How to get Amazon reviews: A step-by-step guide

If you’re an Amazon seller, you probably know that reviews are of the utmost importance to your business. Positive Amazon reviews help to boost sales and increase your conversion rate. Your product listings also rank better on Amazon when you have more positive reviews. While purchasing Amazon reviews may be the easiest way to get them, it can harm your eCommerce business. Therefore, it’s best to learn how to get Amazon reviews organically.

There are several different ways to get positive Amazon reviews. We’ll break them down in this article.

Why are Amazon reviews important for your business?

Online consumers actively seek out reviews for the products and services they are looking for. In fact, 98% of shoppers state that reviews are an “essential resource” when they make a purchase. So why do reviews have such an influence on consumers?

Social proof is the psychological phenomenon in which people follow the behavior of others when deciding how to behave in a situation. When it comes to marketing psychology, this means that consumers are more likely to purchase a product that they see other people have purchased and enjoyed. Displaying positive reviews is one of the best ways to take advantage of this.

A product that has many positive reviews is considered to be more trustworthy than a product that has fewer reviews. 45% of consumers report that they would not buy a product that doesn’t have ratings or reviews. When a product has 1-10 reviews, however, the conversion rate increases by 52.2%. And if you have 101 or more reviews, the conversion rate rate increases by a whopping 250%!

Getting feedback through Amazon reviews also allows you to interact with customers and improve your product. It helps you understand what your customers like and dislike about your product, so you can adjust it to meet their needs and desires.

What are Amazon’s rules for reviews?

Amazon has devised rules and regulations to protect its customers and increase brand loyalty. After all, any company associated with Amazon reflects on Amazon’s overall brand perception.

As a seller on Amazon, you are required to maintain the authenticity of your reviews. Customers know that fake reviews are all too common and are wary of those that appear suspicious.

It is therefore essential to follow the rules as an Amazon seller as this will help you to continue your partnership with Amazon and create rapport with potential customers.

Amazon has strict sanctions and punishments for violating these rules. The following types of reviews can be considered a violation of Amazon review rules on the shopping platform.

• Amazon strongly discourages financially incentivized reviews on Amazon.
• If you get caught creating various user accounts and leaving fake reviews, say bye-bye to your Amazon store.
• Amazon does not allow you to ask your customers to remove negative reviews.
• You are not permitted to tell your family members or close friends to review a product.
• Reviewing your product yourself is not allowed, as this will not be an organic review.

Punishments for violating Amazon customer product review policies

Amazon tries its best to catch any black-hat tactics used to get reviews. The platform uses an algorithm that helps spot any illegitimate methods.

They punish sellers that are caught in any kind of illegal activity. These punishments include:

• An immediate permanent ban from Amazon with funds withheld.
• Your product might get delisted from Amazon.
• Amazon might take legal action against you and refer you to civil and criminal bodies.
• You might get the privilege of having Amazon reviews displayed on your product page taken from you.
• Amazon might disclose your name and details publicly.

How to get customer reviews on Amazon organically

It’s clear that the best way to get reviews on Amazon is organically. Here are some tips that follow Amazon’s policy and will allow you to gain more customers quickly.

1. Sell a good product

Selling a good product might seem obvious, but its importance cannot be underestimated. You might get an initial sales boost with clever marketing, but if your product is not good, you will never be able to maintain that growth. In fact, once those bad reviews start piling up, your eCommerce business will likely hit a wall.

That’s why it’s crucial that you sell a high quality product on Amazon. If people are pleased with your product, they’re likely to go ahead and leave you some positive reviews. A customer that got more than they expected will often leave a very enthusiastic review.

If your product doesn’t deliver as promised on the other hand, or is of low quality, your customers will be disappointed with their purchase. When customers don’t feel like they got what they paid for, their dissatisfaction often leads them to write negative reviews.

Before listing your product, it is also wise to read the reviews on the competitors’ Amazon pages. This process will let you know what customers like and dislike in your competitors’ products. You can explore the flaws of similar products and fix those problems in your own product before listing it.

2. Use product inserts

Product inserts are cards or pieces of paper that you place inside your product’s packaging to communicate with customers. You can use product inserts to thank your customer for their purchase and kindly ask them to leave an Amazon review. This is one of the easiest ways to get organic reviews on Amazon.

Using a QR code that links directly to your Amazon review page on your product insert is also a great idea. If leaving a review is fast and easy, customers are more likely to do so.

Amazon sellers can also use product inserts to invite customers to their landing pages. Once you attract them to your website, you can request their email address in exchange for a discount. You can then email them to ask them to review your product and use their email address for future campaigns. This is a great way to grow your lists and foster relationships with your customers.

Your product insert should look and sound personal and professional. Customers value personalization and are more likely to be loyal to a brand that offers a personalized experience. Therefore, you’re more likely to get reviews from a personalized message. You can do this by simply handwriting your product insert and including the customer’s name.

However, don’t be too aggressive with your product inserts – and you definitely shouldn’t ask for a 5-star review. That goes against Amazon’s customer product review policies. You should always remain neutral when asking customers for an Amazon review.

3. Send follow-up emails to your customers

Research shows that up to 80% of reviews come from follow-up emails. Therefore, sending follow-up emails to your customers after they receive their purchase is a great way to increase the number of reviews on your Amazon listing.

When someone buys your products through Amazon, however, you may not have their email address. You can ask customers to join your mailing list or provide their email address in exchange for a discount or other perk in order to get in touch with them.

Directing customers to your landing page is also a good way to collect email addresses. Ask visitors to your website to enter their email address in exchange for a discount code. That way, you will build up a valuable email list and use it to ask them for a review.

Another good strategy is to offer discounts to your buyers in exchange for reviews. However, make sure not to offer discounts that are  higher than 30% off, as Amazon doesn’t allow customers to leave a review if they have received a bigger discount.

If you have good profit margins, you can also run Google Ads or Facebook Ads to drive traffic to your own landing page. Optimize your landing page with different call-to-action strategies, and be sure to include all promotional information about your product.

4. Social retargeting ads are beneficial

Social retargeting ads is a form of advertising that targets people on social media sites who have already visited your product page, added your product to their shopping carts, or bought something.

You can even run retargeting ads asking your customers for product feedback. You just need to make sure it is simple, personalized, and friendly.

The ad you create must resonate with your brand, even if it just includes a link to the review page. Your brand loyalty increases when you connect with your customers and solve their problems.

It’s a good idea to include include nice and appreciative language in your retargeting ads, like the following:

“Thank you for the purchase. We hope that you enjoyed our product. Any feedback that might help us improve will be appreciated.”

Facebook is one of the best platforms for targeting buyers. However, a retargeting campaign is quite expensive as it shrinks the target audience to a small group of people who purchased your product. As the target audience gets more specific, Facebook charges a higher price.

5. Interact with your customers on Facebook Messenger

Facebook Messenger happens to be one of the most popular social media apps. It connects millions of people worldwide, so why not use it to get Amazon reviews?

Facebook Messenger has up to 80% better open rates and a 20% higher CTR (click through rate) than email marketing.

Your audiences might just engage with you better through Facebook Messenger than other forms of communication. Once you reach them on Messenger, you can request that they leave you a review on Amazon.

But how can you find your customers on Facebook? Simply follow the same method as you did with capturing their email addresses:

• Businesses can link to Facebook Messenger through product inserts using a QR code, which will direct them to your Messenger ID.
• Target customers through Facebook Retargeting Ads.

Amazon sellers can use apps other than Facebook Messenger, including WhatsApp or SMS too. Remember, you can’t get reviews by using financial incentives, but you can offer discounts in exchange for their contact information

6. Check your Seller Feedback Page

Seller feedback depends on shipping, the quality of the seller, and the customer experience the seller provides. Seller feedback is important, and you should check your seller feedback page.

If you sell unique or new products: You might find a great product review on your seller feedback page. You can politely ask your customer to move the positive feedback to the product review page.

If you are a third-party seller: You are in a competitive market with identical products to yours. Positive seller feedback can be an edge over the competition.

It’s also wise to check your seller feedback page for negative product reviews. If you find a bad product review under the seller feedback page, Amazon will remove it upon asking because it’s invalid.

7. Make use of the Amazon Vine Program

The Amazon Vine Program is one of the most reliable, safe, and quickest ways to get good reviews on Amazon.

If you meet the eligibility requirements, you can get 30 reviews through this program. In order to qualify, you must be registered in the Amazon Brand Registry, sell a new product through FBA, and have fewer than 30 reviews. If you fall into this criteria, here’s how it works:

1. Amazon chooses reviewers that they trust known as the Vine Voices.
2. You submit 30 free products to Amazon’s Vine Program.
3. Amazon then sends those free products to Vine Voices for genuine reviews.
4. You receive 30 reviews with a badge that says “Vine Customer Review of Free Product.”

Amazon Vine reviews are as transparent as they get. Make sure your products are top-notch before sending them to the program, or you might end up with bad reviews.

8. Use the ‘Request a Review’ button wisely

If you are interested in getting quick Amazon reviews, make sure you use the ‘Request a Review’ feature. Here is how it works:

• Log in to Seller Central. Navigate to the details page for the buyer order for the customer from whom you would like to request a review.
• Hit the “Request a Review” button on the top right corner.
• Amazon requests the customer to review your product through an automated email. You can’t customize the message.
• The customer simply clicks the star rating according to their satisfaction. They don’t even need to write anything.

It’s a straightforward yet effective method to get tons of reviews, but you do have to click through your orders one at a time in order to request reviews for each. Make sure that you have a great product to ensure you receive positive reviews.

9. Build the best brand image

For long term success, it’s important to build the best brand image possible. Your brand image is the perception of your brand held by consumers.

Having a good brand image is important for sales, because if customers highly regard your brand, they’re more likely to want to make a purchase from you, rather than your competitors.

Building your brand image isn’t easy and can take time and effort, but once you do, you’ll reap the fruit of your hard work through increased sales and customer loyalty.

You can build your brand persona by:

• Building long term relationships with your customers
• Responding to customer reviews and feedback
• Being constantly active on social media
• Emailing your customers regularly
• Memorable packaging
• Providing amazing customer service
• Offering added value such as sustainability
• Always improving your product based on customer reviews

Amazon Reviews Are Important

If you want to get Amazon reviews, working hard is key. Rather than trying to blast through the process to hit your goals overnight, know that it takes time and patience to build an online brand that people trust. Don’t be tempted to pay for fake reviews, or you risk getting banned or harming your brand perception.

Once you do bring in those Amazon reviews, you’ll likely see your sales start to increase. When that happens, you’ll need to make sure you have enough inventory to keep up. If you need extra funding to stay in stock, check out 8fig, a growth partner that helps eCommerce brands through an AI CFO, providing both the funding and financial management tools needed to succeed. Sign up for a Growth Plan here.