YouTube Product Review Videos: The Dos and The Donts
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It’s the age of video and YouTube is the undisputed champion when it comes to video streaming platforms. Its status as the world’s second-largest search engine only goes to show how big video has become and content creators are leaving no stone unturned to cash in on the countless opportunities provided by the platform. While you’ll find tons of different content on YouTube, a great way for content creators to make it big as YouTubers is to create product review videos.
What are product review videos?
Product review videos, simply put, are videos that feature content creators reviewing products. The products featured in these videos can range from toys to gadgets to kitchenware to practically any product you can think of. They typically feature commentary that explains to viewers the various features of a particular product along with its strengths and weaknesses.
Why are product reviews so popular on YouTube?
Product review channels such as Unbox Therapy, Matthias, and Austin Evans have millions of real YouTube subscribers, which begs the question; why are these channels so popular? The simple answer to this question is that people around the world want to know about the products that they want to buy. The rise of online shopping has also contributed to the ever-increasing popularity of product review channels.
Before online shopping became a mainstream affair, people used to visit physical stores and could get a first-hand look at the products they wanted along with their features through demonstrations. However, there’s no scope for that when it comes to online purchases. Written reviews on e-commerce portals can’t be trusted completely as many of them are paid for by the brands. That’s why people have turned to product review channels on YouTube that offer detailed insights into numerous products and whether or not it makes sense to purchase them.
Are product review channels profitable for content creators?
Popular content creators with millions of YouTube views and subscribers earn handsomely from the platform, which has inspired up and coming creators to launch their very own product review channels. However, just because you’ve started a channel that deals with unboxing and reviewing products don’t mean that it’ll automatically become big. Read on as we delve deep into the dos and the donts of product review videos on YouTube.
The Dos
- Focus on products you’re passionate about: The first thing that any aspiring YouTube product reviewer should do is to focus on a niche. If you’re wondering what niche you should focus on, simply look to the things in life that you’re passionate about. For example, if you’re passionate about playing the guitar, you could start a channel that deals with reviews of different guitars. If you’re passionate about food, you could review different restaurants and the food that they serve.
- Get the right gear to record your videos: The gear you use to record your videos should be top-notch. But don’t worry, you don’t need to shell out a fortune to purchase high-end DSLR cameras. Even mid-range smartphones have more than decent camera quality these days and can record full HD videos. So, invest in one to capture those crystal clear videos. Also, get a tripod so that the camera remains in a fixed position during the shoot.Along with the video-capturing equipment, you also need quality gear to record your audio, as product review videos feature a lot of commentaries. If you have the money, it’s recommended to invest in an audio interface and a decent mic. However, if you want to start things on a low budget, normal clip mics would work fine as well.
- Learn to use video production software: Once your video and audio have been captured and recorded, it’s time to put them together using video production software. Adobe Premiere Pro, Wondershare Filmora, and Sony Vegas are just a few examples of video production software that you can use to edit your videos. However, using them efficiently will take some time and the more videos you make, the more you’ll be able to experiment with the features offered by such software.Video production software can also be used to refine your videos. Play around with the brightness, contrast, and sharpness settings, or add filters to make the videos look better than their original versions. The possibilities and choices are endless, but you need to give them time to become an efficient editor.
- Script your videos: You don’t want to start recording without rehearsing, as it’ll most likely end up with you searching for words and phrases to discuss a particular product. Editing such videos can be incredibly time-consuming. Instead, it’s much better to write scripts and follow them while recording the videos.A script doesn’t have to be a formal one; it can be written casually as well. It’s mainly meant to be a reference point for you so that you know the sequence of a video and record it accordingly. For example, the first section of the video can be a brief overview of the product you’re reviewing, followed by its unboxing and then its in-depth review. The last section could include your final thoughts about the product and whether it makes any sense for prospective buyers to purchase it.
- Approach brands for complimentary products: Across the first few videos, feel free to review products that you have at home because you can’t expect any company to give you complimentary products for reviewing right off the bat. However, once you gain a few hundred YouTube subscribers, feel free to write professional emails to various brands, and request them to give you complimentary products to review.A common misconception of beginner-level YouTubers is that no company will give complimentary products if they don’t have millions of subscribers. However, the good for you is that it doesn’t work like that at all. It all depends on the quality of your existing videos. If a brand reviews your YouTube channel and rates it positively based on your content and your subscribers’ engagement with it, it’ll only be too glad to give you products to review. Ultimately, your review of the product, be it positive or negative, is promoting the brand.
The Donts
- Make your videos overelaborate: You should aim to make your videos as crisp and concise as possible. Modern-day internet users, particularly those that are young, simply have no patience for videos that are longer than 10 minutes. So script your videos accordingly and don’t cross the 10-minute-mark at any cost.‘Watch time’ is a significant factor that affects the growth of a channel. A viewer who leaves your 10-minute video after 5 minutes is worth more ‘watch time’ than a viewer who leaves your 20-minute video after 5 minutes. So consider that during the planning and scripting of your videos.
- Record your videos in a noisy environment: Sounds fairly obvious, doesn’t it? However, many beginner YouTubers still make the mistake of recording their videos in noisy environments, resulting in their commentaries being drowned out. Think about it; what good is your product review if your viewers can’t make out what you’re saying?Ideally, you should create a designated space for recording your videos. You should also refrain from recording when there’s a lot of external noise that has the potential of interfering with the audio. Many top YouTubers invest in soundproofing but as quality soundproofing is an expensive affair, it’s better to wait for a quiet period to shoot your videos.
- Forget to include CTAs: Your success as a YouTuber depends greatly on how many viewers interact with your videos through likes, dislikes, and comments, and become subscribers. No matter how well recorded and produced your product review video is you can’t expect all of its viewers to subscribe to your channel, share the video, and/or press the ‘like’ button.That’s why you absolutely have to include calls to action (CTAs) across all your videos. Also, persuade your viewers to push the bell icon next to the ‘subscribe’ button as pressing it will mean that they are notified every time you release a new video. This considerably increases your new videos’ chances of being watched.
The success of product review channels on YouTube has prompted a whole host of beginners to launch their respective channels, which means that the competition is fierce. However, if you get the basics right and keep working at it, you can expect success to come your way. A great way to gather product review ideas is to look at videos from the most popular content creators in your niche and observe how they structure their videos. Note down the things you like and try incorporating them into your videos as well.
