Jacqui Paterson is a speaker on the Writing Reviews panel at the BritMums Live 2013 blogging conference.
Here are her top 10 review writing tips for bloggers:
If you’ve been blogging for a while, you’ve probably been approached to do reviews. You might decide they’re not for you, or you might quite like the idea – after all, recommendations are a fab way for other parents to wade through the myriad of baby products on the market.
If you’re unsure how to go about reviewing, here are some tips that may come in handy…
1: Be selective. Don’t get too caught up in the excitement of being offered free products. Only accept things that you’re genuinely interested in, and excited about. This way your opinion and enthusiasm will be more honest and helpful. Also, there has been ongoing controversy about Bloggers only being in it for the freebies. You do not want to get a reputation as a Blagger – PRs and fellow bloggers won’t take you seriously, and the offers will soon dry up.
2: Be proactive. If you hear of a fantastic product that you know other parents would love too, approach the PR directly to ask if they’d be interested in a review (keep an eye out for Maria’s post, coming soon: How To Be A PR, or become besties with them).
3: Be unique. When you write up your post, remember that it doesn’t have to be a straight-out review. Just listing the facts and figures won’t grab the attention of your readers. Change it up, try something different to make it sound fresh and exciting.
4: Inject some humour. A review doesn’t have to be serious, to be taken seriously. Include a funny anecdote about how excited your child (or you) got about the product, or write it up as if your child is reviewing it.
5: Keep it personal. Don’t list all the specs, weight, manufacturer’s instructions – that can all be found on the website. Readers are more interested in your personal thoughts, impressions, and your reaction to the product. Most importantly – did it get the thumbs up from your kids?
6: Check your facts. Do include the full, correct name of the product, the name of the manufacturer, and the price. You should also include a link to the website address. However, as there is a lot of current debate about whether Follow links on reviews could affect your Page Rank, you might like to do a bit of research before deciding if you’re comfortable making them Follow or No Follow links. Be aware, if you opt for No Follow links you will need to make this clear to the PR before receiving the review products, in case they have any objections.
7: Make it visual. Don’t rely on the pack shot supplied by the PR. Use images of your children, include some personal pics of them playing with the toys. If you don’t identify them, perhaps you could use back shots? Not only will this inject a bit more personality into your review, it will set it apart from other other blogs featuring the same product, and using the standard PR shots.
8: Vlog it! – you don’t have to have a fancy camera, a clip from your camera phone is just fine. Your readers aren’t looking for perfection – they just want to hear about your genuine real-life experiences.
9: Be honest. But think hard about how critical you want to be. The relationship between PRs and bloggers is symbiotic. If you didn’t like the product, don’t lie – people are coming to you for an honest opinion. But if you’re really disappointed by a product you might prefer to get back in touch with the PR and explain that, because you can’t post positively, you won’t be running the review. Of course it’s totally up to you what you put on your blog (within legal boundaries, of course!) but ideally you want to retain integrity WITHOUT burning any bridges.
10: Be authentic. By the same token, don’t let the PR dictate what you write, or how you write it. Don’t be afraid to put your foot down if they’re asking for something unreasonable, or something that just doesn’t fit in with your style.
It’s your blog, your space, your way. Happy Reviewing!
Karen @ Cycle Sprog says
Hi Jacqui,
Thanks for the advice – I do reviews of cycle products on Cycle Sprog, and have found that focusing on writing from a parents point of view, rather than following the product information is much more popular.
I have yet to pick up the courage to use a video camera, although it’s on my to do list when I have time!
Kind regards
Karen
mothers says
Hi Karen,
You’re very welcome!
We’re firm believers that the more personality you inject into your blog posts, the more popular and engaging they become. After all, people read websites for info, and blogs for personal experiences.
And you should absolutely ‘Shake it Up’ with some vlogs! They’d be perfect for your site. You know where to come if you ever need more advice.
Jacqui 🙂
Kerrie McGiveron says
These are really great tips, I’ve got some reviews coming up (first ones!) so I’ll be taking these tips onboard! x
Ella Rose West says
Thanks so much for the advice – this is very useful for anyone (like me!) who has been approached to write their first review! Terrifying, but also pretty cool :o)
Ella x
Uju says
Glad you found it helpful Ella Rose. Reviewing is a lot of fun, and you should soon get the hang of it. Best of luck with your first effort and let us know how they go!
Tom @Ideas4Dads says
Thanks for this – very helpful 🙂
Uju says
You’re welcome Tom, feel free to Tweet us @MothersShakers with your favourite review or more ideas for topics you’d like us to cover!