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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Rawhide" data-source="post: 2537157" data-attributes="member: 29145">My guess is that if you;re in the top 50 or so producers on rpgnow, reviews make no difference. You already have enough of a following (and your new products automatically act as portals to your back catalog) that a review doesn't really expose you to a new customer.People below the top 50 (or so -- I'm guessing a the break-point) don't have a following yet and thus get a big bounce when they get a review.Actually, I guess the bounce may exist for both. But Phil Reed and GMS are selling enough copies that the bounce looks small or invisible to them.What I'm not sure most reviewers (or fans) realize is the products most worthy of review, the ones from the companies with a proven track record of quality, well-doine pdfs, don;t need them. There is no reason for them to pass about free copies. Since I'm sure GMS and PR are both in the top 20 on rpgnow in terms of sales, it's hard to say just how far down you'd have to go before reviews would be a big help.Of course I'm sure EN Publishing falls in the top 20 too, but it's different. It has a rabidly loyal fan abse here, so reviews on ENWorld is certainly worth it. I doubt reviews for EN Publishing products found elsewhere add many sales. But the EN machine gets to pretend it's a fan site (and thus able to play favorites, ask for donations, use volanteers, and cry foul is any other company demands equal treatment), a company (buying advertising and getting their own products reviewed on their home site) and even an awards program. So it breaks the normal rules anyway.But other rank 1 and rank 2 companies just don't need the help. In fact, reviews may hurt more than help, since there are essentially no professional, critical rpg reviewers (and those few who might qualify work for SJG). The reviewers we do have focus on what they like or don't like, and give ratings that are largely random. I doubt they do much for big, professional pdf companies, but they might drive away sales now and then.Now if a reviewer find a diamond in the rough, or a underexposed company, that's a big help to consumers. But otherwise, I suspect they're mostly just preaching to the choir. Even with pdf sales, the entire En World audience is a small part of the customer base. It seems improtant when it's all you're looking at, but it's not the one and only forum anymore.</blockquote>

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