How To Become An Amazon Vine Reviewer – Get Free Products!
Out of all the ways to make money writing reviews, the Amazon Vine program is one of the most well-known.
This Amazon-run program lets you enjoy free Amazon products in exchange for leaving honest, objective reviews. Overall, it's a nice way to get some free merchandise while helping your fellow shoppers make the best decisions.
However, Amazon Vine is an invitation-only program. And there's often some confusion about how the program works and how you get in.
So, if you're wondering how to become an Amazon Vine reviewer, this is the post for you! I'm explaining how the program works, tips for increasing your odds of getting invited, and what current Amazon Vine reviewers have to say about the process.
Want other ways to make money? Checkout:
- Branded Surveys: Share your opinion to get gift cards and PayPal cash!
What Is Amazon Vine?
Amazon Vine is an invitation-only program that rewards insightful and objective Amazon reviewers with free products in exchange for their reviews. And it's the most popular way to write Amazon reviews for money.
Members of the program are known as Vine Voices. It's their responsibility to test out and try new Amazon products and then write honest reviews to help other people on the marketplace with their shopping choices.
What's nice about Amazon Vine is that you can receive a wide range of products to test and review, including:
- Apparel
- Appliances
- Beauty supplies and cosmetics
- Electronics
- Food and beverages
- Kitchen gadgets
- Shoes
- Toys
Vine Voice reviews get a specially marked badge on Amazon that says it's a “Vine Customer review of free product.” So, shoppers can identify which reviews are written by esteemed reviewers.
And for brands that sell on Amazon, the Vine program provides an opportunity to market new products and get authentic reviews for their merchandise.
How To Become An Amazon Vine Reviewer
The Amazon Vine program is a very popular way to review products for money. But out of all the ways to earn money with Amazon, it's one of the trickiest to get into because it's invitation-only.
Thankfully, the company outlines some steps you can take to increase your odds of getting an invitation. So, let's dive into how to become an Amazon Vine reviewer so you can get started.
1. Write Amazon Reviews Consistently
The best way to become an Amazon Vine reviewer is to simply write Amazon reviews consistently since this increases the odds you get an invitation.
Amazon even says this on the Vine page, stating that people who “consistently write insightful reviews are most likely to be invited.”
If you already do a lot of weekly shopping on Amazon, just get in the habit of writing reviews after. And make sure you write comprehensive reviews and include photos of your purchase.
2. Be Honest & Unbiased
Writing consistent reviews is important to becoming an Amazon Vine reviewer. However, your reviews need to be unbiased and honest as well.
There's a misconception that you need to write positive reviews to get invited to Amazon Vine. This isn't true, and it's more important to be honest and to explain your real experience with a product rather than just leaving five-star reviews.
Here are some useful things to mention in your Amazon reviews:
- Durability
- Value-for-money
- If a product exceeded your expectations or not
- Anything that surprised you about a product
- Anything that annoys you
- If you think the product listing is accurate or not
- If the colors look the same in real life as in photos
- Who else might like or dislike the product
Your reviews can be positive, negative, or even neutral. But again, you need to outline objective facts and then talk about your experiences with the products you buy.
3. Have Reviews Marked As Helpful
Customer can mark reviews as “helpful” on Amazon. This metric helps reviewers know that their advice is being used by other shoppers. And it allegedly increases the odds you get invited to Amazon Vine.
As you can see in this Amazon Vine review screenshot above, plenty of other shoppers have marked the review as helpful.
This is a sign that you're doing your job right, so aim for as many helpful review votes as possible.
How Long Does It Take To Join Amazon Vine?
There's no specific onboarding process for Amazon Vine because the program is invitation-only. It might take years of writing Amazon reviews to get invited, or just a few months.
The only thing people can do to increase their odds of getting an invitation is to write consistent, high-quality and honest reviews.
Shopping more on Amazon can help with this since you'll have more opportunities to write reviews. But again, there's no guarantee you get invited to this side hustle.
What Do Current Amazon Vine Reviewers Say?
If you're still wondering how to become an Amazon Vine reviewer, you're in luck.
There are actually plenty of current Amazon Vine reviewers on forums like Reddit who share how many reviews they wrote before getting invited to join and what the entire process is like.
Here's what several reviewers are saying in one thread:
- roobot says: “Seems completely random these days! I had a pretty low view count on my reviews when I first joined, but one of my posts had “7 helpful votes” which seemed to be enough to get me accepted.”
- pinko_zinko says: “I got an invite after putting some effort into posting additional instructions on how to use obscure electrical components for micro controllers.”
- Hollywoodnamazonvine says: “I read one person had written only four reviews when invited. I had written a few more. But, my reviews were detailed, complained about the product, had no profanity, and a few had pictures.”
- CheapPens says: “As others have said, I don’t think the quantity or quality of reviews has anything to do with it. I only had a few helpful votes on a small quantity of reviews when I was invited into the program. I’m leaning towards the demographics theory that some have thrown out there.”
As you can see, these Vine Voices seem to agree that it's somewhat random in terms of how many reviews you have to write to get an invitation.
One common theory is that your location and demographics matter since Amazon wants reviewers in several markets. This seems pretty logical to me, but it's difficult to know what's actually true.
Ultimately, the only thing you can do to get into this online side hustle world is to consistently write thoughtful reviews and hope for the best.
Is Amazon Vine Legit?
Yes, Amazon Vine is legit, and it's a real way to get free Amazon products in exchange for testing them and writing honest reviews. And for brands, the Vine program is an effective way to get more authentic reviews on your products to help market them better.
Is this a full-time online job or serious source of income? Absolutely not.
However, if you like free money and merchandise, Amazon Vine could be for you. And the process of testing out new Amazon products and writing about your experiences can also be quite fun.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- A free way to get Amazon products
- Amazon Vine is available in several countries
- A fun side hustle if you enjoy helping other people
- A unique way to get paid for shopping by earning free merchandise
Cons:
- It can take years of consistent reviews to get an invitation
- Vine Voices don't get paid real money
The Best Amazon Vine Alternatives
In my opinion, the best Amazon Vine alternative is to make money with some type of Amazon affiliate marketing.
This is because the Amazon affiliate program pays you to recommend Amazon products to people. When someone shops through your links, you get a small commission for sending a customer to Amazon.
This is actually one way I make money online, and one of my niche blogs actually makes about $50 to $100 a month right now from the Amazon affiliate program.
You can also consider joining the Amazon Influencer program, a new initiative that also pays you to recommend specific products to Amazon customers.
This program is interesting because you get your own storefront page and can promote products by making videos, images, and even live streaming.
Extra reading – The Best Ways To Make Money Online For Beginners.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Amazon Vine Pay You?
No, Amazon Vine doesn't pay you with real money. The only compensation you receive are the products you get to test and review, which are delivered to you free-of-charge and don't have to be returned.
Who Can Join Amazon Vine?
Amazon Vine is an invitation-only program, and it currently operates in several markets, including North America, the UK, Spain, and France.
Final Thoughts
I hope my guide on how to become an Amazon Vine reviewer helps you understand how this gig works and what you can do to increase the odds of an invitation.
Sure, being a Vine Voice won't make $10k a month or pay your bills. But it's a fun way to enjoy free products from new brands while helping out fellow shoppers.
And who knows: you can always use your reviewing skills to branch out into other side hustles. Freelance writing is a perfect example, or blogging about certain products and niches, so you really have plenty of options.
Best of luck!
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