On paper, it sounded so great.
I get to review outdoor gear for a living. Public relations and marketing agencies would send me gear to try out and would report back on it.
The 20-year-old me couldn’t believe it. How can people actually get paid at this stuff? Well, we have the world of affiliate marketing to thank for that, and I’ll get more into that a little bit further on. But what really caused the tide to shift from something that sounds so great to a contradiction of my values as a journalist, an environmental advocate, and even as a consumer?
Like anything, it didn’t happen overnight. but still, it happened. Little by little, over two years, capitalism and the goals of a private equity firm took control of the Modus Operandi. The very principles of what attracted me to the job ended up being what caused me to leave.
The Commercial Gear Review Industry
The last few years have seen a major spike in large corporations signing onto gear reviews. They more often than not target a product keyword with the superlative “Best” or “Top” to attract search traffic. I’m willing to guess that when researching a new purchase, you and most everyone else has searched for “Best Snowboard Boots” or “Best Earbuds” or anything under the sun, really.
But what most people (and I was once in this category) fail to realize is that these keywords are big business. If you have a high-volume search term and rank in the top 5 of search results, chances are you’ll get a lot of traffic to your page. And if you have affiliate links set up and people end up buying your recommendation, that translates to big business.
Affiliate Links: The Bread And Butter of E-Commerce
Ten years ago, the idea of affiliate marketing was just gaining steam. Successful social media influencers could leverage their audience numbers to get commissions on products or services they recommended. It was a win-win situation where people saw new, lucrative streams of income and brands/advertisers could pay out commissions after the sale as opposed to dropping a ton of money on advertising and hoping for the best.
Fast forward to the present, and affiliate marketing is big business. The statistics are pretty impressive: $16 billion last year, with that projected to grow 18% each year, putting the forecast for the industry to be worth $40 billion by 2032.
As consumer behavior changes from watching ads to scrolling their phone, this trend makes sense. And, for the most part, leads to better shopping altogether with people being more informed on their purchase decision. This is especially important in online shopping where you can’t put your hands on the product before purchasing.
The Dark Side of Affiliate Marketing
Any time big money is involved, you will get the people chasing money. It’s almost a law of nature, or at least human nature. And sure enough, the big entities have seen the power of putting up gear reviews on their website. Almost every large publisher now has gear reveiews – Forbes, Wired, Mens Journal, and more have made investments in doing full-scale “Best of” reviews and guides. Even CNN has gotten into the game, with the disclaimer at the top that the review team is independent of the newsroom—meaning contracted out.
Who Do Publishers Serve?
The company I worked for was a private equity firm that had private funding. Private Equity, for those who don’t know, is like an investment club of private financiers expecting to get a solid return on their investment. How much is an acceptable return? Well that’s up to the investor but chances are they are trying to beat the S&P 500 and get some reward from their risk.
The problem with Private Equity buyout, in my opinion, is that the reader is no longer the customer, but rather an accessory for the real customer (the investor) to earn more money. This is done by cutting costs and amalgamating talent. It’s a tactic that is not unique to publishing yet seems to be ubiquitous these days.
Countering The Trend
I don’t have to get into details, really, but basically the job became very robotic because the main focus became less about proving reviews for what I found cool/interesting, but increasingly became about recommending items that were top sellers.
This goes against everything I value as a journalist and someone who uses their opinion to inform others. So i had to find something else.
Going Independent
So, I said, why not take my values into something I can truly take pride in? So that’s just what I did. The following are two new sites that I have set up that I will use honest reviews to help readers learn about trips and gear that they can be proud of.
Excellent Family Adventures
Excellent Family Adventures seeks to serve families who love outdoor adventure and travel. The goal is to provide people with inspiration, resources, and reviews to get out and enjoy our planet. It’s something I’m passionate about as I seek to provide opportunities for my family and others who wish to be a part of it. It’s already getting a great response, and I’m excited for what comes next.
Alpine Islands
This project is a more long-term, ambitious goal. As an aspiring mountain guide, I found the process to be quite prohibitive and exclusive. I’d like to open up the learning process in backcountry mountain travel to be more inclusive and fun. I’ve also trained in Martial Arts, and I appreciated the camaraderie, discipline, and levels of ascencion through the belt system.
Alpine Islands seeks to provide this to the backcountry mountain community. Through training, learning, community, and real-world education, we will focus on the long road to mastery, helping people develop lifelong skills with a community focus.
What Comes Next
I’m excited for the next steps. And truth be told, I have no idea what those next steps are. But I’m learning and growing each day, and I hope to bring others with me along the way and share in the wealth. I guess we shall see what happens.
But regardless of how big or not so big it gets, I will build these sites with integrity, honesty, and a commitment to serve the readers with valuable information. It’s motivating to put in the work for something that can benefit my family and myself, and whoever else is along for the ride.
Maybe that’s you…?