How to Write Effective Product Reviews for Associated Content

Many of us are making a substantial part of our writing income from product reviews here at AC. I know I'm far from perfect when it comes to writing clear, concise and helpful product reviews, so I've been researching and practicing! Here's what I've learned on writing effective product reviews for Associated Content.

Be Careful With Your Introduction

It's easy for the inexperienced (myself included!) to provide an overabundance of superfluous detail to provide context for the review. While a personal touch is universally appreciated, there is such a thing as too much information. If things get wordy or boring, your reader may move elsewhere for their information.

Know Your Readers

This can be a particularly difficult one, especially on Associated Content where all kinds of people come to produce and consume all kinds of content. It's important to know who you are aiming your review at, though. Say you're reviewing a budget home theater system...think about who will most likely be searching (AC gets most of it's traffic from search engines) for this information. The home theater aficionado? Doubtful. So avoid industry jargon, and explain the product in terms a first-time home theater system buyer would find helpful. In the same way, take a moment to analyze your likely audience before you write your product review.

Answer The Important Questions

What Does The Product Promise? Make sure you clearly state in your review what it is the product does. What problem does it claim to solve? The reader can't get any sense of context or purpose from your article if you don't answer this most basic question early on.

Does The Product Make Good on Its Promise? The product do what it says it does, and does it do it well? How does the product perform in various usage situations? What can you succinctly tell the reader about its quality and craftsmanship?

Is The Product of Value to Your Reader? Remember the type of reader you are writing for. That home theater system we talked about earlier isn't worth anything to the serious A/V enthusiast, but to the college kid on budget, it's a great value. When making and defending your final judgment regarding the value of product, keep your target audience in the forefront of your mind.

Finally, Keep it Brief

Always aim to be concise when reviewing a product or service. The reader will always be primarily concerned with The Important Questions; provide a link or sidebar for feature lists and detailed specifications. Associated Content provides a "Did You Know?" section that might be a great place to list features on your product. The "Takeaways" slots might also give you space to put feature information or specification info. Add value to your article by placing the product's home page and Amazon listing in your "Supporting Links."