Writing product reviews can be useful for a variety of reasons. Customers can share their opinions, brands can spread the word about their products, and experts (including influencers and affiliate marketers) can make a living.
In other words, writing reviews can be quite interesting and valuable for achieving different kinds of goals. If you decided to write a product review, use these 25 unbeatable techniques to do it successfully.
Reasons to Be Writing Product Reviews
Before getting into the tips on how to write a product review, it’s worth understanding why you would want to write a review in the first place. Here are the biggest reasons why you would want to start writing product reviews:
Writing Product Reviews for Branding
Your customers might be thinking, “Is product review world legit?” If this is the case, then creating authentic reviews for you will be essential as it can affect how your products and your brand are perceived.
Indeed, product reviews can be used to build your brand identity. You can improve your reputation and show that what you are selling is truly valuable and in demand among your customers.
Writing Product Reviews for Link-Building
Another reason why you would want to start writing product reviews is that you can use reviews for link-building. Essentially, you can add all kinds of links to your product reviews that can help you build your website’s link profile.
Getting backlinks from product reviews can improve your website’s search rankings. Moreover, you can also use links to your social media profiles when writing product reviews.
Writing Product Reviews for Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is another reason why you might want to start writing product reviews. If your goal is to make a living doing this, you will need to learn how to write product reviews for money by becoming an affiliate marketer.
With affiliate marketing, you can use personalized links in your product reviews to the products themselves. When a customer uses your link to purchase the product after reading your review, you will get paid a commission.
Writing Product Reviews for Word-of-Mouth Marketing
If you are an affiliate marketer, the brand is pretty much aware of the fact that you are reviewing its products. But if you aren’t one, you might be thinking, “Can I review products without permission?”
Of course you can! Brands will benefit from your reviews through word-of-mouth marketing, but companies can also hire their own writers to review products and simulate word of mouth.
Writing Product Reviews for Influencer Marketing
Some of your customers could be asking themselves, “Is product review reliable? Should I trust the product reviews I read?” To help you improve trust among your customers, you can use influencer marketing.
Influencers can promote your products and even become somewhat like brand ambassadors for you. Their product reviews will make your brand seem more reliable and trustworthy because of the trust the influencers have already from their respective audiences.
Writing Product Reviews for Lead Generation
One more reason why you would want to start writing product reviews is that you can use them for lead generation. Word-of-mouth marketing, influencer marketing, affiliate marketing – all of these can help with lead generation.
In some way, product reviews help with lead generation indirectly, but they can still have a very big impact on persuading a customer to make a purchase. Besides, product reviews can also improve the overall reputation of your brand.
Without further ado, here are 25 techniques you can use to write better product reviews that will help you generate leads successfully:
#1 Look for Similar Product Reviews
Perhaps the best way to learn how to write a good product review is to check out reviews of similar products. By looking at similar product reviews, you can better understand which products yours is competing with as well as how such reviews are usually written.
In other words, you will pretty much get examples of how you can write good product reviews – but you will also get examples of what not to do when writing product reviews. Examine the reviews that have the best statistics (likes, comments, etc.) to see the best of the best.
#2 Make an Outline for Your Review
Before you actually start writing your product review, you first need to make an outline for it. This outline will help you structure your review beforehand and organize all your thoughts and ideas in a coherent and communicable way.
You already saw how other product reviews are structured and formatted, so you can take those examples as a foundation for your own outline. The most important, essential parts that every review should have are an introduction, product details, product pros and cons, and your final verdict.
#3 Add a Table of Contents
A table of contents can be a valuable addition to your product review because it gives your audience an idea of what they can expect when they start reading your review. This is particularly important for very long product reviews that are detailed and extensive.
Besides, adding a table of contents is relatively easy because you already have an outline at hand. Simply take your outline and make a table of contents that you can place right after your introduction.
#4 Identify the Target Audience
One of the most important things you should understand when learning how to write product review article is that you need to identify and understand your target audience. Without understanding what kind of person will be reading your product review, you can’t write the kind of review that that person will truly enjoy.
Look at the people who are already buying the product you will be reviewing because you will want to get such people interested. Then, look at those buying alternative products from your competitors – you want to attract those customers too.
#5 Prepare Visuals to Add
While you should definitely start by learning how to write a product review blog post, you should also focus on the non-textual aspects of your product review – that is, the visuals. It’s best to prepare them before you start writing or while you are writing your product review,
When you prepare them at either of those times, you will be able to write some parts of your text specifically in regard to your visuals (e.g. commentary on what is depicted in the photos). You can still add visuals after you are done writing your review, but then you won’t have any parts in the review itself that are related to the visuals.
In terms of what you can add, you have quite a few options to choose from. Visual content in product reviews can range from videos to photographs to infographics (and you can also add audio files with your commentary).
#6 Answer Product Questions
While it may not seem directly relevant to your product review, answering product-specific questions is actually very useful for the success of your review. Customers will have tons of questions about the product you are reviewing, so you might as well address them beforehand.
If you don’t know how to do this yourself, you can hire a professional writer from the writing services reviews site Best Writers Online who will do it for you. You can either integrate these answers into your text or create a separate FAQ section at the end where you answer the most popular product-specific questions.
#7 Quote Experts and Customers
Even though product reviews are already considered social proof in and of themselves, it doesn’t mean that you can’t add more social proof to your product reviews. This is why it’s a good idea to quote experts and other customers talking about the product you are reviewing or the brand of the product.
Quoting other people is a way to add more credibility to your product review and support the claims you make. You can quote your friends and family, but it’s best to quote experts and customers whose reviews are online (so that you can link to them).
#8 Structure and Format Your Review
Structuring and formatting your review well is one of the most crucial things for your review’s readability and organization. Of course, you are already doing part of the job when creating your outline, but when you are writing the review, you can still make some adjustments.
During the writing process (and later one while editing), think about the ways you can improve your structure. Reorder points, rewrite sentences, and perhaps even delete some parts completely if they aren’t relevant to what you are talking about.
#9 Back Up Claims with Research
As mentioned earlier, you can use expert and customer quotes to back up the claims you are making in your product review. Another way to back up claims is by linking relevant research on the topic.
The types of research you come across can include case studies, surveys, experiments, and so on. As long as it supports a point you are making, you can use different kinds of research that will backup your arguments and further improve your review’s credibility.
#10 Introduce the Product with Basics
The introduction of your review is a way to catch the attention of your target reader and encourage them to continue reading. Then, you need to introduce your product by covering its most basic and essential details.
Talk about the company and describe how the product fits into it (e.g. the product is a part of a product line created by the company). Then, talk about the most basic pieces of info about the product such as its name, serial number, price, measurements, and so on.
#11 Focus on Product Features First
After you have introduced the product with its basic details, you can start focusing on its features. This is when you describe what the product is about – but you are simply describing its functioning.
It’s important to differentiate between product features and benefits (more on benefits in the next section). Features are the things your product can do while benefits are the positive results that the product features bring.
#12 Then Highlight Product Benefits
Once you have described all the product features, you can then highlight product benefits. Explain how the features of your product give specific results to the customers (i.e. what the product benefits are).
If you are struggling to differentiate between product features and benefits, you can hire an expert writer from the custom writing reviews site Writing Judge who will write these sections for you. It is necessary to explain both the features and the benefits because not every reader may understand what kind of benefit each feature delivers.
#13 Explain How the Product Solves an Issue
In addition to explaining product features and benefits, you should also explain how the product solves an issue (or several issues) that customers buying the product have. To put it simply, you need to connect the product’s benefits to a specific problem or pain point that customers have.
It’s not enough for a product to have great features and benefits – it should have a specific purpose. This purpose is the solution that the product provides to the customer’s troubles and problems.
#14 Empathize with Readers
To connect with readers on a more personal level and make them keep reading your review until the end, you need to empathize with them as much as possible. This can be done in a variety of ways:
- Use a friendly and casual tone.
- Speak the language your readers speak.
- Address their worries and show that you understand them.
- Explain that you want to help them find a solution to their issues.
#15 Address Potential Objections
Perhaps one of the most overlooked aspects of product reviews that writers often forget about is that of addressing potential objections. Your readers (who are potential customers) will have many BUTs to everything you say – they will want to find a reason not to purchase the product.
This is precisely why you need to address their potential objections in your review. Some common objections include the price being too high, the limited payment or shipping options, the limited functionality, the complicated design, etc.
#16 Find a Balance with Disadvantages
While explaining the product’s features and benefits is essential, you should actually also balance out your review with disadvantages. If you only talk about the good things, your readers might think that you are biased and that your review cannot be trusted.
Think about the downsides of your product. There are likely at least a few of them, so don’t sweep them under the rug, and instead, present them in a way that will make them seem less important compared to the product’s advantages.
#17 Make the Product Stand Out
Customers often use product reviews to learn more about very similar products that they are choosing between. This is why you need to try to make your product stand out from the crowd of all the products of such kind.
What makes your product different and special? Think about something that will make your readers choose your product over other similar products (e.g. lower price, added bonuses, appealing design, more functionality).
#18 Compare with Alternatives
In addition to making your product stand out by pointing out why it’s better than other products, you can actually directly compare your product with alternative ones available on the market. Choose one or two other products that yours is often compared to and point out how yours is different and better than the others.
Keep in mind that you shouldn’t outright bring down other products and their brands because this could backfire on you. Instead of focusing on why those products are worse, try to highlight why your product is better.
#19 Look Through the Customer’s Eyes
When writing product reviews, it is critical that you look at the product through the customer’s eyes. Even if you aren’t actually a customer, you still need to understand and adopt their point of view.
If you can’t do this, then it’s better to let professionals handle the product review for you. You can hire an experienced writer from the writing agency Trust My Paper and ask them to write the kind of product review you need.
#20 Discuss Previous Product Versions
Sometimes the product you are reviewing is not the first version of the said product but rather a new model of a previous product. If this is the case for your product, then you need to briefly discuss the previous versions of it in your review.
You don’t need to dedicate a lot of time to compare this model to the previous ones, but you do need to focus on the most important aspects of the new version. Ask yourself: what has been improved since the last version and how is this relevant to my product review?
#21 Craft a Unique Selling Point
A unique selling point is usually used by brands to persuade potential customers to make a purchase. However, using a unique selling point can be equally useful because it summarizes everything valuable about the product in a succinct and straightforward way.
For instance, if a product’s features, benefits, etc. are ideal for someone who has a small budget and who hasn’t used such products before, then you can say about the product that it has the “Best Price for Beginners”. You can look at the official product page to check which unique selling point the brand is using or you can come up with your own point.
#22 Link to Useful Resources
As mentioned earlier, product reviews can be used for link-building, particularly for getting backlinks to your website and social media profiles. In addition to those kinds of links, you can also include links to quotes and research as well as to resources that your readers will find useful.
Of course, it’s best to include links that will be the most beneficial to you (i.e. your own website and social media profiles). But you shouldn’t forget about the sources of the quotes and research you use, and if you find them necessary, useful resources as well.
#23 Summarize Main Points at the End
To wrap up your product review in a nice way, summarize your main points at the end of it. This can be a short concluding paragraph or a slightly longer section with a small bullet-point list with your main points.
Write this summary or conclusion after you have finished writing your product review. This way, you will know exactly what you covered and how you can summarize it in one last section at the very end of your product review.
#24 Use CTAs Throughout the Review
A CTA or Call to Action is usually used in marketing to make the audience act. But even if it may not seem necessary to include CTAs in your product review, it is still a very good idea, especially if you do it throughout the entire review.
Just make sure that you don’t go overboard with the number of your CTAs – too many of them can be annoying to your audience. Moreover, try to stick to a single CTA – too many different CTAs can be confusing and less effective than a focus on a single one.
#25 Proofread Before Posting
Last but not least, carefully proofread your product review before posting it. You want to avoid making any kinds of mistakes at all costs – more specifically, check for factual mistakes and linguistic errors.
Factual mistakes will need to be identified by you, but you can use a grammar checker to find and correct linguistic errors. Remember to link any relevant sources if you used quotes and research in your review and make sure to double-check any “common sense” facts you stated.
Final Thoughts
To summarize, writing product reviews can become easier for you if you use the techniques in this article. Whatever your goals are, writing product reviews could be the solution you are looking for.
Bio
Lillie Jenkins is a creative copywriter and content writer. She has worked as a copywriter since graduating school, so her writing skills are well-honed. She writes publications in such fields as marketing, business, education, and personal life. More than writing Lillie loves to travel and read professional literature.
I’m a tech enthusiast, entrepreneur, digital marketer and professional blogger equipped with skills in Digital Marketing, SEO, SEM, SMM, and lead generation. My objective is to simplify technology for you through detailed guides and reviews. I discovered WordPress while setting up my first business site and instantly became enamored. When not crafting websites, making content, or helping clients enhance their online ventures, I usually take care of my health and spend time with family, and explore the world. Connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin or read my complete biography.