to belong to a sales networking group that provides monthly reports on how much money members make off of my referrals (obviously I hope to receive leads too but my offerings cost 5-6 figures so I know it will take time for the reciprocity thing to get rolling due to scale).

Why am I irritated by this post: people don't understand that EVERYONE is in sales. Sales at it's core is persuasion. A job candidate sells a decision maker that they are the best choice. A customer service person sells their co-worker in credit to rush an approval for a client to ensure a great customer experience. My profession happens to be sales. I know that I sell a product/service and I know I'm always selling other things like persuading my 8 year old to eat breakfast so she won't be crabby at school.

I'm glad you told people to get the hell out that aren't in the know that we are ALL in sales in one way or another. The difference with you is that you have the courage to disclose this to many cultures that have such a negative perception of persuasion and influence.

I'm heading to your affiliate link to check out a new Kodak digital camera you suggested right now by the way. Not doing it looking for quid pro quo - I'm doing it because I happen to enjoy reading your posts every time they hit my email and I'm a fan of your writing. If I didn't like you, I wouldn't bother to click on your affiliate link. Step 1: like the messenger and Step 2: like the product/service. If both steps look good, I will buy (These critics are acting like you are offering kool-aid and consumers don't have the will power to resist your magical influence!). Ludicrous.

@juliefogg

Hmm... makes me think I should write a little disclosure blurb and dump it on my about page ... I use affiliate links to books (always on my own book) and use adsense ads as well. It pays for my web hosting.

No one's complained yet, but when they do, I'll have something to point to if i write that. thanks for the tip!

This one had me laughing out loud, Chris. The adage that you can't please all the people all the time is so true - we just forget it from time to time and expect people to act like grownups instead of morons. Anyone reading your blog, even sporadically (although why someone would do that I don't know!) would never question your integrity and, if they do, they deserve to be kicked to the curb. You tell 'em!

Chris:

I am personally fine with you doing whatever you want. It's a free country. I can choose to believe you or not. And you make that easier through your disclosures.

I don't personally get the ethos that seeks to turn bloggers into saints.

However, I find your post a bit mean-spirited. I haven't seen the complaints you've seen. But maybe someone is just tuning in to your blog. Your post above sort of assumes that someone has been reading your blog for years. I can certainly understand getting peeved at someone who has but still questions you this way. But a newcomer?

Also, isn't there a legitimate question - notwithstanding your disclosures - that someone who stands to benefit in any way is less credible? That is a structural and not a personal issue. One could be of the highest moral character and still be in a strange position when there is financial compensation tied to a review.

Again, I am fine with your use of affiliate links. But I do think it is fair to question people who review products and are somehow compensated. That questioning should be done in a polite manner of course. But your disclosures don't really answer the bigger issue. Human motivation is complex. We don't understand ourselves well enough to be absolutely certain that a potential payment had zero influence. And others can't be certain about you either.

Sure, you're not going to recommend a product that you think sucks just to get paid. But can you be absolutely certain that you are writing your reviews exactly the same as you would have without the potential compensation? Are you sure you're not just a tiny bit more positive than you would have been?...

I think this is why such rules exist. We recognize that this structural situation compromises integrity - not just for people of loose moral character but even people of the highest moral fiber.

If you don't want to engage in the discussion of this issue, that's totally OK. But the "get the hell out" strikes me as mean. Why not simply say: "Folks, I'm comfortable with my beliefs and practices on this issue and I don't plan to address the topic anymore."

Hi Adam--

I certainly have no intentions of being a saint. I sin too often to get the application card filled out, for one.

Mean-spirited? Yes. Absolutely. I wrote the post out of frustration for a recurring issue that has been around since blogging has been around, but that has been hovering around me personally since last December.

It's an interesting question about newcomers. Whoever started on my blog at this very post probably thinks I'm an ass. That's okay. I'm willing to accept that, should the opposite be to not voice my frustration. I think it's a calculation. My answer's not right, but it's definitely in line with my comfort.

The question of bias deserves an entirely different post, but let's just start here: I'm not paid to write reviews. I guess you could split hairs and say that when someone sends me a product, that's payment, but I'm not given currency to write reviews. The person who complained did so because he was "disappointed" to see that I offered Amazon affiliate links as pointers to the products. If you count that as pay, then it's a question of whether $4 or whatever is enough to sway me. I'm going to jump up and say "no" before you get to that one.

Is ANYONE unbiased? Hell, no. I'm very biased. However, I also do my best to disclose as many potential conflicts on my About page.

There are no rules in this space. In fact, I'm doing MORE than most people by disclosing.

I always discuss.

The "get the hell out" stands, I'm going to say. Not to you. I'm saying that at this point, if someone wants to doubt me, go find another blog. There are more blogs than there are humans on the earth. I no longer choose to defend my credibility on a post-by-post basis. That's my decision.

I'm grateful for your time and thoughts.

Chris:

I definitely respect your choice. I'm not sure I disagree. But even if I did, it's nice to see someone take a stand. And then stand by their stand (which, I think, is the whole point of a stand).

here, here. i've been seeing people complaining about this stuff as well as affiliate links and it pisses me off. I will recommend something if i think its good. And dammit, i will put up my affiliate link. If you dont like it go somewhere else. Im trying to earn a living so are you. people are so disingenuous.

i love your stuff. keep it going?

Anyone who complained about your using affiliate links needs their head looked at. Plain and simple. Its actually making me mad thinking about it.

Ah, fer flip's sakes!

Whingers, go read some blogger who blogs for the love of it. The rest of us will exist in the real world.

Chris,

As you know - I love your blog and what you are doing here. In fact, your blog (and Scoble's) were a large part of the inspiration for me dumping my website and starting a blog (thank you.)

I genuinely have no idea what more you could possibly do, to make your blog more transparent or more valuable.


Keep on,

Jim Connolly

Chris you are oh so right. If you have a privacy or terms of use or other disclaimer on your website. It makes perfect sense to be able to monetize and inform at the same time. Get a life if you dont think so.

I like your style and I like your disclosure policy
"I sometimes use Amazon Affiliate links to point to books I’ve reviewed. "

BUT I would however, for the benefit of people that don't know you and for the benefit of you being clear to those people on a first time visit put something which actually positions yourself more clearly in terms of the relationship. The statement does not explain this.

Something like as follows that no doubt you can rewrite much better!
"I sometimes use Amazon Affiliate links to point to books I’ve reviewed, and this is more for ease than anything else. I write the reviews for free, if there is a directl relationship between me and a product vendo I will disclose it clearly!"

If I take the time to say something good about a product I like and use, why on earth shouldn't I get credit for the sale? Good grief people.

Why is it some people are so good at finding the cloud in every silver lining? I'll be happy to contribute to your beer fund any day.