This is why there are numerous review channels, especially for high value items like cameras – affiliate marketing is lucrative:
Sean Cannell makes tens of thousands of dollars a month as a professional Amazon reviewer. As part of the Amazon Affiliate program, Cannell reviews camera gear on his Think Media YouTube channel and makes a cut of every sale those reviews generate on Amazon. Here’s what his life is like.
Source: YouTube reviewer Sean Cannell made $40,000 in April from Amazon
Sean seems like a decent guy and ethical and these comments should not be viewed as critical of him. Just noting in a generic sense that affiliate sales are becoming the “bread and butter” of Youtube reviews and other social media related online reviews. When viewers click through and make a purchase, the reviewer gets a small commission for the sale. Even “mainstream media” services are doing this now – and usually disclose in fine print that the article contains affiliate sales links.
Some reviewers do good reviews and some do biased reviews in favor of pushing products. It’s not a bad business – we all look for reviews of products that interest us. But we need to be cautious that the reviews might be biased from “gear pushers”.
The Northrup’s also do camera reviews and work very hard at what they do. They purchase all gear they review to avoid conflicts of interest. They, like many, of course, do at times use click-bait titles (which I do not like) to drive their business. The important thing is – it is a business. I think Tony and Chelsea are decent people doing what they need to do to make a living in photography. And Tony’s books really are among the most clearly written books I’ve seen. As an author myself, I’ve learned how to improve my writing and explanations from what I saw in his books!
