TGP Tutorials & Articles
The Art of Pornsite Review Writing
by TGPFactory Staff, May 18 2008
You've either heard about the traffic quality of review sites, or you really, really like writing – so you want to start a review site. The first thing you're going to need to realize is that there are a lot of them out there, and if you don't have a unique angle, hook, or writing style - you probably shouldn't waste your time. Running a review site is hard work, so figure out how you're going to be different in order to compete with the big boys, and then read the rest of this article.
Now, on to the writing side of a paysite review. There is no right or wrong style of writing – you want to engage your readers with your words since most paysite reviews generally don't have a lot of pictures. The whole reason that review traffic is so high quality is a combination of factors, but it mostly goes back to preselling. You don't just tell them that site A is the greatest site in the world – you tell them exactly why you think it's the best damn site in existence (or the worst, as the case may be).
Many surfers go to review sites in order to either get as much information about the site before joining (informed customer) or they have been burned before and don't trust anyone but a review site. That is why it is very important for you to be honest. Don't try to sugar coat something just because so and so sponsor gives you a higher payout. If you do something like that, you are going to lose surfer trust along with those golden ratios that come from properly preselling the surfer.
If you go the honest review route, over time you'll find that you will have a large bookmarker crowd that really identifies with your likes and dislikes, so they'll weigh your recommendation heavily in their minds when they go to make their porn purchasing decisions.
Now, exactly how detailed you get really depends on your own personal preference. You will want to give either a general idea of the quality (crappy, average, good, great, spectacular, etc) or you can give them hard numbers – or both. There are no set rules to review site writing after all – this is your site! You can usually expect a large part of your review to be focused on the content, because that is what the surfer really wants to find out about. Another thing you will want to keep in mind is how well the content is produced as related to the niche. Does a big tits site actually focus on the tits and tit action during a hardcore scene, or do they just do a standard positioning set. You can apply this way of thinking to nearly any niche to see how well it will appeal to the real lovers of that particular niche.
User friendliness is another big part of it, although it usually only stands out if it's really, really bad. Some sites are the biggest slapped together POS you have ever seen – and they can make it very difficult to get to the actual content. If the surfer can't easily get to the content and his dick gets soft...well, then you have a problem. Tell them about that kind of thing beforehand.
One thing that I always like to talk about is whether a site has personality or not. Does it let you really relate to the niche content by having descriptions and even behind the scenes info that helps you to get into it, or are you stuck with some chick that only has a number designation? With so many porn sites out there, the ones that stand out from the crowd with little extras like this can really make a difference in ratios and retention.
Extras are always a part of things too because who doesn't like bonus and free stuff? Over time you'll learn how to identify third party feeds and content, since these areas are where site owners like to stick the bulk filler content. Things like stories and live cams are also here, although most of the time the cams are just upsell iframes (with the exception of solo and amateur sites that have their interaction via cam shows).
These are obviously just a few of many points that you could go over in your reviews – after all, everyone has their own particular porn preferences. Maybe you're a junky for network access and bonus sites, or perhaps you just like seeing some extra effort when it comes to things like zip packs and searches. Just write it as you see it as a surfer, and especially as a lover of the niche, and you should be well on your way to creating a memorable review site.
If you already have a network, you might be wondering why you should add in a review site. After all, it is a ton of work, especially if you have to hire out writers. The entire thing just goes back to preselling – while a review is one of the ultimate preselling tools, you can also use the information about the member's area to laser target your traffic to the paysite that will work the best for it. Of course, you could always go the really easy route and recommend your reviews around your network.
Review writing might sound like it's complicated, but if you have a unique hook that keeps people coming back for more, you'll find that it gets easier as time goes on. Learning to think like a surfer when it comes to browsing around member's areas will help you in other sites as well, and it will help you to perfect the art of preselling.
