Writing any kind of review can be quite troubling. Many writers’ wrestle for hours; looking at a product and attempting to write about it. A review is a crossroad that walks that fine journalistic line running between truth and opinion. Being objective is often very difficult. So what are the top five things to keep in mind while you draft a review? How can we tackle this problem more efficiently?
Deal Mainly in the Facts
Know your product. This may seem like quite a basic and obvious notion but, as a writer, it is absolutely essential that you do your research. You are hoping to present an all-inclusive review that takes the little details into account. Your primary allies, in the war against your own raging opinion, are the facts. Be sure you have many of them. The more factual detail that you have in your back pocket, the less inclined you’ll be to fall back on your gut reaction to how truly awful or how useful your product is.
A Review is NOT an Advertisement
Offer alternate perspectives on the product. Since you’re writing a sensible objective review, and not a hip, exaggerative blog post, you’ll need to present differing opinions on the product. It completely expands your single perspective and widens the article into a wide and diverse exploration of the merits and demerits of the product. Basically, it’s fair. You’re role is not to sell this product, nor to crush the freshly realised dreams of the designer by trashing his new idea.
Facts then Opinions
In the age of the internet, we have grown quite short attention spans. A well written article will engage your reader with facts, it will be logical and each point will follow well. This makes it even more important that you supplement the facts with your opinions. Facts first! How you are measuring the products value should be informed by what you and others experience and know about it.
Remember to Write for a Wide Audience
Bear in mind always that you are writing for a wide audience. While the product may be completely useless to you as an individual, someone out there will make good use of it. Measure the product on its own merits. Try and understand the product’s usefulness in correlation with the demographic it was intended for. Maybe, it was made for the elderly. Is it geared toward a certain gender or an individual personality trait?
Opinion is Important Too, Be Honest
Being honest about the product is just as central to a review as anything else. Be responsibly honest. Your conclusions should be the most balanced accumulation of facts, general opinion and personal experience. Your opinion is informed opinion. A great objective review of anything is a marker of a good writer. Your name will be attached to it. Associate yourself with credibility.
