RANKING SYSTEM
Picture This Post Review Writers’ Guidelines
Any reader of the PTP Writers’ Guidelines knows that a ranking system is antithetical to the matchmaker mission PTP reviews set out to complete; the Picture This writing style aims to empower readers to make their own decisions.
That said, we now include a ranking in ALL reviews: Each review must close with one of the following classifications:
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED – you are telling the reader, “Change your life. Change your busy schedule. Find time to see this/do this/read this,” etc.
RECOMMENDED – you are telling the reader, “You will likely find this a good use of your time. This is worthwhile with many positive qualities.” X, Y, Z would love this, but others, too, will enjoy it.
SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED** – you are telling the reader, “This will likely have strong appeal to X, Y, Z audiences despite flaws.” Practically speaking, this is the ranking of choice for anything you see that you personally find meh but know many others will love.
NOT RECOMMENDED** Only the creator’s mother would like this. It has nothing of note to recommend it.
**If you believe something is SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED or NOT RECOMMENDED, contact your editor to discuss before you begin writing. The goal of this discussion is to shorten time spent on the review by both you and others at PTP. If possible, your editor might give you permission to ignore various rules and guidelines in order to make this a very quick write.
Ranking Should ALWAYS Match Review Content
When deciding on a ranking for your review, ensure that your review language fits that ranking. We don’t want the reader to be surprised by the ranking. For example, if something is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, there should be evidence of language that says “highly recommended” throughout the review.
For example, in our HIGHLY RECOMMENDED review of WE’RE GONNA DIE, Lauren Katz writes “The unexpected amount of intimacy might fill you with a mix of emotions — this writer certainly felt surprise, but also a deep connection to the narrator.” This writer took ownership of her opinions of the production, but still described it in a way that gave reasons as to why she was ranking it as HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, i.e., describing the scene as unexpectedly intimate, as well as feeling a deep connection to the narrator. These descriptions show that the production did well in conveying emotions to the audience. Similar language should be present throughout a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ranking article.
For SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED, the review should not be exclusively or extremely complimentary — limitations should be highlighted, with the writer taking ownership of their opinion.
