Expert Guide: 5 Ways to Get Positive Reviews from Customers

Consumers and businesses read reviews before buying anything, especially online. Here's how to get positive reviews from happy customers.
get positive reviews

Consumers always read customer reviews before they purchase from a business, making client testimonials one of the best ways to boost sales. But how do you get positive reviews from customers?

While search engines and brands value positive reviews, you can’t expect your happy customers to participate unless you encourage them.

How to Get Positive Reviews for Your Business

The art of asking for a positive review involves making a kind request without coming off as forceful or annoying. 

Here are some ways you can effortlessly (and creatively) ask for reviews.

1. Ask for Video Testimonials Instead of Text-Based Reviews

Companies that ask for text-based reviews aren’t asking for much. One or two sentences are more than enough for most brands, so why do customers ignore your requests? Too many, writing is associated with school and deadlines, which makes typing seem like a real chore.

However, most of us can talk about the things we enjoy for hours, making video one of the most clever ways to ask for reviews. With software like Vocal Video, customers only need to spend 5 minutes answering pre-scripted questions, as they don’t have to edit their own testimonials.

2. Reward Your Reviewers (But Don’t Offer Physical Items)

Paid reviews are one of the worst-kept secrets in business. There’s a high likelihood that some of your favorite brands have paid for reviews at some point, but unless you’re especially sly, you’re going to get caught. Once caught, you’ll face legal liability and a damaged reputation.

Never offer money, physical items, or a discount after someone leaves a review, as it incentives more insincere comments. Instead, respond to negative and positive reviews to show you’re paying attention. This will encourage others to leave detailed reviews about your services.

3. Share User Generated Content or Promote Your Reviews

User-generated content includes posts that your customers create without your direction or input. Your loyal fans may take a picture with your product or talk about your services and tag your brand. If you share this content, you’ll convince others to do the same on their page and get positive reviews.

Most social media users love attention. Even a comment or like on a review is enough to keep the love flowing in your direction. You can ask your viewers to create their own user-generated content by starting a contest, where the winner will be posted on your page or receive a gift.

4. Send Review Requests Via SMS Instead of the Email Inbox

According to Mobile Squared, 90% of text messages are read within 3 minutes. The same can’t be said with emails. While email marketing is still a great idea, you may want to ask for reviews on another platform, so you’re almost guaranteed to receive plenty of positive testimonials. 

If you’re going to use SMS, make sure your review requests are less than 2 sentences long. The average text message is 7 words, while the average email is 50 to 125. A short and sweet call-to-action, like “leave a review, and you’ll be entered into our contest,” works really well.

5. Use Personalization When Asking for Customer Reviews

Every business relies on its customers to see a profit, but even your most loyal clients will start to feel like a number instead of an individual. Don’t forget about the human aspect of business as you scale. Your customer service could set you apart from the competition, which helps to get positive reviews.

Personalization can be as simple as adding someone’s name to mentioning something specific. For example, your review request email/ text message could talk about the specific product or service they bought or bring up a topic they brought up during a customer support call.

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