Because of the internet, more people scour business reviews now than ever. When it comes to the art of good reviews, five important elements to keep in mind are:

• What
• Why
• Who
• Where/How
• When

Be sure to read our other articles and stay tuned for the next ones coming out in our series! This one will be focusing on: why.

We Love a Good Story

Benjamin Franklin once famously wrote, “…in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” If we were to add a third certain fact, it would be story.

The art of story and storytelling has been around since the beginning of time. We find hieroglyphics in ancient Egyptian tombs and theatre theory from the Greeks. Similar to survival and companionship, story is something human beings naturally yearn for. It’s why we watch television and read books.

And at the end of the day, the reason we scroll through reviews is to read stories.

The Good

Owners are often pleasantly surprised after they ask a customer to write a review. They usually assume the review will be a short, “Great service!” with (hopefully) 4 to 5 stars. But many times, they end up receiving a paragraph outlining the customer’s entire experience, filled with praise. Review-writers naturally do this because they’re emulating the types of reviews they enjoy reading and find helpful.

And the Bad

You will notice that on nearly every review site, reviews that are both bad and long get the most reactions (likes, thumbs ups, etc). Humans crave story, and story is conflict. We can all admit our scrolling pauses at long reviews, almost hoping to get some juicy insider secrets.

That’s why it’s important to ask for reviews from happy customers. Because while we like stories with drama, we also love happy endings. Your positive reviews may not be as popular as your negative ones, but potential customers will still believe them, especially if they include a good story.