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As a blogger and website owner, there’s always a secret weapon you can unleash that attracts plenty of inbound, organic traffic: a roundup post. Roundup posts can take a variety of forms, but they share the following advantages:
- They add superior-quality content to your site
- They have the appeal of compiling the best of the best products for specific types of people
- They add to your blog’s appearance of authority
- They generate an impressive amount of sales from affiliate programs
For the reasons stated above, writing a product roundup every couple of weeks is a great idea. But to get the most out of it, there’s a catch: they should be done right. Otherwise, you risk sounding like a complete idiot who just likes to talk about random products in one lengthy post.
Write with the buyer persona in mind
One mistake bloggers often make when creating product roundup posts is to write content with everyone in mind. Unfortunately, everyone is just too broad an audience to write for to create the results you want.
If you want to maximize sales and drive relevant traffic to your post, research more about your ideal customer and what their needs are. In what way would the products in your roundup post help them? What desires would the products fulfill? These are some of the questions you need to ask yourself before you dive into the writing process.
The Structure of an Awesome Product Roundup Post
Whether you’re an appliance reviewer or a fashion blogger, the basic elements needed to write an awesome product roundup remains the same. Below are the markers of quality that should serve as your guide when writing roundup posts:
A Killer Headline
Headlines matter A LOT. A great headline convinces people to read your post while a poor one sends potential buyers to spend their money elsewhere. David Ogilvy, founder of Ogilvy & Mather, once said:
“It follows that unless your headline sells your product, you have wasted 90 percent of your money.”
Useful Resource: 5 Easy Tricks to Help You Write Catchy Headlines
A Thoughtful Intro
You’ll want to frame the main idea of the post in a way that appeals to your target audience. For example, if you’re writing a product roundup of the best waterproof digital cameras for scuba divers, mention in the introduction how nice it would be to capture vivid images of their deep-sea adventures.
Another good approach is to open the post with an interesting fact or statistic that’s relevant to your target audience.
Useful Resource: How To Write Irresistible Blog Post Introductions That’ll Keep Your Readers Reading
An Interesting Product Lineup
Don’t be afraid to include unique items in the roundup. Promoting popular and well-known brands may be a safe bet, but readers will also appreciate the addition of uncommon or rare items, too.
Example of a diverse product lineup: Get Cozy with the Best Bedtime Gadgets Money Can Buy
Powerful Product Descriptions
How you describe the product plays a big role in convincing readers to buy it. You can stick squarely to the facts and hope that information alone convinces them, or you can appeal to their emotions and make them see just how owning the product will change their lives!
Kissmetrics talks about using descriptive words with emotional resonance to boost your blog posts’ conversion rates. Below are suggested phrases taken from the article that create an emotional response from readers:
- Enjoy the delicious aroma – our sense of smell is powerfully connected to memory and emotion. Use this phrase when you want evoke feelings of happiness from your readers.
- Is for you – make your statements as personal as possible.
- Whichever system you choose – this tells readers that they are in control, which inspires a sense of freedom of choice
- Your favorite drink – the words “your” and “favorite” are emotionally powerful words.
- Comfort – the dictionary definition of “comfort” is: a consolation; something relieving suffering or worry. This word is effective for household products.
- Perfect and simple – this phrase is great for people who prefer straightforward products that won’t intimidate or confuse them.
The article also mentions the importance of ‘talking to your customer’ as if they were in front of you. While this practice may require a little more creativity on your part, it will help you to incorporate your intent more effectively and convince them to make a purchase.
Focus on the solution, not the products
Talking about how wonderful the product is will still produce good results, but not as good compared to highlighting its problem-solving qualities. That’s because most inventions were created to address common issues.
If you want to create an awesome roundup post, focus on how owning the product will indeed make life easier and more enjoyable. That way, you’ll sound less like a salesman and more like a friend to your readers.
Do you have ideas you’d like to share? Drop them below in the comments section. We’d love to hear them!
This article is very intresting . Thanks for sharing the article.
loving the article, and focusing on the solution your affiliate product solves is some of the best advise i have seen out there, i wish more people would take it
Thanks Shaun!