How do you get into the review business?

[Gautama2]

^^

 

[Lonyo]

Reviewing what?

 

[Inspector Jihad]

games? cars? dogfood? hotels? porn? dildos?

 

[Gautama2]

Ahh, I thought this being a computer forum I wouldn't need to state it. But if you havent figured it out already, computer parts.

 

[sash1]

1) start a website
2) review stuff
3) ...
4) profit?

 

[theprodigalrebel]

I don't know. Start a website, post a few editorials and commentaries on the tech industry. Request/Review some products. Contribute to various forums. Put it all in your resume and send it to websites that are looking to hire? I know PCStats.com once placed an ad on their front page for reviewers/editors. They asked for a 1000 word (I think) article on Virtualization.

If I were running a site like Anandtech, I already know what forum members I would want reviewing hardware

 

[Gautama2]

Well if your starting your own website for your own reviews, how do you get the companies sending you review samples and such?

 

[Goosemaster]

Originally posted by: Gautama2
Well if your starting your own website for your own reviews, how do you get the companies sending you review copies and such?

It's all about $$$. If you are big enough to attract a nice group of people with money, then people who want that money will start listening to you.

 

[Gautama2]

Yea, but what if you just plan on doing it for a hobby, not a main job. I mean, in about 5 years I would like to start my own review site but if I need to buy my own review samples then thats a no go. Even crappy reviewers (IMO 3dgamerman) get tons of samples to work with donated from the manufactuers. How do you do it?

 

[badmouse]

Originally posted by: Gautama2
Well if your starting your own website for your own reviews, how do you get the companies sending you review samples and such?

You contact their marketing people and talk them into it. Unless you have contacts, or you're really good at talking, you'll probably need to start out by buying things and reviewing them. Whatever you buy is a business expense. Also, you can sell whatever you buy on e-bay. Or hold a contest and give away - that's a great way to get loyal readers.

If you want companies to send you stuff, you can try things like find a local company that sells lots of what you want to review; ask them to "sponsor" you, and then use their name when you contact the marketing people. Or talk to the local newspaper folk for the same reason.

 

[mugs]

I did it in the mid-90s. A friend and I just started a website reviewing Mac software and hardware. Before long companies were sending us free stuff to review, then a bigger site offered to buy our site and paid us to continue writing reviews for them. We never even had our own domain name.

I stopped when I started college and switched to PC.

Nowadays there are so many big review sites out there that I don't think you could do that as easily.