Reviews: Purpose

The Core Purpose of Reviews

A review is intended to evaluate or critique a piece such as a book, film, product, or performance.
The key purpose is to inform readers about the product or experience, providing them with enough information, both positive and negative, to make a judgement about it.
They are also meant to engage the audience, with an interesting and well written review being entertaining in itself.

Another significant purpose of a review is to guide decision-making. It helps the reader make up their mind about whether to see a certain film, read a book, or buy a product.
The review needs to provide an honest evaluation. It’s essential to gain readers’ trust - they have to believe that your review is truthful and uninfluenced by external factors (like sponsorship or bias).
Remember that a review serves its audience - always consider what the audience would find useful or interesting about the piece being reviewed.

A review is one of the few forms of writing where personal opinion is not just permitted, but vital. The reviewer’s personal reaction to the item is key to the review.
While facts and information about what’s being reviewed are important, the hallmark of a good review is a clear and distinct personal voice. Let your personality shine through.
However, always remember that your opinion must be supported by evidence. For instance, don’t just say a book was good or bad - explain why with examples from the text.

Many reviews have a persuasive intent. The reviewer’s goal might be to convince the reader to (or not to) buy a product, see a film or read a book.
Techniques such as rhetorical questions and emotional language can be used to persuade the reader, but remember that this persuasive aim must be secondary to providing an honest evaluation.
Although you are persuading, your position should never feel forced. Your reader should feel they are coming to a conclusion of their own accord.

Finally, reviews have another longer-term purpose: they play a role in defining what will be remembered in the future. They contribute to a generation’s cultural memory.
Through reviews, a community defines what is good, what is bad and what is important. In that sense, a review links the individual experience to a shared cultural dialogue.