What Is a Product Roundup? (And Why You Want to be in One)
Product roundups are great for shoppers. If you’ve ever wanted to see what new products are available, compare a bunch of similar items or needed to come up with a great gift when you didn’t have a clue what to buy, you know how helpful they can be.
It’s easy to see why the media continues to publish new product roundups all the time. People search the web with questions like, “What to pack for a vacation in Tahiti,” “Best organic dry shampoos,” or “Gifts for boyfriends that are hard to shop for.” Savvy media outlets know that if they can answer these questions with great roundups, they will get more attention from their readers.
But this article isn’t about how product roundups are good for you as a shopper or for media outlets who want more readers. This is about how a product roundup can be great for your business.
I talk a lot about product roundups on this blog, when I speak at conferences, and especially in my DIY PR workshops, so it is well overdue to dedicate an entire post to explaining exactly what a product roundup is and why you should care.
What is a product roundup?
A product roundup is an article or other form of media that features several products within a category or theme. The purpose of a product roundup is to describe and compare several similar or related products and help the reader decide what to buy.
The telltale sign that an article is a product roundup is when the title contains words like “Best” or “Top,” a number and a descriptor, but there’s no set rule. For example:
12 Best Flip Flops We’ve Seen This Summer
Top Dog Leashes That Are Totally Not Basic
9 Kid’s Birthday Gifts That Will Make You the Cool Aunt
Product roundups can feature competing products or products that go together. Here is an example to see the difference:
Competing Products: Top 5 Backpacks For Commuting to Work
Products That Go Together: Top 5 Things You Should Have in Your Backpack
How are gift guides related to product roundups?
Right alongside product roundups, I also talk preach gift guides. Essentially, they’re the same thing.
A gift guide is a product roundup that is focused on helping people select a gift.
The reason gift guides are a big deal is because they are the most searched for, most published, and are especially lucrative around the holidays. If you have ever watched a news segment where they talk about the hottest toys of the season, or what toys are selling out around Christmas, then you know what I’m talking about.
Just being on a well-read list of top gifts for the season will increase your sales.
How are product roundups good for my business?
If one of your products is featured in a product roundup, more people will see it and there’s a really good chance those people will buy it.
While more sales might be a good enough reason to get excited about product roundups, we can break it down into strategic PR reasons too.
1. Product roundups are the most common type of media about products
I wish everything could be a lengthy interview or full feature, but that isn’t reality. Instead, the media is almost always working on another product roundup so you can repurpose your product to fit lots of different themes and categories, getting even more media attention.
2. Consumers need to see your business over and over again
The rule of thumb is that a person needs to see your business seven times before they make a purchase. Seeing your brand in an article pushes them along their customer journey.
Plus, in a product roundup, the exposure is organic. The customer knows that an advertisement is sponsored by you, whereas a product roundup shows that a 3rd party is vouching for you.
3. A product roundup placement is great for your own marketing
You can repurpose the article, share it on social media, in your newsletter, and link to it on your website. This tells your current audience and fans that your business is relevant and growing. It is amazing brand-building content to show off how much media attention your business is getting.
Who should care about product roundups?
Anyone who sells a product should add product roundups to their PR strategy.
If you sell a service and are really creative, you might be able to land a product roundup placement, but it’s rare.
How to get your products in published product roundups
I have a lot of options for small businesses to get their products placed in product roundups. At the heart of it, you need to learn how to send a pitch. It’s not hard, but it takes a basic understanding of what the media is looking for and a little finesse.
If you head on over to my shop, you can find DIY toolkits to help you learn how to send the right pitch (including templates!) to the right person (including contact lists!). I have kits that are specifically for gift guides, online gift guides, Etsy shop sellers.
Once you have the toolkit, I recommend setting aside an hour a week to work on pitching your product for roundups and gift guides.