Liz Strauss at Successful Blog

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October 9, 2007

To Write a Review Folks Find Useful — Don’t Stick to the Facts

ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 12:10 pm

Reviewers Who Think

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Have ever read a review and still wondered whether you’d like the product? Do you know any reviewer who you rely on because he or she has the opposite opinions of you? Sometimes a reviewer who thinks differently than we do is more valuable than one who doesn’t say what he or she thinks at all.

I’ve been reading a passel of product reviews all weekend. Now I remember why I don’t read reviews. In an effort to be unbiased, reviewers seem to be too distant, too flat — they give the facts. The facts aren’t enough.

Don’t Stick to the Facts

When you blog the facts only, anyone could write basically the same review. The differences will be in the writing only. When you blog the facts only people tend to read to the minute detail to make sure your facts are exactly right . . . and that they’re all there. Too many facts can be either distracting or boring. Would the VW Beetle have been a hit based only on the facts? What about McDonalds? the iPod?

If you want to write a product review that folks find useful, don’t stick to the facts.

Write your experience too.

The Two Key Reasons to Write Your Experience

Here are the 2 key reasons why you should write a review with both the facts AND your experience.

  1. When you add your experience, readers get to see you. They know you used the product. It’s your voice and your credibility.

  2. When readers hear talk about using the product, they can picture themselves. It doesn’t matter whether they agree with how you found it, If you explain what made you think as you do — they’ll decide for themselves.

Any customer needs more than facts to decide whether to buy any product. Sure the facts are important, but looking only at the facts doesn’t tell what it’s like to use it.

When you add your experience, people are more likely to remember both the product and you. A great review can save a reader a great deal of time and money.

Don’t be shy. Tell me what you think.

– ME “Liz” Strauss
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14 Comments to “To Write a Review Folks Find Useful — Don’t Stick to the Facts”

  1. October 9th, 2007 at 2:12 pm
    Scott said

    On the contrary, I expect that a review of McDonalds that gave all the facts would probably hurt McDonalds. ;-)

    Great article, written by someone who obviously understands the importance of “the hook.”

    Back in my marketing days, we would write incredibly detailed product descriptions, only to have our sales guys come back and say, “Guys, why would my customer _want_ this product. The facts are great, but what’s the hook?”

    The “hook” is the important part of any writing, whether it’s a product review or whatever. Without some way of bringing your reader “in,” by sharing your experience with a product you are testing for example, even the best writing falls flat. If your writing doesn’t answer the reader’s question “why am I reading this?” you’ll flop in the time that it takes the reader to click away from your site.

  2. October 9th, 2007 at 2:17 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Scott!
    Yeah! I’m right with you. Most of us wither under scrutiny of only the facts. :)

    I’ve been reading a lot of reviews in which the blogger seems to be blogging for his or her industry rather than for the person who might actually buy what’s being discussed. That’s even more deadly. :)

  3. October 9th, 2007 at 5:44 pm
    ann michael said

    Wow Liz - this is right on target. What you thought, how it impacted you, what you’ll do differently because of how you loved the product - that’s fun to read AND informative!!!

  4. October 9th, 2007 at 5:55 pm
    Mike said

    Liz,

    You couldn’t be more right! I was amused to see this after watching a video of Dan Buxton, an experience design guru from Microsoft, make a scathing indictment of technology reviews for the same reason.

    Great minds think alike, all right!

    Mike

  5. October 9th, 2007 at 5:57 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Ann!
    I can tell you’ve been reading reviews lately too. Either that or you’ve read a lot of them before. ;)

  6. October 9th, 2007 at 5:58 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Mike,
    Even more fun, it was mostly tech reviews that I’d been reading this weekend. Though the problem seems the same in every industry/genre I’ve read. :)

  7. October 9th, 2007 at 7:13 pm
    Aruni said

    I actually only wrote my second review the other day for the Problogger competition on the TV show Heroes. It was pretty short but I tried to present the good and the bad. :-) Unfortunately I did not win the $2,000 marketing package…

    The first review I did was on a book called The Art of War for Women. http://www.entrepremusings.com/index.php/2007/08/26/the-art-of-war-for-women-the-time-has-come-for-the-womans-century/

  8. October 9th, 2007 at 7:44 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Aruni!
    A great review is an artform. no kidding. Your review was a strong one and compelling I think you show a lot of promise. :)

  9. October 9th, 2007 at 8:20 pm
    Aruni said

    Thanks Liz. Sometimes I think I might be rambling a bit too much.

    I wonder when we go from showing a lot of promise to getting there…to no longer showing promise but being promise. I don’t know how to say that properly…hope that makes sense. ;-)

  10. October 9th, 2007 at 8:33 pm
    ME Strauss said

    You’ll know when . . . other people’s suggestions become just their opinions. :)

  11. October 9th, 2007 at 8:37 pm
    Aruni said

    Ah…that’s an overall life lesson there. I’m working on not taking things as personally as I used to.

    Just to throw it out there, here’s a link to my 2nd review for the Problogger competition: http://www.entrepremusings.com/index.php/2007/10/07/are-there-any-heroes-in-your-life/ :-)

  12. October 10th, 2007 at 6:16 am
    Coffee Drip - October 10, 2007 said

    [...] To Write a Review Folks Find Useful — Don’t Stick to the Facts Liz Strauss @ Successful Blog [...]

  13. October 10th, 2007 at 1:52 pm
    Easton Ellsworth said

    Thanks Liz! This is so true and will come in handy on something I’m working on.

  14. October 10th, 2007 at 9:49 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hey Easton!
    I’m delighted that you found it useful! YEA!
    I love it when YOU like what’s here. :)

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