Looking for Higher Ratings for Your Reviews?
Jan 30 '02
The Bottom Line Paying attention to language, organization, and the like can make your reviews more readable and improve your ratings.
You just looked at the review you wrote for epinions an hour ago. You see a lot of “somewhat helpful” ratings–again. You wonder what you can do to raise the proportion of “helpful” and “very helpful” ratings.
No one can give you a formula for getting good ratings, especially when such a wide variety of readers are rating. Still, being a teacher and a person who has to write precisely for a number of audiences, here are a few tips to consider:
Look at Reviews That Are Well Received
One of the best ways to become a good review writer is to read well-written reviews. If your review ratings are a little low, take a look at highly rated reviews in the same category you review. What information did the writer include? How did (s)he organize his/her thoughts? How did (s)he begin and end the review? What details did the writer include about the topic that you may have missed?
You may want to look at reviews of other products or services you are familiar with and look for what makes some reviews better received than others. Looking at the comments can help as well.
Organize Your Reviews
A well-organized review that is sequential and flows helps. Headings and bullets can help.
If you are writing about a car, for example, you may want to start with the mechanical aspects of the car. Another section might cover the interior and another one styling.
Make each topic a separate paragraph. Use headings, boldface, and bullets to highlight certain parts of your review.
Whatever you do, avoid one long paragraph. This is very difficult to read and most people won’t want to be bothered.
Stick To Topics About Which You Are Passionate and Knowledgeable
Sometimes when I read reviews, I wonder if the people writing them have even used the product or service they are reviewing. I wonder if some of them just want to get a large number of reviews in.
It would be difficult for me, for example, to write a good review of my electric hand mixer since I have only used it a few times. I haven’t kicked the tires and I haven’t really used hand mixers enough to have an opinion.
It was much easier for me to write my last movie review which was of A Beautiful Mind. I found the movie very engaging and I knew what I liked about it. My reviews of La Purisima and the Steinbeck Center in Salinas were equally easy to write because the topics were of interest to me.
It would be equally easy for me to write about a product or service that I really hated though, fortunately, I rarely buy anything I hate (partly thanks to epinions). I would be able to tell of all my frustrations and possibly suggest alternatives.
Think About What Information Your Reader Wants To Know
If you are reviewing a tourist attraction or museum, your reader will want to know what (s)he will see, what the highlights are, what to skip, and practicalities such as admission and availability of parking.
If you are reviewing a car, you might consider pickup, reliability, comfort, fuel economy, and other salient information.
You may want to compare the product you are reviewing with other products or look at other reviews for information worth passing on.
Consider Using Anecdotes Or Humor
Some people can pull this off, others can’t.
I know if I am reading a very technical type of review, I often appreciate a story or two to humanize the review. Let’s say, for example, the review is about some complex piece of computer hardware that I can’t even pronounce the name of, let alone use. Telling a story about how it made life easier for someone can be very helpful.
Pay Attention to Spelling and Grammar
As much as you might say it’s the information and not the language that counts, language matters. Misspelled words and poor grammar are distracting and compromise your credibility.
Epinions and almost all word processors have spell checkers. Some word processors have grammar checkers that may help you catch some of your syntax errors.
Sometimes with my students, I talk in a funny voice and tell them that even if I had the best information in the world, but talked in my funny voice, all my audience would think about is my funny voice. The same applies to written language.
As an epinions writer, you probably have a lot of insights to offer readers. Paying attention to your writing can help you get your points across in a credible and interesting way.
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Epinions.com ID:
mrlarry
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Member: Larry Wiener
Location: Alhambra CA
Reviews written: 64
Trusted by: 14 members
About Me:
II'm a black-belt bargain hunter. Check on my e-book at www.betterbudgeting.com/
blackbeltshoppersguide.htm
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