You’re scrolling through a product page, trying to decide if it’s worth your money. Some reviews are a few lines of text. Others are thirty-second video clips of someone actually using the thing. Which one should you actually believe?

The honest answer is both — but for different reasons.

What Video Reviews Show You

Video is hard to fake. You can see the product’s real size, texture, and how it sounds or moves in someone’s hands. If a reviewer is unboxing a blender or trying on a jacket, you’re watching the actual experience unfold in real time, not someone’s summary of it.

That said, video isn’t automatically more honest. Brands sponsor video reviewers too, and a well-lit, well-edited clip can still oversell a mediocre product. Watch for whether the reviewer mentions any downsides at all — a video with zero complaints is worth a second look.

What Written Reviews Are Good For

Text is searchable and scannable. If you’re worried about one specific thing — does this run small, does it scratch easily, did it survive a toddler — you can scroll straight to a review that answers your exact question. Written reviews are also easier to compare side by side, which matters when you’re choosing between five similar products in ten minutes. The tradeoff is that text is easier to fake. A written review takes seconds to generate, with or without a real customer behind it.

The Smarter Approach: Use Both

Don’t pick a side. Use video to see the product in action, then scan a handful of written reviews to confirm the details that matter to you — fit, durability, customer service, whatever’s specific to your situation. If the video and the text reviews tell the same story, that’s a good sign. If they contradict each other, that’s worth paying attention to.

A Few Things Worth Checking, Either Way

Recency — A glowing review from two years ago may not reflect the current version of the product.
Specificity — Vague praise (“love it!”) tells you less than a reviewer explaining exactly what worked or didn’t.
Balance — A few honest negatives are more reassuring than a wall of five-star perfection.

At the end of the day, no single review — video or written — should make the decision for you. The goal is to build a fuller picture, one honest voice at a time.