What is the most appropriate way to invite writers and blogger to visit my hotel, in exchange for a review?
-
My client's own several hotels in Los Angeles. I thought it would be a good idea to ask writers and bloggers to visit the hotel, free of charge, in exchange for a review or write up.
Of course, we want to be above board and up front with everything, including encouraging any review to be the truth and forthright, however I just not sure how best to ask them. Sometimes I ramble on and have trouble getting to the point and I know its really important here.
Does anyone have any advice here?
Many thanks!
-
Thanks for the reference. I understand.
My client's expect and deserve unbiased and true reviews.
My intention was to offer some sort of incentive for them to visit in the first place. We are quite confident that they'll be impressed with our level of service and the amenities we provide.
In that spirit, do you or anyone else have any ideas on a best practice to invite a critic to visit the hotels?
-
Ha, okay... you got me there. I just figured the "official" google stance would be important to state. If someone really wanted to they could nicely ask for reviews and just happen to also slide a few something or other the way of the reviewer. Though i personally would not endorse that. But yes, he could invite reviewers, give them an "industry rate" on rooms, happen to state that reviews of both a positive or negative stance are greatly appreciated as it allows the hotel to work on improving weakness and help evaluate what the current strengths are, etc. etc. Its all in how you word it and present it.
-
While Mike is correct... c'mon. How would they ever know? This is a gray area that no algorithm in the world will ever identify.
In the state of Washington it is against the law for bars to give out free drinks no matter what. I was in a band for 10 years and we played at dozens of bars/venues big and small in the area. Guess what? Each and every one of them gave us free drink tickets. This is a law that is punishable by jail time. Much more serious implications than what Google is threatening you with.
What's my point? I don't know. Bending the rules can work sometimes I s'pose.
If I were writing these letters I would be polite, cordial, concise, and honest. Simple as that. Mention how it will be beneficial for both parties for a reason beyond a free night. Maybe don't offer a free night but a free dinner and breakfast instead.. More of a promo-package exclusively for reviewers if you're worried about Google's Guidelines.
--my thoughts
-
As per the Google Places reviews guidelines (link
Conflict of interest: Reviews are only valuable when they are honest and unbiased. For instance, as a business owner or employee you should not review your own business or current place of work. Don’t offer money or product to others to write reviews for your business or write negative reviews about a competitor. We also discourage specialized review stations or kiosks set up at your place of business for the sole purpose of soliciting reviews. As a reviewer, you should not accept money or product from a business to write a review about them. Additionally, don’t feel compelled to review a certain way just because an employee of that business asked you to do so. Finally, don’t post reviews on behalf of others or misrepresent your identity or affiliation with the place you are reviewing.
So I'd suggest not offering free visits in exchange for trying to get reviews (positive or negative).
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
What other major publications use bloggers for content? (UK)
Hi Guys. I've been building a database of journos who write about our niche recently for some outreach. I discovered that in at least one case (Metro UK), a huge amount of content is simply by bloggers, not 'official' journalists. (They can be found easily on Twitter but not in databases like muck rack etc) Generally, bloggers represent an easier 'way in'. So I thought id ask... Is this common practice? Has anyone identified other publications using bloggers for content creation? (Bit of context... We're looking at' Best diary/ planner' runs downs, 'best stationery for new year' and similar. Not strong story-based pitches to journos. (For example: Company blar is revolutionizing market X with Blar.) Simple product runs downs is what we're after for some quick wins on exposure during the holiday period.)
Branding | | isaac6630 -
Path to getting reviews on Google and Yelp
Yelp and Google, what would be the right path customers have to follow in order for their reviews to be posted and more importantly, to stay there?
Branding | | echo10 -
One writer, multiple brands - optimizing rel=author across several blogs
Our company has a few different brands, each with their own domain and site. These are not microsites intended to drive traffic to a main site; they all have independent e-commerce functions, full product lines, etc. Imagine we run Plumbing Widgets Inc, Kitchen Remodeling Company, and Springfield Countertops. It's not immediately obvious to surfers that one parent company operates all of these brands, and we're fine with that. Considering that it enables us to own a lot of SERP real estate for some money KWs, we're more than fine with it. We'd like to create a blog for each of these sites/brands. Here's where it gets tricky. After doing some reading, I am persuaded that using rel=author will help us with SERP CTR and possibly rankings themselves. I am going to be writing all of the blog content, at least to start. I don't think I want to rel=author myself on all of these discrete blogs, do I? And surface the fact that one person is the head writer for the blogs of all these brands? Creating blogging pseudonyms doesn't seem like a good idea, since part of the value of rel=author is genuine social engagement, and creating social personas that seem genuine is probably more trouble than it's worth. (Not to mention icky and dishonest.) Should I choose a customer service rep or manager for each brand and use their names and social identities (with their permission, obviously)? It seems like that would involve challenges of its own. I've ghostwritten for one business owner before, but this is on a larger, more complex scale. Any insights are appreciated!
Branding | | CMC-SD0 -
Creative way to secure local addresses for Google Places?
For those of us that operate business in other areas that we technically dont have an "address" in... are there any creative ideas/ways anyone has run across in securing a physical address that you can use for local listing? I have already tried the virtual office type of companies, and their inventory is limited to major metropolitan areas.
Branding | | rhutchings1 -
How to find bloggers and columnists
Hi But stuck on growing the community aspect of a fashion website i am developing. The site already has a comprehensive shop with 200,000 products in, a large article and video section in but it is lacking a little in fresh, up to date content. The long term plan is to create a large forum and have a good level of interaction there but that will take a while as the site grows. To get the site growing I want to bring in columnist and bloggers to write about what they are liking in fashion, which famous people are wearing what and so forth. The trouble is I am having issues finding people. There are tons of people running their own wordpress sub domains with similar sites but not sure where I would find these kind of people. I would be looking to reward them with their labour by either paying per post or allowing them to put adsense etc on their pages. Anyone else grown a community from the start, where did you find bloggers etc? thanks. Carl
Branding | | Grumpy_Carl0 -
Effective & Creative Ways to Market Detailed Buyers Guide/Whitepaper
My company has developed a detailed white paper/buyers guide for a specific type of widget that we sell, and we're looking for creative ways to market this content. We will be marketing it on our blog, plus via our ecommerce store's navigation. Any other suggestions?
Branding | | stevenmusumeche0 -
How do you get reviews from a local review site to show up in Places?
Does anyone have any experience with getting a local review site to show up when it is turning out tens of thousands of reviews on local companies in one specific industry (no not restaurants) (Insurance agents, etc.)? Is there a submission process for Google? Thanks mozzers
Branding | | RobertFisher0 -
What are the best ways to improve/trigger "Brand Signals"?
Google considers some companies "brands" or stronger "brands" than other sites. What are the best ways to show Google you are an actual brand, not a fly by night eCom?
Branding | | zachc_coffeeforless.com0
