Minette Hand has written many reviews on houses on Apartment Therapy, a commercial website. One such review is titled: A One-Bedroom Becomes Two in a “Traditional Glam” Manhattan Rental.  The owner of the house, Chelsey Brown, converts her one-bedroom apartment into two while still maintaining her goal of a spacious and stylish home. Hand uses direct quotes from Chelsey and pictures so the readers feel they can relate to Chelsey and, hopefully, click on links that provide Apartment Therapy commissions.

The article’s gallery contains over 20 pictures that provide visual aid to the text. Some pictures support Chelsey’s claim that she “love[s] neutral colors” by featuring neutral colored furniture. One of the pictures include a gold skull that supports Chelsey’s claim that she is “obsessed with… gold.” Chelsey’s style is emphasized to give readers something to relate to. Additionally, Apartment Therapy capitalizes on the interest a reader might have on an item seen in a picture by providing a link to it in the caption. Ultimately, the gallery give readers insight to Chelsey’s fashion style to give them the urge to want something from her and provides an easy path to buy what they want in the form of links.

The first paragraph of the article is almost entirely a quote from Chelsey on her style. The survey at the end contains Chelsey’s response to questions by Hand, including: her source of inspiration, favorite element, and biggest indulgence. With more than 50% of the article being quotes from Chelsey, it is clear that the article is giving information about Chelsey to let the reader decide if they like it or not. If Chelsey’s sense of style, or her lifestyle causes the reader to replicate some of her design choices, a list composed of links to all items featured in the article is provided at the end of the article.

In summary, Hand’s use of direct quotes from Chelsey and pictures of Chelsey’s apartment are used to show Chelsey’s life and fashion style. Her love for neutral colors and gold, her budget strategies and the pictures that showcase her house all encourage those that have similar styles or those looking for inspiration to click on links that allow them to buy an item they are interested in. These links give a commission to the provider, Apartment Therapy.

 

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