Writing a good song or album review is like a lost art. Music blogs and curated playlists don't have the magic they used to back in the day, but there are still ways to make a blog dedicated to reviews that won't get lost in the sea of average music blogs.
Music reviewing is a subjective matter, and things can get tricky when it comes to opinion writing in the entertainment world.
How can you write the best reviews possible? How can you write a post that will make the featured artist want to share it with the world and make your loyal readers love you even more?
There are a few keys to a great music review format that I want to share with my music lovers out there who are looking to do the work and artists justice when it comes to their writing.
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It may seem obvious, but some people don't give the music enough of a listen before they review it. You may have time constraints in your day, but listen to the whole song or album multiple times to formulate the best opinion you can.
You may notice that your opinion shifts the more you listen to it, which is something you could also include in the review to give people more perspective on your opinion.
Sure, you've heard the song or album and seen a few pictures of the artist or band, but go beyond that and do a dive into their full music brand to get the whole picture of who they represent as a creator.
When you dive into the full brand of a musician, you may be able to get a different perspective on the particular song or album release that you are reviewing.
Many blogs write tons of posts that nobody really wants to read. Try to avoid the common and surface ways to describe a song or artist, like "It sounds great" or "This artist is really impressive".
If you aren't going to put any magic in your writing, don't bother writing it. Who knows, you may benefit from being the type of reviewer that does a video or a podcast, and blogging may not be your medium.
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For the most effective review, you will want to be truly familiar with the ins and out of music. The more you know about song creation, the better your opinion will be on the release.
A review that takes the time to break down many elements of the work shows that the reviewer is a professional that knows their stuff.
All the song's elements include the lyrics, instrumentation, mood, melody, and emotional performance of the main artist that is releasing the work.
If you avoid this type of writing or have factual errors in your critique of the artist's musicality, your opinion will not mean as much.
The more links and media you can include that will allow listeners to find more from the artist, the better. Include official websites, social media pages, and even contact emails, if applicable.
Make sure the links are hyperlinks; I've seen blogs promoting music and links that people would have to take the extra step to copy and paste, which lessens the chance of them actually visiting the links.
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Try to come up with an angle for your review that will leave a lasting impression on the person that is reading it. Your writing can be funny, persuasive, full of energy, and even a bit controversial if you take the time to get creative with your approach.
The more creative you get with your reviews, the more people will interact with your writing and come back for more posts from you in the future. What makes your writing style and opinion stand out from other reviewers?
You don't need to be brutally honest, but you don't want to be a generic ass-kisser with your music review either. You want to have the courage to have a less-than-positive opinion of the artist and not try to sugarcoat things if you aren't feeling them.
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You want to have the type of post that will rank high in Google if someone is searching for the music artist that you have reviewed. In order to get in the good graces of Google, you have to follow the rules of something called SEO.
SEO stands for search engine optimization, and the key is to construct your writing in a way that readers and Google will find helpful and appealing. For tips on SEO and music sites, check out my blog on it here.
Many reviewers get so excited about their writing that they don't bother to proofread it before publishing it to the world. You always want to proofread your writing, but your review writing is especially important to double-check.
Making errors with someone's personal art or brand can be a bit offensive, so be sure you're spelling names right and checking that all your links are going to the right place.
Your writing is, first and foremost, for your audience, so you want to keep the dialogue opportunities as open as possible when it comes to writing reviews. This means that you want to encourage people to give their opinion in a comment section.
You can take it a step further and make your post very shareable with extra social media share buttons. You could also employ a rating or likes system in your blog to encourage visitors to leave their opinion.
Reach out to the music artist directly after proofreading and publishing your review. The better your review is, the more likely they will be to share it with their network.
Many artists even include a press section on their websites and list blogs and other outlets that have reviewed their work, which also makes a great advertising opportunity for your overall blog.
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As a session singer, writer, and producer that has worked with over 300 clients to provide high-quality jingles, singles, and features, Yona spends her time creating and marketing new music and helpful resources for creators. Check out Yona’s latest releases on her Spotify, her Youtube and share if you like it!
If you are in need of singer, songwriter or song producer services, see what Yona Marie can offer you on her services page.
