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From books and movies to plumbers and hotels, reviewing a product or service can be a useful skill. Reviews allow a consumer to share their opinion of a product or service, and others can glean information from that review to make an informed decision about whether or not to try out the product or service.
Steps
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Try out the product or service. In order to write a review, you need to try the product. It seems obvious, but many people still write reviews without much first-hand knowledge of the product. Try it out, take your time, and get to know the product or service adequately enough to be able to speak authoritatively about it.
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Take notes. Gather details that you’ll need to write your review. For example, if you’re reviewing a restaurant, get the names and ingredients of certain dishes you’re trying. Take note of the décor. Jot down the name of your server.Advertisement
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Take photographs. In some cases, your review will be enhanced by photos. Document your experience by taking pictures so that your readers will know what you mean when you say, “There was a giant stain on the ceiling in my hotel room.” [1] X Research source
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Find out the parameters for the review. If you are planning to submit your review to a particular website, blog or magazine, make sure you find out any specifications for the review. For example, there might be a word limit or a specific format.
- Check the deadline too, especially if the review is for something timely, like a movie, album or book. Your review should coincide with the release of these types of items.
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Figure out your angle. Every review has a particular perspective. You are, after all, making an argument in your review. Determine how you want to talk about the product or service. Will this be a positive or negative review? What will you focus on?
- This works especially well for a book or movie review, where you might pick out a particular theme and write your review around that theme.
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Know your audience. Think about who will read your review. Are you writing for a heavy metal music blog and your readers will already know various bands and songs? Are you writing a more technical review and your readers will understand jargon that you include? [2] X Research source
- If you are writing for a more general audience, assume that some readers will need more explanation about certain references or terms you use.
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Briefly describe the product or service. In a couple of sentences or less, describe the product that you’re reviewing. You will reveal other details throughout your review, but the initial description will give your reader a sense of what you’re talking about.
- If it’s a movie or book, don’t spend your entire review summarizing the plot. There’s no need to give the entire story. Just a brief overview in 1-2 sentences will suffice.
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Write with detail. Give lots of detail and evidence for the argument that you’re making. If you’re reviewing a music album, talk about the instruments or vocals on a particular track. If you’re reviewing a movie, talk about why the cinematography is groundbreaking and give examples from the film. [3] X Research source
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Use complete sentences. Your review will carry much more weight if you write in complete sentences, rather than fragments that leave the reader wanting more. Don’t write things like, “okay food, terrible service.” This doesn’t tell the reader anything specific and therefore doesn’t make for a helpful review.
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Include useful descriptive words. Skip words like “meh” and “okay.” These words are not very useful in terms of describing a product. If you want to write a compelling review that gives the reader an idea of what you experienced, choose more descriptive words.Also remember that when writing your review it needs to flow and should be consistent. [4] X Research source
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Personalize your review. Relate your review directly to your personal experience. Don’t use vague statements and generalities. People reading your review will want to know about your experience, so they can determine if they’d like to use that service as well. Tell a story about why you like to go to a particular nightclub or why you find your yard service so reliable. [5] X Research source
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Position this product or service among its peers. Think about where this product fits among similar products. You should certainly judge the product on its own merits, but people reading your reviews will find it useful to have a reference to a restaurant they’re familiar with. This makes the comparison – and thus, the evaluation of whether to try a product or service – easier for readers of your review.
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Include a sample. If possible, give your reader a sample of what you’ve experienced. This might be a picture of a meal that you ate, or it might be a link to a trailer for the movie, or it might be a snippet of a song from an album you’re reviewing.
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Keep it truthful. Be honest in your review. Don’t stretch the truth to fit with your argument one way or another. Don’t make up stuff or exaggerate to make your point. If you don’t have enough evidence to support a point you’re making, leave it out.
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Give a fair review. You may have had a terrible experience with a particular plumber, but balance your review with what the plumber did right. If a meal was excellent except for the crud in your water glass, mention the negative part. People find reviews more credible if they admit the good and the bad together.
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Be creative and interesting. The best reviews are ones that hook the reader and draw them in. Write in a way that is imaginative and that captures the essence of the product or service that you’re reviewing. [6] X Research source
- Some reviews are written in different formats, even as poems or haiku. Other reviews are tongue-in-cheek, conveying the facts in a humorous way.
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Add privileged information to your review. Include information that a reader wouldn't have from checking out the service’s website or seeing an ad for the service. Provide information or details that you can only get when you’re using the service.
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Make your review clear and concise. Don’t overdo the review with over-the-top praise or criticism. Eliminate extraneous words so that your meaning is clear in the review.
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Proofread your review. Take some time to read through your review carefully, checking for proper grammar and spelling. People will discount your review if it’s full of grammatical errors that make it hard to read. [7] X Research source
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Have someone else read it. Give your review to someone to read before you post it online or publish it. It’s a good rule of thumb to have someone else read your writing to ensure that your writing is clear and your main points are adequately supported.
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Submit your review. If you are publishing your review with a magazine, blog or other source, send in your review. Your review may need to go through an editor and may take a bit of time to be printed or posted online.
- If you’re submitting your review to a website like Yelp or Amazon, follow their review guidelines to ensure that your review will be accepted and posted. [8] X Research source
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Review Template and Examples
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Expert Q&A
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QuestionWhat are other things to look at when writing a review?Marissa Levis is an English Teacher in the Morris County Vocational School District. She previously worked as an English director at a tutoring center that caters to students in elementary and middle school. She is an expert in creating a curriculum that helps students advance their skills in secondary-level English, focusing on MLA formatting, reading comprehension, writing skills, editing and proofreading, literary analysis, standardized test preparation, and journalism topics. Marissa received her Master of Arts in Teaching from Fairleigh Dickinson University.When writing reviews, it's not just about pointing out the positives; you can offer constructive criticism without resorting to cancel culture. Take a closer look into what could have been improved or explored further. Consider different perspectives to understand why you may disagree or why you enjoyed it. Keep your reviews concise and to the point, focusing on the most significant aspects that readers would find helpful.
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QuestionI am reviewing a theatre production. What should I include?Community AnswerInclude a brief overview of the plot and characters. Point out any flaws or virtues in the plot, script, and/or performance. Focus a lot on the actors themselves; people who are attending said production want to hear about what they will (or, depending on your review, will not) see.
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QuestionI have to write a review about packaging design. How can I go about that?Community AnswerYou could weigh practicality against looks and cool features. Answer questions like, does it show clearly what's packaged inside, or does it give good information.
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Tips
- Include a “spoiler alert” warning if your review gives away the plot of a movie or book. Forewarn readers so they can decide if they want to read your review or not.Thanks
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Warnings
- Don’t write malicious or untrue things in a review. There have been cases in which businesses have sued reviewers over comments made in reviews, citing defamation. If your review is fair and truthful, then you shouldn’t have to worry about defamation claims against you.Thanks
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Expert Interview
Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about writing, check out our in-depth interview with Marissa Levis .
References
- ↑ https://support.trustpilot.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408786435090-How-to-take-photos-and-videos-for-product-reviews
- ↑ https://www.grammarly.com/blog/how-to-write-review/
- ↑ https://support.trustpilot.com/hc/en-us/articles/223402108--8-tips-for-writing-great-customer-reviews#be-detailed-specific-and-honest-2
- ↑ https://www.grammarly.com/blog/how-to-write-review/
- ↑ http://www.yelp.com/guidelines
- ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/30/business/the-art-of-the-amateur-online-review.html
- ↑ https://support.trustpilot.com/hc/en-us/articles/223402108--8-tips-for-writing-great-customer-reviews#proofread-your-review-7
- ↑ http://www.yelp.com/guidelines
About This Article
Article Summary
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To write a review, start by taking detailed notes while you try out the product or service so you will have specific things to comment on. Start writing your review by briefly describing or summarizing your experience. Then, use complete sentences to add in details and don't be afraid to use descriptive words like "decadent," or "astonishing." Feel free to also include pictures to your review, if you want. Make sure to be honest and fair about your experience as well so businesses will want your opinions in the future. To learn how to finalize and submit your review, keep reading!
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Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 775,260 times.
Reader Success Stories
- "The article was very helpful, to the point, and informative. I found the examples helpful in understanding the information a good review should contain. My previous misconception was that a company mostly wanted to hear how fabulous and unsurpassed their products are. I now understand that a good review contains personal experiences, both positive and negative. Otherwise, how will companies know what makes consumers happy? It makes complete sense (now). Thank you for teaching me something new!" ..." more
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"The article was very helpful, to the point, and informative. I found the examples helpful in understanding the information a good review should contain. My previous misconception was that a company mostly wanted to hear how fabulous and unsurpassed their products are. I now understand that a good review contains personal experiences, both positive and negative. Otherwise, how will companies know what makes consumers happy? It makes complete sense (now). Thank you for teaching me something new!"
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"Actually in my school I was asked write a movie review for the movie "Zathura." I saw it but did not know the format, this website helped me a lot. The sample ones are amazing. I suggest to increase the number of sample reviews."
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"The information was straight to the point and easy to understand. I found it helpful to know that you should always personalize your reviews, as companies want to know the consumers likes and dislikes. Thank you so much!"
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"I got an assignment to write a review of my favorite book, and I didn't know much about how to do one. After reading this, it helped me decide what to write and how to do it. Thanks a lot."
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"I found this article so useful because I had a presentation for my English class. So, I thought "writing a review" might be a good topic and this article really helped me."
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