How to write a product review blog post

In a world that’s driven by consumer opinion, the role of the product review has changed considerably. If you want to get in on the act and help others, you might be wondering how to write a product review blog post.

Here’s how to write a product review:

1. Use the product!
2. Define the audience.
3. List the upsides and downsides.
4. Take photos.
5. Come up with an interesting intro.
6. Describe the product.
7. Compare it with competing products and previous versions (if they exist).
8. Take a balanced approach (but be honest).
9. Take time with your conclusion.
10. Publish.

So, now we know how to write a product review blog post, and you’ve hopefully read up on how best to format your long form blog posts, let’s dig into the detail.

Use the product!

You can’t review something you haven’t used – and let’s be honest, there are plenty of reviews out there that have unfortunately crossed this line.

Spend plenty of time with the product you’re reviewing before taking pen to paper. A week isn’t enough – you need to get under its skin, experience it during every day life and find as many pros and cons as you can find. Trust us – you’ll know when you’re ready to tell the world what you think about it.

Define the audience

It’s vital that you write your product review for the right audience. Depending on the product in question, you might be a member of that audience, in which case defining it should be relatively straight forward, but if you’re reviewing a product that you wouldn’t normally purchase yourself, you’ll need to take a different approach.

Consider the type of people who would buy the product; the generation within which they sit, the kind of hobbies they have, personality traits and lifestyle. This information is vital if you’re to make a fair judgement of the product’s suitability (or not) for them.

List the upsides and downsides

Everything has upsides and downsides and no product is perfect – it’s important to remember this as a reviewer.

In order to take the balanced approach that is so important in product reviews, you need to hit upon both the good and bad stuff. And be honest; what really hasn’t worked, and what – regardless of your use case – has absolutely been nailed?

Take photos

Whether you’re an accomplished photographer or novice behind the lens, you’ll need to get happy-snappy with your product review.

When considering how to write a product review, it’s all too easy to focus on the words, but imagery is vitally important. A good product review will always include plenty of original imagery taken by the reviewer. A bunch of stock photos from the manufacturer will simply not do and won’t make your review unique in any way.

A picture really does tell a thousand words, so if you want to highlight a particularly good or bad part of the product, back up your words with some great snaps.

Come up with an interesting intro

You have mere seconds to capture the attention of someone online, and if your product review doesn’t hook people in straight away, you’ll have wasted a huge amount of time and effort writing the rest of it.

Your intro should set the scene for the review. Is this the next best thing? Is it a product that people have been anticipating for a long time? Talk it up and make it clear that if the visitor to your blog wants to be educated on their potential next purchase, they really should read on.

Describe the product

Now, you’re not the marketing team for this product, but you do still have a job to do in terms of describing it for your audience.

This is great, because you can describe it without the pressure of a marketing strategy or list of pre-defined features and benefits you need to mention. You can describe it exactly as you see it – warts and all.

Keeping your audience in mind, go into as much detail as you think they’ll need. For instance, if they’re likely to be particularly technical, get as geeky as you need to. If they’re more likely to simply want a high level overview, don’t get bogged down in the ‘under-the-hood’ stuff.

Compare it with competing products and previous versions (if they exist)

A priority high on the mind of your readers will be how this product compares with either its predecessor or others on the market. And that means only one thing – you need to experience them, too.

If it isn’t possible to experience them first hand, do some thorough research or speak to people who have. Comparisons of this kind will make or break reviews, because they give the potential buyer something to contrast the product against, which will vastly help their purchasing decision.

Take a balanced approach (but be honest)

When considering how to write a product review blog post, it can be easy to fall into the trap of loving (or hating) the product so much that it clouds your judgement. Avoid this at all costs; keep the target audience in mind, and their needs. If something won’t work for them, explain why, but try and balance any negativity with the inevitable upsides on offer.

Take time with your conclusion

The conclusion is arguably the most important part of your review, so make sure you spend plenty of time crafting it.

Don’t make it too long, either – a couple of paragraphs will do. It should recap on the key benefits and disadvantages and deliver your ultimate verdict.

Publish on your blogging platform!

The research, writing and editing will be the hardest part of your review – but now for the good bit; using your blogging platform of choice to publish your hard work!

Assuming you already have your own blog but need to brush up on search engine optimisation, it’s also important to know how to rank higher on Google.

Once published, remember to share judiciously on social media, and keep doing so. Research relevant hashtags and make sure you use those that will most likely end up within the news feeds of your audience.

And finally…

It’s important to make a clear note within your product review of any affiliation you have with the manufacturer. If you’ve been compensated by them for providing a review, or are likely to make money from affiliate links, it’s always best practice to make note of the fact.

Rules for this differ from country to country, so it’s a good idea to do some research for your location, but the rule for all is to be transparent with the reader and make it clear if the review is a form of advertising rather than a fully independent review.

This guide is based around a product review format for blogging, but there’s no reason you can’t repurpose your review for other types of content.

Video, for instance, could be a brilliant medium to shine an even brighter spotlight on your review and make it available to a much wider audience, so after you’ve hit that ‘publish’ button, don’t be afraid to get creative and tell your story again.

Happy reviewing!