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What makes for a good review?

by disciple
9 replies
In your opinion what makes for a good review of any kind of product?

When you read a review what are the questions you want to see answered?
Do you want to see the negatives as well as the positives?
How much information do you want to see?
Should it contain constructive criticism or feedback?
Does it need to be interesting or factual or both?
Should it be compared to similar products?

Thanks for your input and ideas.

Rick
#good #makes #review
  • Profile picture of the author Hamish Jones
    The truth? An idea that someone has actually used the product they are reviewing.
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  • Profile picture of the author Takuya Hikichi
    I write a few reviews every month for friends but I summarize a lot of what's in each chapter then lay it all out with my personal thoughts on each chapter.

    Or I might say "Pages 29-38, Mike goes in detail about ..... and I think it's _____" then DETACH any emotion from the product.

    These reviews never include words such as "incredible", "amazing", "!!!!!!" nothing like that -- so it presents as a "review" instead of "recommendation".

    Even someone asks me privately if I recommend it, I'd say YES or NO to THAT person, but I never recommend anything for mass readers.
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  • Profile picture of the author marciayudkin
    Originally Posted by disciple View Post

    In your opinion what makes for a good review of any kind of product?
    * It should be unmistakable that the person actually used the product.
    * The review should indicate how easy or not it was to use.
    * It should mention both negatives and positives.
    * It should say who the product would be best for.
    * Did the product live up to its description?
    * It's a nice bonus if the review has some personality and is fun to read.

    Marcia Yudkin
    Author/Consultant/Copywriting Coach
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    Check out Marcia Yudkin's No-Hype Marketing Academy for courses on copywriting, publicity, infomarketing, marketing plans, naming, and branding - not to mention the popular "Marketing for Introverts" course.
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  • Profile picture of the author NewbiesDiary
    Originally Posted by disciple View Post

    In your opinion what makes for a good review of any kind of product?

    When you read a review what are the questions you want to see answered?
    Do you want to see the negatives as well as the positives?
    How much information do you want to see?
    Should it contain constructive criticism or feedback?
    Does it need to be interesting or factual or both?
    Should it be compared to similar products?

    Thanks for your input and ideas.

    Rick
    all of the above.

    I'm creating a review site at the moment, & I've found a product with a truck load of bad reviews and comments on a heap of blogs, forums etc. Now I'm having trouble finding any good reviews, so I'm adding all the negative ones. Why? I feel you need to be totally impartial and only then will you gain the respect of your readers. Be more concerned with giving your readers honest and open information, once you gain their trust, they'll be more than happy to buy from you.

    I see my review sites as simply a collection of all the programs & relevant reviews on each product available - save your reader the hassle of keeping on searching for more answers.
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  • Profile picture of the author LivingCovers
    When using PPC, as in creating a review site for a presell page (landing page) that takes your visitors to the merchant site, is it necessary for you to have bought the product before? If you didn't buy the product is it possible for you to still write a review on a product you never used before?

    Assuming you don't know how to write reviews for PPC adwords as an affiliate, can one just write a summary of the merchant's salespage and put that on your landing page? But wouldn't that almost seem as if you're repeating the same copy?

    Any suggestions highly welcome,

    Kindest regards,

    Olatunde.
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  • Profile picture of the author Anthony Hull
    I think the BEST review sites are ones that allow commenting from users that have actually tried the product.

    We're going to be adding this feature to our ready made affiliate review sites (see sig) in the near future.

    Cheers,

    Anthony
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    • Profile picture of the author R Hagel
      I'm in agreement with most here -- I prefer a review from someone who's actually used the product. "Great read" for an ebook is only a good review if I'm buying fiction. I want to know whether the product will actually deliver the benefits.

      I also want to know the weaknesses of the product. Side note: As an affiliate reviewer, your sales will likely go up if you mention the weaknesses (because people will view you as honest).

      Finally -- yes, it needs to be factual.
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      • Profile picture of the author disciple
        Thanks for all your replies and suggestions.

        Do you have favorite review sites that you visit?
        Does a review from one of these sites really sway you in either direction?
        Why do you like this/these review sites over others?

        Thanks

        Rick
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        • Profile picture of the author marciayudkin
          Originally Posted by disciple View Post

          Does a review from one of these sites really sway you in either direction?
          I often read Amazon reviews of books by readers and occasionally change my mind about buying a book because of what I read.

          For example, if even one reader says a book is out of date or poorly written or careless with the facts or biased in a way that doesn't suit my interests, then I will not buy it.

          And on the other hand, I often look to bestseller lists on Amazon to find books I haven't heard about yet but seem to be terrific. For these, I pay more attention to the editorial (published) reviews than to the reader reviews.

          Hope this is helpful!

          Marcia Yudkin
          Author, 6 Steps to Free Publicity and 10 other books
          http://www.yudkin.com/6steps.htm
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          Check out Marcia Yudkin's No-Hype Marketing Academy for courses on copywriting, publicity, infomarketing, marketing plans, naming, and branding - not to mention the popular "Marketing for Introverts" course.
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