It’s not just what you said, it’s how you said it that matters. The effectiveness of online reviews depends on how they are written. Well-written reviews have a much better chance to convince readers to explore business and take a chance with their service. Such reviews are more credible and have a higher value in the eyes of potential customers.
When you consider that 91% of people read online reviews, you’ll understand why writing good reviews is an important task. Not to mention that 84% of people trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation. That’s how relevant reviews are. For that reason, you should consider the following tips for writing impactful online reviews.
1. Structure of Online Reviews
Long blocks of text can make readers lose interest in the review. That is why structuring is important. Rather than making one statement after another, give readers some intuitive content they can easily follow.
An example of a readable review is:
- The motivation for visiting that business: an explanation of why you went to that place (it is near you, it was recommended by a friend, etc.)
- Introduction of the service: what it is, why you needed it, etc.
- Pros: what you liked about the service and why
- Cons: what you didn’t like about the service and why
- Overall impression
- Suggestion: to whom you would recommend this business or why you wouldn’t recommend it
Segmenting the reviews will give a better idea of what you’ll include in it. This will mean a lot to people who first just take a glance at the post before you start reading it.
2. Eliminate Generic Promotional Phrases
People expect honesty and genuine stories about the customer’s experience in reviews. Sounding like the business’s marketer won’t make the desired impact. Aim for honesty and share your thoughts and experiences.
For example, if you are reviewing a new spa and their deep tissue massage, share how the space looks, the professionalism of the staff, how considerate was your massage therapist, the music, how you felt afterward, etc. Readers want all the details. What they don’t want are generic “sales” statements like “This is the best place ever,” “You must go to this place,” and similar. These statements aren’t helpful at all. Aim to deliver the experience and overall impression.
3. Be Concise and Direct with Online Reviews
Talking about your history with different services isn’t something that review readers expect. They want precise and straightforward information about the business and the service they are interested in. Do your best to meet their expectations and limit unnecessary statements.
If you haven’t yet mastered being concise, you can ask a professional writer for help. They can give you some valuable tips on how to spot parts that you can leave out. Browse for writing services like SupremeDissertations or TopEssayWriting who have years of experience and numerous positive reviews behind them.
4. Stay Neutral
Saying that you should be objective in personal reviews might sound contradictory but it isn’t. Stay neutral in terms of your emotions and formed opinions. This means that even if the woman at the check-out counter was so pleased that you don’t want to share anything negative, you must be honest. Don’t hold back because there were some positive or negative aspects.
For example, you might have gone to a private hospital and the doctor was incredible as well as the nurses. However, one nurse was kind of rude to you when you were leaving so you end up saying bad things about that hospital. One part of the experience shouldn’t put a positive or negative perspective on the whole. Even if something bad happened you can always try to justify it objectively (e.g. you misinterpreted what the nurse was saying). Describe each part with honesty and stay as neutral as you can be. This also means that you should avoid aggressive suggestions.
5. Put Some Focus on the Business as Well
According to statistics, reliability (27%), expertise (21%), and professionalism (18%) are the most important reputation traits for a local business. How you can use this to improve your review? Well, cover these traits in your writing. These are the aspects of a business that matter to customers and this is what you can mention.
Share your opinion on how reliable the business is, what are your thoughts on their expertise, and how professional they were. Expressing the thoughts on the business and not just the service is important. If a business has bad policies and isn’t trustworthy, some customers would never go back to them even if they offer unique services.
6. Proofread and Edit Online Reviews
Would you rely on a review that is full of grammar and spelling mistakes? Probably not. Nor will anyone else. Before you click that publish button, there is a step you need to handle – editing and proofreading.
In case you find this process to be tedious and you can’t get yourself to do it, find some help. There are numerous tools and writing services that can team you up with great writers and editors for this purpose. Here are a few suggestions:
- TrustMyPaper – Choose the type of service, the date you want your review to be delivered, and the amount of work, and TrustMyPaper will give you a price. Their personalized service is what puts them on top.
- BestEssaysEducation – “When you do business with Best Essay, we want you to associate the word excellence with our company name,” says their website. That’s exactly what they deliver – excellence in every type of task or service.
- ClassyEssay – This service will do proofreading or editing for you whenever you need it. They are fast, credible, and guarantee high-quality service.
- GrabMyEssay – Even though their popularity came from impeccable essay writing services, their team of writers can handle any task. Editing and proofreading are no exception.
- Grammarly – For a quick fix, you can use Grammarly’s online tool. Simply write your review in the software or upload the document and this tool will highlight your grammar and spelling mistakes.
7. Emphasize that This is Your Experience
You might have noticed that some reviewers try to give some extra weight to their claims by saying “other people have had the same issue” or “I’m not the only one who says this, most people agree.” But who are these people? Readers didn’t come to your review to listen to other people. Not to mention that the point of the review is to share your personal opinion.
Stick to what you know and what you have experienced. Trying to prove that you are right by saying that others agree is completely unnecessary. Readers want your thoughts and your experience.
Final Thoughts
When reading reviews, people want to find real stories and experiences of customers. They don’t want lies, exaggeration, or emotional distress. Give your best to stay true to describe your perspective of the business and its service. Hopefully, the above-mentioned tips can give you some guidelines to improve your online review writing, and don’t forget to monitor them in the process.
Guest Writer Bio:
Kristin Savage nourishes, sparks, and empowers using the magic of a word. Along with pursuing her degree in Creative Writing, Kristin was gaining experience in the publishing industry, with expertise in marketing strategy for publishers and authors. Now she had found herself as a freelance writer. Kristin runs her own FlyWriting blog.
