Owning a product for review

[Hendrik Kapp]

Hey community,

I hope you guys are doing well?

So this is a questions that comes to mind quite often and that is, do you really need to physically own a product in order to make a good review video about it or do you guys find it okay if a YouTuber makes a good video about a product going over everything professionally showing good shorts displaying the product without physically owning the product?

I would really appreciate your honest opinions on this one.

Have a good one guys!

 

[Psychotic Squirrel]

I don't think owning the product is necessary and I'm willing to guarantee that the majority of the larger review channels out there do not own the products they review. They get the products lent to them for a specific period of time then they send them back.

 

[Conso1727]

I am of the idea the more you use a product the more accurate the review will be, because you can give more accurate details on how it works and its best applications, so owning and using it for a while is without a doubt important.

 

[Crown]

Moved to the strategy / technique forum.

YouTube is competitive. If there are 2 channels who have done a review of a product - "Channel 1" doesn't own the product or have any original footage of it and "channel 2" does, then I'm waay more likely to want to sub to channel 2, watch more of their videos and recommend them to my friends.

 

[Hendrik Kapp]

I don't think owning the product is necessary and I'm willing to guarantee that the majority of the larger review channels out there do not own the products they review. They get the products lent to them for a specific period of time then they send them back.

Thanks for the reply. I meant making a video without actually shooting footage of the physical item (because I am unable to get the item). So rather then showing images of the item and doing a good review on it.

 

[Psychotic Squirrel]

Thanks for the reply. I meant making a video without actually shooting footage of the physical item (because I am unable to get the item). So rather then showing images of the item and doing a good review on it.

ahhh i see. You could do that, but i'm not sure i'd call it a review. more like a product overview...

 

[Reetae27]

I think whether or not you own the product is second to how much of an understanding and familiarity you have the product, and how honestly and genuine and accurate your review is. It's possible to just rent a game for instance, finish it in a couple days for instance (if it's an episodic game like The Walking Dead it's pretty doable), have a true a grasp of it, review it, and then return it without actually having it on your shelf at all times. However, I would say that if the product you're reviewing is contingent on you actually physically holding or operating the object, to at least have that familiarity, then it wouldn't be honest to give it a "review," since you still haven't actually fully acquainted yourself with said product.

 

[Highfalutin' Low Carb]

How can you review a product you've never seen, touched or used in real life? I don't get the point. Without first hand experience with the product, you would just have to be regurgitating reviews from other media.

To me personally, such a review would have zero credibility.