Articles / Careers and Work / How To Write Excellent Reviews for Shared Reviews

Would you like to maximize your impact on readers at Shared Reviews? Do you wish that more people would vote for your reviews even though you have written quite a few? Here are a few tips.

Shared Reviews (SR) is primarily a venue for people who want to share their experiences using products. In January 2010 they added the possibility of writing articles on a wide array of topics in which you can share your expertise. And why do I think that I am qualified to write this article? I’ve been one of the top five reviewers almost every month since SR went live. You may think that you can’t become one of the best writers for any number of reasons, but with diligence you certainly can. You may not catch up in terms of total amount paid to you (Those who joined very early in Beta were paid $2 for every review. That initial scenario is not coming back, and we- myself included- will never catch a few people in total money earned.  But each month the current top spots are available to anyone!

Essential Elements of an Excellent Review:

It must be a minimum of 200 words, but unless the product really is very simple you should write at least 300 words so that it wraps around the first ad, and actually looks like a review and not part of the ad.

Shared Reviews is about... sharing. Reviews here are expected to include your own personal interactions with a product. In fact, if you just write down the product specifications, it is likely that the review will be pulled and sent back to you for revision. Tell people what you liked and what you didn’t like about the product.  While you are doing this, also include facts about the product, but dont just copy the list of features from the package or a web site.

Be sure that you review a product and not a brand. If you like a certain kind of children’s clothing, talk about a particular item that you bought. Then you can add some comments about your approval of the brand in general. If you really want to talk in general terms, you can now write an article about the overall brand, store, or service.

Be sure that you choose the correct category. Reviews in the wrong categories will be pulled and sent back for revision. Choose the category that reflects the product’s intended use! For example, you might use a dish towel as a rag for your ATV, but it is still a dish towel, and currently should go in Kitchen and Bath Accessories. As of Feb 2010, we are still waiting for a promised complete category revision, but it is coming. After that happens, with many more specific category choices, you will need to be even more careful, since it is assumed that there will be expanded choices for specific placement. For example, right now, lip balm might be a beauty product or a health product because it has no category of its own. So the administrators allow for some “sloppiness” on placement of items like this. We suspect that in the future most items will have a specific sub-category where they are supposed to go.

It must use standard English. Some reviewers do not speak English as a first language, and they are at a disadvantage in this area. However, readers can tell the difference between someone who is struggling with English and those who just don’t write well. At the very least spell check your review. Learn the difference between commonly confused words like lose and loose.

Proofread your articles while still in draft, before hitting publish. Once they are published, you can’t change anything! I find an average of two typos per review when I read my own. (Hopefully I won’t publish this article with any!)

Do not copy text from anywhere else! If your review is tagged as having copied content you will be banned. Each review must be unique to SR. In other words, don't plagiarize. You cannot even copy your own text from other locations.


Important Elements of an Excellent Review:

The title- a conundrum- Also since January 2010 the title is now the text in the URL. This will help search engines find reviews easier. However, it sure doesn’t encourage writers to use catchy titles. And the length is limited to 50 characters, including spaces. So the best title would have the product name and something about it all in those 50 characters, and do it in an interesting manner. One recent one of mine that I think is good is “Baking Soda vs 20-Year-Old Grease.” One of mine that is not so good is “I Think I’m Having a Wardrobe Megafunction!” That is really catchy, but a search engine doesn’t know that it is about a glove/mitten system for winter sports or what brand it is or anything. It will catch SR readers, but that’s all. You will need to choose which way you want to balance your titles.

The first  words are very important. Whenever the review is shown in a list (unless the viewer has chosen to show only titles, the first 75-80 words will be the first chance to pull a reader in, after the title, and entice them to click on your review. If you begin with some rambling, off topic lead-in to the actual review you may not prompt that click that is needed for a page view (and hopefully a vote).

Include a picture if at all possible. The best pictures are ones you take yourself. In fact, be careful about using images from other sources. If it is shown that your picture was used without permission the review could be pulled. Pictures always get people’s attention better than words. Show the product clearly, or show it being used. If you can take video, so much the better. About 3 minutes or less is a good length for SR. Video reviews are displayed randomly on the home page, so your writing with a video may get extra exposure no matter what your standing in the rankings.

Add tags! At the end of the form for entering your review is a blank for tags. These are search terms that will help others find your review. Separate them with commas, and choose words that include the brand, the kind of item and possible alternate descriptions. If possible use terms that also appear in your review.

Write that Excellent Review!

You can’t earn anything if you don’t get started! We all use products every day and we love them, hate them, or just feel indifferent about them. Use Shared Reviews to tell others about your experiences!