Wondering how to get reviews on Amazon? You’re not alone. Sellers across the globe are constantly trying to figure out how to obtain more customer ratings.
Why? Well, positive customer ratings come with tons of benefits. From improving customer relationships to boosting your Amazon ranking, they can help ensure your store’s success.
Unfortunately, it can be difficult to get reviews on Amazon. You have to convince customers to leave a review while staying within Amazon’s strict guidelines.
Luckily, getting reviews isn’t as hard as most sellers make it out to be. For expert help, check out this comprehensive guide on how to get reviews on Amazon. We go over how reviews can help your store, the best techniques, and, perhaps most importantly, what NOT to do.
The Benefits of Getting More Amazon Reviews
Wondering if you should even bother getting more Amazon reviews? We think you should — it’s a simple way to help your business become more successful.
One of the most obvious benefits is that it will build your reputation. Customers will see that users are actually buying your products and taking the time to leave Amazon reviews.
Hopefully, the ratings will be positive and show others how great your products are. New customers will come to trust your store and buy your Amazon product for themselves. If your listing has no reviews (or lots of negative reviews), then no one will want to buy.
Another benefit of positive reviews? They can boost your product rankings. This benefit might not be immediately apparent, but it makes sense when you think about it.
Amazon cares about customer satisfaction, and when it sees that customers like a product, it will bring it to the top of search results. The site knows that products with good ratings are more likely to end in conversions and ranks them accordingly.
Of course, higher product rankings mean good news for you. You’ll widen your reach and increase your Amazon sales, especially for new products that don’t have any credibility yet.
How Do I Increase My Amazon Reviews?
Now that you’ve seen the benefits, there’s no doubt about it — those who are selling on Amazon strive for more positive reviews. At this point, you’re probably eager to start soliciting customers. But, before you dive in, you should keep a few things in mind.
For one, there’s no instantaneous solution. You’ll need to run a thoughtful campaign to get the results you’re looking for. Also, throughout the process, you’ll need to abide by Amazon’s policies. Violations can severely hurt your business and leave you in a worse place than when you started.
Later on, we take a closer look at these policies and what not to do. For now, let’s take a look at the best methods for increasing Amazon reviews. The following techniques will help you make the most of your resources while remaining compliant with Amazon’s policies.
Offer a Good Product
Before we get into the actual techniques, you need to understand the importance of offering a good product. Offering a good product will be the foundation of any successful Amazon review strategy.
Let’s say you use the techniques we discuss below. They’re effective, and they get tons of customers to leave reviews on Amazon.
But, if your product is subpar, it’s unlikely that everyone will leave five-star reviews. They’ll complain about everything wrong with your product, which will hurt your reputation and your Amazon rankings.
The only way you’re going to consistently get five-star reviews is by offering a good product. Sell something that will have customers eager to leave a positive review — they may even do it without you having to prompt them! They’ll talk about how useful they found it, leading to more customers wanting to get in on the action.
Use the Amazon Early Reviewer Program
Now that you understand the importance of offering a good product, let’s discuss the first method — using the Amazon Early Reviewer Program.
What Is the Amazon Early Reviewer Program?
Amazon recognizes that it can be difficult to launch a new product. With no one buying it right away, the product has a hard time getting the Amazon reviews it needs to rank.
So, to help out its sellers, Amazon created this program. This program is an authentic way to get real customer ratings.
How does it work? After enrolling your products in the program, Amazon reaches out to customers who’ve already bought them.
Does Amazon Pay For Product Reviews?
Through this program, the site asks for an honest review in exchange for a small reward (usually $1-3 gift cards).
Is It Legit?
When you hear that customers get compensation in exchange for an Amazon review, you might think the program is a scam. But we can assure you it’s 100% legit. Amazon oversees the entire process, and sellers do not influence what customers say. So, you can rest knowing you’ll remain compliant with Amazon’s policies.
Note that this method won’t guarantee you 5-star reviews on Amazon. The site encourages customers to be honest and gives the same amount of compensation regardless if they leave a 1-star or 5-star review. Remember when we mentioned that the foundation of any strategy is offering a good product? Yeah, that’s especially relevant when it comes to this program.
What Are the Requirements?
To qualify for this program, you must be a U.S. brand registered Amazon seller. Eligible products must be worth more than $15 and currently have fewer than 5 reviews.
After paying the fee of $60 products, Amazon will solicit real customers to leave a review for your items. It will continue to do so for one year or until it generates 5 new reviews (whichever comes first).
Use the “Request Review” Button
One of the easiest ways to get reviews? Using the “Request Review” button from Amazon, of course.
Really, it couldn’t get any simpler. All you have to do is log into your Seller Central account. Navigate to the Manage Orders page and click on an order. Under the Order Details tab, click the “Request a Review” button on the right side.
And that’s it! Amazon will then email a product review request to the buyer’s email address. The buyer will have the chance to rate both the actual product they bought and their experience with you as the seller.
How Many Times Can I Use the “Request Review” Button?
Seeing how easy the “Request Review” button is to use, you might be tempted to click it multiple times. But, Amazon only lets you push it once per order. This limit is probably for the best as spammy messages tend to annoy customers.
When Can I Use the Request a Review Button?
To email a request, you must wait at least 5 days after the delivery was complete. This waiting period is ideal as it ensures you don’t email a request too early. The customer will have plenty of time with your product to leave an honest review.
In addition to sending a request too early, there’s such thing as sending one too late. Once it’s been 30 days since the delivery date, you can no longer use the button to email a request. This way, all Amazon product reviews are timely and relevant.
Can I Customize the Message?
Every time you press the button, Amazon will email a standardized message to the buyer’s email address. The only unique thing about it is that it automatically fills in your seller name. You cannot customize it, nor can customers respond to the message.
The good news? Amazon automatically translates the message into your buyer’s language. As a result, you don’t have to worry about your customers not being able to read the request.
The Importance of Providing Responsive Customer Service
As we’ve mentioned, providing a good product is important. It will make sure your Amazon product reviews are as glowing as can be.
However, you should also focus on prioritizing customer service. This approach involves promptly handling complaints, exchanges, returns/refunds, etc.
Providing excellent service is important as people associate the store selling on Amazon with the product. If they like the product but have a negative experience with the seller, they may choose to write their product review in a bad light.
It’s even more important to provide excellent customer service when you use the “Request Review” button. As you’ll recall, Amazon will email a request for both a product review and seller feedback. Customers will take this opportunity to report on their experience with you, so you should make sure they have nothing but good things to say.
Use an Amazon Seller Tool
We’ve harped on how easy the “Request a Review” button is via your Seller Central dashboard. But, when you work with a lot of products, it can be tedious to go through all of your orders one by one. And when you have so many other things to take care of, it’s easy to get behind.
Luckily, you can automate the process. You will need to get a third-party Amazon seller tool like Feedback Five, Helium 10, or Jungle Scout.
With seller feedback tools such as these, gone are the days of clicking through orders. You’ll never forget to email a precious review request thanks to the seamless automation.
All you have to do is set up parameters, and the seller feedback tool will take care of the rest. For instance, you may choose to email requests as soon as you can — 5 days after the order is complete. The tool will email requests exactly when you want them to go out, ensuring you capitalize on every opportunity to get Amazon reviews.
Conduct A/B Testing With Amazon Seller Tools
The cool part about seller tools is that you don’t have to play the guessing game. Thanks to downloadable reviews and detailed analytics in easy-to-read charts, you can determine when the best times to email your requests are.
Other Perks of Amazon Seller Tools
Especially for new Amazon sellers, these tools may be quite an investment. They charge a monthly fee for you to use the software and get access to customer support.
However, you’ll be glad to hear that your investment will be well worth the cost. In addition to helping you get reviews, the tools offer plenty of other useful features.
For instance, consider Helium 10. It conducts keyword research, optimizes your product listing, handles refunds, manages your PPC campaigns, and much more. All of these features will undoubtedly make your life easier and help you get your store to the next level.
Enroll in the Amazon Vine Program
The Amazon Vine Program is similar to the Early Reviewer Program. See below for more details:
What Is the Vine Program?
Amazon created the Vine Program as yet another way to ensure customers have access to honest product reviews. Vendors can enroll by providing free products to ship to customers. Then, Amazon sends these products to customers to test out and provide reviews.
How Do I Get Free Amazon Products to Review?
You might be wondering who gets the honor of getting free products. Well, you should know that Amazon doesn’t choose just anyone.
The site selects users who provide the most helpful product reviews. Also called “Vine Voices,” these users get free products, test them out, and leave a review (can be either positive or negative). According to the terms of service, vendors cannot influence who reviews their products or the contents of the reviews.
How Can I Join the Vine Program?
Amazon Vine is a great opportunity for your store. So, how can you join?
Like with the Early Reviewer Program, you must be registered with the Amazon Brand Registry. You can enroll up to 20 products, all of which must have under 30 product reviews. They must also not be adult products and not require other items to use (for instance, you can’t enroll a bicycle seat as the Vine Voice would have to have a bicycle).
The program is completely free to enroll in. Though, you will have to send in products for Amazon to send to the Vine Voices for them to submit reviews.
Note that you can take advantage of this program for pre-releases. It can help set new products up for success by backing them with reviews before they officially launch.
How to Deal With a Negative Review
Once you employ the techniques above, you should gradually see an influx of reviews. Hopefully, most of them are positive. But, even if you provide the perfect product, you’re bound to eventually come head-to-head with a bad customer review.
Negative reviews aren’t the end of the world, but you shouldn’t take them lightly. These reviews can drag down your rating and deter other customers from buying your products.
Knowing the effects of negative reviews, you probably want to know the best way to deal with them. Luckily, we’re here to help. Next time you get a notification for a less-than-stellar review, don’t panic.
Here are some of the best tips for dealing with a bad customer rating:
Respond Publicly
Amazon allows sellers to publicly respond to reviews. This feature is one you should take full advantage of.
In your response, be sure to sympathize with the customer. Take responsibility for your faults and provide your perspective on the problem. Explain how you’re going to fix this issue and what you’ll do to prevent it from happening again.
Most customers will appreciate that you responded with compassion. Even if they don’t adjust their reviews, other customers will see that you care about providing great service.
Ask Amazon to Delete It
Sellers can ask Amazon to remove negative reviews. The chance of removal is relatively low as the site usually sides with customers. However, as the saying goes, it never hurts to ask. Amazon just might remove reviews if they violate the site’s terms of service.
Removal requests are especially important if you think you’re the target of a black hat operation. Unfortunately, competitors sometimes try to take down other stores in any way they can. They’ll use black hat techniques to leave poor ratings and tank your rankings.
Don’t Ask Customers to Change Their Reviews
When you respond to a customer, don’t ask them to change their reviews. They may do so of their own according. But if you ask them directly, you will be violating Amazon’s guidelines.
Don’t Ask a Customer to Contact You off of Amazon
Some sellers find it tempting to provide their name/email/phone number to unsatisfied customers. They feel that it will be easier to resolve the issue off of the seller messaging system. But, like asking a customer to change their reviews, this request is a violation of Amazon’s guidelines.
The best thing you can do is prevent bad reviews in the first place by offering great products and customer support. If you do get a negative review, stay calm and follow the tips we’ve suggested.
The Don’ts of Getting More Amazon Reviews
Throughout most of this guide on how to get reviews on Amazon, we’ve focused on what to do. But equally as important as knowing what to do is knowing what NOT to do.
We’ve referenced the Amazon guidelines throughout this article. As a seller, it’s in your best interest to get familiar with them. Violations (even unintentional ones) can lead to serious consequences for your store. So, here’s some more information about some of the no-nos.
Can You Ask For Reviews on Amazon?
This question is one that many sellers have. The answer is, it depends.
You may get Amazon reviews using methods such as the ones we listed earlier. The Amazon-sponsored programs and the Amazon request button, of course, adhere to the site’s policies. You can also trust seller tools like Helium 10 and Jungle Scout as they are 100% compliant.
However, when you start to use other methods, the line starts to blur on what’s okay and what’s not okay. For example, let’s say you have a large social media following. Your audience is very loyal, and you know they’ll leave reviews if you ask.
So, you take to your social media accounts to try getting reviews. To motivate your followers, you promise them a small incentive if they leave positive reviews.
This move violates many policies. For one, you can’t promise compensation in exchange for reviews. Additionally, even if you’re not promising something in exchange for a review, you can’t specifically ask for POSITIVE reviews. Amazon sees these tactics as manipulative and will punish sellers accordingly.
If you’re ever in doubt about methods for soliciting reviews (whether it be via social media, blog posts, etc.), make sure to consult Amazon’s guidelines.
Can I Use a Product Insert?
Many sellers are using a product insert. That is, they’ll put product inserts (AKA pamphlets) with review requests inside the product packaging. Is this allowed?
Technically, yes. As long as the pamphlet isn’t manipulative, doesn’t directly ask for a positive review, or promises something one exchange for a review, you should be fine with product inserts.
What About Fake Reviews?
Some sellers get so desperate for ratings that they start leaving fake reviews using fake accounts. It should go without saying that this tactic is a violation of Amazon’s policies. So, if you’re thinking about doing it, don’t.
Besides, fake Amazon reviews are tricky for people to leave. Verified reviews must come from customers with a verified purchase. Each Amazon product listing can only get 5 unverified reviews a week, and Amazon is usually quick to detect unusual reviewing behavior.
What About Soliciting Reviews From Friends and Family?
Most sellers are guilty of having friends and family leave a review on their product listings.
It’s true that your account probably won’t face suspension because of this move. However, you should know that it is technically against Amazon’s terms of service.
The site is surprisingly smart and can detect the relationship between sellers and commentators by analyzing IP addresses, shared shipping addresses, etc. So, we advise against this kind of solicitation. It will be much more rewarding (and safer) if you get reviews through legitimate methods.
Get Amazon Reviews Today
If you’re like others who are selling on Amazon, you might overlook the importance of reviews. But, once you realize their significance, you’ll maximize your store’s potential.
Start your campaign today with this helpful guide on how to get reviews on Amazon. We’ve provided the best tips to help you get tons of ratings. Perhaps more importantly, we’ve shown you how to deal with bad press and practices to avoid.
