Review writing is a great way to earn some extra money and help people at the same time. But there’s more to it than just finding a product that you like, writing about it, and posting it on a website for all to see.
Here are some tips for how you can make sure your reviews are not only helpful but also engaging and interesting!
| Takeaways |
|---|
| 1. Master the art of crafting compelling product reviews. |
| 2. Use 10 essential ingredients to write captivating reviews. |
| 3. Follow a complete guide to excel in product review writing. |
| 4. Kickstart your writing career with expert tips and advice. |
| 5. Make informed decisions about your writing endeavors. |
Have A Clear, Consistent Style
As a freelance writer, you’ll be creating content that is meant to inform, educate, or entertain. And while it’s easy to assume that these are all the same thing, they’re quite different.
The purpose of your writing should guide how you write. For example: if you’re writing for a tech blog where the average reader is unfamiliar with certain terminology (like “pagination” or “faceted navigation”).
Then it would make sense for you to define these terms and use them consistently throughout the article.
If your audience is more tech-savvy but still needs help understanding something in layman’s terms, then it would make sense for your writing style to keep things simple without getting too technical on them (but still using the proper terminology).
But what about if the piece isn’t meant for either group? In those cases, there are two paths we can take: one path will result in clear communication.
But may feel too formal; another could be more informal but not as clear and this goes back and forth depending on what type of content we’re creating.
Building a successful product review writing business requires mastering the art of crafting compelling reviews. If you want to learn everything you need to know about writing product reviews, our comprehensive guide is the perfect place to start.
Avoid Jargon And Hype
You may have a term or phrase that you use frequently in your business. You should be careful not to use that in your review as jargon, which is a word or phrase used by insiders of a particular group, such as industry insiders or fans of a product.
Using jargon can make your reviews difficult for other people to understand because they won’t have the same level of knowledge about the product that you do.
Examples of jargon: “It’s great for my business model,” “The app has been optimized for the latest technology,” and “We’ve found it useful.”
In contrast with jargon, hype refers to exaggerated claims made by sellers about their products. For example: “This product will change your life!” or “Our service is state-of-the-art.”
Here’s an easy way to avoid using these terms: if someone else would not understand what you mean when you say it out loud, don’t include it in your review!
Stick To The Facts
Facts are objective and do not have a particular point of view. They are specific, reliable, and helpful, but they often don’t tell the whole story.
Let’s take a look at some examples:
“The new iPhone has a 12MP camera with optical image stabilization (OIS).” This is a fact that can be verified by anyone who owns the phone or has used it in person.
Anyone reading this will know exactly what you’re talking about when you mention optical image stabilization the technology built into the camera which reduces blur due to hand movement during shots taken on an iPhone 5S or later.
“My favorite food is pizza.” In this statement, there’s no way for someone else to verify whether or not your favorite food is pizza unless they also happen to be your best friend and share your taste buds perfectly!
Without knowing more about you (like if there was ever a time when you ate only pizza for weeks straight), we can’t know whether or not this statement represents reality.
Writing a persuasive product review involves the right blend of information and creativity. Discover the 10 essential ingredients to write a captivating product review that keeps your readers engaged and informed.
Don’t Just Write About The Good Stuff
You may be tempted to focus solely on the positive aspects of a product. Don’t do that! You should also talk about its flaws because this will give your readers an honest opinion of what they can expect if they purchase it.
Additionally, you need to avoid writing only about the features and benefits of the product. Sure, those things are important but so is the context: where did you learn about those features? How did they help you? What were some challenges in using them?
Writing A Good Review Is All About Being Fair And Balanced
When writing reviews, you must be fair and balanced. It’s important not to be swayed by marketing hype, your own bias, other people’s opinions, or your own experiences.
Don’t let anything sway you from being fair and balanced:
a) Marketing Hype
b) Your Own Biases
c) Other People’s Opinions
d) Your own Experiences
Use your personal opinion sparingly.
You might be wondering why this is so important. Personal opinions are important, right? After all, you’re the one writing it! The answer: not necessarily. For most reviews, personal opinions aren’t as necessary as they may seem at first glance.
One of the main reasons for this is because facts can support themselves just fine on their own. If you want to add some spice to your reviews with some seasoning from your own experiences, that’s great but make sure those experiences are relevant!
In short: Use your personal opinion sparingly and only when it can help support or back up a factual statement made in the review.
For example, if you were reviewing a new restaurant and said “The portions were small but tasty,” then you could follow up by saying something like “I’ve had much larger portions before.”
That way it’s clear that both statements are true (and backed up by experience), but also shows that although both are true, they come from different perspectives (you vs. other people).
Let Your Readers Know That You’re An Expert
Let your readers know that you’re an expert. When it comes to reviewing products, there are two types of writers: those who have tried the product themselves and those who haven’t.
If you fall into the latter group, let your audience know that you might not be able to speak from personal experience but can bring them testimonials from people who have used the product before whether these experts are colleagues or other consumers.
This is where credentials come in handy. Credentials are anything that proves your expertise in a field: degrees, certifications, awards, and membership in professional organizations all help legitimize what it is that you have to say about any given topic.
It can be easy for readers to doubt a writer’s authority if they see him or her as just another person with an opinion; this is why credentialing yourself as an expert is key when writing reviews (and it even holds for those without formal education).
Are you aspiring to become a proficient product review writer? Our complete guide to product review writing will equip you with the knowledge and skills needed to excel in this field.
Write About Products That You’ve Used For A Long Time
This is important because the better you know the product, the more you can talk about it. If you don’t have experience with a certain type of product, then I would recommend either doing some research or waiting until later on in your blogging career to write reviews on them.
If it isn’t possible to find free samples yourself, ask if there are any product sponsorships available (see below) and see if they will send one out to you for free.
If there aren’t any product sponsorships available, try finding an affiliate program for that brand so that way if anyone buys through your link or banner ads, then those commissions will help cover shipping costs as well!
Compare Products Side-By-Side If It Helps Your Readers
You don’t have to compare products to one another. However, if it helps your readers make a decision, comparing is fine. This can be especially helpful if you’re reviewing multiple products that are similar in features and price. Here are some tips for doing so:
Compare only key features of each product—don’t get bogged down with every feature or technical detail. Focus on the most important aspects of each product first, and then move on to other noteworthy details as they come up during the discussion.
Be sure not to make comparisons too early or too late in your review; readers need sufficient information about the product before being able to make comparisons with other options available on the market today!
Try to avoid repeating yourself too much in your reviews.
You should also avoid being overly repetitive. You don’t want to repeat the same thing over and over, as that will be very boring for the reader.
For example, if you’re talking about a product’s design and functionality, don’t say “the design is great” followed by “the functionality is great” followed by “the design is great.”
This may seem like common sense, but some writers forget this when they’re in a hurry to get their review written.
You also don’t want to repeat yourself too much with examples or details either. If there are specific features of your product that stick out to you (like its color), make sure they’ve not repeated over and over again throughout your review!
Make Sure Your Reviews Aren’t Too Short Or Too Long
You’re writing a product review for a smartphone, but you haven’t used it yet. The first thing you do is open up the box and charge it up for a few hours before testing out the features.
Then, as soon as your battery is charged enough to use normally, you turn your phone on and start playing around with it. After about two days of use (and no crashes), you decide to write a review of the product from your experience so far.
The good news: Your initial impressions are positive the device seems pretty sturdy and doesn’t have many glitches when using basic apps like Instagram or Twitter (though we did notice some lag when trying to play games).
The bad news: You can’t say whether or not this phone will last more than six months because of its construction materials they feel cheap compared with other phones we’ve tested recently and there was only one day between receiving our pre-release sample and writing our review!
This means that most potential buyers won’t know whether or not they’ll be able to trust their purchase until after they’ve already paid full price; which seems unfair considering how much money people spend on these things nowadays…
Starting your journey as a product review writer can be both exciting and challenging. Learn how to take the first step by reading our guide on how to get started as a product review writer and kickstart your writing career.
Examples Are Great But Are Careful What You Use To Illustrate Your Point
Examples are great but be careful what you use to illustrate your point. Make sure the examples are relevant to your point and the audience you’re writing for.
If your product is a concert ticketing app, don’t use a coffee maker as an example of how easy it is to buy tickets online. You need to pick something that resonates with your target readership.
The following list should help you choose examples that will make sense for everyone who reads your review:
The product itself – if you can describe how well it works or what makes it special, do so! This gives immediate value and illustrates why people should buy it.
Customers who have bought the product – tell us about someone who uses the product and their experience of using it this will give readers an idea of whether they too would find value from buying this item themselves.
It also shows that there are real people out there using this very item; not just some random thing someone thought up one day while sitting in front of their computer (or phone).
Companies or brands similar to yours – comparing yourself against competitors can help show consumers why they should go with brand X instead of brand Y (and vice versa).
This may even motivate potential customers: if they see other companies/brands doing well then maybe yours has some potential too!
Learn The Difference Between Features And Benefits And Use Them In Each Review
This section of your review will be where you explain what the product does for your readers. In other words, it’s time to talk about the benefits of using the product.
This can be anything from saving money to helping them feel more confident about themselves and less nervous about public speaking.
For example: “The Green Tea Supplement provides an immediate energy boost by increasing blood flow throughout the body.”
This statement describes a feature of this particular supplement is, that it increases blood flow throughout the body. But what does it mean?
You could say something like this instead: “The Green Tea Supplement provides an immediate energy boost by increasing blood flow throughout the body so that you don’t feel sluggish in between workouts.”
In this sentence, we’ve taken our original feature (increased blood flow) and turned it into a benefit (no longer feeling sluggish).
This makes more sense because now we’re talking about how this feature helps people out with their workouts it gives them energy when they need it most!
A Good Product Review Should Help Answer Customers’ Questions Before They Buy A Product Or Service, So Make Sure That You’re Answering The Right Questions For Your Audience
To write a great review, you need to know the answers to these questions:
- What is the product for?
- What is it made of? Is it something that will last for a long time or does it break easily?
How simple or complex is it to use? Does it require training and practice before customers can get good at using the product, or does it have an intuitive design that makes everything easy for anyone who picks up your item for the first time?
How much does your product cost and how long does it last? You should also include any warranties or guarantees that come along with purchasing items from your site.
Know What Buyers Are Looking For When They’re Considering Making A Purchase
It’s important to know what customers are looking for when they are considering making a purchase. If you can address their concerns in each of your reviews, then you will increase the chances that they will buy from your site
Remember, people don’t just want information they want answers! Customers want to know:
- What does the product look like?
- Will it fit in my car?
- Can I get any accessories with it?
Use Lots Of Images In Your Reviews To Give Customers A Better Idea Of What The Product Looks Like
If a product has multiple uses, consider including images related to those uses.
For example: If you were reviewing a coffee maker, include pictures of it as well as photos showing how it differs from previous models and/or competing products.
Product review writing can open up new opportunities for you, but is it the right path for you? Find out by exploring our article on product review writing: should you be doing it to make an informed decision about your writing endeavors.
Conclusion
The best way to write a good review is to be consistent and fair in your approach. You should never try to convince someone that something is better than it is by using hype or jargon, but you also shouldn’t just write about the bad stuff either!
We hope this guide has given you some ideas on how to improve your review writing skills now get started!
Further Reading
How to Write a Product Review: Learn essential tips and techniques to craft effective and engaging product reviews that resonate with your audience.
The Complete Guide to Product Review Writing and How It Can Help You Get More Traffic: Discover a comprehensive guide to writing product reviews and how they can boost your website’s traffic.
How to Write a Product Review – Career Advice: Get valuable insights into writing compelling product reviews to enhance your career opportunities.
FAQs
How can I improve my product review writing skills?
To enhance your product review writing skills, consider:
- Reading well-written product reviews to understand the structure and tone.
- Incorporating specific details and personal experiences to make your reviews more engaging.
- Seeking feedback from peers or experienced writers to improve your writing style.
How do I make my product reviews trustworthy?
To make your product reviews more trustworthy:
- Be transparent about any affiliations or sponsorships.
- Provide balanced and unbiased opinions, highlighting both pros and cons.
- Include evidence and data to support your claims.
How long should a product review be?
The ideal length of a product review can vary, but it’s generally best to be concise while covering all essential aspects. Aim for 500-1000 words, ensuring you provide valuable insights without overwhelming the reader.
How do I choose the products to review?
When selecting products to review, consider your target audience’s interests and needs. Focus on products relevant to your niche, and prioritize items that are popular or trending among your readers.
Can I monetize my product review blog?
Yes, you can monetize your product review blog through various methods, such as affiliate marketing, sponsored content, display ads, and collaborations with brands. Ensure that your monetization strategies align with your blog’s overall integrity and mission.
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.