Easy VSL [review]

174
Posted January 13, 2015 by in

Rating

Price
 
 
 
 
 


Concept
 
 
 
 
 


Execution
 
 
 
 
 


Value
 
 
 
 
 


Total Score
 
 
 
 
 

2/ 5

Creator: Mark Thompson
 
Type: Desktop software
 
 

POS:

Very few
 

NEG:

Crashed often in testing
 

Today Im taking a look at a new software called Easy VSL. So what exactly is Easy VSL? Its a software that is designed to let anyone quickly create video sales letters.Now right from the door I want to point out that these kinds of videos are really only good for sales pages, that is […]

by Brett Rutecky
Full Article

Today Im taking a look at a new software called Easy VSL.

So what exactly is Easy VSL? Its a software that is designed to let anyone quickly create video sales letters.Now right from the door I want to point out that these kinds of videos are really only good for sales pages, that is if your selling a product. They are not ideal for reviews, or affiliate promotions, because all they are is text on the screen and audio. For a review its not the best because in a review you should show off the product. Actually for selling a product its not the best either because you should still show off the product.  All this does is let you make a video that has text on the screen and audio (more on that later), you cant splice in any other kind of video or anything, so you cant splice in product shots etc. All you can do is make boring videos with text on the screen that has a few generic transition effects.

Besides the fact that this makes boring text / audo only videos with no real effects and without the ability to splice in demos or product shots there are actually a couple of other reasons that I dont like the Easy VSL software. So lets dive into it and cover each thing one at a time.

Ok so first off this is Adobe Air software that you install on your computer. As usual with software created by marketers the software is by an unverified publisher. That in itself is really starting to erk me. I mean really guys, you make these software products, you sell thousands of copies, is it to much to show a little professionalism and become a verified publisher? I mean it only costs a couple hundred dollars to do it. Isnt presenting yourself as a professional company worth that little investment? Guess not.

1

Unfortunately a failure to spend the money or put in the effort to actually look like a quality software provider is the normal in the internet marketing space so I guess we can look past that. I did, clicked run and went to testing the software.

The very first thing I noticed when the software loaded is the lack of help. There is litterly no help in the software. Why? I dont know, the only thing I can think of is laziness. I asked Mark if there was tutorials anywhere and he told me they where in the download area. That’s really generic. I have often seen web software that has no tutorials in it, but this is desktop software, which makes it doubly a pain. There really is no reason why Easy VSL can not have at least some kind of tutorial, quick start guide, something inside of it. I mean even Windows NotePad, which is probably the most basic software ever has a help menu.

Ok so moving beyond that I started playing around with the software. Trouble was it kept crashing on me. Every time I would try to do something it would crash. So I hit Mark up on Skype and let him know about it. After consulting with his developer they decided that the problem was that I was not uploading audio, I was trying to make a text only sales letter without adding my own custom audio (I didnt have any). Fortunately they told be they were going to fix it and would have a new version for me in about 2 hours.

My first thought about this was how did they miss it? Did they even test this? Did they get beta testers to go over it and find any bugs? Guess not.

Sure enough, true to their word they came back to be a couple hours later with a new version (and instructions that I had to manually delete hidden files from my computer to get rid of the old version). However when I went about testing the new version I was shocked at their ‘fix’.

1

You see they did not actually fix the problem with the software crashing. They just made it that you cant use the software unless you have audio. Well talk about a short cut eh. Thats kind of like going to the doctor and saying : “My arm is broken.” and the doctor saying : “No problem Ill just cut off your arm”. Also this does not come with any audio, not even a background music track. So you have to either have your own background audio track or you have to be willing to record yourself speaking the words and then match it up to the text in the software.

While recording yourself speaking the words might not be a problem for some people. I can see it being an issue for others. What about people that have an accent, that dont speak English well,  that dont have audio editing software (to edit their speech), that are shy, or that just simply dont have a nice sounding voice? What about those people? Well thats just what I asked Mark. Here is a bit of our conversation.

1

Ok so I was forced to add an audio track to keep testing. However when I first tried to upload an audio track I was greeted by my good friend:

1

So I got to close the software and start over. This crash screen is something I got to see many many times, even after they ‘fixed’ the initial problem. Click the duplicate button, crash. Upload a audio file, crash. It seems that I was restarting this software every 10 minutes.

When I finally got the audio to work and thought everything was set up I was given another error that said “start of slide 2 is not set’. It seemed that I had to link up the slides to tell them when to change. The problem was that there is no training or tutorials in the software so I did not know how to do that. In the end, though I had a ton of problems, I never actually got to make a video with it.

So what do I think over all? Well even if it worked well (and for me it didnt) in the end all it does is make boring videos with text on it and you talking in the background. Its going to take a decent amount of work to type up your sales copy, record yourself reading it, edit the audio recording , add the text and the recording to the software and publish your video, and in the end your just going to get this plain video of you reading text on the screen. No product shots, no demo, nothing else. If you think text on the screen and audio of you reading it is going to be a good sales video (or a review video for affiliate marketing) your kidding yourself.

This is the first time I reviewed a product by Mark and I wanted to love it. I wanted the chance to build a new contact in the internet marketing space, but unfortunately I just dont think this is a quality product, its offers to little and is far to buggy (in my testing).

1

 

 

 

 

 

UPDATE: I tried to contact Mark on Skype this morning before the review went out to see if he fixed the bugs, but he removed me as a contact unfortunately. Also I had a look at his sales page now. Very funny. If these types of sales videos work so great why did he not use this own software to make his sales video? Notice his sales video has him talking on camera, has product shots etc. That is a good sales video, not the boring text / reading only. You can not make the kind of video he used on his own sales page with this software alone.

 

UPDATE 2: The duplicate bug has been fixed. I actually came to know this by mistake. Im not sure when the correction happened because Mark blocked me on Skype and ignored me on Facebook when I tried to get an update prior to publishing this review. While I still do not believe this is a great investment I do want to be clear that the crashing issues I had no longer seem to be a problem.

A quick note about the reviews I do on this site. The product vendors give me access to their products for free in order for me to do my review. However I make no promises to them regarding the results of my tests or what I will write in my review. Should you click a link that takes you to a sales page for a paid product for sale this link will be an affiliate link and I will be paid a percentage of the sales price should you decide to invest in it.


About the Author

Brett Rutecky

Brett Rutecky is a full time online marketer, web developer, and entrepreneur. He has developed scores of Facebook apps, dozens of custom web sites and hundreds of scripts.

174 Comments


  1.  
    Morgan Madej

    Hi Brett,

    I enjoyed your review of Easy VSL

    Regards, Morgan




  2.  
    Craig McIntosh

    Was going to buy this for $27 so i checked out the OTO1 (one time offer) which is $97 and gives you more templates, audio files and access to graphics, Knew I could afford that then checked out OTO2 which is Pressplay for $197 personal license and $297 for agency license, knew i could not afford that right now just after xmas, so sent support and email saying could they let me buy it in a few weeks time when i have some more money in, “THEY SAID NO” so that made my mind up not to buy any of this product.




  3.  
    Karin

    Thanks so much for your review. One of the first questions that came to mind was if I could integrate other video clips into the software. Which is not the case. Good to know!

    For anyone reading this I believe Rapid crush ( Jason and Will) already have a similar software. If Brett has the link maybe he could do a review of it.

    Thanks again




  4.  
    kami

    Brett, thank you….it was really a good idea to subscribe to your review service.
    you have just saved me $27.
    I was going to get it through todd gross’ link to get his bonuses (four video clips showing todd doing an intro that you can use with your videos), but I think I will just give this one a miss. thanks again for the review.
    kami




    •  

      Honestly Kami, for $27 it might be worth it to buy through Todd just to get that bonus. I honestly would have to really consider that. Buy through him, throw the software away and just think of it as buying the intros for $27, thats only like $7 an intro video, from someone like Todd thats a value worth considering.




  5.  
    Marco Forconi

    gr8 and REAL, no Hypes, Honest and Useful review!
    Brett demistify these “shining guys” that put their “pure crap” into the market
    Thanks a lot to Brett 🙂




  6.  
    Danny

    Thanks for the review Brett. Mark is a nice person and I know he means well but this is not the first time he has brought a new product to the market that wasn’t fully tested..When questioned about some of his previous products as you did, he couldn’t answer any of those straight forward either. Not to mention, his support for the product was lacking after the launch.

    I am surprised Matt Callen, a cornerstone of internet marketing, allowed himself to be affiliated with this product. Actually, the only reason I looked at it is because of Matt’s reputation with his products and support for his customer base. Matt is truly a class act.

    I cannot say the same for Mark, I wish I could but I cannot.

    If the sales page would have only been presented by Mark Thompson, i wouldn’t have spent anymore than 5 seconds on the page before shutting it down. I know that is a harsh statement but I believe in always speaking the truth.

    Again, thanks for your review! You have my utmost respect!




    •  
      planetMitch

      Danny, I haven’t even read the rest of the comments and I suspect there are other comments like yours… I’ve purchased several products from Mark and I like some of them and dislike others – not because they’re not great concepts, but that he does NOT follow thru.

      He even sent out an email saying that every online marketer should have 3 resolutions for 2015… what was number 2? “Resolution #2: Put your Customer First”

      I emailed him back right away (which he didn’t answer) because that’s the #1 thing HE DOES NOT DO!

      I’ve gone back and forth with Mark about problems I have with the tools I have purchased (some work great and I love them like webinarIgnition and others don’t) and I say he over promises and under delivers, but he’s told me the same thing he told Brett – “if you don’t like it, don’t use it” — and that is the totally WRONG attitude when it comes to customer support!

      Mark is making millions off of selling software and he does not follow thru (in his defense he has worked with me on several bugs that have been fixed), but he has often said he would add “tons of new features” and in my experience, he doesn’t always do what he says he will do (or it takes 9-12 months which is a lifetime on the ‘net).




      •  

        The promise / feature aspect is a good point, look at the sales video it talks about features that dont exist. Only if you read the sales copy does it say “coming soon”. Well then why even have it in the sales video?




  7.  
    Todd

    Thanks Brett, please keep up the good work. Mark comes off as professional and reliable, but he ends up repping products (and other people’s products) that are sometimes iffy. And that sales funnel technique of having to get the OTO’s to buy something usable should be punished… like, with an ‘unsubscribe’ from anyone promoting something they tout without knowing anything about it. (one reason your reviews are so valuable)




  8.  
    j.

    Thanks for your honesty. 99.9% of IM’s just want the sale and don’t care about their list. Glad to know the .1%. Looking forward to other reviews and other products you put out.




  9.  
    Sam

    Thanks for that refreshingly honest, thorough IM product review. The impulse is always strong so this really helps to temper such sudden action and eventual buyer’s remorse/regret.




  10.  
    Peggy

    Thank for your review, Brett. It confirmed my decision to pass this one by. I didn’t feel that even for the $37 it was going to save me any time.




  11.  
    Bill

    Thanks for your well thought through review Brett.
    Unfortunately there’s so much, on the face of it useful software out there, but when you get to use it there’s bug after bug.
    Some of these guys are using their customers as their developers and de-bugging as the customer finds the problems.
    It really pisses me off when product after product out there is written using the same ethos.
    I concur with Danny above regarding Mark as I’ve got products of his doing nothing on my hard drive as it’s not worth the time trying to get the problems sorted.




  12.  
    Ray

    Looked at it, loved your review, you saved me money AGAIN

    Thank you Brett




  13.  
    Gary

    Hello Brett,
    I’m glad I saw this. Do you make many enemies? I wasn’t gonna buy vsl anyway and really only bought one product from Mark Thompson and he just wants to be richer or everything he sells is high priced. Like you said what good is a review if there is not a bad review!! I like that. I also am wanting everything to be web based, which is why I’m tuning up my web dev skills. Thanks. Your voice sounds familiar..Where from I wonder. Anyway. I’m not buying it and wasn’t anyway, Your view just made too much sense. Thanks again




  14.  
    Saul

    Thanks for your great work Brett!

    You save me some money and lots of time.

    Saul




  15.  
    richard

    I also know that Mark gets old programs and refaces and sells. I also once had a skype conversation and later being deleted because I called him out on issues.

    Brett, you are new to me after I purchased you cool facebook video software. I like your reviews and the content you are putting out, you are rare.

    Thanks!

    Richard




  16.  
    Perry Brown

    Thanks Brett for that honest review. You actually covered some of the questions that I needed to have answered. Not being able to integrate any other features is a negative for me, so I’ll have to pass on this offer. Usually when Todd is promoting a product, I have no worries, and I was about to push that button to purchase when I saw that you had a review. Wow, just by you offering this review has taught me a valuable lesson this morning, on how powerful reviews really are. I definitely get it now. Thanks for the save brother.




  17.  
    Martina

    Thanks for this review Brett. Kept me off buying it and so you saved me time, nerves and money. Please keep up your great reviews!




  18.  
    Alvaro

    Hi, Brett , I Purchased before , seen you review , I am going be testing this software ,Main reason I purchased because , I have some video scripts that I want to convert it in video …But If it keeps crashing , I hope I can claim for a refund .. thanks for the great review .




  19.  
    Lee Bracey

    Thanks Brett. Let’s create a better one!! I did look at this. Glad I caught your review before buying. I could use a tool like this, but more robust in applications. It’s a great idea, just a shame the co-creator showed such little interest in his own product. Maybe he will consider your conversation and offer upgrades in the future…

    Thanks again!!
    Lee




  20.  
    Donna White

    Thank you for this review. I saw all the emails in my box about VSL. I even got emails from people who I don’t remember ever emailing me before. 🙂 I saw your email and decided I would seriously consider buying if YOU thought it was good and use YOUR affiliate link. I don’t know you, but I really trust you.

    There have been some people that I have followed and bought their products and then later could not believe that they actually use it. Total junk. A while back I bought something and had trouble getting a refund from them. Now I am very skeptical of stuff coming out.

    Thank you so much for making this an easy decision!




  21.  
    Mark Thompson

    Hi everyone,

    This is Mark, the co-creator of EasyVSL. I thought I would just chime in given that this is somewhat if an dishonest review.

    First off we stand behind all of our products and continue to support them.

    Just like Brett, I offered personal support and told him that we would address his feedback to improve on the app.

    To address Bretts other concerns:

    – We added that notification about the ability for no audio, unless we have that functionality added – which should be in the next 24-48 hours.

    – You can add images to slides.

    – We do have training inside of the members area on how to use the software, plus our support team is more than happy to help

    Keep in mind that regardless of what new software you bring to market there are always going to be bugs and/or features that people would like. We always address bugs/fixes ASAP, plus evaluate what features people want and continue to add to the existing app.

    I understand that everyone is entitled to their own opinion but thought I would share the other side of the story.




    •  

      Mark thanks for the non confrontational response.

      1) As Im sure you understand I dont review promises or what you say you will do, I review the product.
      2) I was thinking more along the lines of adding demos etc. you know like you did in your sales page. I found it quite interesting that your own sales video for this product cant be made with it. That alone says a lot about it in my mind.
      3) Well thats just confirmation of what I said, no training in the software, which as I said, there really is no reason for at all.

      There really is no other side of the story, since you basically just confirmed the issues I had with this software are correct. Also while it is true that no software can be totally 100% perfect, a responsible developer will do a LOT of testing prior to release to ensure that it is as close to bug free as possible. Its irresponsible to release something that you know has issues with a promise that you will ‘fix it later’. The better choice in my mind, would have been to delay the launch until the product was developed to a high standard.

      Anyway, thank you so much for taking the time to reply.




      •  
        Leon

        Your response to Mark is exactly why I plan on waiting until your review before purchasing new products, early bird pricing or not. In fact, I had decided on not purchasing Explaindeo, but after reading the review on your blog, I will be buying this week. Please keep reviewing the newest software being peddled as soon as possible. So tired of all these other marketers talking about how great the newest software is and it turns out to be crap.

        And Mark, fix the issues and perhaps ask Brett to review the fixed version and maybe he can recommend it then.




    •  
      Charles

      I was about to buy this. I watched the video on YouTube that Brett made and then came here and saw that Mark Thompson is making excuses about the product on the very site that is giving an honest review. I can’t believe it.

      I got emails from at least two affiliates who said they had used it and didn’t give an honest review. How sad is that.

      Thank goodness for Brett. He is a voice in the wilderness.

      This is a sad state of affairs when a broken product is sold and the marketer tries to justify putting out software that doesn’t work by coming to this site and stating he knows it is broken.
      Why would you do that Mark Thompson? Don’t you care at all about your reputation? Has internet marketing come to this low of a point that we buyers have to assume things won’t work and hope that they will be fixed after spending our hard earned money? That is pretty sad.




    •  
      CM

      I guess it’s all about pushing that product!!! When Press Play was release it was the same issue. “Lots of Bugs”. 28 days after that release I had to get a refund. I guess Mark is just a business man at heart? Thank you Brett for your honorable review.

      I’m just glad the IM Watchdog is on the Job! =))




    •  
      planetMitch

      Hey Mark

      we’ve swapped many emails about support issues and you know I’ve supported you with my $ and with my bug reports several times in the past year. But frankly (and I told you this privately as well), it feels to me (and I believe Brett experienced this as well) that you’re very defensive about your products and claim you are supporting them – but as I’ve told you before, from the customer perspective, I don’t believe you are following thru on your own promise: “Resolution #2: Put your Customer First”

      EasyVSL was released too early. I didn’t buy, but I could tell from the demos that there weren’t enough features that are included in other similar products on the market. Maybe version 2 will be something to admire, but this version just didn’t feel like it has value.

      I used WebinarIgnition yesterday and it rocked so I know you can create great products. The team I used it for was very impressed.

      From my view, you’re doing some great things, but please spend time working on doing Resolution #2: Put your Customer First – be nice to your customers (maybe let someone else do customer support as you don’t come across well in email etc).

      Yes I know some of the comments from Brett and others (including me) here may hurt, but IMHO the thing to do is realize this is your #1 problem and by taking these comments to heart and learning from them you’ll come out to be more proud of your accomplishments than ever.

      with hope for a better future,
      planetMitch




    •  
      Collins

      C’est la honte Mark, je suis vraiment déçu de ton attitude, tu nous prends vraiment pour des CON>>>>>>>> si tu te réduis seulement à nous faire tes éloges des millions que tu gagnes sans te soucier quel effort nous faisons pour partager ta passion du marketing. Nous ne sommes plus là.
      Tous les jours entrain de nous bombarder avec les nouveaux produits, des nouvelles formations sans vous poser la question de savoir si nous assimilons ce que nous avons acheté auparavant. Ainsi, nos boites d’e-mail son plein tout le jour.
      À l’école, le professeur prend le temps de demander aux élèves s’ils ont bien assimile les cours!!!
      Honteux
      San Bakker, Peter Beattie ils n’ont rien vu????????????????




    •  
      AJ

      Nice to have your attention Marc 😀

      I just want to thank you for a great theme and awesome support…… aheeeeem

      NOT !

      Shame on you !




  22.  
    Stephen Thomas

    Thanks Brett, I was ready to part ways with my cash until I saw your review. Nice to see an honest marketer. I have a lot of unsubscribing to do as most of those spruiking this product are only after the quick commissions and JV prizes and obviously haven’t tried the software themselves.




  23.  
    Marty

    Once again…U da man! Everybody and their mother is hoarking this product,but no one but u and Andrew Hunter are telling us the truth. Thanks.




  24.  
    Grahame

    Really appreciate the heads up on this one Brett.
    I did wonder what in the long run this software really achieved and despite the list of ‘respected marketers’ punting this along with all their special offers, I will not be buying.

    Keep up the UNBIASED reviews coming and thanks again.




  25.  
    Michael

    So which video software do you recommend for sales videos and training videos?




  26.  
    Michael

    Sorry that sounded kind of challenging. I should have said “Is there a video creation software that you recommend for training videos and sales videos?”




  27.  
    Ken

    This review is Golden and MT’s* blocking you as a contact is par for the course with these phony baloney greed heads (aka Gurus).

    I’ve been blacklisted by more than one of these phonies (usually by their rabidly incompetent helpdesks) for pointing out “The Emperor Has No Clothes”.
    Even more disturbing? Their lemming like followers/affiliates.

    It’s absolutely mind-boggling how many these “Big Money” guys continue to run their businesses as if their still living in their parent’s business.

    It’s madness I tell you. Madness!

    *MT = EMPTY in shop talk 😉




  28.  

    Hi Brett

    Really enjoyed reading your review you keep it real looking forward to more

    chris




  29.  
    Roger

    Thanks for the detailed review, Brett. Nice to see some honest & straight positive and negative points in a review.




  30.  
    Gary Stenzel

    Not to sound like a broken record,,,, Ditto to most of the other posts.
    Thanks Brett! You saved me some cash yet again!
    Gary




  31.  
    Ben

    Thank you for the honest review and not pushing crap products that doesn’t work. Your subscribers, like me, really appreciate your unbiased reviews.




  32.  
    tony

    I also questioned how effective could a text video be without some images? And I thought how boring that would be…. with Video Maker FX and Easy Sketch Pro you can add text, images and video.




    •  

      Thats a good point, of these videos are so great, why didnt Mark use only his software to make his own sales video? Seems like he can talk the talk but cant walk the walk. Easy Sketch Pro, Video Maker FX .. and dont forget Explaindio (my personal favorite) are much better choices.




  33.  
    Phil

    Thanks for the review, Brett.
    When I saw the original sales page for this product, I thought the app’s interface didn’t look very user-friendly.
    After your review pointed out that there is no help functionality inside the program, I decided to pass.
    Spending time to learn how to use a new application is time I don’t have to waste.
    One of my pet peeves is the phrase, “Fill-in-the-blank” is self-explanatory. NOTHING is self-explanatory.
    If a vendor wants me to incorporate something new into my routine, make it easy and clear for me to make it work
    Thanks for telling it like you saw it.
    Phil




  34.  
    Mark E Thomson

    thank’s for the review , i almost bought the product for myself but , …….. no i’m not for this at all.
    i bought from you the vac what is ……. gold by the way , but since than this is the second time that you saved me some money , just becuse of your rewies. so i tought it is time to say thank you.




  35.  
    Gene

    I’m new to your reviews and found this one to be a breath of fresh air considering all the “reviews” that get tacked on to their sales pages, I recently bought Explaindio when it was launched and they have consistently updated it, held numerous training seminars, recorded them for those who missed them, added additional features that the group suggested, and are ready to answer questions promptly with a knowledgeable support staff. Nothing at all like you found with this product.
    (Disclaimer: I am NOT an affiliate marketer of Explaindio)




  36.  
    Tim

    Hi All,

    I already bought the software before I saw Bretts review.
    In my opinion the MAC version is some nice software to a specific group of people.
    If you only need a text video with some images and voice over this software is almost good.
    I say almost because it’s missing some things like adding your own background theme.

    The thing i like about this software is the timing part to a voice over. Just flag the slides on time and your done. This saves tons of time.

    Ofcourse I understand that the PC version is giving some serious problems, but I thought lets make a Mac version review for thos who like to see it work on a mac.

    You can see it here: {link removed}




    •  
      Tim

      Hi Brett,

      Did you on purpose remove the youtube link?
      Now people still can’t see the honest review of the mac version 🙁




      •  

        Yes I did. I do not allow links in comments. Thanks for your understanding.




        •  
          Tim

          Ok, no problem. Didn’t know that.
          It was my first review of a product 🙂

          Ofcourse it would give some balans to your review, but if thats your choice, I’ll accept that.




        •  
          Collins

          Hi Brett i respect you why you do this????????? i appreciat what you done today. But not fair if you community try to make thinks clairrrrrrrrrrr.
          Why????????




          •  

            People are welcome to comment their opinion in the comments section. They are not welcome to post links. I remove all links in comments, not just this guys. The moment I start allowing links the comments section will be flooded with them from all kinds of people trying to siphon off my traffic. Ie. the comments section will be full of spam / ad / affiliate links.

            Now sure I can check every link before I remove them, but I am one person, I dont have time for that, so I have a single policy for everyone. No links in comments.




  37.  
    Gene Wheeler

    Being a marketer myself I have to say that there are a lot of interesting comments on this review. First, Thank you Brett, and thank you for a great product in VAC! Here’s the thing. I didnt see this review or any other review before I made my purchase. What I did see was Todd Gross’ bonus. That alone was worth the 27$ I will be examining this software and hoping that I do not run into any problems that cant be solved. Ive known Matt for a very long time and Mark for a very short time, but he has in that short time always responded to me.
    Ok, inside the back office there are three areas on the dashboard. software download, training, and support. What im hoping to find out soon is if there are any audio tracks at all. the reason I say this is because when you click on the audio tracks button you get this message:
    Upgrade to Platinum Version Required
    In order to download additional audio tracks and fonts, you need to upgrade
    What throws me off is the word “additional” to me that tells me that there are at least some. I will soon find out. I have no opinion either way simply because im satisfied with my bonus. If i bevome satisfied with the software then Im truly blessed. Thanks again for an awesome review, and “the people” would much rather have an honest review than a dishonest one no matter how many toes are hurt

    Gene Wheeler
    videoFXwizard

    P.S. The main reason I was interested in this purchase was because the software I really want is 97$ and quite honestly I cant afford that right now. Just a heads up for anyone thinking that easyVSL is a new concept. Do your research if youre wanting a software that does what this so far has promised to do, and more…..and for 97$ I will share this information 😀




    •  

      I agree, Todd Gross is giving away 4 premade opening videos that you can use in your sales page. If you can get the bonus its well worth the $27. I would buy it from him, throw away the software and just keep the bonuses from Todd. In fact Id buy the bonuses from Todd by themselves for $27 if he let me. Here is the funny thing though, since you cant splice video in Easy VSL, you cant use the openings from Todd with the Easy VSL software!

      PS) You wanted a $97 software but could not afford it, so you bought a $27 product instead, now your even further away from getting what you really wanted then when you started. Ie, you took a step backwards.




      •  
        Gene Wheeler

        Yeah, that was the first thing that popped into my mind after I read your review. Thank God for VMFX, ESP2, and Explaindio 🙂




      •  
        Gene Wheeler

        Another great reminder of how my week has been so far. Thanx buddy 🙂




      •  
        Tim

        To be honest, the video’s from Todd aren’t that great.
        From a person who calls himself the Nr1! video guy in internet marketing the video’s look cheap. Todd is cut out very bad from the green screen and the green screen is still seen on his face. Also from most videos the audio quality is bad.
        And… a sea on the background of a host on your website… comon…

        Just my opinion 🙂




    •  
      Jim

      I too was “suckered” into buying this crap software by the massive amounts of buy buy buy at an early bird pricing of $27.

      Thank YOU Brett for this review. I have been using Visual Communicator 3 (now owed by Adobe) for years and I will tell this much. VC3 smokes anything out there and has for years. The problem is VC3 has not been updated in a long time. The program allows you to use three camera angles at anytime, fades, transitions, jpg’s, audio, etc., etc., etc….

      I will be requesting a full refund thanks to you Brett. I have the pc version and attempted the same steps you produced in your review and GOT THE SAME PROBLEM — Cannot complete w/o Audio and my version was just updated to the latest 1.03 today. Wow what a P.O.S. program!!

      I too have been a long time follower of Matt Callen’s, but, he should feel embarrassed by this. I will be contacting via email to voice by dislike of this crappy software. Sorry Matt, lame duck move with this one!




  38.  
    Brian Savic

    Sir, you have save me a fortune over the last 6 months.




    •  

      Well I make no secrete I want to make money to, which is why I put my affiliate link under the products I approve, but I want to make money by being honest and helping people. I know this is a unique concept in the IM business, but one I hope will catch on 🙂




  39.  
    Bill

    Hi Brett , I’ve only been on your list a few days but after your review comments regarding this product, and the response from potential purchasers, please make sure my eMail does’nt inadvertantly get removed.
    Thanks




  40.  
    Jim

    Good review Brett. Thank you for that!!

    It is really discouraging to see vendors tryin g to market products that are no good and to also see well know affiliates endorse them.

    thanks again Brett,

    Jim




  41.  
    Morio

    Thank you for your review. I was thinking about buying the product before your review. After reading you review, I decided not to purchase it. I appreciate your service in reviewing future products.




  42.  
    mike

    Thanks for an honest review. I had decided not to buy mainly because it seemed to me that the first oto should have been part of the main product as a basic requirement, not a $97 extra.
    In fairness I really liked the easy audio integration and would have bought for this feature. I watched a very good demo of the product from Brian Johnson who was the first to email me. The product does allow images to be installed but from the demo I watched you need to do the audio and then you can substitute any text slide for an image. The image then appears in the video with your voice but no text on screen for that slide so the continuity is not affected. I prefer these kind of videos. If done well I think they look more unique, I find the likes of Explaindio a little too corny and samey. Could you maybe integrate Video making into Squeezematic just a thought?

    Mike




  43.  


  44.  
    Jason M

    Hi Brett. Thanks for the review. After reading all of the comments from your readers, I just thought I’d chime in and give a little different perspective. First, I am not an affiliate of EasyVSL and this does not benefit me in any way. But here’s my experience…

    I received several emails promoting EasyVSL (from quite a few affiliates), and watched the demo on the sales page. I didn’t really see the software doing anything that I couldn’t already do with MS Powerpoint. But I did find an affiliate bonus that I thought was worth the cost of the product. So I decided to buy for that reason.

    I already had the software in my JVZoo cart when I received your review email – but I had not yet clicked on the PAY NOW button. So I decided to look at your review first. I must admit that I was a little disheartened when I saw the errors in your demo video. But I completed the purchase anyway – for the affiliate bonus.

    I decided to give the software a shot before just throwing it away, and I was actually pleasantly surprised. Honestly, I really didn’t want to like the software. My expectation was that I would try it, and decide that it really wasn’t any better than Powerpoint for creating these simple text VSLs. The truth is… it is better, but it also isn’t better. I’ll explain. Basically, it is like a dumbed-down version of Powerpoint that can only do text, images, and simple screen transitions. Powerpoint can do so much more. But EasyVSL is like 1000% more efficient than Powerpoint for getting through the entire process. It was super-easy to use, very intuitive, and extremely fast from start to finish.

    Basically, I just took a video script that I had purchased for making a local marketing video, copied and pasted it into the software, and selected a background. Then I grabbed my microphone, recorded myself reading the script, and uploaded it to the software. No problems there (except that the software didn’t recognize a .WAV file – so I needed to resave it as a ,MP3). Then I played the audio in the software, and just clicked on the next slide when it was time to change. Really easy and fast. I then added a transition to each slide and changed the color of some text on each slide for emphasis. The whole process (including recording the script) only took 15 minutes. That’s awesome for a finished video (on my first try). It’s not as fancy as something I would have made in Powerpoint (or Easy Sketch Pro or Explaindio, or VideoMaker FX (all of which I own)), but it worked perfectly – and it was fast.

    Now to add my two cents to some of the other complaints in your review.

    First, is that it doesn’t work without adding audio. Since this product is only designed to make text-only (primarily) video sales letters – there would be absolutely no reason to create a video without the accompanying audio. No reason at all. It’s conversion rate would be horrendous. No one is going to watch a text-only video sales letter with no audio. You absolutely must have the script being read along with the slides. So to me, that’s a non-issue, as creating a video of this type without the audio would just be silly. For those people who don’t speak English well or have a thick accent or don’t want to record their own voice for any other reason – there’s Fiverr.com. 5 bucks for a professional voiceover. And a voiceover is necessary for this type of video. So that’s not really an issue. And you can download recording/editing software for free, so that’s not a problem either.

    As far as the software only making simple text-only (with the ability to add some images) video sales letters – I know they’re boring, and I personally really like the fancier videos made with the other software products – but if you go by the extensive research done by digitalmarketer.com, these simple videos are the highest-converting videos. This is a multi-million dollar internet marketing company that spends hundreds of thousands of dollars in conversion testing – and they use these types of videos almost exclusively (with plain white backgrounds) on their sales pages. It’s not necessarily appropriate for all types of videos, but it is the top converting for many markets.

    The lack of a help menu (while it may be considered unprofessional) is not really an issue with this product. There is like a 3-minute tutorial on the download site which shows you absolutely everything you need to know to use the software. It really is that simple. If you watch it once, you’re pretty much set as far as training goes. A help menu on software this easy to use is like an instruction placard on a sliding board (simply isn’t necessary) – although a direct link to support is always welcome in the event of any bugs.

    So that is my take. It’s a simple software that does one thing – but does it very easily and very quickly. And if you believe the extensive (and expensive) research, what it does is create the best-converting type of online video, even though it’s not the type of video that I *(and I imagine many other marketers) like to make.




    •  

      That might actually be the longest comment ever 🙂 Here is something very interesting:
      “what it does is create the best-converting type of online video”
      If this is the best type of video then why didnt Mark use it in his sales page? Simple: because these kinds of videos are not that great, do you really think text and voice is going to make people want to buy something without even a demo of the product?

      Also as I and you said, you can just use a screen cast software and power point (or even a text editor) to make these videos. Start your screen cast software, read the slide, pause the recording, switch slides and repeat. No need for a specialty software, or all that matching up text etc.

      Finally my copy crashed horrendously as you can see. perhaps they fixed some of the crash issues? I dont know. I tried to contact Mark to see if they did before I sent out the review, but I couldnt speak to him because he was having a temper tantrum and blocked me on Skype.

      By the way I love the how the sales video says it has a ‘text to speech’ functionality but in the sales copy it says ‘coming soon’. That seems to be the theme of this product, spit it out quick and dirty, and then fix it later. Imagine if all company’s did that!

      Thank you for the time to write this very detailed follow up comment. Its much appreciated!




      •  
        Jimmy Bean

        Thank you Jason… great points made. As to the point that Brett keeps referring to how Mark did not use his software for his own video, I obviously can’t say for sure why he did that. But I can say for sure that the research done by the converting gurus over at Digital Marketer shows that this type of video does indeed covert best IN COMBINATION with text and graphics also on the sales page. With that said, if Mark did use his own software for his video then his conversions clearly would have been much higher 😀

        The reality is this software for EASY Video Sales Letters. It’s not meant for complex visually stimulating videos or extensive reviews where you will giving an over-the-shoulder view of the program. But it will 100% save you time & energy on those EASY sales letter… which to me is worth the $27 bucks.




        •  

          Well we all have to decide what is good for ourselves. For me it was to little and to buggy but if your happy thats all thats important 🙂

          I do find it interesting that your talking about the extensive research by the Digital Marketer guru’s that says this is the best kind of sales video. Strange that their home page, which has a sales video on it, does not use this kind of video isnt it? (it uses Explandio style).

          But if you really insist on making a video like Easy VSL does, why do you even need this software? Just use a screencast, record a slide on your screen, read the text, pause the video and change the slide, repeat. No need to make a separate audio file, no need to match up the text to your voice, and doing this way you can splice in videos.

          But as I said, in the end, as a customer, its about what YOU think and not what I think. In the end its your money so if you consider it money well spent, its a win (for you at least). Thanks for commenting 🙂




  45.  
    Phillip

    Thanks for the warning, I will stay far away from that one




  46.  
    Garry

    Thanks for your Honest review, was so so about purchasing.

    It amazes me that if something isn’t perfect (and you know it) then why release it and put your reputation on the line – simply for a buck ….. and become like all the other sharks out their!

    I agree with everyone else’s comments …..

    Keep up the good work …. maybe made one enemy today ….. but that’s nothing to the number of friends gained




  47.  
    Elias

    Thanks for the effort you put in the review, that just saved me some time and money.
    My take with some jvzoo sellers is that some of them create a product that will eventually is not going to be updated as need it.

    I had purchase some software products that 6 months later are not longer functioning as
    intended, no support from developers and no way to reach em.

    Thanks for the review.




  48.  

    UPDATE: The duplicate bug has been fixed. I actually came to know this by mistake. Im not sure when the correction happened because Mark blocked me on Skype and ignored me on Facebook when I tried to get an update prior to publishing this review. While I still do not believe this is a great investment I do want to be clear that (at least some of) the crashing issues I had no longer seem to be a problem.




  49.  
    Collins Marin

    Thanks for your 100% honesty.
    Je suis vraiment écoeuré par l’habitude des formateurs qui commencent à dépasser les limites de la déontologie.Ils passent tout leur temps a passe de produit en produit, de formation en formation juste pour des raisons financières. Je commence a avoir de la rage a leur egard. Apres avoir acheter une formation de plus 200usd, les formateurs ne s’intéressent plus a savoir si tu as assimile les cours.C’est tous les jours que l’on reçoit des newsletters pour des nouveaux produits.Merci pour ton analyse avec les preuves a l’appui.C’est Mark qui nous recommande dans un de ses cours de ne jamais effacer les commentaires de ses Fans. Il réplique tout le temps la critique nous permet d’avancer………….

    Nous attendons tes recommandations pour un software similaire.
    Merci pour ton travaille.




  50.  
    Grahame

    Ha ha he blocked you out on Facebook and Skype, in the business world that is not particularly professional.

    Just goes to show that a little bit of honesty can actually create a real enemy and show peoples true colors. I will always be mindful of these events when Mark releases anything in the future.

    This also highlights the reasons so many ‘gurus’ act like sheep when it comes to promoting affiliate products – it’s all about the money and not about the consumer.




    •  

      The funny thing is that the only reason these people are ‘gurus’ in the first place is because people follow them. Its the affiliates blindly promoting for them, doing all the work that makes them ‘gurus’, remove the blind affiliate following and a lot of these marketers would fall on their faces.




  51.  
    AJ

    I couple of years back I bought the first so called Optimize Press killer from Mark Thomson and his good friends some unknown, wp dev company. well…. it turned out the theme was slow, crashed and basically just shitty.
    When people started complaining asking for refunds etc. in the warrior forum thread and via the support desk, he just ignored his customers totally !! No refunds possible.Nothing. I paid 97 dollars for a useless theme!
    He´s a jerk who makes a career promoting other peoples products as his own.
    He brings nothing to the table himself. STAY AWAY FROM MARK THOMSON.




    •  
      Raul Renteria

      I also purchased that same theme and I could never get it to work. There was a lack of support and my refund request was never granted. Whenever I see a product and Mark Thompson is associated with it I stay away, as I did with this one. This guy is a scammer.




  52.  
    Clive

    I bought the front end at $27, turned down the $97 OTO but was then offered a $47 OTO ( extra templates and fonts) that made more sense to me. As I aim to use it as a product launch type affair – a la Ryan Diess/Frank Kern – I’m reasonably happy with it so far. But I agree that if was kind of misleading not to use the product for the actual sales video on the sales page as, subliminally, one might assume that you would be able to replicate that type of high end video.

    I could splice in videos in camtasia I guess but that kind of negates the ‘speed’ factor that was a big selling point




    •  

      Well there was a lot of ‘misleading’ stuff on the sales page, for example notice how the sales video said this had ‘speech to text’ but then in the sales text it says that this feature is actually ‘coming soon’. Notice how it says you can insert ‘any previously created video in the beginning , middle or end’ then the sales copy says ‘coming soon’. Basically the sales video flat out lies to you and you have to read the sales copy through to find out that these features dont actually exist.




  53.  
    Antonio Fernández

    hello

    I purchased the software and am having trouble because the install still has not recognized my codigoded license …

    I have written to tell me aoporte and oversaturated the servidorestá … but of this more than 12 hours ago …

    Have you got any solution to this?

    regards
    Antonio Fernandez




    •  

      Well no I dont have a solution, this is not my product, and I told people not to buy it anyway (because it was buggy).
      To be fair though: 12 hours for support is still under the standard 24 though.




  54.  
    liz

    Thanks for the review. Appreciate your honesty. Not sure why they bothered to even create this software. Did they not do their research? There are quit a few FREE or cheaper software’s or online tools that do this stuff already. I have a list of them. When I fist saw this product showing up being promoted by many marketers in my email…I figured it must be a good product since everyone seems to be promoting it. Then When I saw the sales page I was expecting VSL to do much more and maybe offer something new. I learned one thing from this…Which affiliates to trust. Some of those emails just raved about the product. I now know not to believe then in the future. For me this was the best take away out of all this. Thanks.




  55.  
    Gaurab

    I experienced so many experienced marketeers releasing garbage in the market.
    Strange that these people are defaming their own community.

    Thanks for revealing the details of the software.




  56.  
    Mel

    Wow Brett,
    Great review and great save of some money that I don’t have to throw out the window on junk, untested products.
    Great help here as we were just opening up someone’s link to check it out and maybe buy…
    Thanks bunches!




  57.  
    Lynn Brown

    Thanks Brett for this review. I had already purchased the product and tried using it yesterday and was surprised I couldn’t record my own voice over on the software. It was kind of strange and seemed like the software was incomplete. Anyway, I appreciate all the information that you shared.




    •  

      Yea you can see how the sales video says you can do this. But in the sales copy it says this feature is ‘coming soon’. Looks like they had big plans for this product and made the sales video while it was being developed, but never followed through with their aspirations.




  58.  
    Ray Edwards

    Thanks Brett for this review. interestingly I Googled “EasyVSL review” to find this page yesterday and it was #2 in the results. Now it’s not even found on the first page. So many other reviews with bonuses, which is an anomaly for me. If you are offering “bonuses” then it’s not a review it’s a promotion.

    Anyway I’ve been playing around with the software and I’m also surprised by the number of obvious BUGS. The software crashed for several different reasons and gives no information further than you have to restart. The version 1.0.3 update didn’t help at all.

    In version 1.0.2 I found the following bugs: (Windows version)

    1. Added pictures got smeared (like a a scrambled cable station) Fixed in update.
    2. You could not undo changed in slide edits. If you deleted some words on the slide you had to type them all over again.
    3. There are no “mass edit” for slides. So I wanted to right justify all the slides but had to do this one by one.
    4. When I installed the update, all the highlighted text in the slides lost their spacing with the neighboring texts. Even after changing this restarting the software took me back to the original error!
    5. In compiling the slides it reported MORE slides than I actually had and crashed at the end so I have not been able to see any final output.

    I’m really surprised they brought this to market with these obvious bugs. Even more sorry that I promoted this to my list after seeing the demo but not trying it myself. I really expected more.




    •  

      Hmm just checked Google, honestly I never really do that but I was interested since you mentioned it. This page is #5 on the first page. My G+ post is #3. Not bad given that I do no active SEO work on my blog 🙂




  59.  
    Victor

    Thanks for the review Brett. Sad to say but I have already purchased it but you can bet the farm that I am getting a refund.

    Thanks again,
    Victor




  60.  
    Carl

    Thanks for the review…..




  61.  
    AJ

    So all of you folks who have considered buying VSL. How many of you actually have a product to sell with video ? and let me also ask you. Do you have VMFX, Esplandio etc? Do you feel like you need to make 50 videos for all of your products in 20 minutes and 6 hours is too much to spend on one video ? The with all the upgrades/ oto´s VSL is very, very expensive !

    So my advise would be: Stop buying products you don´t need !! Get down to basics. Selecting a niche, list building, email copy and just basic marketing that has been working the last 90+ years.

    just my 500 C 🙂




  62.  
    wayne

    Every time I see a new product I want to buy I wait and see if Brett has done a review on it, I have bought products on your reconsiderations and avoided others Its a refreshing change to see honest reviews.

    Keep up the good work




  63.  
    wayne

    sorry recommendations not reconsiderations lol




  64.  
    steve

    Brett. right on! I was on the fence. But after watching the video and reading yiur omments. Yiu confirmed my gut thoughts on this. I realized that this software had so many limitations. I have explandio,powtoons,video spin blaster blaster pro and video auto click :o). Any one of these is far superior and blows this crappy easyVSL software out of the water. Mark has had some good software in the past like pressplay and 1 or 2 others. But this is not one of them. I smell a lot of refunds. Its time he and some of the other marketers take a good look at what they are doing and stop fleecing the Nubes. This should have been tested and tweaked to work far better. The extras they promise in the letter should have already been incorporated.This software doesn’t remotely compare to the ones I mentioned above. Not worth the money. Brett Keep up of the good work. Honest reviews are hard to come by. ~Steve




  65.  
    Kelly

    Wow! I was about to purchase this and accidentally came across this. Brett, you just saved me $37 for the product as well as $97 for the OTO.
    Thank you and keep up the good work. After seeing your review, I wouldn’t even consider getting this product. Thanks again!




  66.  
    Glen

    I know Easy VSL appears to be a bit of a ‘dog’ , but can anyone tell me with ‘Explaindio, can you import a long ‘text ‘ script and then generate all the slides.

    I can’t see any mention (or any demo) of that function on the Explaindio sale page




  67.  
    tony

    I wish I had found this review before I purchased.. I went for the $47 option skipped the overwhelming number of ” Before you Leave I want Offer You a OTO” no less than 4 times if I am correct.. Anyway, Much the same problems, crashing.. server down.. etc etc.. I will be getting a refund on this..

    As mentioned this is just a simple text to video software you can pretty much do on PowerPoint or open office..

    However not all lost though, I purchased through a guy`s link on WSO who was offering shit loads of bonuses to buy through him.. which I did.. The bonuses alone were worth more than this product..

    Thanks for the honest Review.. will keep my eyes more on what you have to say in the future.

    Tony




    •  

      If the bonuses are worth the purchase price then be fair, you should not refund unless your also going to delete the bonuses. The affiliate gave you those bonuses and if you are going to keep them and use them then he deserves the commission he was paid. If you refund he will get that taken away from him.




    •  
      Glen

      As you said…. it’s really just a text to video app. (with a few added functions) but from what I can see, it’s sold 3000 + (refunds unknown)

      It’s amazing the impact having a bunch of high profiles affiliates on your side emailing for you

      At last count I had emails from 42 affiliates (half were from the ‘big boys). And I’m still getting them

      It seems no one really cares to much about their credibility these days, and will promote anything just to make a few bucks…., no matter how questionable a product might be.




  68.  
    Matt Callen

    With all of our products, we honor our refund guarantee. We believe in the products we put out, the hundreds of software updates that we create for our software across the board, and we believe in our customers and their feedback. We take all constructive feedback to heart and build future features and service based off of it.

    Since we launched on Tuesday, we have already updated the software 6 times. That’s nearly twice per day. This is all based on any errors that have been reported and customer feedback on feature requests. Within the next 30 days, we have nearly 8 completely new feature sets (not just “enhancements or fixes”) to be added to the software that everyone who purchases gets for free.

    However, if for whatever reason, you’re not happy with the product or don’t want to follow the suggestions we have to help with your software, then we’re completely fine with offering a refund. It’s why we have a 30-day guarantee policy.

    Mark and I take pride in our customer service and software, so when I read the comments like what you wrote above, it really surprises me that you would think this is a “scam”. Maybe you have been burned in the past by other marketers, but know that Mark and I are NOT like them. I have been around since 2004, and you can ask around… I’m not just a one and done guy. I’m here to help, and I’m happy to do it.

    With all that being said, can you please PRIVATE MESSAGE me with your receipt and/or support ticket ID so that I can refund you immediately?

    …. all right, heading back to the support desk to help customers.

    thanks
    Matt




    •  

      The software may have been updated 6 times but nearly a week has passed since I purchased the software and it still doesn’t work for me at all. So it seems there’s a fundamental flaw in the software as I can honestly say I’ve never purchased software before that didn’t work period.

      Regarding your customer service it could be improved. For instance, you could let customers know the approximate waiting time for a response. Plus, you don’t have to wait until you have a possible solution to respond to a ticket. Give the customer an interim update.

      I’ve been waiting a couple of days now for a reply to my last ticket update – not good.




      •  
        Matt Callen

        Hey Nick, can you send me your ticket number so I can make sure to check it for you personally?

        As of now, all tickets are being replied and fixed on average in about 4 hours max. There are some that are up to about 12-24 hours, simply because of waiting on an update to be released that will fix the issue.

        No worries though, we’re “not going anywhere”. We’re working hard over here, and we will make sure that all issues are resolved for customers.

        thanks!




  69.  

    Well Matt lets be fair, you did launch a product that was so buggy that it had to be updated 6 times already since Tuesday. You also had a sales video, with a purchase button directly under it, and that showed features that don’t actually exist at the time of purchase. Scam may be a harsh word, probably to harsh in this case, but in a way I can understand it is at least crossing peoples minds. But still, I agree, scam is not a word I would use. (did anyone actually say that in a comment, I must have missed it)

    Thanks for taking the time to come here and post, it is appreciated.

    If you do get all the bugs ironed out and you do add all the features that are advertised in the sales video (which currently dont exist) I would be more than glad to re-examine this software. Though I will be honest, I have offered to do this multiple times for vendors and to date not one has ever accepted or delivered what was originally promised. Perhaps you will be the first?




  70.  
    Charu

    Thank you for this honest and useful review, any idea where I can find Todd Gross link to get he’s bonus? couldn’t find it on Google or WSO.




  71.  
    Nancy

    Thanks for the honest review. SO glad I didn’t buy this just to go through the hassle of asking for a refund!




  72.  
    Alfred

    I bought and was very disappointed.
    But I must say in less than a week 5 upgrades were made and I think this now is 1 of the best products I ever purchased.
    Sorry! So Brett was right with his review, cause at that time it really sucked, but now I can only say; BUY.
    BTW don’t buy 1 of those overpriced OTO’s; the basic version is just fine.
    Thanks.




    •  

      I did offer to re-review this after they fix the bugs and after the put in the features that where advertised. Its my hope that they will accept this offer, however given Marks reaction I doubt that it is very likely. Thank you for giving us your insight on how it is now. Its appreciated.




      •  
        Schalk

        Well, I don’t know. I bought this yesterday and I cannot upload audio? First it gave a critical error and asked me to restart the software. Then there was an update that came through, version 1.7 I think instead of version 1.6.

        Now there is no critical error anymore when trying to upload audio, but here we go – it does absolutely nothing, like nada. Just as good as if I never selected to upload audio in the first place.

        I can therefore not use this software and is useless to me as is.

        Can anyone else manage to upload any audio at this point in time? How can you bring out a software that does not work at all? If you do not upload audio you cannot resume and complete the video sales letter? Who in their right mind sell a product that does not work to the masses out there, pocketing thousands of dollars?

        I will not be able to sleep at night. I think we honestly need to take a stand against greedy internet marketers that sell software that does not work – there is no excuse and it is not good enough to say we take your money now and fix the issue later. It simply does not work that way.

        Another thing that really gets me is also that vendors think it is ok to pay their affiliates whenever it pleases them and in the end you need to go and beg them sending email after email just to squeeze your hard earned cash out of them. The mentality that internet marketers is treated differently than any other occupation needs to stop.

        Any other working person knows that e.g. on the 30th of each month they get paid and setup debit orders accordingly. How are online marketers expected to pay their monthly debit orders if vendors pay them whenever they please?

        Things seriously needs to start changing for the better. Honesty, honour, transparency, a sense of responsibility and self respect is very much needed here. There is no reason why internet marketing should be treated as if it is the wild west.




        •  

          ‘vendors think it is ok to pay their affiliates whenever it pleases them’
          Of course vendors should be able to pay affiliates whatever they like, that is a business deal between the affiliate and the vendor and has nothing to do with the customer.

          Also ‘monthly debit orders’ .. I have no idea what you mean by this. 99% of the affiliates that promoted this where paid their commission instantly.




          •  
            Schalk

            For clarity. I am referring to commission payout in general. It all depends on the various vendors really. What I am trying to say is that I had several occasions with several vendors where they promise to pay out commissions on a specific date, but never do or even worse, they do not tell you when exactly they will be paying you and you need to keep emailing them and bothering them to squeeze your commissions out of them. Even a place like JVzoo. For some reason payments are not automatically released to me by all vendors and in some cases I have been waiting for several months and still waiting on commissions from some vendors to be released onto me.

            What I mean about debit orders is that all of us no matter what occupation have bills to pay. Every person that I know of have debit orders e.g. your monthly mobile phone bill, your car insurance, morgage or whatever that gets deducted each month, not so. Just imagine you are a bank manager e.g. and your boss does not pay you on time and you rely on that income to cover the debit orders that you set specifically to be subtracted after you expected to have received your paycheck from your boss.

            I am very glad to hear that you are getting paid on time, but in my experience many times I had to fight with many vendors sending an enormous amount of emails to get hold of money I am owed.

            I hope this is clear. 🙂




        •  
          Schalk

          Just a quick update. I can confirm that the audio is now uploading. Note that not all types of mp3 will work. I had to play around quite a bit with different types of mp3 conversions before finding a mp3 format that could upload via EVSL.

          I stick to my earlier comment though. Although one can understand that there might be some bugs that needs to be fixed along the way, it is totally unacceptable to bring out a software without it working at all (as was the case with audio that was impossible to upload up until now with the new fix in version 1.0.7).

          I am just glad this is now fixed and pretty relieved that I can now use the software, hopefully without any further issues in the near future. 🙂




  73.  
    Hazem

    Wow Brett, You are marvellous. You save me 47$ I was about to miss. Thanks a lot. It is always to search and consult before deciding whether to buy or not. Thanks again.




  74.  
    Tony

    Read with interest ALL the comments….I also was about to buy, because I had bought recently Videomaker FX and was looking around in their members area for some tips and help. I read today a lot of the support questions and there seemed to be heaps of bugs and complaints….most from about 7 months ago. I thought that I had bought a “lemon”, so I Googled EasyVSL reviews, to see if that was a better option….having been bombarded with “guru” offers, glad that I did !!! I will certainly subscribe and follow your reviews. Thanks Brett.

    So, from what a few others have said, the FX option is still good and maybe the “bugs” are basically solved, or more commonly ” work in progress without an ETA”, which is a concern.

    I hope that Matt does make good his promises and include the ” to be added” functions, that, as many have stated, should have been included to make it a fully functioning package.

    Just as an aside, have you reviewed or have any feed back on both Instabuilder or the Click Funnels suite?

    Keep up the good work, we need independent and open analysis and informed expression.




    •  

      Im sorry I have not reviewed either of those. To be fair I avoid reviewing any product that directly competes with my own since it would be impossible for me to be unbiased. I will say that I have seen Click Funnels and my impression was that it looked good (though I did not do a full review or test it)




      •  
        Tony

        Thanks Brett, that is fair and honest…so what do you suggest for webpage building etc… I am in need of one of these, but want to avoid the hype and any potential “lemons”..so am open to your suggestions, accepting that it will be a product that you promote,… no doubt for good reason…namely that it works and does the job that it is designed to do.

        Thanks again!!




        •  

          Its a little off topic but here is a quick link:
          http://squeezematic.com/ is my page builder.




          •  
            Tony

            Sweet !!!
            Re the Easy VSL, I see that some “guru’s” are really loading up the offer with mega bonuses… makes one wonder how many “bonuses” one can handle, learn, digest, manage and utilize !!
            But it may be worth a look.
            Will check out your recommendation..
            Cheers




        •  
          Glen

          Seeing you asked the question…have a look at ’90 Second Website Builder’ software (you’ll have to Google it)

          I have been in the IM game for 12 years, and it’s best overall website builder I’ve ever found (and no…I don’t own the product….and I’m not an affiliate – I’m just a raving fan)




  75.  
    cheryl

    I have to say, it is about time someone actually tells the truth about these software’s. I always go to reviews and ever review goes on and on how great this or that software works. For years. And most of the time it is rebranded software.




  76.  
    Tim

    Just for your information, this is what I got in my email.

    1. BIG EasyVSL Software Updates…

    We’re taking your feedback and requests to heart!

    Based on that and our own current lists of
    features to be added EasyVSL… I wanted to give
    you a quick update on some of those. Here’s a list
    of several of the updates that will be scheduled to
    be released in the coming few weeks:

    [+] Ability to Insert Video into your Presentation
    [+] One-Click Speech to Text functionality
    [+] VoiceBunny API Integration
    [+] Translate your slides to any language
    [+] Publish Your Video WITHOUT Audio
    [+] Import and Use your own Custom Background Design
    [+] Mass Update Fonts and Slide Animation across all slides
    [+] Ability to use .WAV audio files
    [+] Built-In Audio Recorder
    [+] Instantly Publish your Video to YouTube and Vimeo from within EasyVSL
    [+] Support the ability to add multiple audio files (not just one)
    [+] Shortcut keyboard functions to allow for easier syncing of audio
    [+] Import/Export functionality
    [+] Duplicate Slides
    [+] … and many more!

    Looks like they took all advise serious.
    I think at this time the software works nice.
    At least, I love it when changes are made 🙂




    •  

      Unfortunately some of those things, such as the Speach to text, Insert Video, where advertised in the sales video as already being in the software. I agree it would be great if the updated the product, if they at least made it do what was advertised would even be good. But as I said I dont review or judge a product on what they say it will do later.




  77.  
    Robert

    I just purchased the product yesterday then found this review. Everything worked good until I tried to upload a wav and mp3 file …NOTHING

    I just wrote customer support and now waiting so I can finish




  78.  
    Robert

    It has now been over 12 hours since llya requested a copy of my mp3…??

    I still cannot use the program and have people waiting for Vsl’s……

    As you can see above others have had the same problem yet im waiting 1-2 days since purchase without being able to use???

    I could have sworn the maker of EasyVsl commented above that their turnaround time is 4hours?




    •  
      Matt Callen

      Currently, EasyVSL supports only MP3, Stereo, 44100 Hz sample rates. Please make sure your mp3 is at these rates. We will be adding support for wav files as well as other sample rates this week. In the meantime, you can convert your audio file to MP3, stereo, 44100 Hz rates by using Miro, a free download here: {link removed}




  79.  
    Jay

    Well, I wish I would have found this review before I purchased it as well. Although I must admit I have not had any problems on my mac using the latest version, however, I totally agree that there are several features that just make sense that are not included. I mean things like alignment should be a basic and needed feature in a software application like this. I did get some incredible bonuses which made this purchase worthwhile I guess, so I will wait it out and see if all the additional features and requests are indeed implemented. I’m a huge fan of WebinarIgnition although I have the same question as Brett as to why even they don’t use WebinarIgnition for their webinars, instead they use a direct competitor, GoToWebinar. I’m just a believer that you use your own stuff! If it doesn’t work for you, then it probably won’t work for what I need. I hope they get this right, Mark seems to be a good guy!

    Brett thanks for your TRUE and HONEST review and you have a new follower in me!




  80.  
    Keith

    This has the potential to be a great piece of software. The problem in that it just doesnt load properly and wont recognise the license key. I have contacted support several times and they just give me a new version which also doesnt work. So…it doesnt do what is supposed to and is not fit for the purpose it was purchased for. I asked for a refund and…

    Absolutely nothing – no communication and no refund.

    I have just asked for a refund again…let’s see what happens.

    Clearly it has not been tested propely before being sold and I see today that they are even admitting there is an issue.




  81.  
    Mike

    I’m coming in here a little late but thought it might be helpful to share my experience with EasyVSL.
    On the face on it EVSL was just what I was looking for; an easy approach to create slides, add audio and convert to video.
    I bought the basic verson no upsells; it was all I needed
    I had my script prepared in word.
    Uploaded into EVSL: perfect! no problems
    I added where I wanted the slides to end/start, pressed next and the sides were automatically created in the template I had chosen, literally in a few seconds. wow! good so far.
    I recorded a voiceover on my iphone; 12 files, about 25 minutes. Sent the file to someone on FIVERR who created one mp3 file for me and cleaned up the audio. did an incredible job for $5.
    Good so far…in fact terrific. I was excited.
    Uploaded the audio file into EVSL; this worked perfectly.
    Next, I played the audio and clicked on the slides to match the audio; this was incredibly easy to do and I was thrilled.
    All I had to do was publish the video…that’s when trouble appeared, regrettably.
    I had used the slider bar to edit parts of the audio/change from slide to slide… it was off a little bit.
    I clicked on “Publish” and never got past Step 3 of 6
    I contacted support and they mentioned the Mh rate of the audio; I had no idea what this was. After waiting 48 hours I decided to create a duplicate file, add the audio again and not do any editing of the audio/slides. This work and I completed all 6 steps. Not great but “workable”
    This time I pressed “Publish” and was succesful.
    Yeah…I thought all in all what a great piece of software…easy of use, exactly what i was looking for.
    However, when I did a preview of the video, there was this weird gray/blackish background.
    I contacted support; that was 5 days ago and I have recieved no response. Ugh..not good
    I tried making another version; I saved the original slides I created and went through the process again. This time I couldn’t finish synchronising the audio to the slides. I got to slide 71 of 72 (25mins worth of time!) and the screen froze completely! The only thing I could do was close EVSL and lose everything. I tried this three time just in case it was me but I think it must be a software bug.
    I did create a 2 minute video and it worked perfectly.
    My biggest gripe is support, or lack of it; I haven’t heard from anyone in over 5 days. I bought this product because Matt Callen’s name was behind it, I have bought Matt’s products in the past and been pleased with them.
    I received an email from Mark yesteday pitching another product; I replied asking if he could help with EVSL; as of yet, no reply. I told him I like the product and want it to work, but as it stands, it’s unreliable.
    I have sent files to them asking if they could publish the files I created; no response and my guess is tehy haven’t even tried.
    I have also sent screenshots to help but once again no response.
    I had to use links to dropbox because the “add a file” link in their support center didn’t work.
    As you can tell, despite wanting EVSL to work, and spending hours with it, I guess I have to accept the fact that in its current version it is too unreliable.
    Anyone recommend a similar product that is reliable?




    •  

      Want to know why these guys sell stuff that does not work properly and then never give support when you have trouble? Honestly, not trying to be rude or to blunt but this is the honest truth. They do it because people keep buying from them. I dont understand it, if I touched a stove and got burned I probably would never touch it again. People in IM get burned all the time and keep coming back for more from the same sellers that burned them last time.




  82.  
    Maz

    Hi Brett, i’ve subscribed to see more honest reviews from you. This is what all buyers need before making a purchase. Thanks!




  83.  
    Renee

    Thanks Brett for having our backs!!!




  84.  
    Steve Chase

    And now, in the hopes of driving more sales, they have released a special with Rapid Crush. Getting e-mails from Jason and Will from RC telling me how to repurpose Easy VSL to make Amazon Videos, and how I can get agency version for only $47.

    In theory it sounds like the bees knees. But in truth, just like a push-button system to make money, a push-button system to make sales videos is also somewhat of a mirage.

    I’ve read through this whole thread hoping that maybe the program has been finally “fixed” so that people are getting use out of it. But from what I’m reading here, not so much.

    Brett, thanks for your reviews. It just gives us another place to look for a review that’s actually a review and not a pitch to buy through a link to get bonuses for a product I really don’t need.

    Cheers!




  85.  
    James

    Purchased this thru J&W/RC. It flat didn’t open and gave up wasting time trying. Put in for refund just under the wire. Then checked here for your review. Product still matches MT’s attitude. They both stink. Disappointed in J&W. They obviously promoted a piece of junk that they didn’t thoroughly vet. Not like them. Might be they have a new sales mgr who is a more focused on sales than quality. It’s now to the point that I hit the “unsubscribe” button when I receive product promotions they don’t pass your review. You do a real service for the IM community. Your very fair. Anyone who is serious and has a real product to sell is a fool not to send you a review copy.




  86.  
    brainz

    Anyone checked out v.1.3.2 ? Minor testing shows its working but would be interestedin anyone doing major , full out testing’s opinion




    •  

      I offered to review any updates that these guys did, but they wont talk to me anymore after I pointed out the flaws in this version. Both vendors ignored my repeated offers to review their updates.




  87.  
    Carlos

    Where is the SEACRH BUTTON on your site???




    •  

      There is none, there is no FISH BUTTON either 🙂 But really there is no search, if you want to see if I reviewed a product you can use Google, just Google Brett Rutecky {product name}




  88.  
    Barry

    Thanks for the review.

    Knowing the things you revealed we have decided NOT to waste our money on this. Today is Nov 16 2015 and v2 is about to go live. We wanted to see reviews and have seen quite a few.

    To offer a product that does not do a lot of what the product owner says it does in the sales video is questionable. Also, Mark did not address the concerns raised satisfactorily. No doubt that those who buys shit just for the sake of feeding their craving will invest in this and refunds will obviously be a factor.

    Thank you for the review and saving us the current early bird of $37 (before it goes to $47).

    Have a great day!




    •  
      Matt Callen

      Hi Barry,
      Unfortunately, we’re not able to follow every single comment from every person online, and make a public reply to all of them. I wish we could be in all places at all times… 🙂 I say this in response to your comment: They “did not address the concerns raised satisfactorily…”

      We DO, however reply to 100% of support tickets and emails sent to {email address removed} or at {url removed} (EasyVSL dept).
      So if you have a specific question, we’d be happy to answer there.

      About version 1 of the software, which was reviewed way back in January of 2015… I made a comment about this earlier but basically here’s what I said…

      100% of all of the “negative” points that were made about version 1 were addressed within less than 1 month of the initial launch, way back in January 2015. Plus, over the course of 10 months, there have been numerous additional “unadvertised” features added to version 1 after receiving requests and feedback in our support desk.

      The New Version 2 has every single known issue resolved from version 1, and includes multiple brand NEW features as compared to version 1.

      send us an email at {email address removed} if you have any other questions. Glad to help!

      thanks




      •  

        It would have been great to be able to write an update saying that you guys fixed the issues you initially had. Unfortunately my repeated requests for an update on the status of this software where ignored.




  89.  
    Ainsley M

    I wonder if any of your points have been addressed for version 2.0, Brett. Anybody know?




  90.  
    Saviour

    Thanks for the review

    Saves a lot of disappointment!!




  91.  
    Marvin

    Hey Brett, there is now a version 2. Can you review this as well?




    •  

      Mark does not speak to me anymore after I reviewed 1.0




      •  
        chucky

        Please find a way to surreptitiously get hold of 2.0 and review it. WE NEED YOU. You are the first, last AND ONLY line of defence on the entire internet.

        Also any PRESSPLAYER reviewers (I’m being upsold it right now!!!) … is it that good?




  92.  
    ruth

    I was going to buy this because I thought Mark had a great reputation but after hearing what you had to say about the absent files, audio, help etc I changed my mine.
    Do you know of similar software that offers a lot more for less? What a shame!!!!




  93.  
    Richard

    I was searching for an honest review. I am glad I found this before i bought the product.
    I just read above that there is a version 2. The email i just got does not say version 2, so I don’t know which it is. The price is $47, if it had been $27 I may have made the purchase before looking for reviews but I am glad I did the search first.
    Now I am going to pass on the offer and make sure i check Bretts reviews before making anymore purchases.
    Thanks Brett




  94.  
    kenny

    Brett, do you mind to do a review for EasyVSL 2.0? Really looking forward to it! 🙂




    •  

      Nope I cant, Mark does not let me review his products much anymore since I pointed out the flaws in this one. As I say in the review here, he no longer responds to me contact attempts.




  95.  
    EasyVSL Sucks

    Version 3.0 is garbage. They release this software with zip documentation. Unbelievable.




  96.  
    J Clarkson

    Great idea. I thought it was going to be fantastic. First time I went to use the instructions to set up the audio so that it synchronized with the slides wouldn’t work, because the IBM webpage has changed. I contacted support and they sent me the same instructions I’d already told them didn’t work. Then contacted them. They closed the ticket. I’m having my money back. Anyone got the bosses email address. I’d like to give him my thoughts on the subject.





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