The Ultimate Guide to Online Mattress Reviews

How to write a “useful” online mattress review AND how to use a mattress review

Buying a new mattress today is a much different experience than it was 10 short years ago. The Internet, social media and online reviews have jettisoned word of mouth. If we want information about a product or service, all we have to do is swipe our smart device and it’s there at our fingertips.

At Restonic, we love how social media connects us immediately to the people who sleep on our beds – as well as potential sleepers. We love hearing how much people love our beds and why they won’t sleep on anything other than a Restonic. And while it’s hard to read a negative review of one of our mattresses, we appreciate the opportunity to do better.

If you’re in the market for a new mattress, are you reading online reviews to help you narrow the selection? Continue below for more info on that issue!

If you’ve recently bought a mattress, have you written a review to help other shoppers navigate the tricky path of mattress shopping? Sound like too much work? Writing a mattress review is a skill – but it’s an easy one to learn with a few helpful tips.

How to write an online mattress review – in 5 easy steps

The best online reviews offer up information that help future buyers make smart purchasing decisions. They walk a fine line between telling a story about the experience and describing product specifics. While even the most glowing (or scathing) reviews can share useful nuggets of information, most people gravitate toward reviews that offer logical, concise descriptions and product specs.

1. Share your retail experience but leave out sales people’s names. Your buying experience is as important as what you eventually take home. A helpful and friendly sales person, clean store and fair prices are all important points to include. Be honest in the attitude, helpfulness and skill level of the sales person but stick to first names only. The powers that be will know who you’re referring to and that’s all that matters. For example:

• Ben was helpful in showing us a variety of models in our price range and gave us time to try each one while explaining the features and benefits.
• We felt rushed and the sales person helping us didn’t answer our questions. We liked the store but would prefer to deal with someone else next time.

2. Include relevant product details. “It’s good” or “it’s comfortable” are hard terms for someone reading a review to understand because what’s comfortable for one person isn’t necessarily comfortable for another. While you may enjoy a firm mattress and call that comfortable, another person might be looking for something with more cushioning. When writing your review think about using clarifying statements:

• I wanted an extra firm mattress and this mattress met my expectations.
• I wanted soft, pillow-top mattress but the one I bought was too firm and I woke up with back pain.
• I suffer from fibromyalgia and wanted a very cushiony mattress – the one I choose allows me to sleep pain free.

3. Write about what’s NOT happening. When we shop for a new mattress, it’s usually to solve a problem. But after a few months of sleeping on a new mattress, we may have forgotten about our original complaints if the mattress is doing its job.

• Was tossing and turning your complaint? If you’re sleeping through the night, include what you to believe the reason. Maybe it’s better temperature regulation or lack of back pain throughout the night.
• How about pressure relief? If you don’t wake up with tingly arms or sore hips and shoulders during the night, then your mattress is probably doing pretty well on that front.
• No back pain in the morning? Your mattress must be providing you with proper support for your spine.

4. Keep your reviews simple. People who read review sites want your personal experience and product details but they also want to skim through many reviews. If your review is long-winded and the important parts are in the fourth paragraph, there’s a good chance your review won’t be read. Get to the point quickly and wrap-up with your recommendation.

5. Write reviews for products that delight AND disappoint you. If you’re a Yelp or Amazon reviewer, you already know the more reviews you write, the more people read them. But did you know that Yelp filters out reviewers who only post wholly positive or wholly negative reviews? Writing about products and experiences you recommend as well as those you want to warn other people about will help you and the people who read your reviews.

If you’ve thought about writing an online review of your Restonic mattress but don’t think you have much to say, that’s good news. It probably means your mattress is doing what you want it to do. We’d still love to hear your review though!

How to use an online mattress review to help you buy the right mattress for you

Is your mattress 8 years old – or older? Sleep better away from home than you do in your bed? Wake up with back, shoulder or neck pain – more than once a week? Might be time to consider buying a new mattress.

But where should you start? A new mattress can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars, depending on the brand, construction, style and size. There are as many varieties of mattresses as there are brands of cars. And when it comes to buying a new mattress, a poor investment can lead to wasted money and more sleepless nights – not to mention more mornings with that darn aching back.

We know you’ll do your research, scroll through reams and reams of online reviews. Do you know what to look for in a mattress review? Do you know how to sort the helpful, relevant reviews from competitors playing dirty or consumers bent on killing every brand they buy from?

These tips will help you weed out the poor review websites from the helpful ones.

1. Look for balance. A good review website will display a healthy mix of happy customers and those with complaints. A mattress is a unique and intimate purchase and every mattress brand will have customers on both sides of the satisfaction scale. What happens after the initial complaint is where you can get insights on customer service patterns with each brand.

2. Find the middle zone. Reviews that gush sunshine roses are as unhelpful as those that are filled with profanity and threats to the brand. The middle-of-the-road reviewers can offer you deeper understanding on the mattress they bought, their satisfaction and how the company dealt with complaints.

3. Stick to your preferences.  While mattresses are – at their core – simple white rectangles, what’s inside them are as different as a what’s inside a Lexus versus a Kia. Zero in on what you’re looking for in a mattress: latex, memory foam, innerspring or hybrid. And read mattresses with those components – more on that in a minute.

4. Read the “About Us” page. Understand if you’re reading truly unbiased reviews by consumers or one blogger who may be making an income based on clicks to the page. If it’s a blogger, according to the FDA, they need to disclose any monetary relationship between themselves and the brand. FYI, if one blogger reviews 20 mattresses each year, s/he is clearly not giving any of the mattresses long enough of a trial – it can take as long as a month for the body to adjust to a new mattress.

5. Ignore “Best of List” mattress articles. Best of lists are usually brand-sponsored or at the very least, driven by advertising dollars, which means the only way a brand gets onto that page is by paying to be there. Hardly unbiased.

6. Study the numbers. 5 stars from 200 people is slightly less credible as 4 stars from 700 people, right? Enough said.

7. Read the narrative. One reviewer’s negative rant might be your pot of gold. If reviewers state that a mattress was firmer than expected and you’re looking for a firm mattress, harvest that data for your upcoming mattress shopping trip.

Concentrate on your preferred mattress type and then focus on brand

Once you’ve found a mattress review site that offers a healthy balance of reviews, it’s time to focus on the type of mattress you’re considering buying. While there’s a wide range of materials that go into the construction of a mattress, there are some common components and mattress recipes.

What type of mattress are you shopping for?

• Innerspring mattress review. Watch for patterns in the reviews you’re reading. Which brands garner higher satisfaction for support, comfort and longevity? A supportive mattress is not necessarily a firm mattress and useful mattress reviews will help you find the brand that offers satisfaction in all 3 areas.
• Memory foam mattress review. This type of mattress is popular for consumers with joint or back pain and those looking for pressure point relief. Be mindful of temperature fluctuation complaints.
• Latex mattress review. Consumers who like latex mattress prefer a buoyant mattress. Unlike a memory foam mattress that allows you to sink into it, a latex mattress allows you to sleep on it. Understand those differences when reading through reviews – some complaints may be because the consumer bought the wrong mattress.
• Hybrid mattress review. Hybrid mattresses are taking the world by storm, but quality and construction can vary wildly. Understanding how the different components of these mattresses work together to solve your unique sleep challenges is key to finding the one right for you.
• Adjustable mattress review. These are not your grandparent’s mattresses any longer. They’re perfect for people with mobility issues, sleep apnea, acid reflux – and even snoring. And if you like to work on your laptop or watch Netflix from bed, they’re worth a second look.

When you’re done researching, the best thing you can do is test a mattress yourself. Grab your pillow and bring your sleep partner. A mattress feels different with the weight of two people on it. Why bring your pillow? Testing the mattress with your own pillow makes it easier to focus on the mattress – rather than a different pillow each time you lie down.

If you’re ready for a new mattress, we’d love to help you find the right one for you. Visit our Find a Retailer page and we’ll locate a store close by where you can lie on our mattresses and talk to a trained sales professional.

And after you’ve bought your new mattress, don’t forget to write a mattress review to help other mattress shoppers make a smart purchase.

Rest well & wake up ready to go!

Better sleep gives rise to better mornings, bringing your goals into focus and dreams within reach. Hungry for more sleep info? Dig into these posts:

• The essential guide to creating a bed(room) you’ll love sleeping in
• Mattress myths debunked
• Can CBD oil help you sleep better?

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