16 Companies Control Reviews
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Sam Parr shares a revelation about how media company consolidation has compromised online product reviews.
"I found this article on houseoffresh.com about how review sites work. Basically, 16 media companies get 3 billion clicks per month and dominate Google. Companies like Meredith, DotDash, Buzzfeed, and Penske Media control everything, making it nearly impossible for small companies to compete in the review space.
These big companies hire freelancers who don't actually test products. Instead, they just aggregate Amazon reviews, curate them, and post the same content across their 50 different websites. I used to trust sites like Wirecutter, but now I'm nervous because they're owned by the New York Times.
What's worse is when large companies like Casper or VPN companies buy these review sites and put their own products at the top. At this point, I don't trust any reviews online anymore. It's all become a circle jerk - I used to have friends who would make products and say 'Hey, I'm going to make this product free on Amazon, will you buy it so you're listed as a proper customer and give me 5 stars?'
The whole thing makes me skeptical. When you look at the infographic showing these 16 media companies and all the titles they own - companies that are supposed to be reputable - I don't trust any of it anymore. It's completely ruined my browsing experience because I can't rely on these websites for honest reviews."
Sam Parr
Host of MFM and fitness influencer
Sam Parr is a serial entrepreneur and business media pioneer.
In 2016, he founded The Hustle, a business news media company that started in his kitchen with just $12 and grew to eight figures in revenue.
Sam led the charge in making newsletters popular when few believed in their potential.
After four successful years, he sold The Hustle to HubSpot, a publicly traded company. Now operating as HubSpot Media, The Hustle reaches 3 million readers daily, employs a team of nearly 100, and has been the launchpad for dozens of its staff to found their own media companies and newsletters.
Sam remains the host of the popular business podcast, My First Million, and continues to start and sell companies. He also co-founded Hampton, a highly vetted community for entrepreneurs, founders, and CEOs, and teaches people to write better through his platform, Copy That.