There are people who make their livings writing product reviews. They're absolute stars at making you feel like you understand the product, the advantages, and the drawbacks. Not just that, but they manage to throw that review up in such a way that you get the feeling that it's authentic, personal and honest.
There aren't many of those people, though. Most people, when they write a review, provide no real help and leave you no wiser by the end of it than you were in the beginning. And that, naturally, leaves you feeling a little frustrated.
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What is the difference? What is it that makes some reviews outstanding and personable, while others are overly salesy, uninformative and frustratingly difficult to understand? That's what we're going to cover today. What is the different? And how can you make sure you end up on the right side of that dividing line?
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That's what we're going to explore today.
It's a review not a sales pitch
What's the difference? A sales pitch tries to convince you have to buy this product. A review tries to give you information so that you can make an informed decision as to whether you want to buy it or not. In other words, a sales pitch is kind of pushy (even if it is so on a subtle level) in that it tries to put what is being reviewed in the best light. A review does not do that. It weighs the pros and the cons of the product.
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That's also how you can generally tell the difference. Does it all start off with 'this is why it is good', while offering you some of the drawbacks only later on and kind of muffling them away? That's more a sales pitch. Is it frank and upfront with the positive and the negative aspects of the product? Then you're reading a review.
We're not just interested in your opinion
Yes, of course you want to mix in your opinion with your review. But that's not all it should be. We also want the fact. How well does it work with other products? What are the specifications? Did it have all the bits and bobs when it arrived? What was it like contacting customer service?
Really, the trick is to find the right balance between yourself and the product. We do want your opinion! But that alone really isn't enough. Give us the facts too.
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Of course, if you can give the other people's opinions about it too, that would be great. Refer to other reviews and tell us why you agree or disagree with them. In that way, we feel that your review doesn't stand on its own, but is enmeshed in a network of other reviews. That lends it authority (even if it doesn't really deserve it).
Tell them what you're going to tell them. Then tell them.
Some people have the time to read a detailed review into the merits and weak points of a product. Most people skim, however, to get the gist of it. Cater to both customers, by first detailing what you're going to talk about in brief and only then exploring those points in more depth later on. If you can follow this formula, then you're product is going to service not just those that want to sit down and read the whole thing, but everybody.
What's more, when your initial list of points sounds interesting to the skim reader, you've got a much better chance they'll sit down and read the whole thing. In this way, you'll actually make sure that you're going to address as wide an audience as you possibly can.
Compare and contract
The best reviews don't look at products in isolation. Instead, they're all about comparing them to other products that are similar and showing the reader why this product is better or worse and why that is the case.
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Why is this so important? Because people rarely consider a product in isolation. Instead, they're curious if that product holds up to other things they've tried. Even better, by including other products you're significantly raising the chance that the reader has actually tried one of the other products before, thereby giving them a far stronger point of reference (and giving you another way to demonstrate your expertise).
Remember readability
Readability is measurable. Not only that, but it's easy to do so. So make sure that you measure the readability of your text and take active steps to boost it. Why? Because the harder a text is to read, the less time people are going to give you before they're going to look elsewhere.
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Here are some things to look out for:
* Keep your sentences simple.
* Watch the adverbs and the passive voice.
* One idea per paragraph.
* Lists, bullet points and headings are essential.
* Get rid of extra words!
If you can do all that, then the readability of your texts will go up and that will give you more time to make a good impression. Yeah, it will still be up to you to make that good impression, but I can do only so much from this side of the keyboard!
If you don't feel this is enough, then consider getting an editor or in other ways get academic help. Getting feedback on what you're doing is really quite beneficial, as it shows your problem areas and lets you see how other people experience your work.
Who are you writing it for?
People that write for everybody end up getting read by nobody. That's not just true in product review circles but in all of them. Stop trying to please everybody and instead work on getting a group of people truly excited. After all, if you can get a 1/10 of a percent to rabidly read your product reviews, then in the US alone you'll have a more than 300,000 fans. I don't know about you, but if 300,000 people read, share and like an article of mine, I'd say it would be pretty successful.
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So what does that mean? It means you need to work out who your target audience is, finding out their actual needs of the audience that you're reviewing for and then reviewing the product in relation to those needs. Note that when you're trying to select your target audience, it's generally best if you focus on people who are like you. This will make it more likely that your style will gel with what they expect and that you'll actually be able to understand their wants and needs.
And it also reduces the chance that they feel you don't understand or that you're talking down to them. And that's a bonus.
Last words
Writing a well-honed product review is something that takes time and practice. So make sure that you take the time and that you practice. Don't just try to write one either. Instead, keep writing them as each one that you manage to publish will give you more feedback and a better idea as to what people like and what they don't.
From there, you're in a much better position in later reviews, as you'll know what works and furthermore gain confidence. That, taken together, will make your reviews ever better and your audience ever bigger. Now, that has to be the goal, right?