Crafting a Narrative Tapestry

I do product reviews.

I love product reviews. Why? Because as an introvert, I can be very opinionated. This is my first review (Officially) on Medium. I have written reviews before on my blogs and on HubPages. I did not know that I could write a review on Medium, but then I realized that people do reviews all the time. Sometimes, you do not realize it until the piece is done, and you feel proud that you have written such a masterpiece.

Tip: Write your articles as though it will be your last article ever. In other words, give it your best, undivided attention, as if the world is coming to an end in a few days or this is your dying wish to publish that great article. Let’s move on.

Reviews are observations on an item, product, service, or place you have visited recently. We are all observers. That’s what writers do. We observe the world through our eyes, and we are telling the world what our thoughts are. This observation can carry on through storytelling.

Oh, there’s that word again, storytelling. You are telling a story about a meal you had, a place you have visited, an item you bought, or a person you had an encounter with. Within that storytelling, you are describing what took place during that time. Here are some examples:

A friend wanted you to try a new flavor of ice cream from Cold Stone Creamery. You decided to give it a try. You loved the flavor but hated the service and the price of the flavor. You decided to write in your journal a blog post about Cold Stone Creamery. In the review, you talked about how much the ice cream cost, the different sizes, and the flavor you have chosen. Also, you talked about how the server did not understand what you wanted, gave you the wrong size, how the server acted like they did not want to work that day, and how overpriced the size was.

You decide to do an Amazon haul. It was one of those “Got to have it” hauls. In the haul, you talk about each product, what each item’s intended use is, and how well it performed for you. You ordered twenty items. Five of the items were exactly what you wanted and performed well for you. Two of the items are going to Kohl’s for a return because you did not like them, and they are not worth the price of admission. The rest you will review when you get to use them, in hopes that you do not have to return them to Amazon.

Clarification: Kohl’s is a department store chain in the United States that has been selected by Amazon to be one of the places you can return your items if there isn’t an Amazon Locker location or Whole Foods (another location that is owned by Amazon) near you.

You decided to check out one of Disney World’s resorts while on vacation. During this review, you teach your readers how to save money at Disney World while visiting the resort. You point out the different types of rooms, such as a standard room versus a villa for people who are Disney Vacation Club members, the different dining options, and what you thought about each situation.

Some say that doing reviews is difficult because of these factors:

1- You have to be biased on the subject matter. For example, under the example of Disney, since I am a Disney fan, I have to reserve my review “I love all of it” to a review that would benefit both the Disney lover and the Disney hater. I cannot have a one-sided point of view.

2- What are your expectations on the subject? Mention this in your review. An example of this is explaining that you expected your ice cream to cost $7 (USD), but it ended up being $10 (USD). Say how you felt (upset, disappointed, happy, or mad), and conclude like this: “I will not buy this again,” “I will buy with caution,” or “This ice cream was worth the $10 price.”

Tip: When mentioning the price, please put the correct currency, followed by country of origin: $(USD), €(EURO), £ (GBP), and so forth. Since you do not know who will be reading your article.

3- Always explain why you are doing the review and how you are being compensated. It is called a disclaimer, and it is an FCC rule on the internet. You could be held responsible if you do not have one. Not every article needs one, only the ones which you are being monetized for. I always, always, ALWAYS mention why I am doing the review (I.E I decided to try… I was invited…) and if I am being compensated (I.E. I bought this item with my own money… I am being reimbursed by the company… this is a paid sponsorship). I have a couple of rules:

a. I will not review it unless I am paying for it myself. I changed this rule about two years ago, and it is a rule practiced by Dreams Unlimited Travel. If you are paid, a company will expect you to give a good review. They want you to give an opinion, and if something is wrong, you cannot give an honest opinion. However, if you pay for an experience with your money, you can talk about the company and give an honest opinion about it. There are a few exceptions, which I will explain later in this article.

b. You always want to turn in the review early. Why? Companies have a deadline, and they will tell you this. Why? It gives them a chance to review the story, and agree to it, and if there is compensation (Money, product, or discount), it takes time to get to you. Plus, if something goes wrong, i.e. the review not reaching them, you have the time to send another copy.

c. Follow the rules. Yes, even the company has rules to your rules. Before signing up, I always read the rules twice. I run it through, then read it again for clarity. You do not want to mess things up. If the rules state to share on Instagram, you better have an Instagram account. If the rules state to share twice, share it at a minimum of twice (or more). Share with the company where the ad is and how many times it was shared.

d. Keep a record of everything. Create a spreadsheet, notebook, or computer log of every engagement you have with the company.

e. Always thank the company. Say something simple, like “I would like to thank Cold Stone Creamery for inviting me to try their new flavor of the month.” If it is not sponsored, say, “This trip is not sponsored by Disney.”

Mystery Shopping:

Mystery shopping is a product review. I recently started to mystery shop again. Mystery shopping is when you go into a store and check out their products or services. There are all kinds of mystery shopping from restaurants to apartment complexes to theme parks. You go in and shop or participate as normal. If you are doing it through a paid site, that company may have you complete a task, such as “buy $20 (USD) of Bath and Body Works products and submit the receipt with your review.”

For these, I have to do a review because nine times out of ten the product is bought with your money, but you will get a refund and commission. Sometimes the product review you submit is to a company, whose sole purpose is to do reviews, and sometimes a company like Bath and Body Works may have you do a review on one of their low-performing stores or products to see how they can improve that store or that product, or to change it, or if they need to discontinue the product or close that location.

Conclusion:

A product review is an experience you have with a product, service, or company. Keep in mind that when you do a review, your opinions may not reflect the opinions of others. This is why it is a good idea to give an honest review. Paid reviews are different from non-compensated reviews, which tend to be biased in some cases. Both kinds of reviews are welcomed but learn to spot the difference between an unpaid and paid review when you read them. Try to keep a record of your reviews.

Remember that mystery shopping is a paid product or service review, and many times, a store or venue is not aware they are being mystery shopped.

So, give product or destination reviews a try, and brighten up someone’s day.