Who’s Telling The Truth? The Explosion Of Supplement “Review” Sites On The Net
I published this article in a recent newsletter. It is of sufficient importance that it warrants a reprint, here on the blog. Enjoy!
Just a few years back, I could count the number of prominent web sites entirely dedicated to reviewing supplements on one hand. Now, a search for just about any product – especially those dedicated to weight loss – brings up dozens of sites. Many have names like “consumer-something or other”, and give the impression they offer a “consumer advocate” type service in the genuine best interests of their visitors.
Most don’t.
They are “fake” review sites designed to promote the products they either manufacture and sell themselves, or products which they are affiliated with, and earn a huge commission from referred sales.
Take for example, the recent law suit filed against Utah businessmen Steve DeVore (of SyberVision) and Garret DeVore (of BlackStone Nutrition) that alleges…
“…SyberVision and Blackstone Nutrition conspire to deceive consumers through Web sites that post bogus “product reviews” that defame competitors and violate trademarks…”
The press release goes on to state…
“The defendants’ Web site claim to contain unbiased and helpful consumer information. However, the ‘reviews’ are fake and the Web sites are nothing more than a marketing scheme for defendants’ competing products, which they promote on the sites.”
Unfortunately, these two guys are hardly the only two who are alleged to be engaged in such nefarious practices. The majority of review sites I’ve checked out lately are completely bogus, designed only to promote products for income.
With that said, how do you differentiate between sites that are bogus and those that are not? That’s a good question. Here’s some tips…
1) Look for aggressive promotion of products available online ONLY: Generally these “review” sites do not promote regularly available commercial products like Hydroxycut, Lipo 6, etc. Instead, you’ll find they promote products which can only be found online and generally sell for about twice the price of popular, readily available products.
That’s because the profit margin on brand name products is low, and the commissions to be earned from promoting them is miniscule. Commissions on these online products, however, usually runs close to the 50% mark, which means a lot of money can be made in commissions.
It also clearly illustrates that the additional cost of these products is not used for developmental reasons (i.e., it’s not because they include much more of the high quality ingredients found in commercial equivalents) but as a major financial incentive to partners.
2) Follow the money: This is an important one. If you do a search on Google for a product of interest and see many paid ads for “reviews” of the product, be skeptical.
Advertising on Google is not cheap (you can use this handy tool to determine the cost of certain “keywords”) and you can bet if an advertiser is targeting these popular keywords, there has to be a way to obtain a decent ROI (Return On Investment) for his/her money. They are only doing this to make money, believe me.
For instance, you won’t see UltimateFatBurner.com advertising our reviews here. Since we earn the majority of our income from advertising, that means we can’t afford to pay more than a few pennies for new visitors (which means Google is out of our league) or we would be losing money. The only way any site can place ads here and stay in business is to aggressively promote products that pay high-commissions.
And we won’t do that, of course.
3) Zero, minimal or selective use of scientific journal references: Most of the reviews I’ve read on these sites boil down to something like this…
“This product isn’t any good, and we recommend XXXX highest rated product as an alternative.”
No real effort is made to explain why said product is “no good,” and no breakdown of the various ingredients – along with relevant clinical references to validate the argument – are provided. Same goes for the recommended product. We’re to take the recommendation on the word of the reviewer alone.
4) Inaccurate reviews: One review site, in an obvious shot at UltimateFatBurner.com and my appreciation for Isatori’s Lean System 7 (LS7), claimed that new LS7 was nothing special, and certainly nowhere near as good as the old, ephedra-based product. The thing is, LS7 has never, ever been an ephedra based product. Pretty credible, huh?
5) Non-credible recommendations: Product recommendations are often made of the basis of…
i) A money-back guarantee. Feedback to Real-Customer-Comments.com indicates these guarantees are rarely honored. I have no doubt those making the recommendations know that.
ii) An overwhelming record of positive customer feedback. Positive testimonials are anecdotal. They can also be manufactured. And cherry-picked. We’ve received comments about several review sites refusing to publish negative comments about products, therefore presenting a “positively skewed” perspective.
That’s why so many people are overwhelmed when they visit Real-Customer-Comments.com. One of the things they regularly say is… “Wow! I can’t believe all the negative comments here. All the other sites had nothing but positive ones.”
iii) The recommended product contains “patented” ingredients: It’s a common misconception that “patented” means “proven to work.”
It does not. A patent is simply…
“… a legally-recognized grant of property rights over an invention, formula, or design.”
If someone is recommending a product on the basis of patented ingredients, RUN.
6) Recommendations for merchants who use deceptive billing tactics: Want an easy way to make money? Recommend a product that uses a free trial offer to add new customers to a recurring billing program. That way, you’ll earn commissions every 30-days, when your visitor gets shipped a product they don’t want, didn’t order, and can’t opt out of. Only the lowest of the lowest implement this tactic, but there are still plenty who will do so.
Are you starting to see the patterns common to these “review” sites?
No science + aggressive advertising + umpteen positive testimonials + plenty of money to be made = HIGHLY LIKELY TO BE BOGUS.
It’s all falling into place, no?
Basically, the rules of common sense apply here. If someone is asking for your credit card while they are telling you something that sounds just too gosh darn good to be true, trust your instincts and do not make the purchase.
Instead, visit UltimateFatBurner.com and see what we have to say about the product. Or, if it’s not reviewed yet, use the Glossary to investigate some of the core ingredients. Alternatively, drop us a line and request a review (we can’t do everything, of course, and generally try to focus on the most “in demand” products, so the greatest number of people benefit from a review).
You can also see what people are really saying about the product over at Real-Customer-Comments.com.
You’ll be surprised at the difference!
In the meantime, watch out for the bogus review sites!
May 30, 2009
Paul,
You have a very informative and honest site here.I have read many of yours and Elissa’s reviews on products I have tried and you are usually dead on. I also have tried some products because of your reviews and found them to be right on.
I think the advice from you and Elissa should be highly regarded and respected.
Thanks,
Rick
May 30, 2009
Elissa, you’re absolutely right. Thank you. And Rick, thanks for the kudos. Elissa and I really appreciate them!
May 30, 2009
Actually Paul, I think you forgot one…
Names… or lack thereof.
I haven’t looked at as many of these sites as you have, but the handful I’ve seen were put together by people who are anonymous.
Conversely, our names are on this site, and associated with what we write. We’re recognizable people who can be contacted, and will even take the time to respond – at considerable length (if need be), and with good, well-researched/reasoned arguments.
Simply put: people have a right to know who the site authors are. If their work is legit, they should be proud to stand behind it. If this information is missing, it’s important to ask why.
June 22, 2010
You left out the fact that you write for Isatori’s in-house magazine, Real Solutions Magazine (http://www.isatoritech.com/product1.aspx?SID=8&Product_ID=62). Not sure what they pay for that, and maybe that wouldn’t influence you, but Isatori products get very high praise on your website, and you recommend at least one Isatori product in every category they sell into.
June 23, 2010
Gee – what does it say right here on the “About Us” page?
“Paul is also the author of “The Ultimate Fat Burning Diet Primer” and writes the consumer advocate column for the Real Solutions magazine (right click this click and choose “Save Target As” to read the PDF version of his “Introduction To Fat Burners” article).”
What a sneaky, underhanded s**t that man must be, to openly reveal “secret” information like that! Obviously, his objectivity is completely compromised.
Just so you know – I’ve completely sold out too – since I’ve also given iSatori products some generally good feedback. This is prima facie evidence that my opinion is tainted, despite the fact that I have no relationship with iSatori whatsoever, and – needless to state – earn exactly the same amount of money (which ain’t much – trust me) for a “thumbs up” review as I do for a “thumbs down” one.
Since you’re obviously looking for “evidence” of our nefarious intentions – feel free to check out my Facebook profile. In one of my albums, there’s a picture of me posing with Hugo Rivera at the 2009 Arnold. Hugo works with Labrada + I’ve said nice things about Labrada products; so, there ya go! We’re obviously in cahoots!
Nice try “Cynic” – but your insinuations are completely unfounded. No one here is being paid to promote iSatori products – Paul does that column largely because he likes seeing his name in print, not because he’s shilling for the company.
June 23, 2010
Cynic – you’d have a LOT more credibility if you had the strength of conviction to use a real name and email address. It’s hard to allot a whole lot to any individual who hides behind the anonymity of the web. You know who I am. You know who Elissa is. Have some cojones and post your name and REAL email address.
And…
Frankly, we’ve laid out – in very plain and simple terms – why we recommend Isatori’s products. Sure, they make good products (that’s the #1 reason) but they also offer and honor a 100% satisfaction or your money back guarantee. I also know they are dedicated to their customers and provide stellar customer service.
When there are so many products on the market and desperate people looking for solutions, it’s nice to know there are companies like Isatori that have the strength of conviction to put “their money where there mouth is” so to speak.
The point is, there’s nothing wrong with making a recommendation, provided that recommendation is made in the best interests of our visitors. And obviously, it in this case it is.
June 23, 2010
Slow your roll, big guy. I’m sure you would like to beat me like a rented mule for saying such mean things (and I have no doubt you could!), but you’ve got to admit it’s a straightforward point.
If Fidelity gave me a spot in their newsletter to “get my name in print” and get some exposure to help me in my investment advising career, and I just happened to recommend to my clients that they buy into Fidelity’s funds, wouldn’t it be fair to point out the obvious conflict of interest? Even if Fidelity funds really were great funds and my clients made money on my advice?
Sure, in your case, you’re talking about $20 or $30 “investments,” so even if Isatori isn’t the absolute best out there, no harm, no foul. Isatori makes a quality product, so people are still getting their money’s worth. But you’ve still recommended one competitor over the others after Isatori gave you something of value. Is the Isatori product better? Maybe, I sure like some of them, including some I bought on your recommendation. But you can’t blame me for taking the time to get a second opinion on your recommendations after finding out you have a special relationship with one of the manufacturers.
June 23, 2010
Hey Cynic – you seem to be forgetting some key points:
1. You insinuated that Paul was being deceptive, for failing to disclose the relationship. As noted, it’s no secret – the alleged “conflict of interest” is posted, front and center, in his bio. You owe the man an apology for that.
2. Did it ever occur to you that it was Paul’s overall stance towards iSatori that led to the (honorary) relationship, rather than vice versa? Likewise, your assumption that the exposure in Real Solutions actually helps Paul is flawed (this is the thrust of your analogy w/Fidelity). There’s precisely zero evidence of that. Our traffic on this site comes OVERWHELMINGLY from organic searches, not because Real Solutions readers (a pretty small group overall) are coming over to check us out.
3. No one – least of all Paul – has ever claimed that the info on this site represents the last word on any supp. You’re free to get second, third, fourth, fifth – or how many other opinions you like. No one would blame you at all – in fact, we’d applaud you for doing your homework, and trying to get the best deal for your supplement dollars as possible. What we do here is examine the evidence, and try to come to reasonable conclusions. If you think that we’ve failed to do due diligence in a review, please feel free to bring it to our attention. Given solid reasons to do so, we’re more than happy to update or change it… which isn’t a deal you’ll get on the other sites alluded to above, which exist to promote specific supps.
In case you hadn’t noticed, no solid, well-made product is ever slammed on this site, nor is it downplayed or unfairly denigrated in any review in favor of iSatori products. It’s not a question of “saying mean things” – it’s a question of being a total dick. You’re accusing Paul of being dishonest, and a hypocrite to boot – considering where you posted your comment. The alleged “conflict of interest” – which is utterly trivial – has exactly jack to do with the kind of underhanded crap Paul was discussing above.
Overall, recommendations are made here as – from experience – we know that some visitors get overwhelmed by too much information. They may not want to do any comparison shopping, and thus, aren’t going to take the time to read through multiple reviews. I’ve been working one-on-one with folks as a forum admin for 6 years, and “tell me what to take” is a VERY common reaction. So it makes PERFECT sense to direct these folks to a company where – at the very least – they have a chance of getting their money’s worth – and where they also have a chance of getting their money BACK, should they decide that it’s not the rght supp for them.
Trust me, troll, if we were truly dishonest, your comments would never have seen the light of day, rather than being put out here in the open, for everyone to see and judge for themselves.