Reviews are articles that take a piece of media or an experience and break down if it is recommendable for readers. While this seems like just an opinion piece, reviewers are supposed to be experts in their field, which makes their judgement is more than mere opinion. Every review has two audiences: a bunch of readers who want to know if they should read a book, listen to an album, watch a film or television show, or go to an experience, and a bunch of reader who have already read, listened to, watched, or experienced and need a reviewer to help them contextualize what they experienced. Thus, all reviews (whether written or or on video), follow this outline:
LEDE, SUMMARY, ANALYSIS, RECOMMENDATION
While all good reviews have a similar structure, reviewing a restaurant is very different from reviewing a novel. For each part of the review, I will touch on some specific elements to touch upon, but know that not every detail will apply to every review. In order to properly review something, you need to be an expert, so you will have to do your homework and know what you are talking about.
Lede: Starting strong
A lede paragraph is meant to set the tone of the article, introduce the article topic, and catch the reader’s attention. Since journalism is all about giving information quickly, the lede needs to provide all the information about an article that a reader needs to decide if they will finish the article or not. Thus, the lede of a review needs three things (typically in this order):
- The lede should set up the context of the thing being reviewed. For something brand new (like an original film or TV series, a brand-new product, a new restaurant, or the work of a first-time writer or director), the context will be about the novelty around this release. For a new product version, a sequel in a film series, a new season of a TV series, or a new book or album by an established artist, give the context around the reputation of the thing (Is this coming off a previous success? Is this a comeback story? Is this a remake or revival?) Most reviews cover new releases, so if you are reviewing something that was released a while ago, the context should be about what has driven the reviewer to review it.
- The lede should give the facts of the thing. For books, this means the title, author, publishing house, and price. For films, this includes title, director, studio, and release date. For TV series, this should be title, the season number, the channel or streaming platform it is on, and release date. For albums, this includes album title, artist, studio, and release date. For a product, this should include the product name, the company releasing the product, and the price. For a restaurant review, this includes the title of the restaurant and the location.
- The lede should reveal the "final verdict"--whether the reviewer would recommend the something to the reader or not but without the full explanation that comes later. This is so a reader doesn't have to read the entire article if they just want a quick bit of advice to make a decision about whether or not to buy the product or enjoy the experience.
Summary: What it's all about
After the lede, the next couple of paragraph should summarize the thing being reviewed. For books, films, and television shows that are plot-driven, discuss the main characters and the central conflict of the piece (for films, list the name of the actor for each character). Discuss how the beginning of the plot progresses and if the plot is clear or convoluted, realistic or fantastical. Make sure to avoid spoilers unless you are explicitly writing a spoiler review (which you need to label right away). For music albums, this should be a summary of the main ideas and tone of the album--what is the artist trying to accomplish with the album? Use specific songs to support your ideas. For products, summarize the product features and what the product is used for. For restaurants, summarize the menu options.
Analysis: How it works (or doesn't)
The analysis is important, as the analysis should examine specific elements of the work and examine if they are effective or not. Note this isn't how much the reviewer likes these elements--it's how well they objectively work. This is easiest to think about with product reviews: the analysis looks at all the product features and looks at if they are useful or work the way they should or not. Restaurant reviews consider each dish as a product and look at the elements of taste, temperature, appearance, and portion size. Albums should examine the vocal and instrumentation choices individual tracks, the lyrics of the songs (with quotes), and the musical influences that can be heard.
Story-based media is a bit more complicated. Novel reviews analyze the elements of style, the motivations of characters, and the way the story uses genre. Film and television reviews should examine the elements of film including acting by the performers, the quality of the cinematography (including lighting and coloration), the set and costume elements, the quality of the editing, and the use of sound. For book and film reviews, use important quotes and specific scenes to back up your conclusions.
This part of the review is the most important, as this is what proves to the reader that the reviewer knows what they are talking about and should be trusted by the reader. To build this ethos, a reviewer should use high level vocabulary specific to what is being reviewed that an audience would still understand. For example, a restaurant review would talk about texture and palette while a film review would use the terms perspective and shots. One way to make a reviewer sound legitimate is the use of comparison: by comparing the thing in question to other similar or different things, the reviewer sounds experienced and well versed in their subject. For example, comparing an artist's newest album to their first album shows the reviewer is an expert on the artist, while comparing the latest mystery novel to other similar mystery novels and films shows the reviewer is an expert on the genre.
Story-based media is a bit more complicated. Novel reviews analyze the elements of style, the motivations of characters, and the way the story uses genre. Film and television reviews should examine the elements of film including acting by the performers, the quality of the cinematography (including lighting and coloration), the set and costume elements, the quality of the editing, and the use of sound. For book and film reviews, use important quotes and specific scenes to back up your conclusions.
This part of the review is the most important, as this is what proves to the reader that the reviewer knows what they are talking about and should be trusted by the reader. To build this ethos, a reviewer should use high level vocabulary specific to what is being reviewed that an audience would still understand. For example, a restaurant review would talk about texture and palette while a film review would use the terms perspective and shots. One way to make a reviewer sound legitimate is the use of comparison: by comparing the thing in question to other similar or different things, the reviewer sounds experienced and well versed in their subject. For example, comparing an artist's newest album to their first album shows the reviewer is an expert on the artist, while comparing the latest mystery novel to other similar mystery novels and films shows the reviewer is an expert on the genre.
Recommendation: Is it worth it?
All reviews should conclude with a recommendation—should the reader engage in this experience or not? This is where the reviewer makes a final judgment on the topic based on what they discussed in the summary and analysis. Judgments on a work do not have to be (and rarely are) all-good or all-bad, but the ultimate recommendation is typically very binary (either the reader should or should not). Since this is a personal opinion, recommendations can be subjective and use first person pronouns (I and me). Also remember that reviews are entertainment and can use a more humorous or even literary tone than news articles.