In order to write a great product review, you need to do a considerable amount of research into a product. You need to find out:

1. How the product works (e.g. product description, product specs, etc.)
2. How well the product works (e.g. what the product excels at, any minor problems, etc.)

How The Product Works

To find out how the product works, you can just do a quick Google search by typing in the product name. Depending on the product, you will usually find the manufacturers page or an Amazon page. From these places you can find out basic product information, how it works, what it’s used for, etc.
When doing this preliminary research, ask yourself:

• Why would someone be interested in buying this product?
• What problem does it solve for people?
• How valuable is the product for people that are interested in buying it?

In essence, you want to put yourself in the shoes of your reader. The last question in the above list is probably the most important as people will usually only buy products they perceive as valuable. If the potential benefits of buying a product outweigh its cost, they will be more likely to buy it.

There are many ways that advertisers (and manufacturers) will increase the perceived value of a product. Sometimes they will offer free shipping (Amazon does this on orders over $25), a bonus DVD, double the order, or offer a money back guarantee. All of these things are done to increase the potential benefits the customer will attain through buying the product.

Watch any infomercial and you will see these ideas in motion.

The presenter will often offer all of the above things (and more) to try to get someone to buy the product being advertised. They want the person to think that there are so many benefits when they buy the product that they would be crazy not to buy it.

As you do your research, make notes of any possible ways you can increase the perceived value of a product in your review.

How Well The Product Works

Ultimately, you want to assess how well a product works in your review. There are two basic ways you can find out how well a product works:

1. Try the product yourself
2. Read about it in customer reviews

The very best thing you can do is try the product yourself. This allows you to actually experience how well the product works. It also gives you the opportunity to take pictures of it which you can include in your review. Both of these things make you sound more authoritative when reviewing a product and can therefore increase your conversion rate (the number of visitors you convert to buyers).

However, if you can’t buy the product, you can also find out how well it works by searching around the web. Some of the best places to find this information are:

1. Google
2. Amazon
3. Youtube

Google

Be careful with Google, because you might find that a lot of the so-called “customer reviews” you come across are actually affiliate pages. As a result, the person writing the review has a vested interest in visitors buying the product and will likely be biased.

Some of the best places to find customer information on Google are from forums. You can do a Google search in forums by searching in “discussions” which is on the left hand side when you do a Google search.

Amazon

If you’re promoting a physical product, Amazon is a fantastic place to find customer reviews. Often times individual products on Amazon feature hundreds (or thousands) of customer reviews. You should read through these reviews to find out what real customers think of a product.
Some things to find out from customer reviews:

• What people like about the product
• What people love about the product
• Hidden benefits of using the product (something manufacturers don’t mention in their product descriptions)
• How well different aspects of the product perform (e.g. for espresso makers: how well it froths milk for cappuccinos)
• Some minor drawbacks/problems with the machine

Wait a second... Drawbacks? Problems? Won’t these dissuade someone from buying the product?

In my opinion, presenting minor problems with using a product actually increases conversion rates. This is because including them in your review actually makes your review more balanced. Your reader will realize that you are presenting an honest look at the product rather than just try to get them to buy the it.

For example, for the Cuisinart EM-100 espresso machine, some customers complained that the steam wand was not very maneuverable. If you used a very large pitcher for steaming milk it might not fit under the machine. This is a great problem to mention, because it is only a minor detail to worry about and also informs your reader of the kind of milk pitcher they may have to buy (e.g. a small or medium sized one).

Try to find one or two minor drawbacks to mention in your review.

Youtube

Youtube is a great source for information on how well a product works. Often times you get a close-up look at how a product works – you can see the product in action. Try to avoid “official” product videos and try to get personal youtube videos on someone using a product.

Take note of the best one, as you can imbed this in your review to add to the user experience and make your article seem more “authoritative”.