11 Product Ratings & Reviews Success Stories [2024]
A product ratings and reviews business involves providing a platform where customers can share their opinions and feedback about different products.
You can start a product ratings and reviews business by creating a website or app where people can browse and leave reviews for purchased or used items.
To make money, you can partner with e-commerce stores or manufacturers who may be interested in showcasing their products on your platform. You can also offer advertising space or promote affiliate products to generate revenue.
This low-cost business idea mainly requires setting up a website, marketing the platform, and managing user-generated content.
Here are some real life success stories of starting a product ratings & reviews:
1. Fin vs Fin ($480K/year)
Alex Goldberg, the founder of Fin vs Fin, started the business as a "dumb side project" with his ex-boss-turned-side-hustle-partner. They initially focused on comparing fintech startups, but pivoted to reviewing wellness products after noticing the influx of venture capital in the industry. With their first sale earning them a $10 commission, they realized they had a proof of concept and kept growing the business with high-quality content and partnerships. They went from making enough to cover their car payments to reaching $500k in revenue in just two years.
How much they make: $480K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
Current team size: 10
Learn how the founder of Fin vs Fin turned a "dumb side project" into a profitable media business generating $70k in profit per month, by committing to creating a "dumb blog" and consistently experimenting with strategies to attract and retain customers.
2. Fit Healthy Momma ($240K/year)
How much they make: $240K/year
Current team size: 2
Fit Healthy Momma is a case study about a blogger who started in late 2019 and in less than a year, went from being a freelance writer to earning more than $200 per day from affiliate sales, creating a space for real, legitimate information on reviews of the best D2C fitness and health brands.
Learn more about starting a product ratings & reviews:
Where to start?
-> How much does it cost to start a product ratings & reviews?
-> Pros and cons of a product ratings & reviews
Need inspiration?
-> Examples of established product ratings & reviews
-> Marketing ideas for a product ratings & reviews
Other resources
3. The Dozy Owl ($30K/year)
How much they make: $30K/year
Current team size:
Aspiring founders can learn how to turn a side hustle into a full-time income like Kieran MacRae did with his sleep-focused blog, which provides reviews and tips to promote better sleep, earning him a steady income.
4. FeedCheck ($300K/year)
How much they make: $300K/year
Current team size:
How Adrian built a successful SaaS with Nestle as a customer, bringing in $15k in monthly revenue, by offering a valuable solution to analyze online customer reviews.
5. SexualAlpha ($120K/year)
Dainis Graveris, founder of SexualAlpha, started his journey in the sexual wellness industry after working in web design and pursuing his passion for dance. While seeking ways to improve his own sex life, he realized the potential in helping others by providing unbiased sex toy reviews and sex education. With a website that now receives 900K visits per month and generates $10K/month in affiliate commissions, Dainis aims to continue expanding his company's reach and breaking the stigma around sexuality.
How much they make: $120K/year
How much did it cost to start: $100
Current team size: 8
SexualAlpha is a sexual wellness blog that provides honest sex toy reviews, with 900K visits per month and making around 10K/month on affiliate commissions, created by founder Dainis Graveris through intensive research and a strong passion for teaching people about sexuality.
6. WireCutter ($42M/year)
How much they make: $42M/year
Current team size: 148
Founder of The Wirecutter, which generated $150 million in e-commerce transactions in 2015, shares how he built his product suggestion service from scratch to acquisition by The New York Times Company for $30 million.
7. Zenmaster Wellness ($480K/year)
A pay cut at his job, and a friend's success in this niche inspired Matt to start during the pandemic.
How much they make: $480K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
Current team size: 0
Matt Oney quit his full-time job to pursue his side hustle full-time: an affiliate marketing-based content site called ZenmasterWellness that generates around 80k monthly visits and average monthly revenue of about $40,000 by leveraging SEO and affiliate partnerships.
8. ReviewsOnMyWebsite ($492K/year)
Motuz came up with the idea when he was looking for a widget to embed Google reviews into his friend's website. He realized that many business owners would find such a widget useful, and so he decided to invest his resources into building a profitable solution.
How much they make: $492K/year
How much did it cost to start: $2.5K
Current team size: 0
ReviewsOnMyWebsite is an online reputation management software helping small businesses collect, monitor, and display online reviews to establish trust and improve brand reputation, which has helped over 35,000 businesses convert more leads by simplifying the process of collecting feedback and displaying customer reviews.
9. Tooltester S.L. ($1.44M/year)
Robert Brandl, the founder of Tooltester.com, came up with the idea after struggling to find information about website builders online while starting his own travel blog. He quickly recognized the demand for reviews and tutorials of web tools and launched Tooltester.com to fill that gap. The business has since grown to generate around $120k per month in revenue and has been recognized as one of the fastest-growing European companies.
How much they make: $1.44M/year
How much did it cost to start: $200
Current team size: 9
Tooltester.com is a website that provides reviews and tutorials for website builders, hosting companies, live chat tools, and email marketing software, with a current revenue of around $120k per month and has made it into the Financial Times ranking of the fastest-growing European companies (FT1000) two years in a row.
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- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
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- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings