Everyone who reviews on Amazon needs to include a disclaimer. There is a lot of debate on what makes a good disclaimer. Everyone has their own opinions on what should be written in a disclaimer, but there are two things that Amazon requires:
- You must include a disclaimer that is prominent.
- You must disclose that you got the item for free or for a discount.
How you word it is up to you. Because I just type my disclosure at the end of each review (as opposed to copy/paste) it tends to change a bit in wording each time. But the gist of it is “I received my (insert item here) at no charge for the purpose of review.”
Some people get a bit wordy with their disclaimers and feel it necessary to point out that the review is an honest assessment, or something similar. I don’t prefer those kinds of disclaimers. The dishonest can claim to be honest too, so proclaiming honesty is a moot point at best, and at worst, puts the idea in the reader’s mind that not all reviews (even the claimants) are honest. To put it bluntly, saying how honest you are smacks of used car salesman.
I would urge a ‘to the point’, blunt disclaimer.
I’ll let you check out my blog archives, for free! I’ll throw in an air freshener too. Honest!
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