Unique Alternatives That Will Shake Up Boring Reviews

There's a general consensus that reviews are the least liked and least read posts in the blogosphere. They're the posts that people skip reading, the posts that generally take the longest to write, and they aren't just easily plucked out of thin air, I mean, you've actually got to do an entirely different activity before you can even write anything, unlike discussions or how-to posts that can go from roaring idea to words in a matter of seconds. In fact, there's a lot of the same phrases going around lately..

• 'I'm never in the mood to write reviews.'
• 'I just can't bring myself to sit and write them.'
• 'I've got a backlog of reviews I just don't want to write'
• 'I don't read enough to be able to create constant review content.'
• 'Reviews are the least liked, so I like writing them least.'

The list could go on and on, but the general vibe is that reviews are demanding little buggers that want you to sit down and come up with fabulous words that don't always encourage anyone to do anything, and we simply don't have the time, the effort, or motivation for them if that's the end result. The said truth is, if you haven't heard of the book, seen the book, or read the book, you probably won't be clicking the 'read more' button, and that means you've wasted your time entirely.

It's time to shake up your reviews, creative style!

You actually don't have to write reviews for anybody, not for publishers, not brands, nobody whatsoever, at least, not in the way you're used to seeing them. You don't have to stick with the traditional paragraphed style, turning your focus onto something different for each one, you can actually do whatever the heck you want, however you want, and still get your feelings about a product or service without taking a head-first dip into a very deep well.

But Amanda, I don't know how! How do I write reviews that aren't, review like?

Aha, the million $$$ question. Oh, would you look at that, here's a lovely, inspiring list of various creative ways you can write 'book reviews' without feeling the need to gouge your eyes out with a spork.

Write a Conversational Letter to a Character

I've used this method quite a few times, my most popular examples being Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly, which wasn't too bad, and The Rain by Virginia Bergin, which really was not for me. It's proven to be a much easier method in terms of finding the right words, and it also feels more casual, more conversational and less pompous and professional, which is a million times more interesting and than a mature, concise, step-by-step review. It works well when you have serious feelings towards characters, be them positive or negative, but I'd wager they'd be pretty good for almost any type of book..

Write a Collective Recommendations Post

I bet you some serious coinage that you've stumbled upon posts titled '10 Dystopia Books Fans of The Hunger Games Simply MUST Read' or '5 Epic YA Fantasy Novels That Blew My Mind Recently' and been really tempted to check them out, more so than you ever been towards a review. There's an air of mystery surrounding the post, and the title is much more punchy than the plain old 'Book Review - Insert Title and Author Here' format. That's the reason these posts get more views - it's all in the title.

Related: 101+ Popular Blog Title Templates That Work via Olyvia.co

This method also allows you to quickly show off a small selection of books with a short and snappy piece relating to the topic you've chosen, without the need to stay up reading 10 books a night and drown your social life in a sea of books. Oh, did I also mention they're much more fun and less stressful to write, and that with the right kind of attractive images, these posts find themselves shared at least 60% more.

Speaking of images..

Create an Infographic or Image Review

Infographics are bigger than they've ever been lately with thanks to Pinterest, both physically and in popularity, and rightly so. They enable you to share a posts with of content, visually, attractively and all in one place, without the need to actually absorb the jumble of language. They're perfect for the lazy reader, and they're damn well perfect for sharing on social media too.

Although this method lends themselves to more the physically and artistically creative than those who are, less so, it's definitely a simpler way of recommending books and sharing your thoughts to people than an entire post, especially through Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. It's so much easier to get people clicking through to your content when they can see what the content includes, rather than promising them a screen full of text saying 'I LOVED THIS BOOK, READ IT!'

Create a Pro and Cons List, or Any Type of List

You actually don't have to go into huge amount of detail in reviews. I used to, but that was because I just naturally have a lot, I'm very much a keyboard talker, but if you're not, you don't have to be. You don't have to go into 'character development' or 'world building' if that's not your thing, just put the cards on the table. If it looks like a duck and sounds like a duck, then it's seriously just a duck, and the same goes for your reviews, if you didn't like something, and don't think someone else will like that something, then tell them about that something, without going around the houses.

You don't even need to be eloquently gifted with words, it could be as simple as:

• The ____ was so bad, I snored half way through.
• ____ was SO irritating, I wanted to throttle them.
• What the actual hell on earth was that plot twist?

Aim, shoot and fire bullets, it's a simple case of just go for it. Cait over at Paper Fury has done a cracking amount of examples using this method, in fact, it's almost her go to style, and it works. It's quicker, easier and much less demanding than a traditional review, and I find people actually prefer this style because it allows for simple skimming rather than setting up camp.

Include Images, Gifs or Videos

Now that blogging has quickly become more visual, it's a serious recommendation that you make use of it, and do it well. You only have to take a look at Youtube to see how well video has taken off, and in the business sector of blogging, Periscope has been a game changer for personalising and humanising business brands and lives.

Simple flourishes like your own photography between your traditional review can really make a huge difference, making the experience more positive and less text heavy, and it could encourage return visitors if they know the expect your beautiful shoots of the books you're reviewing. Inserting gifs could also completely change a review, or better still, creating a review entirely out of gifs can really bring something unique to the table.

Related Posts:

How To Prepare For Photography Photoshoots (complete with 50+ prop ideas!)
My Quick and Easy 5-Step Process To Editing Photos (with Picmonkey!)

You don't have to do what everyone else is doing. Go crazy!

You don't have to write a review, you don't have to critic a book as everyone else does, in fact, if you do something different, you're bound to be noticed for that difference, and your idea might be so good, people will follow in footsteps. You don't have to write reviews, you should never feel obligated to write as other people do. Get creative, do something different, share your feelings in a way that works for you, and whatever you do, do not feel stuck doing something you don't enjoy.

Do you feel unmotivated to write reviews, and if so, why?