How to Write a Good Review (That Inspires Action!)

Reviews make great content for just about any website or blog. They bring lots of search engine traffic, because so many Internet users look for reviews of things they’re thinking about buying. And if you’re in affiliate marketing, taking advantage of this tendency can seriously boost your conversions as well.

As you might imagine, not all reviews are created equal. You’ve probably run across a few that just weren’t very useful at all. More often, the review is helpful, but it doesn’t achieve the purpose that the writer set out to achieve. Specifically, it doesn’t result in sales.

Sound familiar? Perhaps you’ve written what you thought was a stellar review, only to be disappointed with its performance. Here are some tips to keep in mind for your next one.

1. Choose the right product. If you’re reviewing a product that doesn’t appeal to your audience, you can’t expect them to buy. Sounds simple enough, doesn’t it? But some marketers review a little bit of everything in hopes of appealing to a wide variety of interests. While you might get some sales with a good review that doesn’t fit with your target market through search engine traffic, you’re better off sticking with things that your regular readers would like. That way you’ll maintain their loyalty and increase your chances of making repeat sales.
2. Review only products that you have tried out. Having your readers’ trust is crucial to making sales, and if you post reviews of products that you’ve only read about, they’ll pick up on that. You might even want to take it a step further and prove that you’ve used the product by posting photos or a video with your review.
3. Be completely honest. No product is perfect, and your readers know this. Admitting that the product you’re promoting has faults won’t scare them away. If the product meets their needs, they will buy it anyway, and you’ll get brownie points for telling the good and the bad.
4. Don’t overdo the SEO. Reviews can really pull in the search engine traffic, but that doesn’t mean that you should cram keywords anywhere and everywhere in them. Including the product name followed by the word “review” in the post title should go a long way toward bringing in interested prospects. You could include the same phrase in the text a couple of times for good measure, but don’t go sticking it into every sentence. If you do, those interested prospects will run in the opposite direction (if the search engines don’t penalize you and keep them away in the first place).
5. Include a call to action. If you were writing a sales letter, a call to action would be one of the most important aspects of it. The same is true for reviews if you’re looking to make sales with them. Don’t think of it as being pushy. Think of it as giving interested prospects a nudge in the right direction.

A good review should help the reader decide whether or not the product is right for him. And if it is, it should motivate him to make the purchase. By following these guidelines, you can create reviews that keep your readers happy and put money in your pocket at the same time.

EDITORS NOTE: And be sure to look into the recent FTC announcement about changes to guidelines when it comes to disclosing any compensation you receive or may receive for your review. To keep your reviews effective, transparency and honesty will be important. Readers who trust your opinion will still value it…so earn that trust.

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About the Author

Kristy Pruitt is a freelance writer and blogger. She specializes in web content and ghostwriting. Her work has been published on several websites, including eHow, Associated Content and Coupon Trunk.

Visit Kristy Online at: WebFreelanceWriter.com

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