You probably know already how important reviews are for your products. Today I’m going to share lots of ideas on how to get more product reviews on Amazon – plus other places you might sell.
The rules on Amazon are slightly different, so I’m going to include a few ideas you can use there (that won’t get you kicked off!) The other ideas will apply regardless of where you sell your product
So, first off, why do you want to work so hard to get reviews in the first place?
Reviews provide social proof. They tell you that other people have brought a product and what they think about it.
You can sell the benefits of your product as much as you like – but what an actual customer thinks holds a lot more weight.
Think about it, who would you trust more – the seller who’s promising the world, or the hundreds of customers who say the product’s no good?
Those hard-earned reviews are proof that your product is worth buying. They can be repurposed in all sorts of ways for your marketing, such as on your website, in Facebook ads, Instagram posts, on any marketing materials, etc.
How do you get reviews?
Now we know how important they are, how do you get them? The first thing is (and I’ve said this before, so sorry for repeating myself) you need to ask!
I saw a quote from Jumpsend that said
“Sellers using email campaigns see up to 8x more engagement.”
Sure, Jumpsend have a product they’re trying to sell too. However, in my experience, there is something in that. My reviews really increased once I started to ask for them.
Below are some ways in which you can ask.
Remember, on Amazon you can’t incentivise for reviews. So, if you’re unsure, stick to the Amazon-specific advice at the end of this post.
Tried and tested ways to get more product reviews from customers
1. Make sure your product is review-worthy and your product listing is great.
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Before you even start to think about getting reviews, make sure your product (and listing) is worth it.
2. Ask family and friends
You can ask family and friends (in person, on Facebook, etc) if they’d like your product in return for a review.
3. Ask people you don’t know
Be creative. If your ideal customer is a new Mum, ask local baby groups if you’re able to give out a few free products in return for a review. Or if you sell wool, cotton knitting groups, etc. The possibilities here are endless!
4. Ask in Facebook groups or forums
If you don’t know anyone who fits your ideal customer profile, find out where they are and write a post offering a free (or heavily discounted) product to anyone who leaves a review. If you’re worried about reviews not materialising, you can always offer a free product, on top of one they need to buy in order to qualify and leave the review. (So you’re essentially doing buy-one-get-one-free – BOGOF.)
5. Use product inserts
A little card in your packaging can ask (very nicely) for a review, as well as explain where to leave it. (Where to leave it is important if you have a website, plus a Facebook shop, plus an Amazon listing.)
6. Ask on your packaging
Have a few lines of text on your box or bag that asks for a review and explains where you can leave it.
7. Create a QR code
Get a code set up that takes customers directly to your review page – and put this on your insert or packaging.
8. Run a giveaway
Set up a giveaway in exchange for reviews and ask people to apply. Perhaps a requirement is that, as well as review, they’ll share a photo of themselves using the product that you can use on social media or your website. (More social proof!)
9. Run a competition
Make your product the prize and offer a heavy discount to everyone who enters. When you send them their discount code, ask for a review when they make their purchase. Make sure you ask the winner for a review too – and a photo!
10. Incentivise reviews
Perhaps offer a % discount on their next purchase or a free (lower value) product if they review their purchase.
11. Customer of the month / quarter.
Feature a review, or the best photo of your product every month on social media, or your newsletter.
12. Give a prize
Offer a prize for the competition above, to encourage entries.
13. Create coupons
Create money-off coupons, or BOGOF deals. Share and promote them.
14. Set up a pop-up
Set up a pop-up on your site that asks returning customers (you’ll need to do a little technical wizardry here!) to leave you a review.
15. Ask on social media
Do a post on social media (on your business page) asking customers to review you. Incentivise them if you need to.
16. Write a little note
When anyone buys from my Shopify store, I include a hand-written letter, thanking them for their purchase and asking for a review.
17. Email customers and ask
Send a follow up email to all customers, checking they received their product and were happy with it and don’t have any questions. You can then ask if they’d like to review it and perhaps share a link to make it simple.
18. Leave them for other people!
This one’s all about karma. I do believe that if you want people to review your products, it’s only fair that you review other people’s.
Getting more reviews on Amazon
The rules are a little different here. (If you’re selling in your own store, there are no rules, unless you decide to set them up!)
On Amazon there are two main things to know:
- Don’t ask friends and family
- Don’t incentivise reviews
There’s a slight grey area here, which is coupons and discounts.
Use promotions
You can set up promotions in Amazon to give either a monetary or % amount off a product.
While you can’t offer these in exchange for a review, simply by offering them (and promoting them) you’ll hopefully get more sales and, if you follow the next steps, more reviews.
The things you can legally do on Amazon to get more reviews are
19. Use product inserts
As long as you have a way to get the insert into the packaging before it arrives at Amazon (if you’re using FBA) you can do this. If you’re shipping yourself, it’s even easier.
20. Email your customers and ask
I talk about this in more detail in this article. You can either set up a system where you manually email all your customers, or you can use a tool such as Jumpsend to automate the process.
So, there you have it! Have I missed any? Let me know in the comments.