By Cassy van Eeden

Not only does it look great in a portfolio of work, but writing reviews demonstrate to both your readers and even potential employers that you are capable of forming well-rounded opinions and arguments based on specialised knowledge. Reviews demonstrate an ability to think both critically and objectively, as well as that you are able to engage in an in-depth way with your subject matter.

What is a review?

It is important to understand that a review is not simply a criticism of something you did not like, nor is it a compliment or complaint about a service your received.

Instead, a review is something that will generally indicate to readers whether or not they should do something before they do it. It is a piece of writing that engages interest and causes action, says author and blogger, Steff Green.

For example, before deciding which movie to watch, your audience may seek out reviews in order to determine whether or not they want to watch it.

Green says a good review is a “mini experience of the product – a taste, a flicker of the concept”.

Where do I start?

There are two main things to consider when sitting down to write a review: decide what criteria you are going to evaluate and determine what makes something good or bad.

Michael Klingensmith, CEO and founder of the Star Tribune, says, “The first thing you need to do before you start your review is decide what aspects of the item you are going to evaluate.”

Klingensmith says you need to ask yourself “what it is that can be good or bad about something you’re going to review”. He uses the example of a film review: “When you’re watching a movie, you can look at the acting, the special effects, the camera work, or the story, among other things.”

“Those are all items you can examine and decide if they are well or poorly done,” he adds.

The next step then, is to define what is good or bad, says Klingensmith. Before reviewing anything, you need to establish what would be a good version or a bad version of this thing. Then apply these standards to what you are reviewing, especially if you are pitting two or more things against one another.

What should I write?

The next step is to write your review. This may seem intimidating in the beginning, but as Alan Henry, deputy editor of lifehacker, explains, your opinion matters to your readers.

However, it is important to remain conscious of the fine balance between criticism and defamation. Henry suggests always bolstering your statements with your experiences of what you are reviewing.

Green advises opening with your argument and then backing it up with information throughout the rest of the piece to show readers how you came to your conclusion.

Writing a review, depending on the platform, gives you the space to be truly creative. “You have to put the reader inside the product, give them a taste, leave them breathless, haunted, hungry for more,” says Green.

She recommends using “comparisons with other words and examples from the product itself – snippets of lyrics, quotes, concepts and ideas”.

Do you have any review-writing tips and tricks? Let us know in the comments below.