How to handle negative reviews on blogs

Now that everyone is a publishing, sooner or later, you will have to deal with a negative blog review. When someone posts negative comments about you or your work online, it will feel like a bad experience. It’s actually a relationship-building opportunity.

Recently blogger Bill Parlaman wrote a negative review of a post by Michael Martine (famously known as Remarkablogger on Twitter) and the product SEO Scribe. Parlaman called the post SEO Scribe-8 Reasons SEO Scribe is NOT Worth the Money!

Parlaman’s post was challenging for several reasons:

• it was a pointedly negative review
• he had some solid reasons in support of his negative blog post
• he leveraging someone else’s product to sell his own product

Here’s Michael Martine’s response:

And, here’s Bill Parlaman’s reply to Michael:

Michael kept his cool, replied calmly; so did Bill. The end result? Most likely a strengthened relationship between the two men and a solid pro/con presentation about the product in question. Readers are the clear winners (the two bloggers win, too).

Here are seven steps to help you keep your cool and respond to negative blog posts or comments so that you, the reviewer, and your audience all win.

1. Monitor
2. Smile
3. Respond
4. Acknowledge
5. Affirm
6. Contrast
7. Appreciate

Monitor: whether you want to “do social media” or blog, you are already the subject (or target) of folks who are already creating content. It pays to monitor what’s being said about you. To start, set up Google Alerts on your name and company name. For more sophisticated monitoring options, see the comprehensive wiki created by Ken Burbary and follow Marshall Sponder, Nathan Gilliatt and Michelle Chmielewski on Twitter.

Smile: apparently, negative reviews and comments hit our brains in the region that fires up the self-defense mechanisms. It’s natural to feel attacked when someone says something bad about you or your products. In my experience, people rarely intend personal attacks when they right. So, when you’re monitoring turns up negative content about you, before you move to step three, pause at step two long enough to get a smile on your face (picture the author of negativity as your converted best friend enjoying your favorite beverage with you this Saturday. Maybe picture them in grotesquely out of style 1980s clothing or something.). Wait until you feel the smile in your heart before proceeding to step three.

Respond: no need to simply ignore negative comments. Go ahead and engage. This is a chance to contribute, to learn, to lead, and to gain new friends. It’s not a time to hide.

Acknowledge: usually the negative review has at least a kernel of truth underlying the negative post. Seek to understand their issue and acknowledge it. Notice how Michael did it: “You’re absolutely right…”

Affirm: let the author know you value them as an individual. While the Acknowledge step deals with accepting relevant details/specifics of the negativity, the Affirm step deals with accepting the human being who wrote the piece. Both are essential for developing relationships online (and offline, too).

Contrast: after acknowledging the nugget of truth in the negative reviewer’s content, clearly present any mitigating or offsetting features. Michael positioned the SEO Scribe as something appropriate for people who want to be more efficient with their time. Within his response, Michael also offered a clear call to action (try it) and reassured readers that it would be safe to try it.

Appreciate: both men started their content with an expression of appreciation. It’s hard to be too upset with someone who says, “thank you.”

Don’t let negative content about you or your product discourage you or slow you down. You can engage the content and it’s creator in a way that adds value for everyone. Chances are, a negative review will lead to more business for you if you will.