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Consumer Search Guide

The six principles in the Search Guide apply to every search. This page applies them to common product research scenarios: pre-purchase evaluation, settling debates, comparing options.
  1. Settle a debate: search the exact product name and you get focused reviews. You’re arguing with a friend about whether a product is any good. Search the exact name and Sentimentary finds threads where people evaluate that specific thing; not the category, not the brand, that product. For example, if you want to settle whether a streaming service is worth it, try searching “Netflix.” If you want to compare streaming options, search “best streaming service.”
  2. Research for a specific group: name the audience and you get their take. Buying for someone else? Adding a group like parents, gamers, or students to your question narrows the results to people like them. For example, if you want to know how parents feel about gaming, try searching “what do parents think about video games.”
  3. Compare before you buy: two products in one search gives you head-to-head opinions. You’re down to two options. Search both names together and you get threads where people argue the merits of each in one place. For example, if you want to know which laptop people recommend, try searching “MacBook vs Dell XPS.”
  4. Find the problems: search for the negative and you get the critique. You want to know what’s wrong with a product before you buy it. Questions with dislike or hate surface criticism; every sample is already labeled, so your question brings the complaints to the top. For example, if you want to hear complaints about a popular product, try searching “what do people dislike about the Tesla Model 3.”
  5. Check if it still holds up: add a year and you get the current conversation. Products change. A year-old review might not reflect the current state. Include a recent year for fresh takes. For example, if you want current opinions on a product, try searching “what do people think about the Apple Vision Pro in 2025.”
  6. Start broad: try a single word and you get the full picture. You don’t need a perfectly phrased question. Search a single word (a brand, a product type, a trend) and Sentimentary builds the search from there. For example, if you want to know how people feel about a brand, try searching just the brand name.

Doing market research? See the Professional Search Guide.