Directly asking for reviews is important, but convincing customers to write a review goes beyond the ask. You\u2019ll need to show them their opinion has value, and make it easy for them to leave reviews.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Today, we cover 18 ways to get customers to leave reviews. But first, we go over the main reasons why online customer reviews are so powerful.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Why you need customer reviews<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nReviews are free, organized word of mouth!<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
We can\u2019t emphasize enough how effective word of mouth is for gaining new customers<\/a>. But word of mouth can sometimes be unpredictable and hard to organize.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Not so with reviews. Review platforms collect and organize what people are saying about your products or services in easy-to-access places. And it costs nothing (or almost nothing) to get customers to leave reviews!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Why is social proof<\/a>\u00a0so powerful? People who don\u2019t know whether to make a purchase tend to consult the opinions of others. They trust their peers<\/a>\u00a0much more than messages that come directly from your brand.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n So when they see many positive reviews of you, your prospective customers will be more inclined to buy. Social proof accelerates lead generation<\/a>\u00a0and boosts conversion rates.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Source<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n If you\u2019re a local business<\/a>, reviews (especially Google My Business reviews) help your website climb search engine rankings, thanks to local SEO. Even if you\u2019re a bigger business or don\u2019t have a physical location, getting positive reviews on prime review sites<\/a> will help your brand occupy more top ranking slots for your most important keywords. \u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Now that we\u2019ve gone over the benefits, let\u2019s dive into how to get customers to leave reviews. We\u2019ve collected 18 proven tips and strategies below.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n People love to share their opinions \u2013 they may just need a reminder. Don\u2019t be afraid to ask for reviews.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n There are two main ways to ask for reviews: directly and indirectly. Using a combination of both is the best way \u00a0to convince customers to leave a review.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Direct asks involve using a clear prompt that shows you\u2019re asking for a review (e.g., \u201cWe\u2019d love your feedback!\u201d or \u201cLeave us a review.\u201d) You could ask for a review directly in an email, in a social media post, on your website with a \u201cLeave a review\u201d button, with a reminder card, in person, during a phone conversation, or during a video call.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n But don\u2019t leave out indirect asks. These are when you include a subtle review prompt in marketing materials that aren\u2019t focused on asking for a review. For example, leaving a link to a review site in a newsletter, or in a receipt email, counts as an indirect ask. As does saying \u201cWe\u2019re on Trustpilot,\u201d \u201cWe\u2019re on TripAdvisor,\u201d or \u201cWe\u2019re on Yelp\u201d without directly asking for a review.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n For more on asking for reviews across different platforms, and ready-made templates for asking for a review, check out our detailed guide on how to ask for reviews<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n It\u2019s not ethical to ask for positive reviews directly, as you want your reviewers to provide genuine customer feedback. (Plus, asking for positive reviews makes it look like you\u2019re gaming the system.)<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n But there is a way to increase the odds of receiving positive reviews.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n How? By asking when customers are happiest<\/a>. This increases the likelihood your customers will \u00a0not only leave a review, but also give a high review score.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Ask shortly after a purchase: <\/strong>After checkout, customers have your brand top-of-mind and are likely more willing to share their thoughts. Make sure they have time to become familiar with your product or service before you ask for a review. For example, if you\u2019re a software company, wait a few days before asking for a review. Allow them enough time to onboard and explore your platform first.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Ask after a <\/strong>repeat <\/strong><\/em>purchase<\/strong>:<\/strong><\/em>If someone has made a repeat purchase from you, or has renewed their subscription or contract, that\u2019s a sign they love what you have to offer. Ask for reviews from these loyal customers \u2013 the more repeat purchases they\u2019ve made, the better!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Ask soon after they\u2019ve complimented you on social:<\/strong>\u00a0Did someone make a glowing, unprompted social media comment about your brand or product? If you found it soon after they wrote it, your product is still top-of-mind and it\u2019s the prime time to ask for a review.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n So how can you keep on top of positive social media posts in real time? Brand mention tools<\/a> and other\u00a0online reputation management<\/a>\u00a0software, can help.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Ask after you\u2019ve received stellar feedback:<\/strong>\u00a0Did someone compliment you on your customer service, whether in-person, in a thank-you email, or during a call? Turn this feedback into a positive review, and ask if the customer could take a few minutes to leave you a review.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Ask customers who have just referred a friend:<\/strong>\u00a0They love your brand enough to share it with friends, so why not ask these customers to share the love through a review as well?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Ask survey-identified happy customers:<\/strong>\u00a0Run an NPS survey, CSAT survey, or other customer satisfaction survey. Find the customers who are most likely to promote you, based on their responses, and ask those customers to leave you a review.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Don\u2019t just ask for a review in a separate email. Receipt emails and shipping emails are prime places to include a review link, as these emails always reach customers shortly after a purchase.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The review link should come in the receipt email, if your company is service or subscription-based. Or in the shipping email, if you sell one-time, physical products (as it\u2019s best to ask for the review after the product is received).<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n To simplify the process and optimize for the best times to ask for a review, you can automate the sending of review emails. For example:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Even though automation saves you time and energy, a personalized request may be more convincing for getting customers to leave a review. It shows top customers you value their opinion highly.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Our recommendation is to save personal requests for the customers you think are most likely to leave you a positive review<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n In a personalized review ask, thank the customer for choosing your business and highlight what they\u2019ve helped you accomplish. If they\u2019ve given you glowing positive feedback, referred a friend<\/a>, or stayed a loyal customer, be sure to mention that and thank them as well.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Then, go into the review ask. Explain how the review helps your business, and how it helps others become informed about what you offer.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n If you start the review ask process with an open-ended question, you can learn more about what your customer thinks of your product or service before asking for a review.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n This process allows you to source genuine feedback, as well as personally ask customers to leave a review only when you already know they\u2019re satisfied. (No one wants to ask for a review only to find out your customer had a bad experience!)<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Start your conversation with one of these questions:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Then, if you can tell your customer was satisfied with their experience, ask them to leave a review (and encourage them to use your conversation as a basis).<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n One of the best ways to convince customers to leave reviews is to remind them why reviews are so helpful. Of course, this resonates most with your satisfied customers, who already believe in your business and are happy to help \u2013 it also promotes positive reviews!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Explain to customers how reviews help your business know what it\u2019s doing well and what it can improve. But more importantly, mention why reviews help potential customers make an informed decision about whether your product or service is right for them.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n If you sent a review request to a customer and they haven\u2019t reviewed you yet, don\u2019t be afraid to follow up with them. They may have forgotten about the review, even though they had every intention to leave a review about your business. And if they simply put it off the first time, your persistence may convince them to review you if you ask again.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The more options customers have for writing reviews, the more convenient it is for them to actually write one. More options also mean more real estate that your brand could occupy in SEO rankings, creating more opportunities for potential customers to discover and learn about your brand.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n So, give customers multiple platforms to leave a review, including:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Make sure your review page is easy to access in multiple ways. This means optimizing web pages, emails, and social posts so it\u2019s as easy as possible for customers to leave reviews.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Customers should be able to reach a review site in as few clicks or steps as possible.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Regardless of the method you use, emphasize how easy it is for your customers to leave a review. Remind them it only takes a few seconds to click a star rating, and only a few minutes to write a review.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Reviewing itself needs to be as easy as possible if you\u2019re going to successfully convince customers to leave a review.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n After they land on the review page, deliver on your promise \u2013 make sure it only takes a few minutes to leave a review.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Time is usually one of the biggest points of friction between your business and a review, so reiterating the short time it will take to leave one can make a big difference.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Also, the review page interface should be simple to figure out and use. Limit the amount of text you display and keep your explanation brief.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Why not make reviewing even easier, by volunteering to help customers write part or all of the review?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Whether you\u2019re looking for a testimonial for your own site or for a third-party site, you could provide a template with highlights of your business relationship to jumpstart their review process.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Or, after a happy customer agrees to leave a review, you could even provide a sample of a full review they could leave, based on what they\u2019ve shared with you in the past. Volunteer it sincerely, explain that it\u2019s intended to help make the customer\u2019s review process easier, and tell them they can edit it however they wish.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Customers don\u2019t have to use your prompts, but they will be a helpful guide for them when writing their review.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n On a smaller, less personal scale, you can use review prompts with all reviewers. How? Give customers suggestions about the topics they could address in the review, using this as a starting point for their writing.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n For example, did the product arrive on time? How was the customer service? How did the product perform?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n If you\u2019re in ecommerce, consider designing your purchase history tab around reviews, as Etsy has. Their purchase history section is marked as \u201cPurchases and Reviews,\u201d as a way to encourage buyer feedback.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Once buyers open this section to check recent purchases, Etsy marks recently delivered purchases that haven\u2019t been reviewed yet as \u201cAwaiting Review.\u201d Buyers see a prompt to review these items, and can instantly click on a star rating to start their review, like in this example with stickers.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n When they click on the star rating, a pop-up opens inviting customers to leave a more detailed review.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n And Etsy doesn\u2019t stop there. The website uses prompts to encourage customers to get their review started, and reminds customers how a review helps the Etsy community make better purchasing decisions. Why not implement some \u2013 or all! \u2013 of these ideas in your own review system?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Offer an incentive<\/a>\u00a0if you can, as a way to encourage customers to write a review. When customers see a reward is available, they\u2019ll be more inclined to give their feedback. Rewards could range from discounts, to store credits, to contest entries, to points in your brand\u2019s loyalty program.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Having said that, make sure to offer rewards with caution.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n First, be sure to offer a reward for any honest review, not just a good review. Bribing customers to leave positive reviews with rewards is unethical.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Second, and more importantly, you\u2019ll need to make sure the review platform you\u2019re using allows you to incentivize reviews. This greatly varies from platform to platform.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n For example, Google does not <\/em>allow you to incentivize reviews with rewards (or even with entries into a drawing). If Google finds out you reward reviews, Google could remove all your Google reviews<\/em>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n On the other hand, Facebook does<\/em>\u00a0allow you to incentivize reviews. And of course, if you\u2019re collecting reviews on your own website, you can incentivize away!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Every day, your average customer spends over five hours<\/a>\u00a0on their smartphones, and an estimated 70% of web traffic<\/a>\u00a0comes from mobile devices.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Design all of your review-related materials on mobile first, so it\u2019s easy for customers to access a review platform and write a review straight from their smartphones. \u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Some third-party review systems may be out of your control, but you can still make other parts of your review process mobile-friendly, such as any surveys leading up to reviews, the buttons linking to review sites, and the review emails you send.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n When customers actually do write reviews, take the time to write a personal reply to thank them for their feedback and show you\u2019re listening. And don\u2019t just reply to the five-star reviews.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Reading and replying to a negative review<\/a>\u00a0shows you\u2019re paying attention to all\u00a0the feedback you receive \u2013 and committed to acting on that feedback.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Customers who haven\u2019t written a review yet will see and appreciate your response, and be more motivated to leave a review of their own.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Another way to make reviewers feel appreciated is to share your most glowing reviews on social media. This also brings reviews to the forefront, shows the reviewing options you have available to all customers, and encourages customers who haven\u2019t left a review yet to leave one.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n And with the focus on highlighting your best reviews, this strategy is especially effective for encouraging satisfied customers to leave a positive review.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Australian brand Riff Raff & Co. shares a customer\u2019s positive review on Instagram.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n If all your employees are as invested as you are in getting reviews, it will be much easier to get more customers to leave reviews.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Make sure employees know how important reviews (and stellar customer service<\/a>) are to your brand\u2019s success.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n More positive reviews mean your business will be easier to find and trust, and if a positive review focuses on exceptional customer service<\/a>, they might even shout out one of your employees by name.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n On the other hand, too many bad reviews could hurt your business\u2019 bottom line, especially if you don\u2019t use negative feedback to improve your products and customer experience. And if an employee is mentioned in a negative review by name, this may prompt a one-on-one talk with them about improving their interactions with customers.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n You\u2019ll need to do everything you can to resolve the issue, as this may convince a reviewer to delete their complaints and replace them with a positive review. But if you don\u2019t address it right away, things could get a lot worse for your brand.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Train all your employees on the best practices for asking for reviews, including when and how to make review requests. And make sure that they don\u2019t forget to thank customers who have already left reviews.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Now that you know how to get customers to leave reviews, you have the tools to boost your social proof. But getting reviews<\/a> is only half the equation. Monitoring reviews \u2013 and acting on the feedback you receive \u2013 are just as vital as getting reviews.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Check out our previous article for tips on monitoring the reviews of your business<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nCustomer reviews help you build social proof for your company.<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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![\"five](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/five-star-review.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nReviews help occupy more ranking space for prime keywords and boost your SEO.<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
How to encourage customers to write reviews?<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
1. Ask directly and indirectly<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
2. Ask when customers are happiest<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
3. Include review links in receipt and shipping emails<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
4. Automate the review ask<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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5. Personalize in your review requests<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
6. Start the review conversation with an open-ended question<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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7. Remind customers how reviews help your business<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
8. Follow up on review requests<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
9. Give customers multiple ways to review<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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10. Meet customers where they are<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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11. Remove any friction in leaving a review<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
12. Help customers get started writing reviews<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
13. Add an “awaiting review” reminder on customer account pages<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"year](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/year-of-the-ox-review-prompt.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n![\"year](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/year-of-the-ox-leave-a-review.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n14. Incentivize customer reviews<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"incentivizing](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/incentivizing-reviews.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n15. Make it easy to leave reviews on mobile<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
16. Engage with previous reviewers<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
17. Share glowing reviews on social<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"riffraffsleeptoys\"](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/riffraffsleeptoys.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n18. Encourage\u00a0employees to ask for customer reviews<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Wrapping up: How to get customers to leave reviews<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n