Transparency in Advertising: How EBR Runs

[TomD]

Keeping things constructive I completely agree. That said, I think it's a very slippery slope for moderation to be influenced by "advertising stakeholders" as opposed to impartial criteria. It's one thing to be impartial and treat a moderation request from company XYZ (which doesn't advertise on EBR) the same as company ABC which does advertise. If you base it on independent criteria you maintain credibility. It's ultimately your website and you get to decide how you want to monetize it. I might phrase it differently unless you really are going to let advertising bias moderation decisions.

 

[tomjasz]

slippery slope for moderation to be influenced by "advertising stakeholders"

Maybe so, for some vendors, but IMNSHO Court has a heart and always operates in good faith. Mind there are resellers that are unscrupulous but they can't post here and Court continues to be a great voice for eBikes.

 

[troehrkasse]

Keeping things constructive I completely agree. That said, I think it's a very slippery slope for moderation to be influenced by "advertising stakeholders" as opposed to impartial criteria. It's one thing to be impartial and treat a moderation request from company XYZ (which doesn't advertise on EBR) the same as company ABC which does advertise. If you base it on independent criteria you maintain credibility. It's ultimately your website and you get to decide how you want to monetize it. I might phrase it differently unless you really are going to let advertising bias moderation decisions.

Hey tomdav, just wanted to try and clarify things here. I definitely agree with you, we want our moderation standards to be the same for everyone - and they are

I believe why Court brought up "advertising stakeholders" is because those are the people we will occasionally get special requests from. Typically, companies that have never worked with us don't ever contact us for anything or notice if someone is on EBR talking about their products. Once we review a company's bikes, or if they bought ad space for their accessories, they tend to at least check in here every now and then to see what people are saying about their products. With that said, if any manufacturer contacts us with any sort of moderation requests, we do treat those requests the same regardless of whether or not we have a working relationship with them.

We do our best to stay objective with any moderation requests and treat them all fairly, we want everyone to have equal voice here... while also wanting to keep the conversation respectful and productive. if there are ever any moderation actions that you feel weren't fair, please reach out to me directly! As the tech lead I take frequent backups of our forum database, so I can recover and investigate any content that was removed by moderation.

 

[Admin]

Thanks @tomdav, I think @troehrkasse said it best... I'm trying to be honest by acknowledging my own personal biases (which tend to be attention related more than anything). We get more interaction with companies who do reviews or advertiser or just care in general, but we moderate everyone nearly the same. Some companies that do not advertise but have lots of feedback or requests get extra attention and sometimes I feel that our moderation is imperfect... it's a very difficult process and I feel that everyone has a valid perspective... but sometimes the outcome results in a win/lose feeling. That's hard for me, because I'd like to make everyone happy. Thankfully, we have a great moderation team here, we spend the extra time to weigh each side, and even when things feel imperfect, we try to move forward constructively and welcome everyone to engage. So yeah, for me, part of the conversation is acknowledging that we're not perfect. We aren't! But we care and we put effort into doing our best.

 

[RobSmith19]

Hi guys, the video below is a sincere message to you. My goal is to update you on how EBR runs, how it makes money, and how that influences what you see on the main site and some of the content posted here. With this video and post my aim is to create an open conversation about sponsored content and paid reviews. I used to run more ads on EBR but have switched to a model where companies pay a universal service fee for my work. I want to be transparent about this, just as I'm transparent about the bikes I review. My goal has always been to provide lots of objective information mixed with a bit of my own opinions and insights. I've built comparison tools and kept the comments and forum very open so that other opinions and information can be shared. Please watch and share your thoughts.

When ElectricBikeReview.com launched in 2012, I built the site myself and there were no forums. All of my reviews were done for free and I even paid people on Craigslist to let me review their used models before they got sold. I'd love to be able to do all of this for free, but over time I have run out of personal money to use and I have even hired people to help me. I think it's okay to get paid and make a living... but the question of how was a big struggle because I want this content to be unbiased. My work is not meant to be an advertisement or endorsement, more like a view into what's going on and then a deeper look into specific topics and products. I'm not perfect, but I'm trying my best... so I moved away from posting lots of ads on the site to a universal fee for the in-depth content that I produce. Most of the time, manufacturers pay this fee. Sometimes, shops volunteer to pay the fee because they really want a bike reviewed or a subject covered! I personally enjoy working directly with friends, product managers, and shop owners because they have insights to share. On more than one occasion, I have included a family member or even my girlfriend... because I love them and want to celebrate this positive space and get a fresh or different perspective. My plan is to continue as I always have been, but do so with this service fee being communicated within content.

Thanks for the advice! An interesting question, I have no answer yet, but I have to think about it. what am I doing wrong!

 

[MartsEbike]

I'm open to all bribes from any company small or large...

Send cash to...

I'll Promote You on EBR
MartsEbike
123 SendYourCashToMe Road
London
UK

 

[TomD]

Can we get more transparency around how EBR's "best ebikes" lists are determined? While it's fairly clear that EBR charges a fee for each review, I don't really see any disclosure regarding the "best ebikes" list. Are these lists truly based on what EBR considers the "best" ebike in each category out of the list of paid reviews, or are they paid advertising slots? I believe the FTC requires clear disclosure and I don't see anything when I view this list:

Best Electric Bikes | ElectricBikeReview.com

Looking for the best electric bike for your lifestyle and budget? As of today, we have reviewed 1233 electric bicycles. EBR conducts the industry’s most complete and objective reviews. Reviewing electric bikes is all we do. Since 2012, we have helped millions of people find and choose the best...

electricbikereview.com

 

[John from Connecticut]

Can we get more transparency around how EBR's "best ebikes" lists are determined? While it's fairly clear that EBR charges a fee for each review, I don't really see any disclosure regarding the "best ebikes" list. Are these lists truly based on what EBR considers the "best" ebike in each category out of the list of paid reviews, or are they paid advertising slots? I believe the FTC requires clear disclosure and I don't see anything when I view this list:

Best Electric Bikes | ElectricBikeReview.com

Looking for the best electric bike for your lifestyle and budget? As of today, we have reviewed 1233 electric bicycles. EBR conducts the industry’s most complete and objective reviews. Reviewing electric bikes is all we do. Since 2012, we have helped millions of people find and choose the best...

electricbikereview.com

My opinion on the EBR transparency. The most important product EBR has to offer is honesty and integrity, be it stated or implied. Without
that there is no website. In my view Court has done an exceptional job of establishing the highest level of both as a person and reviewer.

Second, from a practical point performing over 1000 plus e-bike reviews certainly provides a unique insight, not often seen on bike websites.
When a list is created such as the 'The best of'.... I've always fallen back on the above two points and have felt very comfortable
forming an opinion based on and EBR review as presented, again because of Court's integrity.

 

[TomD]

Yes, I'd like to give the benefit of the doubt. However, I will withhold judgment until disclosure is made that bikes ranked as the best in each category have not paid substantially more.

 

[tomjasz]

In my short 7 years of eBikes I’ve not found anyone with as much honesty and reliability in reviews as Court. He the most honest fellow in the biz. He doesn’t need to prove anything

 

[TomD]

So I take it you guys would agree that ranking should be independent. I'm asking for confirmation that is in fact the case.

 

[TomD]

After closer inspection I do see some disclosure language in trailing paragraph at the bottom of the page.

If you’re completely new to electric bicycles, check out my introduction video, which explains why I started EBR back in 2012. I’ve also posted an informal interview with my uncle Greg, who has been riding a full suspension electric mountain bike to work in Colorado, rain or shine, for several years! EBR makes money by listing shops on our directory map, charging for a limited number of promoted bike slots that will get more visibility, charging a nominal fee for our reviews (to help cover the costs of travel and production), and getting some money from YouTube ads that play before our videos. We believe in transparency, and appreciate your visit here! Good luck, ride safe, and thanks for visiting

Not sure how I missed it the first time around. I think it's because it's buried in a paragraph that begins and ends discussing a different subject. Mea culpa for skimming to fast. The FTC does require disclosures be clear and conspicuous. My feedback would be to split out the disclosure into it's own distinct paragraph to make it clear, conspicuous and compliant.

Also, I assume "promoted bike slots" bubble reviews to the top and are distinct and not related to the list of the "top bikes"?

 

[troehrkasse]

After closer inspection I do see some disclosure language in trailing paragraph at the bottom of the page.



Not sure how I missed it the first time around. I think it's because it's buried in a paragraph that begins and ends discussing a different subject. Mea culpa for skimming to fast. The FTC does require disclosures be clear and conspicuous. My feedback would be to split out the disclosure into it's own distinct paragraph to make it clear, conspicuous and compliant.

Also, I assume "promoted bike slots" bubble reviews to the top and are distinct and not related to the list of the "top bikes"?

Howdy!

"promoted bikes" are promoted for a specific category, such as the Commuting category where you'll see the Magnum Metro. Whenever viewing that category the promoted bike is always at the top of the list with a clear green "Promoted" tag. This is a paid service and it does not grant inclusion on the Best Ebikes page, although you will often see some overlap because our Promoted Bikes service is invite-only. If a manufacturer is doing a great job with product quality and service, we may invite them to sponsor one of these spots. It's not open to just anyone as we want to associate EBR with good quality ebikes.

The Best Ebikes page is hand-picked by Court, based on his (subjective but incredibly well informed) opinion of which bikes are the best. As our other primary reviewer I will occasionally recommend a bike I have reviewed for the page as well, but whether or not it makes it is entirely up to Court. No company has ever paid anything to be included on that page. Obviously, we can only include bikes that we've actually reviewed, so companies that work with us to facilitate reviews and provide good information on their products will have a better chance of making it

I updated the blurb at the bottom of that page since we stopped charging for our reviews some time ago. We also have a dedicated Advertising page that goes into more detail about how all of our services work. Hope this helps to clarify things!