Amazon Vine – What is Amazon Vine and how do you become an Amazon Vine product tester?

Amazon Vine is the product tester program launched by Amazon, primarily to encourage independent and quality reviews. But how do you become an Amazon Vine product tester? Do you get paid for it? From whom do you get the products? And are you forced to write positive Amazon reviews? These questions are answered in our Amazon Vine Screencast.
If you are more interested in written articles, you can also read the answers below the video.

For more information about the Amazon universe, we recommend our Amazon Playlist.

Dream job product tester?

For many, the idea of getting the latest laptops, cell phones, game consoles, books and stereos and still getting paid for them seems like a dream come true. Especially if you get to keep the products after writing an online review about them: whether it’s positive or negative doesn’t even matter. Vine club membership is considered by many to be something elitist and the discussions about what criteria are used to be selected for it are extensive and with this post we hope to dispel some myths and misconceptions about the subject and give you clarity. With a little luck, you too will soon be part of the select circle of reviewers.

The importance of reviews

It is one of the basic impulses of human nature to conform to the opinion of those around him. So it’s not surprising that customer reviews are a key factor in determining the buying behavior of customers and are one of the most important factors in the purchase decision. Even the consumer center NRW states that over 80% of buyers see reviews as extremely important. To what extent the conscious statements have anything to do with subconscious buying behavior remains to be seen, but at least in this case the statements made by the respondents are likely to correspond to reality and the truth. It is well known that anyone who buys on Amazon can leave a review in star format. The sum of all ratings is added up and forms the average value of a product. This should facilitate the purchase decision and sort out “rotten apples”. Review writing has already become a kind of hobby for many and every day more and more users discover it for themselves. For the most diligent reviewers, Amazon has provided the Vine Club.

Become an Amazon Vine member

According to Amazon, the reviewer rank should be the deciding factor in order to be included in this reviewer program. This is made up of feedback on product tests, taking into account the number of reviews submitted. This results in a ranking of all members who have ever written a review. However, we heard from Amazon Vine members that the reviewer rank is not necessarily the only selection criterion. So even Amazon customers who are outside the top 5000 ranking have received an invitation.
One reason for this was the high-quality reviews, which were written very extensively and in detail.

To attract the most credible testers, Vine Club members get access to exclusive products that are not yet available to the average consumer. Thus, there are reviews even before product release, which the manufacturer can ideally boast about. While promotional copy alone is very useful, sales are even much easier to close with “unbiased” opinions. Generous sellers even ship their products themselves to Vine Club members. Vine reviews, by the way, can be recognized by their conspicuous green notice. Since Vine members are usually very secretive, only Amazon and the club members themselves know the internal workings, so there’s not much you can do about the details other than speculate.

Can I become a member by invitation only?

Despite all rumors, there is no possibility to apply for membership. Amazon reads out the Vine club members by hand and there is no way to artificially speed up the process. There are also no major promotions touting the Vine Club. Amazon doesn’t treat the Vine club like an official feature, but rather like some sort of internal service that isn’t much of the public’s business. So it’s not surprising that most people haven’t heard of the Vine Club yet: Even if you have already been invited to it, participation is not a must and you can choose for yourself whether you want to join or not.

More reasons for invitation to the Amazon Product Tester Program

Furthermore, the rating of these reviews also seems to play a role in rank. The more other users mark a review as helpful, the higher the author’s rank.
But not only the rank and quality is crucial, but also the product category. So, if you have given helpful and honest reviews in a certain product segment, chances are good for you to get into the Amazon Vine Club.

What is the reviewer rank?

Whether the Amazon team sees you at all depends largely on your reviewer rank. So you can only achieve a high reviewer rank if your own product tests get positive feedback and are rated as helpful. Moreover, the number of product tests must be relatively high: These factors determine your place in the user ranking. This ranking is publicly available and can be viewed by anyone. The more people find your reviews useful and the more there are of them, the higher you will be listed. Most feel empowered to hit the keys properly and write review after review, but here’s where the first stumbling block comes in: being high in the rankings isn’t quite enough. You must remember that not only the ranking, but also the type of product is crucial for a place in the Vine Club.

What is the purpose of this program?

According to Amazon, the goal is to recruit trusted testers as participants so they can rate products. The testers are not financially rewarded in this sense, but they are allowed to keep the products and even receive one or the other gadget before the official release. This leads to a win-win situation on both sides.
This would mean that reviews would already be available at the time of ordering, enabling potential buyers to form a picture independent of the seller’s text.

The importance of the product niche

Because the need for reviews varies in different categories, and Amazon affiliates always have different needs, don’t forget to pick a particular product niche and display ever-increasing expertise. So if there’s an increased demand in the TV space, it theoretically pays for you to have written a lot of 4k and 8k reviews, for example. However, before you start hitting the keys and enjoying free products, keep in mind that the top-ranked users don’t automatically get the coveted spot in the club. Fixed rules about membership cannot be determined even after long analysis: Users who are in the top 10 in some categories have been waiting years for an invitation, while others listed lower have been enjoying the benefits of membership for a long time. However, it would be an exaggeration to speak of arbitrariness here. The Amazon team seems to know who they are hiring and some luck plays a big part as well.

Recognize Amazon Vine subscribers

As already mentioned: You can recognize the reviews of the club members by the green notice “Vine customer review of a free product”.
However, you cannot actively register for this program yourself. According to most sources, the Amazon algorithm selects Amazon Vine members based on the above criteria.

The members of the Vine Club

As a rule, all Vine Club members have pseudonyms and no contact information. Thus, personally interviewing club members proves difficult. At this point, many people will ask themselves whether club members can really keep their products, and the answer is more or less yes. Some readers will rub their hands at this point, but a business with the resale of the products can not be managed. One of the club members tracked down mentioned that there are deadlines that absolutely must be met. Some products you have to keep for a very long time and can be ordered back from Amazon at any time. So even though you can’t do business this way, being a member of the Amazon Vine Club is something positive. If you are an expert in a certain field or have a hobby, you can do without shopping costs and be supplied with the objects of your desire for free. Officially, negative reviews are also allowed, which the few test members interviewed also affirmed.

Where do the products come from?

Products are provided by publishers, studios, manufacturers or vendors participating in the program. However, Amazon guarantees that there can be no exchange between the manufacturer and the reviewer.

eBakery as your partner for Amazon

If you need further help on the subject of Amazon, you are welcome to make a non-binding appointment with our experts. eBakery has over 10 years of expertise in e-commerce and will show you how to get the most out of your online presence and build real standing.

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