How to Write an Effective Review: 7 Hot Tips

Writing an effective reviewMany consumers love writing reviews about the businesses they use and much of the motivation comes from knowing that the experience shared, will help many others to choose the best businesses.

But how ensure do you know that your review is as helpful as possible?

It’s easy! Write down everything you think you would tell your best friend about why they should or should not visit a particular business.

Reviewer

Imagine you are looking for a mechanic in your local area. You come across two businesses, both which have 1 review. Based on the following reviews, which business would you be more inclined to choose?

Mechanic 1 –  with the review that says:

“I would highly recommend this business. They were efficient, friendly and knowledgeable”

Or, Mechanic 2 –  with the review that says:

“I recently took my Toyota Carolla for it's 100,000km service and I must say, the service I received was fantastic!

I got a reminder letter in the mail last Monday, and so gave them a call straight away. They booked me in for Friday, and quoted me over the phone. I dropped my car off at 7.30am on Friday morning (I was the first one there, so it only took about 6 minutes to check it in!) They gave me an explanation of the work to be done, and confirmed the quote which I was told over the phone. It was a major service, so I left my car there for the day, and walked to the station (only about 2 minutes walk away.) I believe they do also have loan cars available, but they need to be booked in advance, so make sure you ask about this if the train isn't a good option for you!

I picked my car up and was in a hurry, so read the paper work over the weekend. I did find that there were a few notes on the paperwork that were a bit confusing, but I was able to call up on Monday and talk to them about exactly what it meant. Perhaps this was only an issue because I had to pick the car up in a hurry so didn't get to talk to them on hand over.

All in all, The final price matched the quote, and helped me out with a few technical questions I didn't really understand (and being female, sometimes they treat you like you are stupid, but that did not happen here!) I would highly recommend these guys!

I can assure you that I would pick the second one, and I think you would agree! The review for Business 2 showcases so many aspects of the business and can help me to decide if this business suits my needs.

Whether you're submitting a positive, negative or neutral review, there are 7 tips you can follow to increase the effectiveness of your review…
 

1. Don't use generalisations
Words like “good”, “fast” and “average” are such generic descriptors, and can be interpreted differently by every reader. When writing a review, be sure to be as clear as possible as to what your interpretation is of “average” or “good”. Use the facts to help paint a better picture of your experience and then let the other readers decide on how they feel about those facts. For example, a generic review might say “The pizza was average in price, considering the size.” Instead you could say “The large size pizza I had was $12.50. I was going to get the small for $10, but for the extra $2.50 I think the large is was definitely the right choice for me. I was hungry, and I didn’t even manage to finish it all!”
 

2. Talk about when you used this business
Remember that other readers do not know any background information about your review, so try to talk about the situation when you used the business. What day of the week was it? What time of day was it? Was there perhaps a special occasion that you needed the business for? By including this sort of information, you can help others in a similar situation know that it will be suitable for them as well. 
 

3. Tell your readers the finer details
If you visited a shop front/store, what was the decor like? What was your opinion of the interior set up/cleanliness of the venue? If this was a business that came to your home/work, how would you describe their presentation? This includes their staff, their car/van/truck?

What did you order, or what service did you require from this business? Ideally, your reader should be able to read your review, and have a full understanding of what this business offers.
 

4. What are some positives or negatives of this business and its service?
Feel free to use anecdotes of your experience to help explain the stand out features of this business. Was it the friendliness of the staff, or the fact that there was not one question they couldn't answer for you? (If so, what sorts of questions did you ask?) Perhaps you were most impressed by the speed at which they attended to your query, or maybe you were disappointed that their quotes were not upheld (explain either of these by letting us know the time you waited for, or the price difference between the quote and final invoice). Talk about exactly what happened to you in your dealings with this business that has impacted your overall impression.
 

5. Don't forget, we weren't there with you, so paint a detailed picture
Include as much information as you can. Assume that any other reader knows nothing. There is no such thing as to much information, so long as it is relevant to your experience with the business. 
 

6. Don't be afraid to make suggestions
Help out your readers by letting them know about the must-do's with this business. Maybe it's things they must order, or maybe something you didn't do that you wish you did. It may be a suggestion to go to this restaurant at dusk to see the sunset, or to visit this salon on a Tuesday morning as they offer a free coffee then, or even to e-mail this online business if you make two orders as they will discount you on the postage.
 

7. Be honest
Last, but definitely not least – just be honest! Remove the emotion from your review. Avoid over exaggerating any aspects of your review and focus on the things you know to be true from your experience with the business.
 

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Edward

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