It’s the Story, Stupid: The Consumer Reviews Most Likely to Influence Purchasing Decisions

Helpful reviews are like good movies or a good novel: if you’re hooked right away, you stay and remember. No matter how short, a review tells a story in much the same way as a novel. If you want to persuade, it should start with something dramatic and sensational or the key takeaway, rather than saving the best elements for the end. Narrative elements can change the way reviews influence people, and media literacy can go a long way. Social media influencers and professional reviewers should now also know that they are better off investing in creative writing or storytelling courses than choosing to analyze experiences factually. Further, software developers should learn to distinguish useful reviews from less helpful or relevant ones. With such skills, they can structure platforms in ways that make writing transporting, helpful, persuasive reviews as easy as possible and can develop algorithms that favor real and useful reviews.